SIRIUS Sportster 5 Satellite Radio Receiver with Vehicle Kit

I travel a lot in my car, so I bit the bullet and got Sirius. I looked at all the receivers available and narrowed it down to the Starmate 5 and the Sportster 5. I ultimately decided on the Sportster because frankly it looked the coolest.

This thing has so many bells and whistles that I'm still getting used to it. For me it was the best choice. I love the display, the number of presettings, the way it will track your favorite sports teams. Overall a great buy.

Some people have talked about the installation. I read a lot of these reviews before buying this receiver and followed everyone's advice and had it professionally installed. (Cost: $60, Headaches; 0)

My only complaint is the remote... it's to small. One of the reasons I bought this unit is because of the remote. While driving it's easier to use a remote than to mess with the display. But it's super small which makes it difficult to use at times. It would have also been more helpful if it was lighted for night time driving.

Overall a great receiver.

The Sportster 5 is a neat little receiver. Lots of features, love the color screen. Easy to install and use. The only complaint is the small size of the buttons and they are a little hard to push. Overall, very satisfied that I chose this one!

After much consideration I finally broke down and bought into satellite ratio. I ended up purchasing the Sportster 5 because you can get the best of XM added to your Sirius package. So far the radio is great! I can't believe how much I like. It looks really nice and is very easy to use. Reception is very good. I ended up having it professionally installed for a cleaner look and added the FM direct connection.

Perhaps I just got a bad receiver, but I've had problems with this receiver since about a month after purchase.

It's never remembered my presets. It frequently gets stuck/hung up while updating channels, which was usually fixed by Sirius sending a reset signal to my receiver; however, this fix failed most recently, and the radio has been unusable for about a month now. It also started taking 15-30 seconds to start playing audio after start up saying it was "Acquiring Signal". Finally, very weak FM signal unless you have the direct connect or whatever its called. I've heard Sirius sent out a product notice about this issue and perhaps its been fixed in newer versions.

Please note that the during all of this, the satellite receiver continually indicated full signal, so I don't think it was a problem with bad install or bad signal.

I run out of patience dealing with Sirius's customer service system, so I guess I'll just buy a new receiver. The strange this is: I'll probably buy this one again in hopes I just got a faulty unit.

This is my second Sirius Satellite radio; my first is a Stratus 4. This radio is incredible! The display is large and clear, and the 30 presets are more than I'll ever need.

Probably my favorite option on this radio is the "memo," which allows me to save up to 30 songs or artists. When my favorites play anywhere on the dial, a little beep lets me know on what channel, and gives me an option to go to the song in a single click. I haven't really used the record option yet. I like the little remote, as well. it makes for really easy switching between channels.

Unlike many, many other customers here, I've had nothing but pleasant experiences with customer service in the two or three times I've had to contact them. I might just be lucky in that regard. Or, it could be that the customer service is improving--who knows?

The connections are easy; I use the direct connection through my car's tape deck. I understand that there may be many problems with the FM option. The sound is clear, and the volume control via the remote is very useful. The only real complaint I have is that, without the remote, it takes several steps to adjust the volume on the radio itself. I wish that were easier. But that's a small issue, really.

I love Sirius, even though I'm not a Stern fan. Radio Margaritaville, Springsteen, the Dead, all have dedicated channels, and terrestrial radio has far, far too many commercials for my tastes any more. There's plenty of national news and talk from all over the political spectrum, and some good stations for more obscure classical rock music, as well. I really am enjoying my subscription.