Home > Consumer Reviews > PIONEER AirWare XM2Go Portable XM Satellite Radio Receiver

The device itself is great looking and easy to use; but I would like to warn about some installation problems. 1st of all, I was a little sucked in by the too easy installation instructions (they are available on the web). When they tell you the antenna needs a southern exposure in the window, they absolutely mean it. So I guessed wrong about where my window was, so I could not hook it up directly to my dvd/sound system as suggested (partly because the window was all the way across my toddler's playroom!). I was then concerned about having to do some sort of hardwired installation or purchasing a wireless repeater (only one available; expensive); but after much research on the web, I found one person who used the FM frequency feature you would use in the car, but in the house, which isn't mentioned in the instructions. So my radio sits upstairs where it gets excellent reception, and I turn my sound system on to the specified FM frequency, and I'm good to go. Only problem is that I have to go upstairs to change the station, but it works. Also, audiophiles might quibble with the sound quality since it isn't a direct connection, but my dvd system has ways of changing the speakers and other features that make it sound great to me. Actually, any radio in the house will pick it up. I've also gotten great reception in the car, the easiest yet. I don't mind draping wires (I've actually only clipped them up)so I have the car antenna so that I can easily move it to another car (as opposed to tucking wires in weather stripping) So far on walks, I've been getting some dropout but good, but it's cold out so I haven't been out much. I imagine you can't run with it. There is an aftermarket clip-on antenna that you can find on the web for improving reception while walking about (looks dopey though). Some design quibbles: you can't use the protective case while the device is either in it's docking station for the car or house. So you have to take it off constantly; I don't want the radio to become scratched/smushed in my diaper bag so that bugs me. You can lock the keys so it doesn't turn on in a pocket, etc. It is also an extremely tight fit in the home docking station; you have to really push down to seat the connections well. Regarding service, I love the fact XM radio includes an online subscription, but disappointly not all stations are available on the online version. A big plus for this device is the ability to record shows so I can listen at the gym when I have no reception. Also, FYI, I live in suburban Philadelphia in a very tree-filled neighborhood. Hope this helps!

I received this portable XM radio for Christmas and I love it. I use it in my car to listen to various radio stations. It was very easy to install and I just pop the receiver button on a sticky pad in the front window and I can listen to the same station as I drive across states. Lots of stations to choose from including music, talk and humor stations.

At home, I just put the radio in the bracket that I place in a window (with southern exposure), dial my little portable radio to the correct FM station and listen anywhere in the house. Great at night when I am working on a project.

The big advantage is that you can transfer this unit from car to car to home (or take on a walk around the block). The more permanent XM radios must be installed in a car and are not portable. This XM radio can be taken anywhere with very little installation (plug it in lighter socket and throw the receiver button on dash board).

I was disappointed to know that it requires an external antenna all the time...the portability works only for recorded material..not live !! what a turnoff !!

If you are going XM, I can't imagine going any other way. I was an MP3 fan but received this as a gift. As far as the My XM recorder it'd be nice if you could delete specific tracks from the unit after you record them, skip through tracks instead of skipping tracks altogether, so that there is less junk if you leave it on during a promo or something. The unit is a bit bulky compared to an iPod, but as far as these units go a decent size. The controls are easy to use after a day of playing with it. I still prefer the ability to listen to exactly what I want with MP3s, but I definitely appreciate the variety that this throws in as well. The internal antenna is good when you consider where you are receiving signal. I live in the western burbs of Philadelphia and recieve in my house without the external antenna. However in other nearby locations get hardly any signal. It is a crap-shoot, but with the antenna it is perfect almost anywhere. Very happy with the battery life as well. I did notice a lot more safety information than I've ever received with any other consumer electronics which I thought was a bit wierd. Stuff about lead, radiation, and that they shipped a battery that might explode. Fun stuff.

Pioneer has come up with yet another great radio. Nice size, nice solid feel, unambiguous controls, and a built-in antenna that really works, at least in my very populated area. It's sitting on my desk now, away from any window, and picking up a strong signal from a terrestrial repeater.

What kept me from saying it was worth a full 5 stars is that the radio has a rounded bottom, which keeps it from sitting firmly on my desk. The car cradle also has a rounded bottom, which precludes what would have been a simple mounting procedure on my dashboard.

I bought this model because of its versatility, and it lives up to that. I have used it connected to my home stereo, in the car, at my desk with headphones, and playing through a portable radio. It comes with plenty of accessories for all these uses, and the built-in FM transmitter is very good. The home cradle is nice and presents the radio at a good angle. My quibble with the car mounting options is that they all rely on a vertical mounting surface, all of which in my car are curved and so don't mate with the flat mounting surfaces on the accessories. It looks like I will have to drill a couple of holes in one of the mounting plates and attach it to the dashboard with screws.

The big problem, and it is the problem with all satellite radios, is that it can only receive what XM sends. Most music channels are of less-than-FM quality, missing the top octave or so of the music, and deficient in bass as well. This is the fault of what's sent by XM, not the radio, because the classical channels sound very good indeed, while the spoken word channels are unintelligible at times. This diminished sound quality causes "listener fatigue"--after listening for a while, you feel like your energy is being drained out of your ears, and you just want to shut off the radio and get away from it. Most of the time it sounds like you're listening to internet radio, sometimes like internet radio over a dialup connection circa 1997. I actually felt physical relief when I switched from XM to my little AM radio.

And speaking of internet radio, XM has several channels that are available over the internet only--THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE TO THE RADIO RECEIVER! This just blows me away. Naturally, it's the distinctive, niche channels that are NOT available to the radio. Many of the channels that are available sound almost the same; it would be a breath of freshness to have the online-only channels available as well. There's too much ordinary stuff on XM--tons of talk channels (some duplicating current AM and FM networks), and soundtracks to cable TV channels. Yuck.

If you are planning to subscribe to XM, I believe the Pioneer is an excellent radio; probably the one that offers the most ways to use it. Right now, though, I expect I will be canceling my XM subscription at the end of the month. Then I'll have to figure out what to do with the radio.

Update from 6 months later: I cancelled my XM subscription after 6 months, not one. They kept degrading their programming, making it sound more like regular FM. I could rarely find anything I liked. Then I bought a Sirius radio and found programming I liked. It's just a real shame that this great radio can't be used for Sirius.