I have a Sirius sat radio and I like it a lot. The big problem I have it
use's a FM modulator to send it's output into my car radio. While that's
fine if the frequency is clear, as I travel I bump into FM stations on the
same frequency and it bleeds through. I know they sell switches to divert
the car radio's antenna to either the normal antenna or the Sirius radio.
The problem is I don't want to rip my dash to take out the radio to make
that connection and was thinking that a little more power out on the FM side
would help a lot. Does anyone have any ideas? A small amp for the FM out
comes to mind. Anyone have any experience with anything like this?

Joel AG4QC

"Joel" wrote in message
...
I have a Sirius sat radio and I like it a lot. The big problem I have it
use's a FM modulator to send it's output into my car radio. While that's
fine if the frequency is clear, as I travel I bump into FM stations on the
same frequency and it bleeds through. I know they sell switches to divert
the car radio's antenna to either the normal antenna or the Sirius radio.
The problem is I don't want to rip my dash to take out the radio to make
that connection and was thinking that a little more power out on the FM
side would help a lot. Does anyone have any ideas? A small amp for the FM
out comes to mind. Anyone have any experience with anything like this?

Joel AG4QC
If possible select an FM frequency between 88 and 92 MHz. This spectrum was
originally for LPFM, education stations. Most new stations are less than 1
kW, many in the 100 watt class. Easy to find a spare channel in many areas.

gb

In article ,
"Joel" wrote:

I have a Sirius sat radio and I like it a lot. The big problem I have it
use's a FM modulator to send it's output into my car radio. While that's
fine if the frequency is clear, as I travel I bump into FM stations on the
same frequency and it bleeds through. I know they sell switches to divert
the car radio's antenna to either the normal antenna or the Sirius radio.
The problem is I don't want to rip my dash to take out the radio to make
that connection and was thinking that a little more power out on the FM side
would help a lot. Does anyone have any ideas? A small amp for the FM out
comes to mind. Anyone have any experience with anything like this?


Can the Sirius radio be set to a different FM frequency?

73,
Joe K9LY

Can the Sirius radio be set to a different FM frequency?
===============
If your Sirius Radio has an audio output and your car radio a cassette
player ; you will be able to either homebrew or purchase an audio cassette
shaped transducer with an audio input ,which you stick into the cassette
player , such that by "playing the transducer" you can listen to its audio
input being the audio output of the Sirius radio.

That would solve your 'free FM channel " problem , although perhaps with a
somewhat reduced sound fidelity compared with the FM radio route.

A long time ago I have seen articles for homebrewing the above transducer.
It is a coil inside the cassette placed at short distance from the cassette
players 'head' ,the coil being fed by the audio signal source. It is also a
simple way to connect a ham radio transceiver to the car's loudspeaker
system.
I thought that Ratshack might sell the above type of transducer.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

"Highland Ham"
wrote in
message
...
Can the Sirius radio be set to a different FM
frequency?
===============
If your Sirius Radio has an audio output and
your car radio a cassette
player ; you will be able to either homebrew or
purchase an audio cassette
shaped transducer with an audio input ,which
you stick into the cassette
player , such that by "playing the transducer"
you can listen to its audio
input being the audio output of the Sirius
radio.

Until recently, all of the sat radio boxes came
with a fake cassette of this type. Since cassette
players have vanished from new car radios, the FM
modulator is the answer these days.

I too have the interference problems using the FM
output from my XM. Fortunately my car radio still
reads cassettes. We have strong FM stations every
400 kHz around here, in some cases stations in the
Balto/DC area are just 200 kHz apart.

One of the serious problems using the FM approach
is that one must set the audio level far below
what you get from over-the-air FM stations. FM
stations process their audio to be LOUD, yet do
things to negate the 75 us preemphasis curve.
Your XM/Sirius FM modulator doesn't have all that
fancy processing, so you may have to set it as
much as 10 or 15 dB lower in level to avoid
overdeviating.

The only really good way for sat radio is a direct
audio connection of some type.

The Sirius radio has 88.1, 88.3 88.5 and 88.7 preset out. So I ca switch it
at will.. But the problem is I have to dig around behind the radio to flip
the switch.. and in some cities they have all those frequencies in use. It
don't take much to over ride the modulator. I'm going to see if I can maybe
make an antenna to connect to the Sirius radio to bring the level up a bit
and get it closer..

I could us one of them cassette devices, but that's just another piece of
equipment hanging off the front of the radio.. I already have a hf and a vhf
radio. Not to mention the normal car radio.. One would think I had enough to
listen too.. LOL

Joel

"K9LY" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Joel" wrote:

I have a Sirius sat radio and I like it a lot. The big problem I have it
use's a FM modulator to send it's output into my car radio. While that's
fine if the frequency is clear, as I travel I bump into FM stations on
the
same frequency and it bleeds through. I know they sell switches to divert
the car radio's antenna to either the normal antenna or the Sirius radio.
The problem is I don't want to rip my dash to take out the radio to make
that connection and was thinking that a little more power out on the FM
side
would help a lot. Does anyone have any ideas? A small amp for the FM out
comes to mind. Anyone have any experience with anything like this?


Can the Sirius radio be set to a different FM frequency?

73,
Joe K9LY

Behold, Joel signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

The Sirius radio has 88.1, 88.3 88.5 and 88.7 preset out.

The more complex the technology, the more inconvenient they make it for
the user *shrug*

I betcha they make you pay for the inconvenience too, eh?

--
Gregg t3h g33k
"Ratings are for transistors....tubes have guidelines"
http://geek.scorpiorising.ca

R J Carpenter wrote:
"Highland Ham"
wrote in
message
...

Can the Sirius radio be set to a different FM

frequency?

===============
If your Sirius Radio has an audio output and

your car radio a cassette

player ; you will be able to either homebrew or

purchase an audio cassette

shaped transducer with an audio input ,which

you stick into the cassette

player , such that by "playing the transducer"

you can listen to its audio

input being the audio output of the Sirius

radio.

Until recently, all of the sat radio boxes came
with a fake cassette of this type. Since cassette
players have vanished from new car radios, the FM
modulator is the answer these days.

I too have the interference problems using the FM
output from my XM. Fortunately my car radio still
reads cassettes. We have strong FM stations every
400 kHz around here, in some cases stations in the
Balto/DC area are just 200 kHz apart.

One of the serious problems using the FM approach
is that one must set the audio level far below
what you get from over-the-air FM stations. FM
stations process their audio to be LOUD, yet do
things to negate the 75 us preemphasis curve.
Your XM/Sirius FM modulator doesn't have all that
fancy processing, so you may have to set it as
much as 10 or 15 dB lower in level to avoid
overdeviating.

The only really good way for sat radio is a direct
audio connection of some type.



The 2005 Dodge Caravan we just ordered comes standard
with an AM/FM CD Cassette radio. Yup, it has BOTH a
cd player AND a cassette player!

BTW those cassette adaptors use a tape head run in
reverse for the coupling.

Can you get under the hood and unplug the FM antenna?

Or maybe put a attenuator of some sort in line with it?

Or just cut off the lead in cable?


"Joel" wrote in message
...
The Sirius radio has 88.1, 88.3 88.5 and 88.7 preset out. So I ca switch
it
at will.. But the problem is I have to dig around behind the radio to flip
the switch.. and in some cities they have all those frequencies in use. It
don't take much to over ride the modulator. I'm going to see if I can
maybe
make an antenna to connect to the Sirius radio to bring the level up a bit
and get it closer..

I could us one of them cassette devices, but that's just another piece of
equipment hanging off the front of the radio.. I already have a hf and a
vhf
radio. Not to mention the normal car radio.. One would think I had enough
to
listen too.. LOL

Joel

"K9LY" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Joel" wrote:

I have a Sirius sat radio and I like it a lot. The big problem I have
it
use's a FM modulator to send it's output into my car radio. While
that's
fine if the frequency is clear, as I travel I bump into FM stations on
the
same frequency and it bleeds through. I know they sell switches to
divert
the car radio's antenna to either the normal antenna or the Sirius
radio.
The problem is I don't want to rip my dash to take out the radio to
make
that connection and was thinking that a little more power out on the FM
side
would help a lot. Does anyone have any ideas? A small amp for the FM
out
comes to mind. Anyone have any experience with anything like this?


Can the Sirius radio be set to a different FM frequency?

73,
Joe K9LY

Make the Sirius output powerful enough you could have your own mobile
transmitting station as you drive along! :-)