SiriusXM Onyx Plus with Vehicle Kit Product Spotlight

The SiriusXM Onyx Plus with Vehicle Kit includes everything you need to get started with satellite radio in your car.  The kit includes the radio unit, antenna, car charger, stereo cable, docking station and a few car mounts.  It’s everything except the subscription.  Speaking of the subscription, be sure to review our article to Lower Your Sirius XM Subscription Price before signing up.  You can save a substantial amount off the subscription price if you know about all the discount programs before calling for activation.  Wish I wrote that article years ago, because I unfortunately paid full price for a real long time before discovering some of the better offers that were out there.

This is an excellent choice for music fans and also great for sports nuts.  Read on to learn more.

As of now, this is likely the most feature rich radio that is available.  Most other models for SiriusXM have 10 presets.  The Onyx Plus has 20.  That’s a lot of presets.  The Onyx Plus has pause and rewind so if you need to take a nature break or want to listen again to something you just hear, simply pause it or rewind.  This model also offer two features called TuneMix, TuneStart and TuneScan which are unique.  TuneMix allows the listener to create their own music channel by blending their Smart Favorite music channels.  SmartStart will start songs from the beginning on a Smart Favorite music channel.  TuneScan will scan and select songs that have already played on your Smart Favorite channels.  The other models on the market do not offer these features.

For sports nuts, this radio operates on the XM satellite.  This means that in addition to all of the music channels and features just described, you also get Major League baseball (MLB).  This is similar to having the MLB at Bat subscription on your phone in that you get to listen to all of the baseball games from across the US and Canada.  You also get all of the NHL games as well as the PGA channel.  For premium subscription level, the NFL games are also available.  Just sit in your garage with a case of beer and a bag of chips.  No reason to go anywhere with all the major league action.

Installing this kit can be a simple exercise.  The car kit includes a vent mount as well as one for the dash.  Use the vent mount if at all possible as it’s going to be at eye level, easier to interface with, plus out of plain view of potential thieves.  The back of the car cradle has a mounting pattern that will line right up with either of the mounts.  There is a car charger which plugs into your socket.  An antenna with a very long cable is included.  Now this is where your install could remain easy or you could make it complex.  I prefer easy so I keep the antenna cable coiled up and use a Car Windshield Antenna Mount for Sirius/XM Radio.  It’s a lot cleaner that running the antenna cable out your passenger windshield or to make it real challenging, running it though the car interior to the roof of your car.

I am sure you will want to hear the radio so I’ll tell you how that works.  If your installed Am/FM car radio has an auxiliary input port then the best option is to use the stereo cable that is included with the car kit.  It’s a direct connection and will provide the clearest reception.  If no auxiliary connection is present, use the included FM modulator option that’s within the radio itself.  Choose an unused FM frequency in your area and set your Onyx Plus to broadcast to that frequency.  Typically this works well but if located within a large metropolitan area such as where I live (Northern New Jersey), you might have an issue at times.  Read our article on Sirius XM and FM Radio Static for ways to combat any issues.

The SiriusXM Onyx Plus with Vehicle Kit is a great radio kit that will bring you a lot of pleasure especially on those long commutes home from work or, in the case of a sports fanatic, from the garage.