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Bought this unit to replace my Sportster which I had for 4 years. But all in all this radio is good for the money. Radio itself is ok.
Used the aux port rather than the fm transmitter mode which I had used previously. But the preset buttons are not really easy to press. Installed the mount on the dash of my '07 Honda Civic.
This is somewhat petty. What a difference. Fantastic sound quality, no static whatsoever.
Trivial, I realize. Nice to have Sirius NFL radio for the long commute.
This radio works amazingly good the audio is clear it's easy to hook it up it's easy to use and its small and compact.
Remember, stow it don't show it.All in all, the Stratus is a great entry level radio. I used the Stratus for about half a year before giving it to my dad and upgrading myself to a Sportster 5.I will be writing this review based on the product itself, not Sirius customer service.The Stratus is a good entry-level radio. The display is bright and easy to read. I cannot tell you how many stories I have heard from people who have had radios (and other electronics for that matter) stolen from their parked cars. The procedure requires the removal of your radio head unit, but once you do the install (or have a pro do it if you're not comfortable with removing the radio) you will be rewarded with static and interference free radio. The screen back light is pretty bright even on the lowest setting; good if you're using it in the car but bad if you are using it in a dark bedroom.The buttons are a little mushy compared to my Sportster, which has a nice crisp 'click' with each push.
I only used the built in FM transmitter a few times, and it is unimpressive. I bought it on sale for a fair price, and was very happy with how it performed. It is easy to use and the screen is easy to read. This won't bother most people, just something I felt worth mentioning.The unit's size is also impressive. It is very small and slick, which makes it easy to slip into a pocket or glove box. If your vehicle does not have a line-in jack on the front, or a cassette player, you should seriously consider having an FM Direct adapter installed.
My only minor gripe are the somewhat soft buttons, but as I stated most people will not be bothered by it.
Harsh, but it is what it is.Three of my four years with Sirius, I have been lucky enough where I've had family/friends want to pay for my yearly subscription as a Birthday/Christmas present. He assured me it wouldn't be, and transferred me to customer care.At customer care, I spoke with an associate who assured me my account would be frozen, it would go into invoice billing, and I simply had to just wait for the Gift Cards to arrive in the mail. His credit card was double charged, and at the beginning of January when my plan renews, I was also charged. Once again, a few days into January $150+ was withdrawn from my checking account (renewal price). Sirius even refused initially to refund the overdraft fees from the bank.
We both called Sirius and the issue was not resolved for more than a week.The second issue was a similar issue. They both contacted Sirius and asked if there were Gift Cards or Certificates that could be used towards the subscription. Before I called Sirius back to redeem them, I checked my checking account. The first time a family member called Sirius, paid for the year with his credit card, and we thought it was set. That was what they did.On December 30th I went to redeem them. To rub extra salt in the wounds, it will take 7-10 days, my checking account is now frozen, and I have no way to use it right now.
A friend and a family member wanted to pay for my subscription. I stated that my account was set to renew in a few days and this would be a problem. The hardware and product they give you daily is phenomenal.That being said, dealing with the company itself, specifically over the phone, is an absolute nightmare. I'm now in my 4th year with Sirius. I'd say the average I.Q. Both were told by Sirius operators that the easiest way was to purchase Egift Certificates, which are sent directly to the recipients email with a code to redeem them. Problem this time, I had just paid a bunch of bills out of my checking and it overdrafted my account. A week later the Gift Cards arrived.
I had a bad feeling but decided to go that route. So to put it simply, don't ask for your subscription to be paid for as a gift, and avoid dealing with Sirius directly. A family member called Sirius, provided a credit card, and paid for the year. The utter incompetence of most of the customer service people is staggering.
The associate told me I could use the Egift credits and buy Gift Cards from the Sirius shop and have them sent to me. You will not want to return to regular radio again after a couple days of Sirius. Sure enough once again Sirius charged me already for the yearly renewal. Not happy again, we had to haggle over the phone for a few days to get it rectified.This brings me to this year.
Problem is they are only good towards Sirius hardware and cannot be used for subscriptions. Luckily I document everyone I speak to. As far as the radio and the daily service, it is absolutely awesome. They admitted fault initially, but then began to change their stance and stated that I never had the Sirius account frozen. I was furious and called Sirius once again. This might actually be my last year with them because of this. It is nothing but a hassle that probably will cost you days of problems. I was disconnected by the first two associates, the third was yawning into the phone, and finally the fourth try I got someone who could help.
is around 25. To top it all off, I still never got an apology from Sirius. Obviously b/c of past issues. I called Sirius to take issue. I finally spoke with a supervisor who agreed to refund the fees and subscription price. Good luck if you have to deal with them.
The receiver kit added flexibility to go from car to the home. Easily moved and small. The only drawback is that the FM transmitter needed to use in the car is weaker than another model that I have used.
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