\SAT\ button on 2006 Mazda 3 GT

[andy957]

I just purchased a beautiful 2006 Mazda 3 GT here in Ontario and really love it. The radio has a button marked \"SAT\". I presume this is in preparation for hard wiring for Satellite (XM/Sirius) Radio in Canada but I\'m wondering if anyone here knows the real scoop. Does this mean that it\'s already wired, and only requires a subscription? My dealer did not know the story. Thanks.

[Cardinal Fang]

I remember being told that the SAT button doesn\'t work unless the Sirius/XM Unit is installed which means that you still have to buy the unit and the subscription.

[andy957]

Originally posted by Cardinal Fang


I remember being told that the SAT button doesn\'t work unless the Sirius/XM Unit is installed which means that you still have to buy the unit and the subscription.

Thanks. My dealer, as well as Mazda Corporate HQ in Ontario had no idea about how to do this. Can I just purchase the receiver from Best Buy or FutureShop and install it myself, or does it require removing the radio unit from the dash and rewiring? I\'m really surprised that Mazda and the dealers say they know nothing about this.

[majic]

Originally posted by andy957


I just purchased a beautiful 2006 Mazda 3 GT here in Ontario and really love it. The radio has a button marked \"SAT\". I presume this is in preparation for hard wiring for Satellite (XM/Sirius) Radio in Canada but I\'m wondering if anyone here knows the real scoop. Does this mean that it\'s already wired, and only requires a subscription? My dealer did not know the story. Thanks.

you need to buy a factory unit.. install it and then subscribe.. search around for \'sirius\' as some of tm3 members have already installed them and provided how-tos

EDIT: oops ;)

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by andy957



Originally posted by Cardinal Fang


I remember being told that the SAT button doesn\'t work unless the Sirius/XM Unit is installed which means that you still have to buy the unit and the subscription.

Thanks. My dealer, as well as Mazda Corporate HQ in Ontario had no idea about how to do this. Can I just purchase the receiver from Best Buy or FutureShop and install it myself, or does it require removing the radio unit from the dash and rewiring? I\'m really surprised that Mazda and the dealers say they know nothing about this.

in order to use the SAT button on the radio, you must get the OEM Sirius Satellite Radio Kit 0000-81-G01A

you don\'t need the Install kit - Mazda Sirius Satellite Radio Installation Kit 0000-81-K02A - as it comes with the instructions which are available here (http://www.finishlineperformance.com/docs/maz3_sat_install.pdf)

The how-to to install that is found in this forum.

If you want to go aftermarket, then your options are to either use an FM modulator, an AuxMod - which allows you to use the MEDIA button for the aux-in on an aftermarket sat unit (http://www.sylfex.com/products/AuxMod/), or a PIE Adapter which will plug into the \"CD changer/Sat\" connector on the back of the headunit - this allows you to press the CD button twice to access an aux-in.

An example of a Sirius Starbase install can be found within this link (http://www.siriusbackstage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27763&highlight=mazda3) ... going through an aux-in sounds numerous times better than going through the FM modulator.

If you get the OEM kit, you can use the ESN to subscribe to Sirius Canada...but why would you? enter a fake US address (preferably from a state with no tax) and you get a ton more channels plus the Stern 100 and 101. you can do this since the ESN for the OEM kit is more than likely registered with Sirius in the USA (if the OEM kit comes from a USA dealer).

hope that helps.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN

If you get the OEM kit, you can use the ESN to subscribe to Sirius Canada...but why would you? enter a fake US address (preferably from a state with no tax) and you get a ton more channels plus the Stern 100 and 101. you can do this since the ESN for the OEM kit is more than likely registered with Sirius in the USA (if the OEM kit comes from a USA dealer).

hope that helps.

Just curious about entering the fake US address......do they not check to see if that address matches the one on the CC you are using to charge the subscription to?

[RedRaptor]

I suggest all this grey market satellite chat be discussed at SiriusBackstage.

There is a very good thread right here (http://www.siriusbackstage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33482), where you will find out all information you need in regards to subbing to the US service.

To give you guys an idea of why Sirius USA doesn\'t really care about grey market subs, they only own 20% of Sirius Canada.

[dabomb519]

Originally posted by PSIVIC



Originally posted by MajesticBlueN

If you get the OEM kit, you can use the ESN to subscribe to Sirius Canada...but why would you? enter a fake US address (preferably from a state with no tax) and you get a ton more channels plus the Stern 100 and 101. you can do this since the ESN for the OEM kit is more than likely registered with Sirius in the USA (if the OEM kit comes from a USA dealer).

hope that helps.

Just curious about entering the fake US address......do they not check to see if that address matches the one on the CC you are using to charge the subscription to?



Having worked at XM Satellite Radio for 2 years and knowing about Sirius way too much, there are many loop holes...

[TheProfessor]

Ahhh, I\'m not looking to subscribe or anything, just curious.....thanks.

[Biscuit]

Couple questions myself:

1. With the oem unit, do you get updates of sports scores scrolling across the screen or just the channel you are on displayed? ex. listening to the hockey or football channels on aftermarket units you get a sports ticker on the multi line section

2. With the aftermarket units with an fm transmitter, is the signal strong enough to battle over other fm signals in the city? ex. my i-pod fm transmitter is incredibly static laden when in the city and picks up strange wireless blips every so often in the countryside

It\'s hard to justify $380us if you can\'t get all the features of other units, but if the aftermarket units won\'t give me static free operation then would it be worth it. If i only knew someone with either, Argh!

Thanks for any help.:)

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by Biscuit


Couple questions myself:

2. With the aftermarket units with an fm transmitter, is the signal strong enough to battle over other fm signals in the city? ex. my i-pod fm transmitter is incredibly static laden when in the city and picks up strange wireless blips every so often in the countryside

It\'s hard to justify $380us if you can\'t get all the features of other units, but if the aftermarket units won\'t give me static free operation then would it be worth it. If i only knew someone with either, Argh!

Thanks for any help.:)

can\'t answer question 1, but i can try question 2.

some aftermarket units have a built-in FM transmitter and some utilize what is known as a FM relay module (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/SIRIUS-FM-Module-Relay-DEI-14110-/sem/rpsm/oid/124111/catOid/-13091/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do). some don\'t and rely on a FM transmitter much like the one for your ipod.

The FM transmitter strength is dependent on the unit...some info can be found on siriusbackstage. However, remember that the closer the FM transmitter is to the car\'s antenna, the better the reception. Unfortunately, in the 3, the antenna is in the back, which will affect an aftermarket sat unit\'s FM sound quality.

The FM relay module is what I used for a while (it comes in the Starbase kit) and, what it does is effectively kill all reception from the car\'s antenna on the FM frequency you select on the unit. It will then \"transmit\" the sat unit\'s sound over the FM station with no interference from other stations (city or countryside). It will sound as good as the best FM station does right now (almost akin to 104.5) but not as good as going in through an aux-in solution.

Certain PNP (plug and play) units can utilize the FM relay module. Best bet is to download the manuals for the unit\'s you\'re looking at to see how they can interface with the car stereo.

Hope that helps.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by Biscuit
Couple questions myself:

1. With the oem unit, do you get updates of sports scores scrolling across the screen or just the channel you are on displayed? ex. listening to the hockey or football channels on aftermarket units you get a sports ticker on the multi line section


With the OEM unit, you get all the information about the song or event you are listening to as with an aftermarket radio. However, the stock HU LCD doesn\'t support automatic scrolling of text so you would have to manually scroll to see the entire song name/scores and etc. OEM MP3 owners can relate as you need to turn the TUNE button to scroll through the text. So to answer your question, yes all the text information is available to you, but they aren\'t displayed all at the same time and you will need to manually scroll to see the entire song/event name.

Pros & Cons of OEM Unit:

Pros:
-Clean and full integration with existing HU, use steering wheel controls.
-Tuner out of sight to prevent any thieves from targetting your car.
-No need for extras like AUXMOD to achieve best quality.
-Installation is plug & play (no wire splicing at all).
-OEM Quality/Resale Value

Cons:
-No multiline display.
-Must manually scroll.
-No special features like S-Seek (Song Seek).
-No remote included.
-OEM price tag.

I\'ve seen MajesticBlueN\'s Starbase in action and I really like the extra features like S-Seek, the remote control and also the feature where you can see a list of what\'s playing on each channel. The blue display is nice on the eyes and multiline display is awesome.

I really like my OEM tuner as well since it literally plugs right into the stock HU, and I am used to the one line display of the stock HU (I also have the stock OEM MP3 player). The integration is super clean and 90% of the time, the passengers in my car don\'t even know I have satellite radio until they start listening closely.

Both the OEM and aftermarket tuners have their pros and cons. My suggestion is go with what you are comfortable with and look at things such as installation, special features, and of course price tag.

Red.

[Biscuit]

Thanks for the fast replies guys, much appreciated!

Red, does that mean on the oem one you get other games\' scores while listening to a completely different game? Not that i gamble much or anything.:p

Thanks again!

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by Biscuit
Red, does that mean on the oem one you get other games\' scores while listening to a completely different game? Not that i gamble much or anything.:p


For the OEM one, you only see the text that pertains to the song or event you are currently listening to.

MajesticBlueN can answer this question for Starbase users.

Red.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by RedRaptor



Originally posted by Biscuit
Red, does that mean on the oem one you get other games\' scores while listening to a completely different game? Not that i gamble much or anything.:p


For the OEM one, you only see the text that pertains to the song or event you are currently listening to.

MajesticBlueN can answer this question for Starbase users.

Red.

with the Starbase, you can scroll through the Sports Category to see the scores on the 3-line display, regardless of what you\'re listening to at the time.

[Biscuit]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN

with the Starbase, you can scroll through the Sports Category to see the scores on the 3-line display, regardless of what you\'re listening to at the time.

SOLD!!!! That and I think I\'ll go for the canadian subscription over the american due to content. ie. weather and traffic for Canada and sports teams that I care about.

The info has been great and I definitely appreciate it. Cheers!:)

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by Biscuit



Originally posted by MajesticBlueN

with the Starbase, you can scroll through the Sports Category to see the scores on the 3-line display, regardless of what you\'re listening to at the time.

SOLD!!!! That and I think I\'ll go for the canadian subscription over the american due to content. ie. weather and traffic for Canada and sports teams that I care about.

The info has been great and I definitely appreciate it. Cheers!:)

As of right now, there are no local Canadian weather and traffic stations on Sirius Canada. If you\'re in Toronto, your better off tuning into 680News \"one the 1s every 10 minutes\". Also, there are no Canadian-only sports channels. The Canada sub shares the sports channels with the USA sub. The only difference is \"Hardcore Sports Radio\".

As for a listing of channel differences, I\'m not sure if you saw the other thread i posted this in, but i\'ll post it here for reference:

from a quick scan, and out of my own curiousity, here are the Sirius channels that Canada doesn\'t get but the USA does:

3 Sirius Love
24 Eclectic/Free Form
43 Backspin
50 Hot Jamz
67 Christian Rock
68 Gospel
85 Classical Voices
91 Mexicana
92 Tropical/Reggaeton
122 Sports Talk and Play-by-play
133 Fox News Channel
135 NPR Talk
136 Public Radio World
139 C-SPAN Radio
183 Korean Language Radio
144 Conservative Values
145 Conservative Talk
146 Liberal Talk
114 Healthy Living (Lime)

and both Howard Stern channels 100 and 101

* Here are the Canadian channels that the USA does get:
93 New French Language Music
94 Indie Music
95 Adult Alternative Music
137 National and International News
138 Current Affairs French

* Here are the Canadian channels that the USA does not get:

187 (French) All News Radio
186 Hardcore Sports Radio
192 (French) Canadian Soft Rock
188 Multilingual Radio
193 (French) Pop, Rock and Urban Music

Overall, the USA sub isn\'t missing much, but the Canadaian Sirius sub is missing A LOT!

[Biscuit]

Wow... talk about jumpin the gun on my part. I surfed and noticed way more play-by-play channels on the US sub also. It\'s just such a hassle to go to the states for something I can pick up down the street. Oh well, atleast I\'ve decided on one (sportster replay), now where to mount the bugger...decisions!:p

[Medic22]

Just wondering where people mounted their sirius sportster in their cars...are there other options like placing the sportster unit in the dash?

[sicsol]

Have my Sportster is in the Ashtray...As well you can\'t even see my attenna anywhere in the inside or outside of the car.

[Xenon]

For the record, Sirius CANADA subscribers DO get the following channels on Majestic\'s blacklist:

3 Sirius Love
24 Eclectic/Free Form
50 Hot Jamz
122 Sports Talk and Play-by-play
133 Fox News Channel
136 Public Radio World
114 Healthy Living (Lime)

and,YES! Canadians have access to both Howard Stern channels 100 and 101