# Sirius S50



## sbcgroup1

I've had Sirius for over 1.5years and love it...not just buying it now because of stern


Anyways, I have a dock at work and one in the car. The work dock requires a satellite antenna that has to be pointed out a window facing the southern sky to get a signal. Is this problem solved with the S50? Does it work off of their terrestrial repeaters?


What's the deal?


Thanks!


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## AbMagFab

If the S50 is that new small walkman, it has no receiver in it at all. Sorry. Check out the review in the newest S&V.


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## sbcgroup1

No receiver in it? How can that be? It's in the base station?


Anyways, checked S&V's site...no luck. Not gonna try and find a store that carries the mag, etc....


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## subwoofer

The S50 seems like a great device but it is a bit expensive.


Are you saying that to have your satellite radio at work and at home, you need docking stations in both places? What about using just a boombox?


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## STEELERSRULE

I don't know why Sirius did this, but the S50 REQUIRES you to have the unit in either the home or car docking station to receive Sirius programming. Major Snafu IMHO on Sirius' part, and they will live to regret it.


The S50 is great because you can record up to 50 hours of content with it, and dowload MP3 and play them as well.


But if you were just to carry around the S50, like a walkman, you can only listen to PRE-Recorded Sirius content or MP3's and the like. It cannot receive LIVE SIRIUS CONTENT away from the docking stations. And if there is a boombox, I am sure it can only receive Live Sirius content there as well.


Major screw-up on Sirius's part IMHO.


XM's portable MyFi and Pioneer units receive live XM content on the go, albeit rather poorly(most rate the live pickup of XM via the headphones POOR at best), but Sirius should at least give it's customer's the option.


If it wasn;t for this, the unit would be great, but it drops a serious number of notches down because of this, and the price is NUTS IMHO.


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## Hubcap

i wouldnt buy this thing becuase of the non live content. Seems like a waste of money to me.


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## subwoofer

Yea why doesn't Sirius have a portable system like XM?


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## barbie845

Quote:

Yea why doesn't Sirius have a portable system like XM?


Sirius's chipset is bigger then XM's,and it runs hotter too..


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## Petteri

Quote:

Originally Posted by *subwoofer*
Yea why doesn't Sirius have a portable system like XM?
Also XM has many more ground based repeaters that Sirius does at this point in time. In the years to come look for the Sirius chipset to catch up if not move ahead of XM...


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## TomCat

It hurts ($458) but I need the recording capability, so I bit the bullet. I currently use Audio Hijack Pro, which records to a Mac, automatically cuts the Stern show into 15-minute bites, and also automatically moves it to my iPod, and I plan to do the same with Sirius, but record on the S50 first, and dump it off later. Since I am regularly called out of town at a moment's notice to operate a SNG (news sat) uplink truck, I might miss some shows otherwise.


So I did it. And it still hurts.


They said they expected to ship on the 11th, so has anyone heard from them (colormatch) or received theirs yet?


Here's another question: If these sats are in the Clarke belt, which is in the southern sky in this hemisphere, why do the instructions say I should be using a northern window if I live in Arizona?


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## Petteri

Quote:

Originally Posted by *TomCat*
They said they expected to ship on the 11th, so has anyone heard from them (colormatch) or received theirs yet?


Here's another question: If these sats are in the Clarke belt, which is in the southern sky in this hemisphere, why do the instructions say I should be using a northern window if I live in Arizona?


The S50 has been delayed until the 17th.


Also the XM satellites are statonary, but the Sirius ones move in a figure 8 pattern in the sky. Check out siriusbackstage.com for more info on that.


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## barbie845

If the RIAA gets their way devices like the S50 or XM's Samsung unit(to be released maybe next year) may not be in the stores very long.


The RIAA's proposal regarding recording of digital radio:



(8) by inserting after Section 114(j)(15) (16) "Permitted recording"

means recording of a performance licensed under this section where technological measures used by the transmitting entity and incorporated into the recording device



(A) permit recording only of specific programs, channels or time periods as

selected by the user in increments of no less than thirty minutes duration,

where no more than 50 hours of recorded material is stored at any one time,

and recorded material is deleted or otherwise made inaccessible on a first-in,

first-out basis;


(B) do not permit recording or playback based on information concerning specific sound

recordings, artists, genres or other user preferences;


(C) do not permit the automated disaggregation of the copyrighted material

contained in any recording of a transmission program;


(D) effectively prevent access to the recorded material other than as

described in this paragraph; and


(E) do not permit the redistribution, retransmission or other exporting of

recorded material from the device by digital outputs or removable

media.


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## hitchfan

Forgive a few dumb questions about the S50 and it's inability to stream live Sirius feeds while going portable, but isn't the only issue that there isn't a suitable portable power supply for the docking station included?


I mean, if I can get an uninterrupted Sirius signal while driving around town and the whole works, radio, antennae, docking station and power cord is small enough to hold in one hand, why can't I just plug that power cord into a portable power supply and take it to the beach, on a picnic or to the back yard?


I realize it wouldn't be practical to go jogging with an outboard power supply system like that, but as far as portability from one location to another or from the indoors to the outdoors goes, why couldn't you do it that way?


Does Sirius have a power supply attachment for the S50 docking station in the marketing pipeline?


What am I missing?


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## TomCat

I dunno. I think the whole thing centers on the value of live vs. recorded programming. About the only thing that is important live is traffic updates and about 4% of breaking news. Having a car kit covers that, having the home kit covers it also, though traffic reports there are of no value unless you are about to plan an immediate trip or are wondering why the wife is late.


The S50 is designed for everything else...record what you want when docked, and play it back ipod-style when you leave the house or car. To me that makes it very usable. It would be impractical to get sat radio live on a portable, unless you are willing to build an antenna into your hat. The only extra effort is selecting a playlist instead of selecting a station.


And nothing is really live, anyway. Howard Stern is on delay for the west coast (and to some extent the east coast if you count censor delay) so none of us have actually heard that show live. And anything that bounces off the satellite is delayed from live by at least 1/3 of a second. I guess my point is that "live" is over-rated. Having the ability to record like a Tivo and play back like an iPod (although a poor-man's version of iPod, priced for the rich) is what is needed to make a portable (as in "wearable") sat radio system useful. Sure, it would be nice to be able to get 100% service everywhere 24/7 on a device this small without docking it, but that's not practical yet.


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## bokes

Will the S50 allow for timer recording? I want to Tape Stern (6am-10am) while I'm at work.


I would also like to then transfer all saved shows to my ipod. I know the S50 comes with a USB that allows you to transfer MP3's to it- but can you pull recorded content OFF the S50?


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## kalon74

Quote:

Originally Posted by *bokes*
Will the S50 allow for timer recording? I want to Tape Stern (6am-10am) while I'm at work.


I would also like to then transfer all saved shows to my ipod. I know the S50 comes with a USB that allows you to transfer MP3's to it- but can you pull recorded content OFF the S50?
No dice.


From the Sirius web site: http://www.sirius.com/gs/s50/index_product.html 


"Please Note: Content from the SIRIUS S50 cannot be transferred off the unit to your PC."


I really wanted to get my Sirius receiver by the first of the year, but my "perfect" receiver doesn't yet exist. I wonder why Sirius is having such a hard time getting a TRUE portable with stoarge on the market....


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## SKoprowski

FYI- If you are just interested in recording Stern and have a computer all you need to do is buy a pci or usb FM card that can do scheduled recording to mp3/wma. I have a Leadtek video/fm tuner card and use my Starmate's FM transmitter to record off of Sirius to the computer. Works perfect. I plan on doing this and just uploading Stern's show to my MP3player. I already do this with Stern's current show. Using the FM transmitter from you Sirus receiver makes things very easy.



Scott


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## kalon74

Quote:

Originally Posted by *SKoprowski*
FYI- If you are just interested in recording Stern and have a computer all you need to do is buy a pci or usb FM card that can do scheduled recording to mp3/wma. I have a Leadtek video/fm tuner card and use my Starmate's FM transmitter to record off of Sirius to the computer. Works perfect. I plan on doing this and just uploading Stern's show to my MP3player. I already do this with Stern's current show. Using the FM transmitter from you Sirus receiver makes things very easy.



Scott


Thanks for the tip. However, I'm just wishing out loud that there were a simple, seamless way to take my satelite radio with me, listen to it live or time-shifted, and not have to be bothered by a lot of extra steps. Until a device exists that can do all of that, I have to settle for something else.


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## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *bokes*
Will the S50 allow for timer recording? I want to Tape Stern (6am-10am) while I'm at work...
Ditto. And yes, it claims to be capable of this
Quote:

Originally Posted by *bokes*
...I would also like to then transfer all saved shows to my ipod. I know the S50 comes with a USB that allows you to transfer MP3's to it- but can you pull recorded content OFF the S50?
It looks like the only option is real-time transfer. IOW, connect the two by an audio cable, press play, press record, come back 4 hours later. Decidedly low-tech for such a high-tech system. Of course you could just leave it on Howard 100 and set the computer to record live, which is what many of us do with FM right now (I recommend Audio Hijack Pro, which takes care of the iTunes and iPod transfer, and can record as AAC or MP3). If you use that method, the recording capability of the S50 becomes moot, and you can save yourself about 4 bills.


BTW, 11-17 has come and gone, and still no word from Sirius about where MY S50 is. Grrrr. I did get my hands on one at Best Buy today, and it does not disappoint.


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## bokes

O.k

I went ahead and picked up a Clarion plug and play w/home base for about $130.

I patched it into my powerbook and via Hijack I have been burning plenty of Howard 100 news to my ipod.

This is so additive.

Looks like I'll be burning and listening 24hours a day for the next five years!


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## STEELERSRULE

The S50 DOES ALLOW timer recordings(ala a VCR) for someone to set and record for a specific time to start/length of recording/ and channel.


As long as it is in either it's car/home/or portable stereo type holder.


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## barbie845

For those who are interested you may want to go over to siriusbackstage.com (Sirius-ready radios thread)and read the early user reviews of the S50.. It's confusing right now,but early reviews are saying the S50 DOES NOT allow timer/scheduled recording of the MUSIC Channels,only the talk channels.So to record Stern you should be alright..But manual recording yes,scheduled recording of music channels no..


Check it out for yourselves,maybe I'm missing something but if this is true maybe Sirius got some heat from the RIAA..


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## TomCat

Also, the 2-hour limit on recording shows blows. Sure, you can sked back to back as a workaround, but this kind of shoots in the ass my plan for pressing play in order to dub the Stern show to my Mac in one step while I'm out.


Isn't what killed the BetaMax was its inability to record anything over 1 hour in length (until Beta II came out) at a time when many shows were regulary 2 and 3 hours long?


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## hitchfan

There's a 2 hour limit per event on timer recording? But the talk shows I would want to record (Stern, Bob Brinker) run at least 3 to 4+ hours. Annoying.


That and the lack of live portable streaming is starting to smell more and more like the S50 is designed to be sold to avid fans hot to be there for Stern's first days on the system but with just enough annoying holes in the product concept to get many of them to upgrade in a few months when the new and improved (presumably) "S70" hits the shelves for half the price of the S50.


The Sirius One (just under $50) with NO recording capability is sounding more and more attractive until the intital Stern Fever and marketing games subside and Sirius has to get on track to offer a more COMPLETE system in a small, less expensive package because Sirius is hungrier for listeners than Stern fans are hungry to be there on day one.


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## barbie845

Rumor has it that these changes were a last minute thing. I've read where some units were even shipped with owner manuals that still said you can schedule recording of the music channels and record for 4 hrs clips. The not being able to schedule recording of the music channels smells of the RIAA. But why they went from 4 hrs to 2 hrs limits on recording talk channels is a mystery..

Quote:

a few months when the new and improved (presumably) "S70" hits the shelves for half the price of the S50.
Obviously the lack of live streaming can't be changed,but the S50 is software/firmware driven so it can be upgraded in the future. But again if the RIAA is behind these late changes any upgrades/changes will be up to the lawyers..


Then there is this piece of news:


Sirius and XM in trouble for radio recording capabilities

Posted Sep 27, 2005, 11:30 AM ET by Paul Miller

Related entries: Portable Audio




Apple isnâ€™t the only company thatâ€™s not forking over enough of its revenue to keep the RIAA happy. Sirius and XM are in hot water for their upcoming devices that allow listeners to record and time shift their satellite radio programs, including songs. The Tivo-like capability has music industry executives claiming that such devices (such as the Samsung neXus pictured at right) allow for â€œpermanent ownership of copyrighted material without paying for it.â€ Weâ€™re sure screwed if they find out about all those mix-tapes we made from radio rips back in the 90â€™s. The recording big wigs are also unhappy about the current licensing fees that are being paid by XM and Sirius, and claim that theyâ€™ll be upping them substantially when the original seven year contract runs out. This should be fun to watch, if nothing else


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## STEELERSRULE

WOW!!


Does this SUCK!!!!


Oh, well. I am am PERMANENTLY SCRAPPING my plans on getting the S50 in 6 months if all of this crap is being done. I feel bad for those XM'ers who were waiting for the Samsung unit, and then all this crap happens.


Maybe someone will be able to HACK the software/firmware in the device(which I am SURE someone will try) so that you can record whatever you want. But I am not going to hold my breath. To hell with it


I think I am better off upgrading to a Sportster Replay with the 44 minute recording(albeit not timer based). At least it can and will record whatever I want. Or just output it to my tape deck which has relay record(4hrs straight of recording on 2 120min tapes). Not the best way to do it, but if this is the only way, this is the only way.


That is too bad.


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## bokes

I'm glad I found a workaround.

The S50 sounds like a waste of $$$.

I do not feel recording content I paid for is wrong. I pay for satellite- but can not listen to some shows as they air live. So I tape it for later.

I also still buy and pay for CD's. (although I would much rather buy direct from the band)


It seems there will always be a way to record content.

The recording industry needs to accept that fact and live with it.


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## landrvr1

Great thread, guys. Many thanks to this who had some hard info on this puppy. I was gonna pick up the S50, but this thread has clearly shown that the unit is an overpriced mp3 player. Wow, the possibilities for this thing were endless.... Too bad. And the worst part? The 2 hour max recording limit! hahahahah.


I'm going to just get the Starmate or something, plug into my PC and time schedule record using the very excellent Audiograbber. I can then automatically set my ftp program to upload the mp3 file, and grab it at my leisure at work. A simple conversion with iTunes, and I'm Sterning on the train home.....


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## yello355

For those of you with i-pods. There is a piece of software called i-fill from Griffin technology for $ 20. that will records internet radio that completely fills your i-pod if thats what you want. I recently got the download and recorded 5 radio stations at once and filled my i-pod w/music.


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## tipton

even with its flaws this is still the best receiver sirius has to offer IMO. you can just schedule two (2) hour recordings daily for stern. six to eight and eight to ten daily and break it into two parts.


still a ton of things that are retarded with this thing though. you can't listen to recorded content while recording a "live" broadcast, like tivo. i ended up getting this thing for around two hundred after the rebate and some codes for percentages off online though so its not that bad. i'm hoping they will fix things with some firmware upgrades. i could care less about recording music, i doubt that feature will ever be re-added.


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## inarut

OH Where OH Where.......Can I get a Home Dock Kit for the S50????? I called 5 Best Buys in Los Angeles and Around. No store has it and they do not know the available date????? Is the Home Dock on the Back Burner to fill the S50 orders???

Also,,,Why is it.... I can not record Howard 100. I wanted to listen to the news Stories at work....Whats the deal???? Am I doing something wrong??? I press the heart symbol twice and agin to stop. I have nothing on file. Help.....Thanks!


inarut!


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## STEELERSRULE

inarut,


The best place to get that question(or questions)answered would be to go to
www.siriusbackstage.com/ Go into the "Radio and Receivers info" Forum there to get info about the S50.


The signup is free, and they have a TON of threads about the S50, as well as other Sirius products for you to look at. They are very good at answering questions. They have over 3 threads on the S50 with over 700 posts already. From technical, to when things are do to arrive.


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## sirius_rich

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Hubcap*
i wouldnt buy this thing becuase of the non live content. Seems like a waste of money to me.


I suppose you think the iPod is a waste of money too. 10,000,000 people will disagree with you this holiday season. The S50 is a convergence of the iPod with more features and satellite radio. I have purchased 4 for gifts and 1 for me. I love this Sirius radio/mp3 player.


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## The Sim

I got my S-50 a few days ago and I love it! It's a great combo mp3-player / satellite radio, with some time-shifting features built in too. Yes, the RIAA has caused Sirius to scale back the time-shifting features a bit BUT the software is upgradeable, so it may be improved when the issues are worked out.


In the meantime, it's an awesome mp3 player, and the best Sirius radio I've used so far (previously had the Xact XTR1). Everyone who sees it comments on how cool it looks and they ask a lot of questions about it. I paid $279 for mine (before rebate) from crutchfield.com


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## mende006

Quote:

Originally Posted by *tipton*
i ended up getting this thing for around two hundred after the rebate and some codes for percentages off online though so its not that bad.


Where did you find yours for that price?


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## The Sim

Quote:

Originally Posted by *mende006*
Where did you find yours for that price?
probably crutchfield.com like I did. Try promo code PA440 -- it's good for an extra $50 if they're still taking it. Free shipping... After the $50 rebate, total price will be $229.


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## Franchot

I bought a S-50 (which I haven't opened yet) and I like the idea of being able to record what I want and then listening to it when I want to at a later time. Since it comes with a car kit only, I'm assuming that the only way to record content is when I'm sitting in my car.


(This seems backassward to me. If I'm sitting in my car, I'd just naturally listen Sirius at that time. If I'm at home, I can do other things, while the S-50 records the content that I want.)


My question is this:


Is there any way to use the car kit with its receiver in the house so I can record programs or am I stuck spending more money to buy an additional home receiver/docking station?


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## virus

You can use the car docking station at home by purchasing the correct AC to DC converter at Radio Shack.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2102505&cp 


It's actually better than the home dock for the simple reason it has an FM transmitter.


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## Franchot

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
You can use the car docking station at home by purchasing the correct AC to DC converter at Radio Shack.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2102505&cp 


It's actually better than the home dock for the simple reason it has an FM transmitter.
Thanks!  Sounds like I'm good to go!


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## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
You can use the car docking station at home by purchasing the correct AC to DC converter at Radio Shack.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2102505&cp 


It's actually better than the home dock for the simple reason it has an FM transmitter.
"Correct" is the operative term above. This product is rated at 1000 mA. The S50 car kit is rated at 1.5 amps. I can already tell you from my own sad experience that the car kit will not work with a power source that provides a low current (although I have not tried this one).


It's a bit more, but I recommend this instead:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ly&tab=summary 

It is rated at 3 amps, which will power the car kit easily.


RS currently has another PS they are closing out for about $6 less than the 3 amp unit, the model 22-506. This is regularly $80 on closeout for $35, and can handle 10 amps. It is 4 times the size of the 3 amp unit and is ugly as sin, but definitely does the job. If you are looking for a bargain regulated 12VDC PS, this might be just the ticket. Mine seems to power the S50 without even breathing hard. Not sure how long individual stores will stock them, tho.


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## virus

The one that I posted was explained in extreme detail on siriusbackstage.com's forums. They covered everything. The s50 is very different from all the other receivers. All of the other PnP's can be hardwired into your car. The s50 must use the supplied cig lighter adapter because it changes the 12v to 5v.


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## Kudosmog

I'd just like to say that any Satellite portable unit right now sucks. XM has two, and their reception is horrible.

You need to have line of sight with the sky at all times for Satellite, so you'd have to be walking around with the thing pointed towards the sky out in front of you at all times. And even then it's shakey at best. Increadibly annoying.


Sirius may not be able to produce a portable satellite radio because of the larger chipset, or because they won't dump their money into something that's inherantly flawed.


The ground repeaters just accept the satellite signal, and sent out out like radio waves...which helps, but not enough to give XM good reception on the portable units.


You can use the "car kit" as a home kit, and they're working on making boomboxes to you can take the unit elsewhere, like the beach.


The cool things about the S50, is it's ability to let you know when your favorite team is playing, the ability to download a song into memory by hitting one button, and being able to record music from your two favorite stations without you telling it to do it.


It's not for everyone, but then again...nothing is.


However, it's very versitile and I for one will be getting one as soon as I save some money =P


The only thing I am concerned about, is an upgraded unit in the future. Mabye one that has a removable SD card or something for extra music, or a better battery for longer use


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## barbie845

I hate to be a prick here but I took someone's advice and just read through the S50 threads on the Sirius Forum..


You guys GOT to be kidding me..You have the balls to rip XM's portable units...


This S50 has more bugs then Carters got pills...One guys got to breath on his car docking unit to heat it up so it will work..Another has a rubber band holding the unit in his docking unit because if he don't when he hits a bump the S50 locks up...And it goes on and on...


This is just a wild guess here but it seems Sirius rushed this thing to market..


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## virus

Quote:

Originally Posted by *barbie845*
I hate to be a prick here but I took someone's advice and just read through the S50 threads on the Sirius Forum..


You guys GOT to be kidding me..You have the balls to rip XM's portable units...


This S50 has more bugs then Carters got pills...One guys got to breath on his car docking unit to heat it up so it will work..Another has a rubber band holding the unit in his docking unit because if he don't when he hits a bump the S50 locks up...And it goes on and on...


This is just a wild guess here but it seems Sirius rushed this thing to market.. 
The locking up has been fixed with the latest firmware. The cold thing happens to every single Sirius PnP available. Also remember that people posting problems on a forum are only a very small percentage. If you go on say a Nissan Titan forum and read up on all of the service bulletins out, you would die. If you don't read the forums, you probably won't ever notice the problems the service bulletins address. As far as ripping on the XM units: XM's units are extremely nice and their service is great. Their portables have known reception issues and they can only store a few hours worth of content and they can't play mp3's or wma's. That isn't ripping on the device, it's merely giving an honest assesment of the product. These are also reported on the XM forums.


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## barbie845

Quote:

The cold thing happens to every single Sirius PnP available.
Sorry to hear that...


Anyway it still seems to me that they rushed this unit to market and that they're still fighting it out with the RIAA..Which XM will have to also do in a month or so when they release their recorders..


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## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *barbie845*
...This S50 has more bugs then Carters got pills...
Not just bugs. After spending some time with it it reminds me of Christina Applegate's Kelly Bundy character...really, really beautiful, but really, really stupid.


Apparently the brains that designed this have never ever even seen an iPod, which has an interface that works beautifully, makes perfect intuitive sense, and doubles the "cool" factor of the product. If they had, they could have shamefully ripped that off, but no. This thing has the most maddeningly obtuse menu system imaginable. They might have as well put a command-line interface on it. I suddenly have new-found appreciation for my Nano, which I was beginning to take for granted.


Let's say you've recorded the "Super Fan Round Table", as I did last night. First, if you record it direct, you can apparently only record a hour at a time. Anything else would have to be a scheduled recording. Then it asks you to enter the start and end times, which is apparently only available by intensive scrolling. Now, try to play it back. After fumbling through numerous menus to access it, it plays fine, but pause it for 30 seconds and the damned thing shuts off. When you try to listen to the rest, it starts from scratch every time. If you are 90 minutes in to a 2-hour program, it takes another 5 minutes of intensive scrolling to bet back to that point. Try to delete the program after listening, and there is apparently no way to keep the thing from restarting in a loop, which means the only way to delete a program is to start another program, or reboot first. Heaven help you if you have a week's worth of Stern shows and want to identify them for deletion. That little bit of programming genius is just so wrong on so many levels.


Songs saved by "love" (an insipid term if there ever was one) ramp up the volume at the beginning, and don't edit off any trailing voiceover, either. These are just a few of the inscrutable quirks that make using this POS about as easy as eating soup with a fork.


So, I have re-evaluated the S50's usefulness as a device to record and playback Stern. It looks like the best approach is to treat is as a cache server, and use it to back up the primary live recording I will make on my Mac (or record and transfer later). This makes the line between the S50 and cheaper units a lot thinner.


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## barbie845

Quote:

Not just bugs. After spending some time with it it reminds me of Christina Applegate's Kelly Bundy character...really, really beautiful, but really, really stupid.
I still love that show and Kelly and her short skirts...


But anyway I feel for the people who will open this on Christmas morning..Can you imagine if it isn't a tech savy person who won't know about the bugs(or firmware d'l's),and crazy interface,etc...Their hair will hurt..


In the past I've been alittle critical of Sirius because of their untimely way of releasing their new products AFTER Christmas..The boombox being the best example of this.

But after reading some of the posts about the S50 I hope the Stern hoopla outweighs the awful PR they're going to get because they rushed this to market before Christmas...


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## meariesguy

For those that want to record Stern off internet, Sirius told me they will not be broadcasting his show over the web.


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## virus

The one nice thing is after you update the MSS software, it will update the firmware. I've had mine for 2 weeks. I personally find the menu system great and easy to navigate. They are working on the bookmarking feature and right now it just plain sucks as a previous poster mentioned.


The home docks should be arriving in quantity next week. I wouldn't hold my breath though. They are in very high demand and will probably sell quickly.


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## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
The one nice thing is after you update the MSS software, it will update the firmware. I've had mine for 2 weeks. I personally find the menu system great and easy to navigate. They are working on the bookmarking feature and right now it just plain sucks as a previous poster mentioned...
Uh...that's probably me  .


I have not played with the software (Mac user with no desire to load MP3's onto this device. If anything it would be the other way around...record on S50, dump/record as AAC to Mac, upload to iPod).


So let me get this straight: If I load the MSS software on a PC and connect by USB I can upgrade the OS on the S50? Or do I need to connect to the internet to do this? Or do I need to update the MSS from Sirius.com first? (li'l confused). Anything would probably be an improvement, but you are giving me a ray of hope.


TIA.


Tom


----------



## virus

You click on the upgrade button within the MSS software. It will take you directly to the MSS software page. You download and install the new update. I'm not sure how the firmware loads after you install the update. I read that it will automatically prompt you for updating the firmware. I updated the firmware first and installed the new MSS update 2nd, so I can't tell you from experience. The firmware added a couple of options, fixed some bugs and you can now schedule recordings of shows on music channels. I'm not sure if you can schedule recording of up to 2 hour blocks of music on a channel without it being a show. The only thing I've done so far is record the Marth Quinn show on the 80's channel which I was previously unable to do. I think it's a shame that they waste such an incredible LCD screen by not allowing any type of video or pictures. The graphics are amazing but honestly, what's the purpose if you can't use them for your own purpose. This device has so much potential, it's just not quite there yet. They should have included 2gb worth of storage. The one nice thing is they are reading the posts on siriusbackstage's forums and acting on them pretty quickly. There is a reason Apples products cost more. Their quality control is 2nd to none. I love my nano, but find myself using the s50 exclusively now. It's too bad that Sirius and Apple didn't make a joint device. Can you imagine how many more would have been sold?


----------



## virus

Here you go:

http://www2.siriusbackstage.com/foru...er=asc&start=0


----------



## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
... think it's a shame that they waste such an incredible LCD screen by not allowing any type of video or pictures. The graphics are amazing but honestly, what's the purpose...
To get us to buy it?


Thanks for the MSS info. I finally got this to work.
Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
...There is a reason Apples products cost more. Their quality control is 2nd to none. I love my nano, but find myself using the s50 exclusively now. It's too bad that Sirius and Apple didn't make a joint device. Can you imagine how many more would have been sold?
Amen, brother...you are speakin' to the choir. There were some rumors about just such a device last summer, and I even emailed Apple tech support urging them to do that. Instead, we get the S50, which will have to get a lot better before I ever use it for anything other than a Stern cache server.


----------



## TomCat

Woke up to a S50 that would not see anything above CH 63. Tech support was completely clueless. When it was displaying channel 63 while out of the cradle I knew it was hosed. I eventually removed the battery for 10 seconds, which fixed everything. For now.


----------



## STEELERSRULE

The above reason's are the point why I never buy anything that is brand new(meaning a TOTALLY new device).


I usually let other people take the plunge(an out of pocket, before rebate, $329+tax plunge JUST for the unit and car kit) and get there results here.


I knew there would be bugs, but never expected all of these bugs(I think even the XBOX360 has ALOT of bugs as well. Also the Sony PSP has a ton of bugs as well). Too much money to part with for something brand new.


Hopefully Sirius next venture into this type of unit will produce less buggy results. I am not


But thank God for a forum like this where all this info can be laid out(also sites like siriusbackstage and the like) to give people an idea of what a product does.


I still think the Sportster Replay is the best bang for the buck(for Sirius customers obviously), and it will get better once they lower the price a little more, which they will eventually. Overall, most people seem exceedingly pleased with tha unit. Granted, it does some things(and some things it doesn't) that irk people, but maybe it will be resolved in the 3rd generation of that receiver. The 2nd generation has been a Winner for Sirius.


----------



## virus

The first people to buy are always the guinea pigs. I purchased a Nissan Titan during it's first year and quickly found a huge amount of small defects. Although all the small bugs were frustrating to get fixed, eventually I was left with an awesome vehicle. I hope everything can be addressed via firmware. Fortunately I have the money to waste on new products.


----------



## xzitony

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Kudosmog*
I'd just like to say that any Satellite portable unit right now sucks. XM has two, and their reception is horrible.

You need to have line of sight with the sky at all times for Satellite, so you'd have to be walking around with the thing pointed towards the sky out in front of you at all times. And even then it's shakey at best. Increadibly annoying.
Sounds like you need some of these. Work GREAT on my Airware, even indoors sometimes.

http://store1.yimg.com/I/yhst-546081..._1875_10617021 


Good luck.


----------



## werl

Add me to the upset s50 owners. I installed mine in my truck (with the latest software BTW) only to find 12 hours later that the car dock is totally unreliable. What a waste of time and money. Now I have to go direct with Sirius over getting my money back since it seems all the retailers out (including the one I purchased from) specifically refuse returns on "mobile satellite" product. This, by the way, is not a case of buyers remorse, but rather a $350 radio that I can't use in my car. Oh well. Let the buyer beware.


1) Dock power intermittent when you turn the s50 on and off.


2) FM transmitter on car dock intermittent even if dock power and lights appear to be on.


----------



## virus

Werl, I'm not sure where you purchased yours from, but CC and BB have no problems returning or exchanging the satellite gear to include the s50.


----------



## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *STEELERSRULE*
The above reason's are the point why I never buy anything that is brand new(meaning a TOTALLY new device).


I usually let other people take the plunge...
I usually do the same thing, and I also usually consider myself smugly-wise because of it (but I never rub it in). Pioneers get the arrows, while the settlers end up getting the land.


But this is not a case of not knowing the risks, it is instead a case of wanting the only device out there that can record SR, or at least a significant-enough amount of it. The fact that it is a brand-new category of product is just unfortunate timing, not naivette on the buyer's part. Had this product emerged a year earlier or a year later, those of us gearing up now for HS would not have had to face such an issue at all. I think we all know the risks of new technology, and we made this decision fully aware that there was a possibility of issues. But that doesn't minimize the frustration, either.


----------



## qpskfec

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
There is a reason Apples products cost more. Their quality control is 2nd to none.
Quality control second to none? Never heard of the battery problems or easily damaged screens on ipods? Just do a google search on "IPod bugs"


Read the Apple financials, the reason why Apple products cost more is that they charge a much higher profit margin than competitors.


I think Apple's products are pretty well designed for the most part and if they can get a higher price for their product, great for Apple, but Apple products have bugs just like everyone else.


----------



## virus

Quote:

Originally Posted by *qpskfec*
Quality control second to none? Never heard of the battery problems or easily damaged screens on ipods? Just do a google search on "IPod bugs"


Read the Apple financials, the reason why Apple products cost more is that they charge a much higher profit margin than competitors.


I think Apple's products are pretty well designed for the most part and if they can get a higher price for their product, great for Apple, but Apple products have bugs just like everyone else.
In direct comparison to competing products that Apple markets, their quality control numbers show far fewer repairs than their counterparts. No one said they were flawless, but we rather mentioned they have much better quality control and they acted very quickly on your above mentioned concerns.


----------



## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *qpskfec*
...Apple products have bugs just like everyone else.
Not "just like everyone else". A lot less than like everyone else. Apple is a technology company, and technology by its nature has problems. But Apple is as good as anyone of minimizing the problems and rectifying those that might get through. They also understand ergonomic design and esthetic design better than, and apply it better, than enyone else. One of the advantages of keeping a closed system and controlling both software and hardware is fewer user problems. Apple is the model for this, and the gold standard that I wish everyone else would strive toward. Windoze XP would probably be using a command-line interface if not for the shining example and continued success of the Apple MacOS.


----------



## L25

Santa got me a S50, and I installed and activated yesterday in my toyota tacoma/pioneer 860MP, it is working great. I read some folks claiming it jumped out of its cradle when hitting bumps. Mine sets very tight. Maybe some earlier units had probs?


----------



## lilstinky

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
You can use the car docking station at home by purchasing the correct AC to DC converter at Radio Shack.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2102505&cp 


It's actually better than the home dock for the simple reason it has an FM transmitter.


I just bought this unit and it works great. Some other guy in this thread said it wouldn't carry enough current but the S50 faq on the Sirius backstage area said that any unit that carried at least 1000mah or 1.0 amps would work so I decided to try it. It works great. Played for about three hours now. Screw that homedock!


----------



## barry kelman

Quote:

Originally Posted by *TomCat*
Woke up to a S50 that would not see anything above CH 63. Tech support was completely clueless. When it was displaying channel 63 while out of the cradle I knew it was hosed. I eventually removed the battery for 10 seconds, which fixed everything. For now.
I've seen this about 3 or 4 times since I got mine about 2 weeks ago; powering the unit off and back on again seems to have fixed it each time.


Has anybody else seen this mentioned on Sirius Backstage (or anywhere else)? I wonder if there's any chance it could be fixed by a firmware upgrade?


----------



## virus

Quote:

Originally Posted by *barry kelman*
I've seen this about 3 or 4 times since I got mine about 2 weeks ago; powering the unit off and back on again seems to have fixed it each time.


Has anybody else seen this mentioned on Sirius Backstage (or anywhere else)? I wonder if there's any chance it could be fixed by a firmware upgrade?
Did you get the latest firmware? My first unit locked up on me several times. Not the same problem that you mentioned, but irritating non the less. My 2nd unit has performed flawlessly.


The home dock has it's purpose for those that want to permanantly mount the car dock into their cars. Why they didn't include an FM modulator in the home dock is beside me. That's just plain dumb.


----------



## longhairbilly

Quote:

Originally Posted by *lilstinky*
I just bought this unit and it works great. Some other guy in this thread said it wouldn't carry enough current but the S50 faq on the Sirius backstage area said that any unit that carried at least 1000mah or 1.0 amps would work so I decided to try it. It works great. Played for about three hours now. Screw that homedock!
So without the Home Dock, which I cannot find, I'll have to use the FM transmitter to be able to hear my music correct? I just bought the S50, and was kinda mad that after $350, I have no wires to hook it up to anything, car or home.. Maybe I missed something in the box.


----------



## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *lilstinky*
I just bought this unit and it works great. Some other guy in this thread said it wouldn't carry enough current but the S50 faq on the Sirius backstage area said that any unit that carried at least 1000mah or 1.0 amps would work so I decided to try it. It works great. Played for about three hours now. Screw that homedock!
That was probably me. I tried a 300 ma supply I had laying around, and it acted stupid and then finally shut down. 1000 ma is probably going to work, I would guess, and you have even proven that, but the rating is 1.5 amps, which is somewhat above that.


I was looking for a PS that could do at least 1.5, and found one at 3 and one at 10. If you can get it to work at 1 amp, cool, but I would still recommend at least 1.5 for those shopping for one.


One other caveat: the home dock is designed to awaken a sleeping S50 to do recordings, while the car dock, even when used in the home, is not, meaning that you have to leave it powered on to get timed recordings.


----------



## Petteri

Quote:

Originally Posted by *longhairbilly*
So without the Home Dock, which I cannot find, I'll have to use the FM transmitter to be able to hear my music correct? I just bought the S50, and was kinda mad that after $350, I have no wires to hook it up to anything, car or home.. Maybe I missed something in the box.
You can use the car dock in your car using:


1: FM modulation

2: FM Direct connection to you cars antenna (additional hardware required)

3: Line out from the S50 to a tape adaptor (not supplied) to the tape player in your car, if your car has one.

4: Line out to the AUX-IN on your car stereo, if your car stereo has an AUX-IN or one can be added (ie CD changer emulator)


At home you have just about the same options, but you would be connecting the line out to your home stereo. The S50 home dock *does not* have a FM transmitter, so with that if you find one you will need to wire it directly to your stereo system.


So, yes you might need to go out and buy a couple of cables but nothing expensive. I can't recall what is included in the box.


----------



## longhairbilly

Thanks Petteri. I got my S50 set up with the outlet adapter from Radio Shack.. I'm using the FM transmitter and am surprised how well it works.. I love having Sirius on my radio downstairs too.. I may pass on the home kit all together and just get another car dock..


----------



## Petteri

Quote:

Originally Posted by *longhairbilly*
Thanks Petteri. I got my S50 set up with the outlet adapter from Radio Shack.. I'm using the FM transmitter and am surprised how well it works.. I love having Sirius on my radio downstairs too.. I may pass on the home kit all together and just get another car dock..
Don't forget that the S50 will not turn on automatically to record a scheduled program when in the car dock. You'll either need to keep it on all the time or use a home dock for that. The home dock doesn't have a FM transmitter either.


----------



## lilstinky

Well Sirius just lost a customer. I got the S50 to start recording Howard Stern on the 9th but I can't find the home dock anywhere and I'm not going to be around to start the thing recording. I've called Sirius numerous times about it and with no help. The last time I called the guy gave me the number to product support which I've tried about ten times at different times of the day and its always busy. The last straw was yesterday when I went to both Best Buy and Circuit City and found out that the home dock has been removed from their computer systems and they have no clue as to when the product will, if ever, come in. I called Sirius today to cancel the contract and get my money back. The guy today didn't have any idea of when the product will be in stock again. What piss poor customer service to not have a clue as to when your products will be available. What a piss poor customer service to come out with a product and not produce near enough of the companion products. So long Howard! What a shame!


----------



## pkrash

A bit of an over-reaction. There are more home kits on the way and many retailers carry them. Howard will probably replay shows throughout the day on his 2 channels so you will not miss any.

I use the S50 in the car and in the house with no problems.


----------



## tipton

Quote:

Originally Posted by *lilstinky*
Well Sirius just lost a customer. I got the S50 to start recording Howard Stern on the 9th but I can't find the home dock anywhere and I'm not going to be around to start the thing recording. I've called Sirius numerous times about it and with no help. The last time I called the guy gave me the number to product support which I've tried about ten times at different times of the day and its always busy. The last straw was yesterday when I went to both Best Buy and Circuit City and found out that the home dock has been removed from their computer systems and they have no clue as to when the product will, if ever, come in. I called Sirius today to cancel the contract and get my money back. The guy today didn't have any idea of when the product will be in stock again. What piss poor customer service to not have a clue as to when your products will be available. What a piss poor customer service to come out with a product and not produce near enough of the companion products. So long Howard! What a shame!
holy crap! imagine it, a product in high demand during the holiday season. its not like they won't be in stores soon. you can easily use the car kit in the house with an adaptor.


----------



## lilstinky

holy crap! imagine it, a company that realizes a product will be in high demand so they have the foresight to make enough product to fill demand. Its called customer support and its something Sirius needs serious work on. Sirius has known for a year now that Howard was coming on January 9 yet they didn't have the foresight to see high demand? With what they are paying Howard it seems they had the foresight but just dropped the ball.


----------



## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *lilstinky*
Well Sirius just lost a customer. I got the S50 to start recording Howard Stern on the 9th but I can't find the home dock anywhere and I'm not going to be around to start the thing recording... So long Howard! What a shame!
You can do auto records in the car dock, it just has to be on at the time. The strategy that works is to use a DC adapter in the home and put the car dock there until the home dock arrives. This will allow timed recordings as long as you leave the unit powered on. I've already done test recordings this way, and other than some spotty reception, it has been flawless. Now you no longer have an excuse to not get Sirius for Howard. It sounds like you were looking for one, but this just ain't it.


I think Sirius is not to blame for home docks not being available, more likely their Chinese supplier. The S50 is brand new, so availability is spotty at best. I think that's understandable. They geared up pretty well for a company that couldn't seal the deal with Stern the first time due to not being able to make enough radios. But that was back when they had 400K subs. And even though they were probably pleasantly surprised that 2.3 million signed up after Howard eventually signed, that's a lot of radios. And there is no shortage of radios, just home docks for the S50. Also, the cheapest model back then topped $100, and some newer models now can be had for $40. Not having enough hardware is what's known as a "good problem".


----------



## barbie845

I disagree...Sirius must take some of the blame for this shortage AND some of the blame for all the bugs the S50 has..


Howard signed well over a year ago,so Sirius should have known that between his signing and the Christmas season their equipment was going to be a hot seller in the 4thQ of 2005.. And yet they seemed to be caught off guard,again!!


----------



## virus

Quote:

Originally Posted by *lilstinky*
holy crap! imagine it, a company that realizes a product will be in high demand so they have the foresight to make enough product to fill demand. Its called customer support and its something Sirius needs serious work on. Sirius has known for a year now that Howard was coming on January 9 yet they didn't have the foresight to see high demand? With what they are paying Howard it seems they had the foresight but just dropped the ball.
hmmmm, let's see. XBOX fell short this year, several iPods were difficult to find, remember Tickle me Elmo's were selling for hundreds several years ago because no one had supply? The list goes on and on each Xmas season. The S50 is a hot new item that is selling as soon as supplies hit the stores. I got a home dock a month ago by just walking into BB and purchasing one. They are starting to arrive in stores with more frequency now. They did screw the pooch on the home dock. There has never been a huge demand for home docks on either XM or Sirius' products in the past.


----------



## virus

Quote:

Originally Posted by *barbie845*
I disagree...Sirius must take some of the blame for this shortage AND some of the blame for all the bugs the S50 has..


Howard signed well over a year ago,so Sirius should have known that between his signing and the Christmas season their equipment was going to be a hot seller in the 4thQ of 2005.. And yet they seemed to be caught off guard,again!!
Agreed. I think they read the marketing polls too literally showing low Stern fan converts. They should have had ample supply. This is going to hurt them significantly for end of year subs they could have had. The many times I visited BB and CC I noticed and spoke with numerous people signing because of Stern. It still amazes me how unknowledgeable their employees are of technology.


----------



## lilstinky

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
hmmmm, let's see. XBOX fell short this year, several iPods were difficult to find, remember Tickle me Elmo's were selling for hundreds several years ago because no one had supply? The list goes on and on each Xmas season. The S50 is a hot new item that is selling as soon as supplies hit the stores. I got a home dock a month ago by just walking into BB and purchasing one. They are starting to arrive in stores with more frequency now. They did screw the pooch on the home dock. There has never been a huge demand for home docks on either XM or Sirius' products in the past.


Ditto with Microsoft and the Xbox 360. They have lost alot of customers because they couldn't make enough products. Alot of people in web forums are now saying that they will just wait for the PS3.


----------



## lilstinky

Quote:

Originally Posted by *TomCat*
You can do auto records in the car dock, it just has to be on at the time. The strategy that works is to use a DC adapter in the home and put the car dock there until the home dock arrives. This will allow timed recordings as long as you leave the unit powered on. I've already done test recordings this way, and other than some spotty reception, it has been flawless. Now you no longer have an excuse to not get Sirius for Howard. It sounds like you were looking for one, but this just ain't it.


I think Sirius is not to blame for home docks not being available, more likely their Chinese supplier. The S50 is brand new, so availability is spotty at best. I think that's understandable. They geared up pretty well for a company that couldn't seal the deal with Stern the first time due to not being able to make enough radios. But that was back when they had 400K subs. And even though they were probably pleasantly surprised that 2.3 million signed up after Howard eventually signed, that's a lot of radios. And there is no shortage of radios, just home docks for the S50. Also, the cheapest model back then topped $100, and some newer models now can be had for $40. Not having enough hardware is what's known as a "good problem".
I've settled down a bit since yesterday and now I've decided to keep the service but I'm stilled pissed at Sirius for their lack of support/information on when products will hit retail. The S50 was several months behind and now the home dock and executive system seem to be following in the same tracks. I've always thought that companies should under promise and over deliver so that their customers are not expecting certain things. Then when you over deliver the consumer is very happy.


----------



## STEELERSRULE

Quote:

Originally Posted by *lilstinky*
Ditto with Microsoft and the Xbox 360. They have lost alot of customers because they couldn't make enough products. Alot of people in web forums are now saying that they will just wait for the PS3.
This will happen with the PS3 as well, guaranteed. They will fail to produce enough in the beginning as well.


When you read the weekly ad for BB, CC, or whomever, they always have in small print(they did this with the XBOX360) "supplies limited. Each store only carries a certain amount of product." This covers the asses when they KNOW there is going to be a shortage.


Most people(I am sure there must have been SOME lucky people out there) who go there XBOX360 Pre-oredered it over the Summer. So when they arrived, they were first to be called and get the unit, not the people who were "walk-ups" on Black Friday if you will.


The same thing will happen with the PS3, wait and see. You want to be the first to have it, pre-order it NOW!! Go to CC, or BB, or go to one of those game stores in the mall and get your name in on the list. I would also find out how FAR DOWN you are on the list if you want it hat badly.


----------



## lilstinky

Quote:

Originally Posted by *STEELERSRULE*
This will happen with the PS3 as well, guaranteed. They will fail to produce enough in the beginning as well.


When you read the weekly ad for BB, CC, or whomever, they always have in small print(they did this with the XBOX360) "supplies limited. Each store only carries a certain amount of product." This covers the asses when they KNOW there is going to be a shortage.


Most people(I am sure there must have been SOME lucky people out there) who go there XBOX360 Pre-oredered it over the Summer. So when they arrived, they were first to be called and get the unit, not the people who were "walk-ups" on Black Friday if you will.


The same thing will happen with the PS3, wait and see. You want to be the first to have it, pre-order it NOW!! Go to CC, or BB, or go to one of those game stores in the mall and get your name in on the list. I would also find out how FAR DOWN you are on the list if you want it hat badly.


Sony has said that they learned their lesson with the PS2 and will meet demand with the PS3. Time will tell. I pre-buy all the consoles and I'm currently number 3 at my local EB's for the PS3.


----------



## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *virus*
...They did screw the pooch on the home dock. There has never been a huge demand for home docks on either XM or Sirius' products in the past.
You may have hit on something.


If they based their home dock order on the history of percentage of car units sold that also were accompanied by a HD, they should have expected this problem. I can see most Sirius units not needing HDs, and only maybe 10% needing them. But the S50 is not a simple receiver, it is a recorder. And Howard Stern moving his show there is not casual listening, it is appointment listening for 4 hours, which indicates a higher percentage of home listening more than it does casual car listening. My guess would be that a much larger percentage of S50's would then be accompanied by HD sales than would your garden-variety receiver BEFORE recording capability and BEFORE Howard.


That seems like a no-brainer if you understand the scenario as it might play out and understand the product and the market changes. But if you are _without_ a brain and are working for Sirius trying to determine how many HDs to order from the vendor, and instead of taking all of those factors into account you just close your eyes and order the same percentage as you did for the StarMate a year ago, that turns out to be severely underestimating the reality of how things would eventually play out.


And I've got a sneaking suspicion that is exactly what happened.


----------



## tomdog1

Quote:

Originally Posted by *TomCat*
You can do auto records in the car dock, it just has to be on at the time. The strategy that works is to use a DC adapter in the home and put the car dock there until the home dock arrives. This will allow timed recordings as long as you leave the unit powered on. I've already done test recordings this way, and other than some spotty reception, it has been flawless. Now you no longer have an excuse to not get Sirius for Howard. It sounds like you were looking for one, but this just ain't it.


I think Sirius is not to blame for home docks not being available, more likely their Chinese supplier. The S50 is brand new, so availability is spotty at best. I think that's understandable. They geared up pretty well for a company that couldn't seal the deal with Stern the first time due to not being able to make enough radios. But that was back when they had 400K subs. And even though they were probably pleasantly surprised that 2.3 million signed up after Howard eventually signed, that's a lot of radios. And there is no shortage of radios, just home docks for the S50. Also, the cheapest model back then topped $100, and some newer models now can be had for $40. Not having enough hardware is what's known as a "good problem".
How exactly does the DC adapter work and where can I get one?I have the s50 Home dock on order from Circiut city but no idea when it will arive there.


----------



## Duck1965

I'm trying to follow the lead of several posters and use the car dock in my home. Quick question (maybe too obvious for you, but I'm no techno-phile).....When some of you say that it's fortunate that the car dock already has an FM transmitter built into it, does that mean I don't have to worry about bringing the antenna into the house (which would be a problem as it's is now securely affixed to my car)? Do I need to purchase another antenna?


Also, does anyone have a "final" answer about what are the amp specifications on the DC/AC converter that's required? There seem to be some opposite opinions posted on this thread about that.


Many thanks.


----------



## Petteri

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Duck1965*
I'm trying to follow the lead of several posters and use the car dock in my home. Quick question (maybe too obvious for you, but I'm no techno-phile).....When some of you say that it's fortunate that the car dock already has an FM transmitter built into it, does that mean I don't have to worry about bringing the antenna into the house (which would be a problem as it's is now securely affixed to my car)? Do I need to purchase another antenna?

Many thanks.
Yes, you will need another antenna for use in the house. You can use either a car or a home antenna. The FM transmitter _transmits_ the Sirius signal (whatever Sirius channel you are tuned to) to a nearby FM radio. You can also wire the car dock directly to your home stereo for better sound quality.


----------



## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *tomdog1*
How exactly does the DC adapter work and where can I get one?I have the s50 Home dock on order from Circiut city but no idea when it will arive there.
It converts 110 AC to 12v DC. Plug the Sirius gig-lighter adapter into that, and you're golden.


Ratshack has a 3-amp unit for about $40 (I'm using a 10-amp unit they had on sale even cheaper that works great but is huge and butt-ugly). It appears that you need a minimum of 1 amp capability, 1.5 preferred (and also the rated consumption of the S50).


----------



## Duck1965

Thanks! Does the antenna have to be a Sirius home or car antenna, or any antenna that plugs into the unit?


----------



## barbie845

Quote:

Thanks! Does the antenna have to be a Sirius home or car antenna, or any antenna that plugs into the unit?
There's differing opinions on this..But I have read many posts from Sirius users that say they've had better luck with car antennas in their home units. The car antennas aren't as directional so because of Sirius moving birds the car antennas have less dropouts..But with the directional home antenna if the satellite isn't where the antenna is pointed you will lose the signal for 30 mins. or so..


Of course your results may vary depending on what part of the country you live in..


----------



## Duck1965

Update....Got everything I needed at Radio Shack and it's working great! Thanks!


----------



## RAVEN56706

is there a reason why i hear alot of static with each channel?


----------



## TomCat

Static is an analog issue. There is no analog in SR.


That being said, what that means is that you can rule out the SR service, and the SR reception. The FM modulation from the SR to your conventional receiver IS analog, and is prone to interference. That would be the first place to look.


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## RAVEN56706

well not sure but it sounds ok when i turn up the volume but when i flick through channels it sucks...



should i get a fm modulation?


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## Methodman1977

Hi,


I just finished setting up my mother's Sirius (Sportster Replay), and now that I've heard the service I want to get Sirius. I'm interested in the S50 with the home dock, however I've been reading that it doesn't have an FM Transmitter, which is something that I want. Is this something that I could go out and buy at Radio Shaft, and if so, how does it hook up to the Homd Dock and do you know about how much it will cost?


Thanks for your help.


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## ronnied

Okay, so I just returned my original S50 yesterday to Circuit City. They were not happy, and after reading all the blogs on the web I see why. I LOVE SIRIUS, I am also a stockholder, but like any are upset with this unit.

I cannot find any replys to the issue that I am having, and I ve only seen a few others who have the same problem.


The issue I am having is hooking it up to my Dell Laptop. My computer reconizes it with no problem, but the MSS program DOES NOT. The S50 icon is not in the window, therefor the software doesn't "see" it. I have called the support # several times and was on the phone for an HOUR. THe guy told me there was nothing he could do, it was a DELL problem...contact them.


Has anyone else had this problem?

Please email me and let me know. I do love this thing, especailly for the gym/beach, so I would like to put my own songs on here.


I may just call sirius too and state that we are stockholders and *****...who knows...

Like others have said it was released too soon and sirius was not prepared to take the volume. I was on the phone for 1 hour trying to get the replaced S50 hooked up, which means their subscriber # has gone up again.


Hopefully everyone will be happier than us.


Ron


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## gdbrown56

Has anyone figured out how to mark (bookmark) the spot where you stopped listening to a recorded show? Evertime I listen to 20 - 30 minutes of 2 hour segment of Howard Stern's show, I have to note the stopping point (i.e. 23:57s) and then fast forward to that spot the next time I start back up. There has to be a better way.


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## glen619

Quoted from Siriusbackstage site, under the S50 Forum

I'd link it, but the forum won't let me until I have 5 posts. lol



When I am listening to my S50 Media Player and then turn it off, if I come back later and power it up, the S50 doesn't remember where it was last playing am I doing something wrong?


We have found no way to make the S50 Media Player remember where it left off when you shut it down. It seems to go back a song and sometimes where it starts playing even seems random. This has been turned in as a bug. The S50 really needs some sort of auto resume or boomark feature.


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## glen619

We tried to remember all the questions and answers that had been covered and I am sure we left some off. If you know of any that we need to inlcude please let us know in the regular S50 thread. We recommend all new S50 owners read through this FAQ before posting any questions in the S50 thread.


Revised 12/28/05


I am getting a NO PSRAM message when I try to pause live content, what do I do?

Follow these steps...

1. With S50 on in car/home dock unplug power.

2. With S50 out of the dock plug power back into dock.

3. Put the S50 (powered off) back into the powered dock.


This procedure does not work for everyone. It is possible that you'll be advised to bring the tuner back to the retailer and swap it out for another. It has been reported by a few forum members that the 3 finger reset does not fix this problem.



I lose my signal and get "Acquiring Signal" or "No Antenna" It sometimes freezes up at the Dog Logo.


Make sure you are updated to the latest firmware, version 1.0.10.



I uploaded my MP3's but they aren't showing up on my S50 Media Player, what did I do wrong?


Make sure you have the My Sirius Studio software installed. You should ONLY use the Sirius Studio Software to upload content and create playlist on your S50 Media Player. Once you've connected your S50 to the PC and it shows up in the Sirius Studio Software, you can create playlist and you simply drag and drop the MP3 or WMA's that you wish to store into the specific playlist. Once they are finished uploading, make sure you eject the S50. You should then find your MP3's/WMA's in the playlist on your S50. You CAN delete content from your S50 Media Player using the My Sirius Studio software by highlighting the track on the S50 Media Player Window (which maybe in a specific playlist) hit the "Delete" key on your keyboard. A confirmation window will pop-up. Your selection is now deleted from the S50 Media Player. You can also delete using the Content Management menu on the S50 to delete content It is NOT recommended that you use Windows Media Player to manage your S50 content. You can also delete "LOVED" songs and shows by holding down the "Play/Pause button on the Media Player itself, you'll get a confirmation YES or NO.



How do I disconnect the S50 from my PC?


Click the eject icon next to the graphic of the S50 in the My Sirius Studio Software. It's the triangle with the line under it. You'll get a message that it now safe to remove your device, you can remove the USB cable from the S50. You'll need to do this when you've completed loading MP3's/WMA's, creating playlist or checking for firmware updates. (NEVER JUST UNPLUG) the S50 Media Player without ejecting it as the Media Player and the MSS maybe writing to your S50 memory, which could cause it to become corrupt.



My Battery doesn't work, I can only get power when its plugged into the dock.


You must remove the battery cover and take the plastic strip off the battery connections. The battery cover slides off and it is very hard to remove initially. Remove the battery, pull the plastic strip off, reinsert it into the S50 Media Player, you should now have a working battery.



Can I use my S50 Auto Cradle at home?


Yes, you need to buy an AC to DC power supply. (Make sure you buy one that puts out at least 1000 mAh or 1 AMP) The included Cig Adapter Power Cable will plug directly into this power supply. (The included cable has built in limiting circuitry to make sure your tuner doesn't get but 5 volts and no more than 1.5 amps so do not directly plug in anything else to your cradle kit) You'll then hook up the antenna, which may need to be placed outdoors if possible. It has also been recommended to give the auto antenna a ground plane to use a pie plate or other type metal sheet. Plug in the audio-out cable to your stereo, pc speakers or whatever source you wish to use and you are all set. On a side note: It has also been reported that some are using the 5 volt 2.0 AMP Max AC adapters that are used for home kits of XM2GO and RoadyXT tuners. (Do this at your own risk and we can't recommend you doing this)



Can I record from Music Channels?


Yes since the version 1.0.10 firmware update you can record from music channels.



Can I record Howard Stern?


You can Record Howard Stern, but you must set two back to back 2 hour recording sessions. You cannot listen to the first 2 hours while the second two hours are recording. Hopefully a firmware update will allow for longer recording sessions.


Scheduled Recordings


You can set the S50 to record future programs and store them in memory. When scheduling a recording, you can specify the channel, date, time, duration, and the frequency of recording (once, daily, Monday-Friday, or weekly). You can schedule up to 20 recordings and a maximum of 2 hours each per recording session. Note: In order for the S50 to successfully record a program, the unit must be docked, connected to a power source, connected to the antenna, and receiving a good signal. When in the vehicle dock, the unit must be turned on at the time of the recording. When in the home dock, the unit does not have to be turned on at the time of the recording


If you are scheduling multiple back to back recordings it is recommend that you leave 5 minutes between recordings. If you do not do this you may find your tuner didn't wake up to record the 2nd scheduled recording. We thing this is because the Media Player has to finish recording and then shut down. If it is still in that process and the next recording comes up it will be skipped.



Saved Material: Songs, shows, or downloaded songs are stored in four categories:


My Sirius Channels: This category consists of three playlists which are automatically created and contain songs or comedy from the three music and/or comedy channels you listen to most. Content from these channels are stored in playlists named after the channel name. Individual songs cannot be browsed as a list.


My Sirius Songs: This playlist contains individual songs saved from music broadcast channels, except if they have been saved during a scheduled recording. Songs and sets are grouped by genres for easy browsing.


My Sirius Shows: This playlist contains news, sports, or talk shows and scheduled recordings saved from the Sirius broadcast channels. They are grouped by sub-categories which are named after the channel from which they are saved. Sports games are saved in subcategories names My NBA zone, My NFL zone, etc.


My Sirius Playlists: This playlist contains MP3 and WMA audio files which you have downloaded from your computer using the supplied My Sirius Studio software.



I deleted one or more of My Sirius Channels and I can't seem to get them back?


When going to content management and deleting one or more of your My Sirius Channels, it will not immediately start recording those channels again. But you can use the following method to get your channels back so that they record again.


Say you want channel 18, to be one of your My Sirius Channels; tune to that channel and then shut down, remove from dock and then replace in the dock. The player will power up and be on Channel 18. Leave it there for 15-30 minutes and it will start recording to your new My Spectrum (channel 18) or whatever channel you have selected.



How big is the hard drive?


The S50 actually has memory not a hard drive. It 1 gig flash memory and segmented to provide space for your own MP3's/WMA's, 3 favorite My Sirius Channels and "LOVED" songs. MP3/WMA space is limited to 512 MB max with the rest for SIRIUS content.



When is the home kit coming out?


The home kits are now showing up at retailers. There have been reports of Circuit City and Best Buy having them in select stores. Until then many of our members have been using This to allow them to use the car kit at home.



When is the next firmware update?


It has been confirmed that SIRIUS is working on another update. They have given no time frame for the release of this update. Make sure if you have not done so already that you update from version 1.0.01 to version 1.0.10.


The My Sirius Studio Software has been updated to version 1.0.1.4886 It now has a feature that will allow you to restore your S50 to factory defaults. You can download this software from the SIRIUS webs site HERE.



Is there a version of the My Sirius Studio software for the Mac?


Currently the My Sirius Studio Software is only available to support Windows 2000/Windows XP Home and Pro.



How do I check to see if a firmware update is available?


You must install the My Sirius Studio Software. Once you get it installed and you get your S50 Media Player connected, go to FILE/Device Settings. You'll get a pop up screen. Now click on Check for Software Update. You'll then see the date of your current firmware and it will show if there is an update available. The MSS software will automatically look to check your current version and automatically download it, though this has not worked for everyone.



Is there a way for Macintoch users to get do a firmware update even though the MSS software isn't supported?


Yes there is currently a procedure for doing a firmware/software update using a Mac Computer connected to the media player via the USB Cable. We are currently confirming this procedure with Sirius and will make it availble once it is approved for release.


How can I update my Channel Logo's, Wallpapers and Voice Tags?


You must have the latest version of the My Sirius Studio Software installed. Connect your S50 using the USB Cable. The MSS with a connection to the internet can communicate with the S50 to download these updates. These updates are provided every 2 days. You need to leave your S50 connected in order to get this update. Make sure you eject your S50 and not simply unplug it from the USB cable as it maybe in the middle of an update. I will give you a warning if you use the eject button that it is busy downloading.



How long does the battery last?


The battery is said to last 6 hours. It is recommended that you initially cycle your battery. (Make sure it is fully charged, and then use it on battery until the media player dies) Now once you recharge it fully you will have cycled your battery. The battery with the display turned down to its lowest setting and set to only stay on for 15 seconds when you change channels etc, will provide you between 5 and 6 hours. If you leave the display on all the time, you'll only get about 3 hours of battery life.



Can I use the S50 to Transmit the FM Signal to my other radios?


The S50 Media Player does not broadcast the FM Signal without being docked in the Auto Cradle. The FM Trans is actually built into the Auto Cradle.



When using the S50 Media Player in the Home Kit will it transmit the FM Signal to my other radios?


The Home Cradle Kit does not have the FM Trans built into it. You will need to use an Auto Cradle if you wish to have the ability to use the FM Trans or some other type FM Trans for use at home.



I can't seem to turn my S50 Media Player off when it's not docked!


You must hold down the Playlist button for 2 second, this will then shut it down. Make sure the button lock is not on or you'll have to turn if off before any of the buttons will work.



When I pause my S50 Media Player when it is undocked, it seems to shut down?


Apparently this is suppose to be a feature to save battery life. This was some what addressed with the recent firmware update, but still turns off without warning. There is no setting to change this in the menu, the auto-off feature is not the same thing.



Can you delete songs or shows with the Media Player Buttons?


You can delete songs/shows by playing them, then press-hold the pause/play button on the portable. A menu asks if you want to delete. Select "Yes. You cannot delete "My Sirius Channels" in this manner.



Can you "LOVE" songs without the S50 Media Player being docked in the cradle?


Yes, you hold down the PLAY button for 2 seconds, you'll see the "Heart" logo come up on the display and the small heart in the right hand bottom corner until it is completely moved to your My Sirius Songs. You cannot "LOVE" Canadian Channels or BBC1.



The My Sirius Songs and My Sirius Channels seem to fade in and out, did I do something wrong?


The S50 apparently fades at the beginning and ending of songs. There is nothing you can do to change this. When listening to the My Sirius Channel it becomes somewhat annoying. UPDATE: It appears that this was addressed in the latest firmware update, however it is still hit or miss.



When I am listening to my S50 Media Player and then turn it off, if I come back later and power it up, the S50 doesn't remember where it was last playing am I doing something wrong?


We have found no way to make the S50 Media Player remember where it left off when you shut it down. It seems to go back a song and sometimes where it starts playing even seems random. This has been turned in as a bug. The S50 really needs some sort of auto resume or boomark feature.



Is there a way to back-up saved content from your S50 Media Player?


There is no official way to do this. Maybe there will be a way provided in future updates to the My Sirius Studio Software.



I found a small cable with an 1/8" jack what is this for?


This is a wired FM Antenna, which plugs into the FM-Out on the S50 auto cradle kit. This is to enhance the FM signal being transmitted so that your Radio will recieve a better signal from the S50.



Will MySiriusChannels save talk channels?


No, MySiriusChannels will only record your (3) most listened to music and/or comedy channels.



Does the S50 and it's docks require seperate subscriptions?


No. The media player holds the subscription, not the cradles. You can use as many docks as you wish with no additional subscriptions.



What is the phone number to contact tech support for the S50?


Do not call Sirius Customer Service. Contact Sirius S50 Product Supoort @ 1-800-869-5364


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## pkrash

Quote:

Originally Posted by *ronnied*
Okay, so I just returned my original S50 yesterday to Circuit City. They were not happy, and after reading all the blogs on the web I see why. I LOVE SIRIUS, I am also a stockholder, but like any are upset with this unit.

I cannot find any replys to the issue that I am having, and I ve only seen a few others who have the same problem.


The issue I am having is hooking it up to my Dell Laptop. My computer reconizes it with no problem, but the MSS program DOES NOT. The S50 icon is not in the window, therefor the software doesn't "see" it. I have called the support # several times and was on the phone for an HOUR. THe guy told me there was nothing he could do, it was a DELL problem...contact them.


Has anyone else had this problem?

Please email me and let me know. I do love this thing, especailly for the gym/beach, so I would like to put my own songs on here.


I may just call sirius too and state that we are stockholders and *****...who knows...

Like others have said it was released too soon and sirius was not prepared to take the volume. I was on the phone for 1 hour trying to get the replaced S50 hooked up, which means their subscriber # has gone up again.


Hopefully everyone will be happier than us.


Ron
I had the same problem and emailed you a simple solution.


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## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *gdbrown56*
Has anyone figured out how to mark (bookmark) the spot where you stopped listening to a recorded show?...There has to be a better way.
I think recording on the S50 is OK, but I look at the S50 as a receiver with programmable start times rather than as a recorder. Managing the content on the S50 is just exceptionally cumbersome.


It makes more sense to yes, set recordings on the S50, but also set simultaneous recordings directly to MP3 or AAC on a computer using Audio Hijack Pro or TotalRecorder or whatever. Then you have a recording already on your computer HDD that is small and can be flashed over to an iPod or other player, and a backup recording directly on the S50 just in case there are occasional computer problems. It also lets you run out of the house with the show on iPod while the docked S50 sits at home waiting for the next program to record.


Once in MP3 or AAC format, there is an AppleScript that can make groups of MP3s or AACs bookmarkable in iTunes with a single mouseclick. I think it's at dougscripts.com, but if this would work for you (iTunes) and you can't get it off the internet I can email it to you if you PM me. It's tiny. Once you place it in the iTunes folder, it appears as a menu item in iTunes. It makes so much sense that I would be willing to bet iTunes 6.1 or 6.2 will incorporate this feature.


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## The Sim

The S-50 is a bit quirky sometimes, but when you need its recording ability (such as when you need to pause the Howard Stern show for a few minutes and you don't want to miss anything), it really comes in handy. And it makes a fairly decent MP3 player as well (frankly, I'm really not much of an iPod fan). I still rate mine a great buy for $229.


- PS, it works **MUCH** better with the latest firmware update...


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## TomCat

OK, I'm out.


My S50 just took a complete **** in the middle of Stern Friday, and could not be resurrected. No signal, no channels, no disk image recognized on the PC, no nothing. After four lengthy phone calls and enduring the stupidity of their "bots", finally a real human being told me that someone would call me in 4 days to teach me the 3-finger salute, which, by the way, would probably not work.


To me, that means that if it will take their dedicated S50 tech support group 4 days to even get back to me, that they are either severely understaffed or the S50 is severely plagued with problems, or maybe a little of both. So I then brought up my own impromptu 1-finger salute to the S50, which is going directly back to the Sirius Store. I have had nothing but trouble from day one, and can't justify tying a $500 subscription to the "lifetime" of a unit that is nearly stillborn and couldn't possibly remain trouble-free for more than a week at a time.


Good riddance. When I told the first tech guy which receiver I had I could hear a long sigh of exasperation as he said "Oh yeah...the S50" and in a way which sounded like my revelation made him very depressed.


The one thing I liked about the S50 was that it would capture songs in my absence and allow me to dub them to iTunes. That was cool. But the reliability factor just isn't there. It came to market too soon, way before it was ready. And I was recording directly to computer anyway, so it didn't provide a lot of advantage for the Stern show. And trying to determine which shows were old and could be deleted was all but impossible. "Like an iPod", my rosy red Irish ass! That's like saying Rosie O'Donnell is "like Angelina Jolie".


So today I went out and got a open-box Sirius1 from BB for $44, which is less than a tenth what the S50 and home unit cost, so maybe I'm coming out ahead. So long, suckers! AMF! See you in hell, S50!


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## The Sim

At least you still stuck with Sirius, and that's what really counts 


Had you updated the firmware to 1.0.10? Mine finally froze solid also with the old firmware, but I was able to plug it into my PC and update it, and it came back to life and has been working *almost* flawlessly since then.


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## TomCat

Quote:

Originally Posted by *The Sim*
At least you still stuck with Sirius, and that's what really counts 


Had you updated the firmware to 1.0.10? Mine finally froze solid also with the old firmware, but I was able to plug it into my PC and update it, and it came back to life and has been working *almost* flawlessly since then.
I updated about 3 weeks ago to 1.0.1 but it doesn't matter, because I can't mount the S50 on my PC anymore. It won't place an image on it and won't recognize the current one.


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## perilous

WHEW!!! After seeing this in S&V, I "siriusly" thought about getting one as it seemed pretty cool!! THANKS!!! After reading about all of the fun you all are having with this, I'll pass (for now....)


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## jt83

Okay, so I just returned my original S50 yesterday to Circuit City. They were not happy, and after reading all the blogs on the web I see why. I LOVE SIRIUS, I am also a stockholder, but like any are upset with this unit.

I cannot find any replys to the issue that I am having, and I ve only seen a few others who have the same problem.


The issue I am having is hooking it up to my Dell Laptop. My computer reconizes it with no problem, but the MSS program DOES NOT. The S50 icon is not in the window, therefor the software doesn't "see" it. I have called the support # several times and was on the phone for an HOUR. THe guy told me there was nothing he could do, it was a DELL problem...contact them.


Has anyone else had this problem?

Please email me and let me know. I do love this thing, especailly for the gym/beach, so I would like to put my own songs on here.


I may just call sirius too and state that we are stockholders and *****...who knows...

Like others have said it was released too soon and sirius was not prepared to take the volume. I was on the phone for 1 hour trying to get the replaced S50 hooked up, which means their subscriber # has gone up again.


Hopefully everyone will be happier than us.


Ron




I had the same problem and emailed you a simple solution.


I am having the same problem with my s50, my dell computer wont recognize it. Can anyone send me the solution, Im stumped.


thanks


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## rightwingjoe

I also cannot get the image to show up on my sirius studio when its connected. Can someone please give me the info to fix this on my Dell? I thought a lot of people have Dell's, guess Sirius don't care about us.


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## Mr. Hanky

Good tidings, fellow S50 owners! 


I have been on both sides of this S50 recognized by MSS issue (some computers seem to see it, some not). My suspicion is that this has something to do with a specific S50 USB driver that gets installed (or not installed) during the MSS installation. Some computers are so "locked down", the Windows security policy rejects the installation of the driver (but naturally, leaves you in the dark that this happened). Most likely, the driver is not digitally certified by a "trusted" source? So you are left with only the generic USB driver on your PC, which only allows the S50 to appear as a generic disk volume, but is unable to allow your MSS to see it as an S50.


Since Sirius doesn't provide the special driver and installer separately, there's no way for you to force Windows to accept the driver. Hence, you are SOL until you can figure out how to get Windows to accept it during the MSS installation.


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## jubrand

Hey, just wanted people here thate aren't members over at SBS that we're trying to get Sirius to give us some kind of response to the s50's problems. Go Digg this story so we can get it on the front page. Just as a bonus for those of you that are having problems with the s50, the story itself links to some helpful FAQs about workarounds.


(Hi Hankey)


I can't post links yet, so go to digg and search for "s50". The title of the story is

"Sirius S50 Owners Speak Out".


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## Mr. Hanky

Ah yes, I thought I remembered your name. I forgot though, are you friend or foe?


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