As satellite radio makes the transition from an "early adopter" niche market technology to a mainstream "gotta-have-it" service, the variety and sophistication of satellite radio products and programming continue to improve. XM Satellite Radio and SIRIUS, the two satellite radio service providers, continue to develop their programming in 2004, with each company adding instant traffic and weather service channels to their lineups. Satellite radio products are also evolving: antennas are getting smaller, user controls are getting more sophisticated, and satellite radio tuners are being integrated into in-dash CD receivers.

As the first aftermarket CD receiver to feature an integrated satellite radio tuner, Alpine's CDA-9820XM CD/XM receiver won a prestigious CES 2004 Innovations Award for Excellence in Design and Engineering. Alpine touts the CDA-9820XM as giving the user "an easier installation," "best in class sound performance," and improved navigability of XM channels. Having previously installed XM in my '96 Ford Ranger using an earlier generation of antenna, a separate XM tuner box, and an Alpine head unit, I was interested to see how the all-in-one CDA-9820XM would stack up in comparison.

Installing the CDA-9820XM
I have an Alpine CDA-7894 in my dash (almost exactly the same size as the CDA-9820XM) and the Terk TRK-SR2 XM antenna mounted on the roof of my truck, so I was expecting an easy installation of the CDA-9820XM. After connecting the Crutchfield factory wiring harness to the receiver's harness, I slipped the CDA-9820XM into my dash opening and clipped on the power and signal plugs. Good start — all I had to do now was connect the XM antenna to the XM input on the back of the receiver and I'd be set.

The newest generation of satellite radio antennas terminate in a single FAKRA connection, but I still had an older model antenna installed, the TRK-SR2, which terminates in 2 FAKRA connectors.

Recent improvements in satellite radio antenna technology have allowed manufacturers to reduce antenna size dramatically, as well as to combine the separate terrestrial and satellite signal connections (one for the satellite signal, one for the signal from terrestrial repeaters) into one connector — a nice improvement that makes installing the antenna easier than ever. However, older XM antennas have since become incompatible with the new tuners that accept a single antenna connection — for some reason, there are adapters that allow you to connect a new, single-connection antenna to an older, 2-connection tuner, but not vice versa.

Unfortunately, I'd failed to recognize that my older Terk antenna, which terminates in 2 FAKRA connectors, would not connect to the single FAKRA input on the back of the CDA-9820XM (even though it looks like the connections should line up, the new FAKRA connections have guide slots in different positions than the old ones, which makes it impossible to get a good connection — trust me, I tried!). After several comic attempts to connect just one of the FAKRA connectors to the 9820XM, I got hold of a new Delphi XM Micro antenna with the new, single FAKRA connection. Finally, I was receiving the XM signal.

The new, slim-mount XM antenna has a magnetic base, a single FAKRA connection, and is about 1/3 the size of the older Terk TRK-SR2.

Surfing XM on the CDA-9820XM
With over 120 channels of programming, it can be difficult to decide where to go first on XM. Whether you're a newcomer to satellite radio or a seasoned listener, you're going to want to scan the channels frequently to take full advantage of all the offerings. Recognizing this, Alpine's designed the CDA-9820XM to make your travels around the XM dial as intuitive and safety-conscious as possible. After all, you need to be focusing on the road, not on what XM channel you're on.



The CDA-9820XM gives you three full sets of XM channel presets (X1, X2, X3) that you can access with a press of the "Band/Tel." button. Once you've got the receiver installed in your car, you'll want to spend a few minutes programming all 18 channels of presets into the unit for quick access. I wound up using the first two bands, or 12 presets, for my favorite music channels, and reserved the X3 presets for my news, talk, and weather channels.



But here's the XM dilemma — there's way too much other good stuff going on to be satisfied with a mere 18 presets. That's where Alpine's handy Quick Search™ function comes into play. The Quick Search button allows you to search XM channels by either channel number or by programming category — once you've chosen your search method, use the rotary knob to scroll through the channels/categories.



For example, let's say you're happily cruising down the road listening to the newest indie rock and hip-hop on Channel 43, XMU, when your passengers start screaming for you to change over to the show tunes channel. First, take a deep breath and relax. Then, hit the QS button to bring up the category search. Use the up or down arrows that bracket the QS button to scroll to the "Hits" category, then use the rotary knob to scroll up to Channel 28, On Broadway. Take a second to enjoy the last notes of that OutKast song you'd been so enjoying, then press the rotary knob. Bingo! Up pops Elton John's "Hakuna Matata" from the Lion King soundtrack, to the delight of everyone in the car.

You can also use the Quick Search function to scroll through all XM channels, instead of scrolling through categories. Press and hold the Search/QS button for two seconds, and then use the rotary knob to scroll through all 120 channels. Press the "Display" button to access additional information, including the channel number, channel name, song title, artist name, and time. You can set the information to scroll across the screen automatically, or only when a new channel or song comes on.

The coolest new features on XM these days are the new instant traffic and weather channels. On March 1, XM made the first 15 channels live, offering realtime traffic and weather reports for major metropolitan areas, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, DC. My hometown of Charlottesville is about two and a half hours south of DC, so while the traffic updates don't have any effect on my commute (thank goodness!), the weather reports are usually pretty similar. So as soon as I had XM up and running, I navigated over to Channel 214 to check out the forecast for the DC metropolitan area.







Not only do you get the live weather and traffic reports on these new channels, but your receiver's display will scroll the name of the city, the weather, and the temperature across the screen. Pretty cool, though as someone pointed out, it's tough to imagine how you wouldn't already be aware of the sky conditions in your area without having to read them off your radio.

Sound performance
The CDA-9820XM includes several of Alpine's sound processing features, including Bass Engine® controls and their exclusive MediaXpander™ technology. The Bass Engine® package gives you extended control over the bass response, including center frequency control, bandwidth adjustment, and a bass-type setting that adjusts bass output for a variety of systems. You can also tweak the treble center frequency (between 10k Hz and 17.5k Hz in 2.5k Hz steps) and level, and set the subwoofer level and phase.

I've been a fan of Alpine's MediaXpander™ technology since it was introduced a few years ago. The company explains that the technology is an algorithm that restores audio information and enhances the sound quality of all types of compressed music, including FM, XM, CD, MP3, and DVD soundtracks. Not only does MediaXpander boost the mids and high frequencies of whatever you're listening to, but it makes the soundstage more spacious, giving the music a jolt of vibrancy. This is definitely a lot more than a glorified "loudness" button — when I set the MediaXpander™ to level 3 on XM, the music became more intense, with a more enveloping sound. Once you hear the difference, you'll want to use this function with all your sources.

Is the CDA-9820XM for you?
That, of course, depends on what your needs are. The most obvious reason you'd want this receiver is to put XM Satellite Radio in your car's dash. The CDA-9820XM is the sleekest, most convenient XM solution currently available in an in-dash receiver, sparing you the need to install another "black box" for a separate tuner.

The CDA-9820XM is not a perfect in-dash receiver: you don't get MP3 playback capability, which may make you want to wait until Alpine adds that feature into future models (which I don't imagine will take too long). More significantly, I was disappointed with the unit's display legibility — the green and amber LED readout tended to get washed out in ordinary daylight conditions, making it difficult to impossible to read the XM channel and song information. Because the CDA-9820XM is a slot-loading CD receiver, you don't have the advantage of the larger display area that a fold-down faceplate gives you — I found myself really missing the ability to adjust the angle of the faceplate, as I can do on my CDA-7894.

Still, the built-in XM tuner and ample sound-shaping capability on the CDA-9820XM make it a unique and very satisfying in-dash receiver. The Quick Search functionality makes surfing XM channels quick and intuitive; the Bass Engine® and MediaXpander™ features give you plenty of control for getting the kind of sound you want. Combine the CDA-9820XM's features with the seemingly endless variety and extraordinary quality of XM Satellite Radio's programming, and you're just about guaranteed to be a happy customer.