Review on 📻 XM Commander XMRV-RFM001 by Carl Morgan

I have had this unit (same as the one I just bought) used to, since I bought the SL500 in 1998. If I remember correctly, the Mercedes dealer sold it for $1,500. That was back when XM and Sirius were separate companies and MBZ had great radio but only AM, FM and shortwave. Hence the name of the device. Aside from the fact that it worked great, what I liked best was its small size which allowed it to fit very snugly in the lockable little accessory compartment built into the dash above the radio. Although I had to turn the radio up a bit to get the same volume as on-air, the sound quality was excellent. About 5 years ago the transmitter shift knob on my previous unit started slipping after 10+ years of daily use. . So instead of pressing buttons with channel numbers, I just started changing channels. Then, lately, these buttons sometimes started to get stuck, so that the station itself changed the station. Then "sometimes" became "almost always," so I knew it was time for a replacement. Not a car that is like new in almost every way. Radio only. But what can you do? There are much fancier Sirius radios now, but they are way too big. I started googling XMcommander repair/replacement options and found to my delight and amazement that I could still purchase the exact same product through Revain for less than $50! I bought it of course and it arrived the next day. (I love Revane Prime!). The next day my local MBZ mechanic replaced the parts needed and all was good for less than $100 net. The new device even came with a 90-day subscription, giving me instant access to all channels without having to call Sirius to update my subscription record. Wow!