MarksFriggin Review of SIRIUS One SV1 Tuner - 12/05/2005

I was recently treated to a couple of SIRIUS tuners from the fine folks at SIRIUS who are trying to get the word out about their service. I have the SIRIUS One and the Starmate Replay tuners to test. The Replay was so cool that I did the review as soon as I got it, I couldn't leave it laying around for any amount of time. The SIRIUS One isn't quite as cool but it's a hell of a lot more affordable... $49.99 as of this writing. That's a bargain.

What Is It?

The SIRIUS One is about the size of a pack of cigarettes or maybe a radar detector. The size limits it to a one line display but it also allows you to mount it to your sun visor (with included bracket) if you don't want it hanging from your windshield. Mounting it to the sun visor may also keep it out of site for thieves unlike many of the other tuners that hang there in your window just begging to be ripped off. It's small display limits the ease of tuning and reading the names of songs that are playing. That's probably not going to be a problem for Stern Fans who may just be buying the tuner to hear their favorite radio star.

How Does It Work?

The SIRIUS One works pretty much like any other SIRIUS tuner when you install it in your vehicle. It broadcasts the signal via a built in FM transmitter which broadcasts to any empty FM frequency on your car stereo. Setting all of that up is a little bit of a hassle since it only has the one line display. It's only a minor annoyance though. The price more than makes up for that.

Even though this unit can be mounted to your sun visor, you still have to run the antenna and power cords in your vehicle. If a professional installs it, they'll probably run the 12 volt power cord to a hidden location but if you're installing it yourself, you may have wires dangling from your headliner and/or sun visor. You may want to just mount it to your windshield (with included bracket) and let the wires hang over your dash.

And Finally...

If you're looking for a reasonablly priced SIRIUS tuner, the SIRIUS One is a good choice. Although it is a bit limited with features, the price makes it an attractive choice over some of the older, reduced price units such as the Audiovox PNP2 that I reviewed last year. The newer units don't have to be docked in a bulky cradle as the PNP2 did.

For more information visit...

• www.Sirius.com