Kenwood System-H2EC Sirius Here2Everywhere Satellite Radio Tuner with Car Docking Kit

• Here2Everywhere satellite tuner and car docking kit for receiving Sirius satellite radio
• Picks up 65 commercial-free music streams and 50 sports, news, and entertainment streams
• 5 search modes (stream, artist, song, preset, or genre); 30 station presets and 24-song memory/recall bank
• Includes car docking cradle, windshield docking base, cigarette lighter adapter, and remote control
• Includes wireless FM transmitter; tuner measures 4.5 by 2.91 by 1.18 inches (W x H x D)

I chose the Kenwood because of the look (sleek, blue screen) and reputation of their other products. This product does not live up to their standards. I was really disappointed, and here's why:

When I received the unit, I started with the in-home docking station. I hooked it up right away and basic set-up was easy. You'll know right away whether you can get a signal from the satellite on channel 184 before you subscribe. The instructions about antenna placement was clear... it needs a clear view toward the midwest. That was a problem in my house because of its layout, orientation, and trees on the property. The signal from the satellite was weak and cut out from time to time. The antenna wire was not long enough for my home layout--windows provided too weak a signal, and the roof was out of the question. Eventually, I moved everything around the house until I found a sweet spot. What an ordeal, already.

Second, the FM modulator was very weak. I tried to tune in my home stereo to the freq on the sirius and found that the sirius tuner had to be within one foot of my receiver to get any signal, and then it was weak. With the hard wires--the RCA plugs into AUX on the home stereo--sound was clear and loud. Music at last!

I tried the car kit, and found that the satellite reception was weak there too (here a signal, there a signal and in between... silence). It changed dramatically as I drove across town. The placement of the sirius unit in the car was critical. I tried it on the front of the dash, on the console, in the passenger seat, and all over the windshield. There was only one position in the car where the sirius could talk to the receiver, and that was low-center of the wind shield. Everywhere else was nothing but static. Even in this "sweet spot" I got a poor, static filled signal. Changing freq was easy, but didn't help. No problems with interference from other stations, since there are few in my area.

I was even disappointed with the display. The blue was nice, but the station info was more than could fit and the scrolling was distracting. Changing the setting for display size didn't help: there are two settings for the screen: big and really big. (Audiovox screen for example shows more info on one screen without the need to scroll).

My wife experienced how wonderful and trouble-free Sirius can be with an "older" Streamer, so I'm going to stick with this service and try a different tuner.

The Kenwood is going back.

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Nice setup for the sale price. At full price I'd try something else first. I have the home kit as well as the car kit.

The good:

The unit itself is a nice piece of hardware and the suction cup for car mounting is excellent. The extra 12VDC power cord to hard wire into your car is a nice touch as well. I have had no reception problems at all and the receiver stays relatively cool compared to others.

The bad:

I have a hard time reading the display due to the blue light. I thought it would be easy to see but I cannot see it well, there is just not enough contrast. ( Yes, I have 20/20 vision) The scrolling display is also not easy to read in either size. I would prefer good old amber or green.

More importantly the FM transmitter is weak as a kitten. I literally have to have the sirius unit on top of the radio to work. That goes for my real stereo and for boomboxes I have tried. This is a big weakness for me as it is supposed to be a "here to everywhere" unit, but only if it sits on top of your current stereo, and that stereo is within sattelite antenna distance to a window. I borrowed an older audiovox and tried it in the same place and the FM transmitter worked across the whole room and into the next.

Overall a nice unit, but the weak FM transmitter kills it for me.

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I love my sirius radio, i really really do. I do not listen to regular radio anymore. The setup of this radio was simple, and works well in my Tahoe. The only issue i have is the car kit has broken and i've had it less than a year. I need to replace it but i cannot locate a place to buy just the mounting kit sans radio. I had it professionally installed into my SUV so that i don't have the wires all over the place, and it looks great, and i don't experience the sound issues the others that posted here did.

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The Kenwood System-H2EC is a nice little unit however I've experienced plenty of short comings.

1) The FM modulator can't even broadcast it's way out of a paper bag. I pick up so many SIRIUS signals around me now on FM (thank-you Mr Stern) I don't even think I need a unit in the car.

2) The cigarette lighter plug is too big for the socket and pops out constantly.

3) The unit throws out so much heat you have to leave it out in the open or use it as a handwarmer.

4) The buttons are so touchy, the slightest touch will activate one.

5) Programming with the scrolling is a pain in the ....

6) The window mount is so big, I'd swear you could crack the windshield if you don't release the suction cup properly.

After having been a subscriber to Sirius for 3 years and having used 3 different tuners in my cars, this one is the best I've used. I live in the West and sometimes travel 10 to 15 hours at a time, through cities and remote areas. I've had zero trouble with reception in all areas, even with a luggage carrier on the car. The receiver is mounted on the windshield at eye level and is easy to read, compared to the others I've had (my Audiovox lasted 12 months and 1 day just in time for no warranty coverage). The FM modulator works fine in the car but I've always used my iRock FM modulator in the house which broadcasts just great. I also have the other Kenwood "Here2Anywhere" plug and play and, while it works fine, it does not have the FM modulator and the screen is very small, the latter making it harder to glance at the screen and read what it says while you're on the road. That and the fact that it isn't as easy to mount in the car causes me to rate the H2EC much higher.