The few times I used my Sirius radio this way the battery did not go dead, but I was driving the truck almost every day we camped. If you have a separate Sirius receiver, you won’t need to have the tow vehicles OEM radio turned on to transmit the FM frequency to the TM. If I were to install my receiver again, I would consider adding a switch to change the power source. One position would power receiver only when key is in either ACC or ON. The other switch position would power it even when key is off – and out of the truck. I could leave the switch in the first position most of the time and then switch it to the second position only when I was using the radio in camp. I bring an extra set of keys and can lock one set in truck in the ACC position.
Sirius will require an additional subscription for a second receiver, but it is discounted to $7 a month. You could also just use one receiver and have a separate docking station in the TM that would hook up to it's own antennae. They sell home and car kits that include both docking stations and antennas with one receiver or you can buy them individually. So you could put one in a car, one in your house, and one in the TM. I think as long as you didn't mind only using one at a time and moving the receiver, you would only need to pay for one subscription.
You’re right about the hardware being cheap. I think this is particularly true when you buy the hardware and sign up for new service – like cell phones. I think the hardware alone might be more expensive without subscription credit or rebates that require a new subscription.
I almost bought a lifetime Sirius subscription for $500, I think that’s about what it would cost at today’s prices for 4 1/2 years. But, when I probed for details they said it was not for my life ...it's for the receiver’s life! If you need to replace the $49 radio receiver in the first few years you are out a lot of money! They told me if I bought a service agreement from the retail store (Best Buy in my case) on the radio, the subscription would continue under a replacement radio. But then they were unable to provide that information to me in writing, which made me nervous. Generally, from my experience, service agreements are expensive and can be a hassle, so I tend to run away anyhow. There’s always a risk Sirius will go belly up too. XM has a much larger market share, but I think Sirius is gaining on them. Either one could go belly up. I choose Sirius for their content.
Before I leave you on that gloomy note, let me say I love satellite radio! I used to listen to NPR on the regular radio if I could get it on my FM radio and then lose the station part way though an interesting in depth news story or before Click and Clack solved a car repair issue I was following. Not a problem with satellite!
Jim
