Pioneer Airwave XM2GO Satellite Radio Receiver

The new line of portable of XMs are missing the one thing that makes the AirWare shine, and that's a direct input keypad. This is my 3rd XM radio (the others are the Roady2 and the Sportscaster), and the one that I like most of the three.

The reception quality of the unit while in a dock is just like any other depending on the antenna placement, you'll get what you expect. I will say that with the home/office dock, I get reception from a 8th Floor North Side window, but I haven't tried the other two radios to see if it holds true as well. In the car it preforms like a champ, except when stuck under underpasses in heavy traffic. Where the unit excels is when it's being used as a portable unit; even without an external antenna, it receives a quality signal when clipped on a belt, but the signal deteriorates when placed in a front pocket. This is great for walking, and walking through the streets of New York City, I haven't had a drop issue.

I find the direct keypad to be a bigger issue than most that, in all the time that I've had the service, I've grown accustomed to the channel numbers, I know 006 = the sixties, 020 = pop music, 131 = BBC, 202 = OnA, etc, I figure I don't need presets to get to where I'm going. Another great feature is the programmable recording, I can program to get the OnA show in the morning, Wax Your Woody on Saturdays, and anything else I care to catch, but may not be listening to.