XM radio

[fleman202]

Anyone have any experience using XM radio in their helicopter?

[apiaguy]

yes..

Have used it as a stand alone car type portable and thru the 530w

Headsets don't usually do a great job with music playback... but its something in your ear.

While I've installed an aux music jack in all my helicopters... I'm not a big advocate of listening to music while I fly... I prefer to focus on the aircraft and systems and the task at hand. I find the music to be a distraction especially to students.

[fleman202]

I agree about the distractions. I would never listen to anything with students, but I am going to have a lot of long days this spring flying photography ( back and forth and onto the next target) and after hours of this its hard to just focus on the engine noise without wanting to nod off!

[Gomer Pylot]

We have XM on our Garmins. The subscription brings in weather info. You can get some audio, but we keep it muted, it's not worth listening to. I used to have an XM subscription for a radio I could use in my car and house, but I dropped the subscription because it just wasn't worth anywhere near what they charge. They turn it back on now and then to try to tempt me back, but they'll have to drop the price by a huge percentage to get me back. I just bought a new car that came with a 6-month subscription, and it's still as bad as ever. I listen to one channel, and baseball games during the season, the rest is worthless to me.

[aeroscout]

We have XM on our Garmins. The subscription brings in weather info. You can get some audio, but we keep it muted, it's not worth listening to. I used to have an XM subscription for a radio I could use in my car and house, but I dropped the subscription because it just wasn't worth anywhere near what they charge. They turn it back on now and then to try to tempt me back, but they'll have to drop the price by a huge percentage to get me back. I just bought a new car that came with a 6-month subscription, and it's still as bad as ever. I listen to one channel, and baseball games during the season, the rest is worthless to me.

Good old AM/FM still works great in comparison.

[Gomer Pylot]

Oh, XM works fine, it's just that the content is mostly worthless. I don't care for talk radio or rock music, and there isn't much else available. But I guess there is a reason they offer so much of that, and everyone is free to listen to, and pay for, whatever they like. I just choose not to pay for XM radio.