The following is a purely utilitarian post providing specific answers to specific questions for specific people interested in a specific product. This is information I was unable to find when evaluating XM receiver options. If you're in the market for an XM receiver and considering the Delphi MyFi, you might find this useful. Otherwise, skip it. You've been warned.
I was pleasantly surprised this Christmas to receive the Delphi MyFi XM satellite radio receiver I had been coveting for a while. It was the MyFi's promise of portability that distinguished it in my mind from other receivers, all of which seemed to be bound to a mess of cords, cables and cradles. With an internal antenna, rechargable lithium ion battery and FM modulator, the MyFi seemed to offer the possibility of a cradle-free existence. This appealed to me greatly. So, how does it stack up? Here's the verdict.
The Battery
The battery is great. It provides around five hours of charge with screen backlighting on. It would presumably provide considerably more life with the power-hungry backlighting off. I use the MyFi almost exclusively on battery power and have never had a problem. The only time I use a power cable is for charging on the home cradle.
The FM Modulator
As far as I know, all XM receivers have a built-in FM modulator, providing audio output without a physical connection to the output device (usually a home or car stereo). The MyFi's FM modulator works, but only if you have a clear FM frequency near the top or bottom of the FM band. In the Tampa area where I live, there are no consistently clean frequencies in the 87, 88, 89, 106 and 107 ranges within which the FM modulator operates, so I am unable to use it without experiencing considerable interferance. That commits me to a cradle both at home and in the car for audio line out. Bummer. But the modulator should work in areas with less FM band congestion. When using the receiver with headphones, no cradle is necessary for audio out.
The Antenna
Not to put too fine a point on it, the internal antenna is garbage. I was able to get it to work briefly while standing perfectly still outside and holding the receiver away from my body, pointing due South with a clear line of sight to the horizon. Otherwise, it's useless. The included clip-on antenna is similarly useless. So, barring any third-party options, the cradle is required as the home and auto antennas are unable to connect directly to the receiver's built in antenna jack; they can only connect through the cradle. That's irritating.
On the plus side, the included home and auto antennas are great. I have the auto antenna inside the car on the dash and have not experienced a single drop out, so I've been able to safely ignore the onerous stated requirement of an external antenna installation. The home antenna is similarly excellent. Despite the stated requirement of a clear Southern exposure position, I've had no trouble with the antenna positioned at the North end of my home, pointing South through both an internal and external wall. The exceptional antenna performance may be due in part to the apparent prevalence of ground-based signal repeaters in my area. Your mileage may vary depending on the repeater situation in your area.
Quality/Reliability
The original receiver was dead on arrival, which made for a disappointing Christmas Day. It had to be exchanged for a new unit at the point of purchase (Circuit City).
The battery that came with the receiver was recalled for some reason. About two weeks after registering the receiver, a new battery arrived in the mail with a letter saying, essentially, "use this battery and throw out the other one." OK. I hadn't had problems with the original battery and I haven't had any problems with the new one.
In the two months I've had the replacement receiver, I've experienced one notable reliability issue. The thing just freaked out one day recently, with the screen displaying a lot of gibberish before going blank. Resetting the receiver by removing the battery solved the problem but deleted all of my settings and recorded content. A nuisance to be sure, but not a deal breaker.
The Big Bonus
One very big and very unexpected bonus for me has been the receiver's programmable record function, a feature unique to the XM2GO receivers. You can record up to five hours of programming for later playback. I never thought I'd use this, believing I'd always want live reception. As it turns out, I use it constantly. By listening to a five hour recording of a given station rather than listening live, I get a Tivo-like experience, with the ability to scan all of the recorded titles and listen to those I like while skipping those I don't. I'm also able to repeat favorites as often as desired. Very cool.
The Verdict
It's not entirely portable but it's a huge improvement over the other receivers. With recorded content and headphones it's entirely portable, and listening to recorded content isn't nearly as lame as I thought it might be. In the car, it requires two cables to the cradle (antenna and line out) rather than the three required by other receivers (power, antenna and line out). At home, it's the same as all the others when in the cradle, but, again, entirely portable with recorded content and headphones. In a nutshell, I like it. Go buy one.
