Delphi SA10101 SKYFi2 XM Satellite Radio Receiver and Remote Control

I have done a lot of research online and the authors all seemed to say the same thing - the Delphi SkyFi2 is the best add-on satellite car radio ever. I signed up with XM when it was about a year old in December 2002 and purchased an original Delphi SkyFi radio for my car. While that unit served its purpose, when the SkyFi2 was first offered in November 2004, I jumped at the chance to buy one and substitute it for my SkyFi.The big upgrade, in my mind, was that while the SkyFi was an amber screen (amber letters on a dark background) and was unreadable from the driver's seat on sunny days, the SkyFi2 was monochrome (black letters on a white background with white letters on a black background selectable) so I was able to read it easily from the driver's seat no matter what the weather. The SkyFi2 also was the first to offer TuneSelect, a feature now standard on all XM radios. With TuneSelect, I am, over time, able to specify my 19 favorite recording artists and whenever one of their songs is played on any of the XM channels, the SkyFi2 beeps and offers to transfer me to that channel. This adds immensely to my enjoyment of my satellite radio subscription.The SkyFi2 was also one of the first XM radios to be able to time shift, up to 30 minutes in the past. For instance, if I am listening to XM and a song comes on that I don't care for, I can go back to one of the songs I've just listened to and play it again (over and over if I wish) while the radio continues to record the station I was listening to before I elected to time shift backwards (so I won't miss anything while I'm time shifted).The SkyFi2 was one of the first XM radios to come with a built-in FM modulator so I can play my XM radio through my car's stereo system by tuning to an FM channel of my choosing from an extensive pre-selected list. Finally, what makes the SkyFi2 unique from all other XM radios is that it offers up to -30- (not 20 but 30) preset stations. I have four bands on my SkyFi2, Bands A, B, and C and Direct and each of the A, B, and C bands has 10 preselect keys. Now I can list my ten favorite stations (such as my personal favorite, Watercolors (XM Channel 71), which is the sole reason I subscribed to XM back in 2002) on Band A and then news/sports and lesser favorite music channels on Bands B and C. I find this a great feature.No the SkyFi2 doesn't have a color screen and isn't an iPod which connects to XM through a SkyDock or WiFi, but it has loads of features that make it indispensable to me. As a bonus, the unit also ships with a Car Kit to install in your car so you can listen to the radio there. My initial reaction was "I don't need this - I already have a Car Kit", but then my antenna died for no reason whatsoever (which I'd never heard of happening although I guess its quite common) and it was great to be able to tell the technician at Best Buy who hooked it up that I already had the parts he needed to replace my dead antenna.

So, I had to install an external FM Modulator on my SkiFi-1, because my Mercedes-Benz doesnt allow easy hardwiring of the SkiFi-1 unit. MB basically doesnt like you messing with their German Engineering.Tired of crappy (and expensive!) external FM Modulators, I went ahead and upgraded to the SkiFi2. Worth EVERY PENNY. Frankly, the top of the line Radio Shack Monster Cable FM Modulator is around $50 bucks, and I picked up this SkiFi2 used on Amazon for less than that.The FM Modulator is almost silent as far as in-line interference, and the sound is practically crystal clear (at least good enough to be heard well over the big, fat performance tires). That alone makes it a good buy in my mind.Plus, the programming options on the SkiFi2 (extra station presets, 30 minute record options) are gravy.I went ahead and kept my SkiFi-1 for use at home, in the Delphi Boombox, but for persons in need of a mobile XM radio solution, Delphi SkiFi2 is money.

This is a great XM radio. It has ability to program 30 presets which is very useful. I just bought a new one after I dropped my old SKYFi2 one too many times shuttling it back and forth between car and house. It lasted 7-1/2 years and had been dropped about 15 times on pavement before the last drop did it in. I don't know if the SKYFi2 is still in production. The new one I got in February 2014 thru an Amazon seller came with a Channel Guide that was dated October 2004! And the batteries for the remote in the package were corroded and had to be tossed - thankfully they were completely separated from the radio and remote by sealed hard plastic packaging. I had problems with the knob control in my last one, but I think that again was caused by one of the drops, and it never really caused me a problem because all my favorite channels were preset and I rarely used the knob.

I've subscribed to XM for the past 18 months and have been pretty much pleased with the service. The only downside with the service and its playlist of 2 million songs, is that there aren't 2 million good songs out there, so there's a lot of junk amidst the good stuff. Think of the LP collection you had as a kid ... most albums had only two or three really stand-out songs. Well, on XM you'll hear the other 10 to 12 songs as well, for better or worse.Amazon recently offered the SKYFi2 for free after rebate, so I decided to upgrade to the new receiver (although I did end up having to buy a new vehicle kit, as recommended).The upgrade is worth it. The sound quality is superior, the reception is superior, and the screen is much easier to read, particularly during the day.My only disappointment is the 30-minute rewind / pause feature, and it's probably more a misunderstanding on my part than a fault with the equipment. It only records the channel you've actually been listening to, so if you are channel surfing and come across a song you like, you can't rewind to the beginning of that song. I guess it's a useful feature if you were listening to a song you like and, say, a cell phone call interrupted you.Other than that, the SkyFi2 and XM radio are a breathe of fresh air for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road. Goodbye, Clear Channel, and your 16 minutes of commercials per hour!

Well what can I say, XM has done it again! If you're looking for a receiver which gives you the abilit to pause play, rewind or go forward (all up to 30 minutes) then this is the player for you! You know when you're listening to that one part of a song or news that's important and someone starts talking or the phone rings? Well with this receiver you'll never miss one second as you just hit the pause button and it'll pause the program until you return (just like TiVo or Recorder Box), and you can skip by the commercials (few there are) in playback until you get to the LIVE feed again.The screen gives you two colors, black letters on white or white letters on black background. My opinion is that I liked the original SkyFi Amber color better than the Black/white or white/black. However many had a problem seeing it in the daylight (I personally did not).There is a "ticker" at the bottom of the screen. Meaning you can program the receiver to scroll across the bottom of the screen current stock quotes, or sports scores and game times for all major teams and college. Even Golf!There is clock in the upper right corner which allows regular or military time. All you do is set it to your time zone (Eastern, West, etc.) and if your area follows daylight savings, and then XM Satellites do the rest in adjusting the time! You'll always have the current time beamed down to your radio!You can set it to broadcast to a nearby FM radio. Meaning you can have this receiver in your bedroom playing, and have it set to a frequency (there are many to choose from) on your FM radio so that you can hear it on your FM radio in the kitchen or other room! This litle box will actually broadcast to an FM radio!And look at the prices! Amazon's are the lowest around! Look even closer and the this SkyFi2 is ten dollars more than the original SkyFi Amazon has. At these prices I don't see how Amazon makes any profit!And it keeps going and going with no problems. Meaning, when I first got this from Amazon, the following day I came down with the Flu. I had it playing soft/easy music in my bedroom for well over 48 hours while I layed in bed with the flu. Non stop for over 2 days and at no time did the screen get "hot" and have problems nor did the radio turn itself off from overheating.Plus you get a nifty remote that's a bit larger and more comfortable in the hand than the original SkyFi. And there's a metal clip you can attach to clip onto your pants/belt. Remote has good range, comes in handy when you don't want to get up to adjust the volume (included) or do just about anything other than menu functions (changing color, ticker, etc.). Two AAA batteries are included with the remote.What you will need with this (just like the original SkyFi) is with the homekit (to hook to your stereo) or boombox (has antenna, and all). Just make sure when you order them that it's for XM radio as the Sirius Satellite parts will not work with XM.If you're looking for a XM Receiver with lots of "toys" to play around with, adjusting it to see various things, then this one is for you. You'll spend hours customizing the screen to your exact color, darkness, brightness, contrast, selection of ticker stock quotes or sports teams, etc.When I first read about Satellite Radio I said to myself "why would anyone pay for something that's free on the radio," but trust me there is a BIG difference! Sond quality is much better, there are little to no commercials (commercials are on the Old Time Radio and Sonic but are few) and you can zero in to listen to the exact type of music you want to. Not listen to your radio for hours upon hours for the genre songs you like. And if talk radio is your thing, especially LIVE shows, then Satellite is what you want. Especially if you live in parts of the country where you have one or no talk stations. XM gives you 5 talk stations. With G Gordon Liddy and Dr. Laura coming in Feb. 2005. And if baseball (Major) is your thing, well XM has an 11 year contract with MLB to carry each and every game starting with spring training to the world series! And with no additional cost to the $9.99 fee!