I am thinking of upgrading to the sporster 5. I have an old jvc sr3000. This seems to have the portability I want.
Does anyone have any experience with this unit?
Does anyone have any experience with this unit?
Upgrading to sportster 5?
- Thread starter Tgajr
- Start date
I'll pose a question to you and will respond based off of that.
I've had a Sportster 4 , which I believe is extremely similar to the 5, for a while now. I can let you know all about the 4 if you want but don't want to waste your time since it's not the exact unit. Interested?
I've had a Sportster 4 , which I believe is extremely similar to the 5, for a while now. I can let you know all about the 4 if you want but don't want to waste your time since it's not the exact unit. Interested?
Ok
Tell me about your experience with the unit. Would you get the upgraded one? Seems with the JVCs all I do is get junk. I want something sturdy and long lasting.
Tell me about your experience with the unit. Would you get the upgraded one? Seems with the JVCs all I do is get junk. I want something sturdy and long lasting.
Ok, let's do it.
I had a Starmate before this current unit. The Sportster 4 was an "upgrade" for me.
I'll try to compare the physical aspects of my unit vs that of the 5.... I'm not exactly sure if there is a difference in software.
The unit has a large screen display, much larger than what I was used to, and is easy to read. It's nice and bright during the day and can be dimmed down fairly low during evening driving.
The knob changes the channel and seems pretty sturdy to me. I constantly use that and not the number keys so much, nor the remote. Although, it is a little tiny if you're trying to do the "pincer" manuever with your pointer finger and thumb and have large hands.
It stores artists and/or songs in it's memory....30 I think. I love that feature. If you're not familiar with it, anytime a stored artist is played within the Sirius universe, the unit will alert you and you have the option of tuning to it. It's pretty gnarly.
The number keys are backlit which makes for good visibility and there is a jump button between the 5 and 6. This can be programmed to a channel and will allow you to jump to that channel no matter what "band" you're on, whether A, B or C. It's like a "favorite" button.
The recording buttons are easy to use and allows 44 minutes of recording (I think)....
Overall, it's a damn sturdy unit. My typical usage is: home dock, to car, to work dock....wash, rinse, repeat. I've had it for a few years now and it's held up remarkably well, especially after a few times my dog jumped right onto it in the Jeep.
The one thing I wish it did have, and the 5 has this, it the color screen. I believe that's pretty badass.
I find the lines to be sleek and sexy with black on silver being the color scheme with blue backlight.
If you have the room, and I say that because this unit isn't exacty tiny when on your dashboard, it's a great option.
One negative, and this isn't even the radio's issue, is the suction cup mount for the dashboard. I could never seem to get it to adhere correctly. My solution was to put the whole rig into my extra cupholder near my gear selector in my Jeep. While resting my arm on the arm rest, my hand reaches and has full control of the unit.
But comparing the two mounts, the 5 looks like it might work a whole helluva lot better.
So, I'd totally recommend it for home use paired with a vehicle kit.
Good luck.
If this radio is anything like its predecessors, if you have a channel blocked and a favorite artist comes on that channel, you won't see it displayed.
I don't think it can actually "record" for 44 minutes. What it can do is pause/rewind for 44 minutes. If you're listening to sports or talk, this 44 minutes has been known to increase.
D'oh! You're absolutely correct.... sorry 'bout that. :bigclap:
+1 for being smart.
I like my sportster 4, and namely, the ability to get alerted when your favorite teams are on. However, one thing about that feature annoys me: if a particular game is on more than one channel, the radio keeps alerting you... ie, you tune to one channel, it alerts you about the broadcast on the other channel. Whether you switch the channel or not, the alerts continue and there doesn't seem to be any way to stop it.