OK, I received this email from Sirius that one of my older Sirius radios (I have three in my subscription) is in violation of the FCC and I shouldn’t use the FM transmitter. I should use a direct wired connection- I would love to but the maker of my car didn’t provide one with the stock radio; a Cassette adapter- (oh the one that didn’t come with my radio?) not that I really need it because I don’t have a cassette player in my car, its hard to find a new car that does; FM Extender Cable kit, hmm didn’t get that either nor does my radio have a connector for it; FM Direct Adapter with Professional Installation- I used to have one of these in my car to use with my Rio Car MP3 player that had at the time a lot of storage from 20GB upgraded to 60GB, but it was sold when I traded in my car. The best thing I have decided on since SIRIUS will provide you the best solution at no cost will be a direct connection adapter, but I will have to go through Sirius’ website to choose my option and be awarded with a certificate redeemable for installation at an installation center in my area I would rather opt for a direct connection option like this or this if available because the FM direct adapter had some grounding issue that resulted in a high pitch squeal (that I corrected by regrounding the FM adapter) every time the alternator kicked in.
Here is the letter I got from them:
Your SIRIUS radio contains an FM transmitter that allows it to operate wirelessly through your car FM radio. We have determined that the output of this transmitter exceeds the limits established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As a result, the unit may interfere with the performance of radios operating in areas adjacent to your radio. There are no health or safety concerns associated with this issue.
If you listen to your SIRIUS radio wirelessly through your vehicle’s FM radio, then please review the solutions listed below and select the one that works best for you. SIRIUS will provide you the best solution at no cost. If you use your SIRIUS radio only when docked in a boombox, or directly connected to your car radio or home stereo using audio cables or a cassette tape adapter, then no interference can occur and no further action is required, provided you have turned off your FM transmitter. To turn off the FM transmitter, first press the MENU button. Use the channel up/down buttons to highlight “FM Transmitter” and push the SELECT button. Use the channel up/down buttons to highlight the "FM On/Off" menu item and then press the SELECT button. Use the up/down buttons to highlight "FM Off" and press the SELECT button. To exit the "FM On/Off" menu, press the MENU button. Use the same procedure to turn off the FM transmitter if you use Solution 1 or Solution 2 below.. If your vehicle radio has a “LINE IN” or “AUX IN” jack, you can use a stereo cable to connect directly to your SIRIUS radio. This solution is the easiest to install and provides the best audio performance. Many newer vehicles provide the required audio input jack. It will normally be found on or near the front faceplate of your vehicle’s radio. Solution 1 - Direct Wired Audio Connection:
Solution 2 - Cassette Tape Adapter:
If your vehicle has a cassette tape player, you can use a cassette adapter that allows you to play your SIRIUS radio through the cassette portion of your vehicle radio. The adapter slips into your vehicle radio as easily as a cassette tape and provides better performance than a wireless connection.
Solution 3 - FM Extender Cable Kit:
An FM extender cable will provide a special transmitter antenna that allows you to obtain the best audio performance through your vehicle’s FM radio. This solution is easy to self-install, but does require that an easy-to-hide wire be run in your vehicle so the transmitter antenna can be placed in close proximity to your vehicle’s radio antenna. Using this FM Extender Cable Kit, you will continue to use your SIRIUS radio exactly the same way as you do currently.
Solution 4 - FM Direct Adapter with Professional Installation:
An FM Direct Adapter provides a wired connection between your SIRIUS radio and your vehicle’s radio. You will continue to listen to your SIRIUS radio through the FM tuner of your car radio, but the FM Direct Adapter eliminates the outside static and interference you sometimes experience when using a wireless FM connection. This solution usually requires professional installation. We will provide a certificate redeemable for installation at an installation center in your area.
Please go to www.sirius.com/optimize and select the solution that works best for you. If you have any questions, please call 1-(877) 635-5130. Detailed instructions will be included with your solution.
You will improve the performance of your SIRIUS radio and reduce the potential for interfering with adjacent radios if you properly tune your FM transmitter. Please see the FM Transmitter Set-Up Tips below for more information.
We are sorry for this inconvenience. We are confident these solutions will allow you to continue to enjoy the great music, news, sports and entertainment that only SIRIUS Satellite Radio can offer with no impact on your radio’s performance.
Sincerely,
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO
FM Transmitter Set-Up Tips
To tune your FM transmitter turn off your SIRIUS radio and tune through the FM channels on your vehicle’s radio to locate an FM channel (except 87.7/87.9) that is not broadcasting in your area. If you use an FM channel that is being used by a local broadcaster, it will interfere with the performance of your SIRIUS radio. Once you have located an FM channel that is not being used for broadcasting in your area, save it as a preset on your vehicle radio. This will become your SIRIUS preset. If you’re not sure which FM channels are not being used in your home or travel cities, you can go to www.sirius.com/fmchannel and search for an FM channel based on zip code.
Turn on your SIRIUS radio. In the SETTINGS or MENU on your SIRIUS radio, locate the “FM Frequency” adjustments. Set the channel number on your SIRIUS radio to match the SIRIUS preset on your vehicle radio. Refer to your user guide for detailed instructions on how to do this. The FM transmitter in your SIRIUS radio is automatically set to FM channel 88.1. This may not be the best channel in your area.
If you regularly travel between cities with different active FM channels, you may need to find channels that are not broadcasting in each city. Several SIRIUS radio models can store multiple FM transmitter channels, so you can easily switch to the best FM channel for each city. Refer to the user guide for your SIRIUS radio for details on this feature. You will also want to set the FM channels that are not broadcasting in each city as presets on your vehicle radio.
So if you are wondering why Sirius is doing this for free it is part of the terms of the XM merger agreement with the FCC for their radios to be compliant with FCC standards. So to see if your radio is eligible for this offer from Sirius to make your SIRIUS radio compliant with the FCC head to Sirius’ website and you will need your radio’s ESN / SID as well as the FCC number located on the package of your radio (if you still have it) or on the back/bottom of your radio. Fill out the form and wait. Great job Sirius in making customers compliant- a free radio upgrade might have worked too. 
