Upgrade to get more channels

[ejb1980]

Hello. This is my first post in the SXM section and did not quickly see the answer...

I have been listening to SXM since I got a free trial with some football tickets I bought. The factory radio in my 2017 Nissan Frontier only goes into the low 220's but I hear them advertising channels in the 300-700s range often and find them on the app. They even advertise "free on the SXM app and on most radios with trials and popular plans."
My question: Can I get these channels in the truck? If yes, can I get these channels in the truck easily (like a quick thing you add on behind the receiver, like those HD radio upgrade kits)?

Thanks. (Maybe they could reduce the number of broadcast channels to improve sound quality?)

 

[TheKrell]

The factory radio in my 2017 Nissan Frontier only goes into the low 220's but I hear them advertising channels in the 300-700s range often and find them on the app.

My 300 is like that; it is based on Sirius not XM technology, and I believe our radios max out because of that. The high-number stations are mostly streaming, anyway, which is why you can find them on the app. I can find them on my Echo speakers, too.

 

[Jimbo]

Ejb,
That would be great if they could do a software upgrade to fix this issue, I have the same issue .
Only way to get those channels in the vehicle, short of getting a portable radio and using it in the vehicle instead is to stream them from the App in the vehicle, which in my case defeats the purpose of having it in the head unit in the vehicle.

 

[kshaw]

I have the SXM Tour 360L that does all the channels. Higher end channels require an internet connection and streaming. With internet, it also offers voice commands. Unfortunately, I use mine in my airplane or camping and do not wish to use my hot spot so I do not use any of those features.

 

[Jimbo]

I have the SXM Tour 360L that does all the channels. Higher end channels require an internet connection and streaming. With internet, it also offers voice commands. Unfortunately, I use mine in my airplane or camping and do not wish to use my hot spot so I do not use any of those features.

So you need a vehicle with a Hot Spot ?
Can you use your Phone internet or a hotspot ?

However, when doing that, are you not just using the App ?

I Can connect my phone to the Truck and stream the higher channels, but that doesn't make them available thru the head unit.

 

[kshaw]

So you need a vehicle with a Hot Spot ?
Can you use your Phone internet or a hotspot ?

However, when doing that, are you not just using the App ?

I Can connect my phone to the Truck and stream the higher channels, but that doesn't make them available thru the head unit.

You can use the SXM app if you have CarPlay and a subscription and I suppose I could use my phone as a hotspot and that would work with the Tour 360L.

 

[Jimbo]

You can use the SXM app if you have CarPlay and a subscription and I suppose I could use my phone as a hotspot and that would work with the Tour 360L.

However, the question is, can you get the rest of the channels with the OEM SXM radio in the car. (actually its probably an XM or a Sirius radio, usually not both.

 

[TheKrell]

So you need a vehicle with a Hot Spot ?
Can you use your Phone internet or a hotspot ?

That question is unclear. You can use your phone as a hotspot, in which case the vehicle doesn't need a hotspot of it's own. I do this to use my Amazon Echo when I'm working in my office. (We are not allowed to attach non-government equipment to our network.) If you are going to stream through the app on your phone, then you don't need to use the hotspot capability at all. Just stream from SiriusXM to your phone, and then use a Bluetooth audio connection to your car/truck radio.

However, when doing that, are you not just using the App ?

Aha. Maybe this is what you meant above. Yes, that's just using the app and not a hotspot on your phone.

 

[Jimbo]

I believe the original question was about getting your current OEM radio to show the channels from 300-700s, which I don't think there is any way to do that.

 

[harshness]

My 300 is like that; it is based on Sirius not XM technology, and I believe our radios max out because of that.

I see some evidence that the 2017 Frontier used XM "technology" rather than Sirius. Either way, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[TheKrell]

I see some evidence that the 2017 Frontier used XM "technology" rather than Sirius. Either way, that shouldn't be a problem.

Unless it's a streaming-only channel.

 

[TheKrell]

I believe the original question was about getting your current OEM radio to show the channels from 300-700s, which I don't think there is any way to do that.

Agree. The only way is to stream to the phone and then link Bluetooth audio to the truck radio.

 

[harshness]

Unless it's a streaming-only channel.

I hope nobody is under the illusion that factory car radios are going to deliver streaming-only channels.

 

[TheKrell]

I hope nobody is under the illusion that factory car radios are going to deliver streaming-only channels.

Indeed. But when presented with channel numbers only, which are streaming only? I no longer remember. Can you get any 300 channel or above on satellite?

 

[Don in CT]

Don't the newer car radios offer the streaming stations built in.

 

[Jimbo]

Don't the newer car radios offer the streaming stations built in.

There was talk of that, ,but I don't know if it ever came to be.
I thought when I got my 2016 F 150 (New at the time) that the updated Radio would have ALL the channels 0-700's, but Nope.

 

[Jimbo]

Don't the newer car radios offer the streaming stations built in.

They might, but that probably would be with a vehicle that has the internet built into the cars.

Edit:
I even have a button on my radio (OEM) that says I can use Apps from my phone, but have never been able to ... seeing the phones connect via Bluetooth you'd think this would be easy.
Tried it once or twice and it didn't work the way I expected, so I dropped the idea.

 

[TheKrell]

They might, but that probably would be with a vehicle that has the internet built into the cars.

My 2020 300 is one such car; it even has a subscription service to turn itself into a WiFi hot spot. I have never subscribed to that, but it supposedly was on free preview for the 1st year (now expired). It is still, somehow, sending health status back to my phone app (and my home email that I used to install the app) including stuff like tire pressure and oil life remaining. But at least it no longer tells me on the app that my gas is about to run out (with 1/4 of the tank left) but only because I deinstalled the annoying app. The rest of the info still gets emailed to my home email address.

The radio even claims to have apps, but none are of interest to me and don't include SiriusXM. My radio channel lineup ends at channel 626, which is some Spanish language station. Next one below is 480. So it goes above 300. IIRC I have the Mostly Music package.

 

[harshness]

From the current station list, Sirius radios top out at channel 174 (Influence France, a French Canadian Hop Hop channel) and XM radios have a channel 362 (Grown Up Jamz, adult R&B, not available on Sirius radios). Otherwise, all stations over channel 174 are not available via satellite.

 

[TheKrell]

From the current station list, Sirius radios top out at channel 174 (Influence France, a French Canadian Hop Hop channel) and XM radios have a channel 362 (Grown Up Jamz, adult R&B, not available on Sirius radios). Otherwise, all stations over channel 174 are not available via satellite.

Their channel lineup is confused as hell. But I see that the one I have at the top of my "dial", 626 (Latin Holiday Music), is indeed on the satellite. I also see a SoundCloud Emerging HipHop channel 724 which I don't receive on my Sirius radio. I suspect they're all virtual channel numbers and they could call them whatever they please.