XM Antenna for 2820

[WildBill]

Folks,

I need some help! I just purchased a Garmin 2820 from another member on the board and I am curious about XM radio options. I've looked at the Garmin site about antennas for teh XM radio and I'm confused. In one spot Garmin lists an expensive antenna for over $200.00 which provides both the XM satellite function as well as the FM traffic alert service. In another spot it shows that you can use a "standard" (ie. cheap $30-40.00) XM radio antenna on the 2820.

Does anyone who owns one of these units have a definitive answer? I am not really interested in the traffic alert function so I was hoping that I could use the lower price XM radio only antenna. Let me know....Thanks....

Bill

[VitesseLT]

To receive XM Radio with your 2820, you'll need a GXM-30 and at least XM Radio service (price for that varies based on number of radios and length of contracts.) If you like, with the GXM-30 you can add NavTraffic service with a monthly fee. Details on their site. The GXM-30 is in the 200USD range. The GXM-30 is a neat addition to the 2820; you get a lot of stuff in one box that way.

[lord_helmet]

Bill,
The 'expensive' antenna is actually the XM receiver/antenna combo, also referred to by some a the hockey puck because of it size and shape. The 2820 (or the older 27xx) don't have the XM receiver built into the GPS unit itself.
You can attach an external GPS antenna to your GPS unit that sells for about $40-50 for enhanced GPS reception, but it won't get you XM.
The hockey puck has an XM serial number on the bottom which you'll need when registering for XM service.
The combo pack, XM radio+traffic alerts, will cost about $16.90/month.
Unfortunately you cannot order the combo pack online because it's not listed that way. You'll have to call in and order by phone.
I had the opportunity to test the traffic alert feature during heavy Sunday afternoon traffic on Los Angeles freeways. I have mixed feelings, because some of the alerts I received seemed a tad bit old, i.e. there was no real traffic jam by the time I got close to the location of the alert. So if I had accepted the re-routing recommendation from the GPS, I might have been worse off than staying on the freeway and taking my chance.
Mind you, that this was a one-off experience, so over time and with regular use one might be able to get a better reading of the traffic alert broadcasts.

BTW, the XM radio receiption is pretty good with the puck, and if you don't permanently mount your system on your bike, then you can take the whole set indoors and hook it up to your stereo. If you put the puck on the window sill you'll likely to get full signal. I do.

[WildBill]

The "cheaper" antenna I was talking about was not the remote GPS antenna but a XM radio antenna similar to what I use on my Roady XT. I really have no interest in traffic alerts so I am hopnig that I can get by withour having the puchase and install the big "hockey puck". Thanks....

Bill

[lord_helmet]

The "cheaper" antenna I was talking about was not the remote GPS antenna but a XM radio antenna similar to what I use on my Roady XT. I really have no interest in traffic alerts so I am hopnig that I can get by withour having the puchase and install the big "hockey puck". Thanks....

Bill

Bill,
It's your call and I'm certainly not trying to argue. What I tried to explain was that the 2820 doesn't have XM receiver built in. So I don't think that buying an XM antenna will help.
What's built into the 2820 (loaded onto its internal CF drive) is the software interface allowing the user to interact with the 'puck'. The actual XM receiver is in the 'puck' which is why it's pricey.

[VitesseLT]

That's exactly it. Think of your navigator as merely a "control head" for a remote XM radio (the GXM-30.) That's why the GXM-30 plugs in through the USB connector instead of the antenna input.

When enabled (meaning you have a paid-up account and have received a turn-on signal from XM), the GXM-30 remote XM radio can receive all XM Radio channel content as selected through your 2820 "head unit" -- iow, the audio stuff you seek plus a small amount of on-screen info such as artist and such --, and, if enabled for additional fees, NavTraffic, too. There is no other way to get XM radio, or any XM programming or features on your 2820 navigator without the GXM-30.

If you happen to live in one of the urban areas where you can benefit from audio announcements for so-called "instant weather and traffic" (such as Detroit channel 216), there is also a tiny amount of written info on the screen while listening to that channel concerning the weather and traffic for that city (such as "Detroit, Overcast, 11F"). This is included with your basic XM Radio subscription. BTW, you can listen/read about any city you like for which they transmit conditions. Note: this is not the NavTraffic service ... you receive "instant w&t" with the basic subscription and even it requires the GXM-30 to see and read it on your 2820.

Bad news is that the GXM-30 costs about 200USD and requires a subscription. The good news is that you can move the GXM-30 around to other Garmin navigators that also have the same USB port configuration and interoperable software. That works for me as I also own a 7500.

Living with the 2820/GXM-30 means some compromises. For example, no XM radios seem to ever display as much information about the channel or song as we'd like and this combination is no different. And the GXM-30 isn't exactly petite for an antenna, but thinking of it as the radio and antenna it is, you can better justify that it's kind of portly. On the other hand, you don't need to separately power the GXM-30, just 1 cable goes to it, and to the user, everything (nav, mp3, Bluetooth, XM) "seems" to be in one box with one clean mounting location, the 2820.

[WildBill]

Thanks for the info. That explains it better than what I've been able to find on the Garmin site. I was just hoping that the hockey puck was required for the traffic reports and not for the XM. Now I understanad that its not only the antenna but also the processor for the XM. So much for saving money. As usual members on this board come through again (although I don't like the answer it is nice to understand) I guess it's time to break out the plastic....


Bill