My lovely wife gave me an XM radio satellite receiver for Christmas. This is my take on it one month later. I was most pleased to receive this as a gift, as the relatively poor state of the radio in Little Rock has been one of my most vocal complaints about the area. There is little doubt that is was most annoying to those who had to hear it repeatedly. Of course, there is always NPR on the airwaves and Radioio on the internet. The problem there is that I don’t have an internet connection in my vehicle and some of those NPR programs can grate on the nerves. Most of the audio playing at home is coming from compact discs, vinyl, or the computer in the form of streaming media or mp3/ogg files.
The Music:
XM’s basic radio package contains dozens and dozens of channels. Each decade from the 40’s through the 90’s is represented by its own channel. There are multiple channels of country, split into channels for Old-Timey, Progressive, Top Hits, etc. I haven’t listened in yet, but I am interested in the Old Timey and Progressive channels. I am not sure what Progressive means, but if it is a departure from the over-produced “Big Top 40” sound of recent country music, than I am all for it.
Next in the lineup are the various “Hits” channels- mostly pop songs, which I generally find lacking. Something catchy hooks my ear every once in a while, and the movie soundtrack channel and showtune channel are also in this group, add a quirkiness that is much appreciated. Not my favorite section, but it gets some playtime.
What hasn’t had any playtime so far are the channels dedicated to Christian music, heavy metal/hair bands, urban, techo, classical, jazz, comedy, news, sports, talk, traffic, etc. Just not enough listening time to get them in the rotation.
So far, I find my self spending most of my time in the rock alternative channels. There is a college-like station, and several more alternative music channels with names from “I Love Lucy”. I don’t know if there is a code involved, but the channel name/descriptions look like this:
- Fred- Classic Alternative
- Ethel- Alternative Hits
- Lucy- Classic Alt Hits
I don’t know where Ricky is- there isn’t a Latin or Cuban channel named after him.
Other channels of note :
- XM Cafe- Mellow Alternative
- The Loft- Singers & Songwriters
- Unsigned- Unsigned Bands Only
The programming is quite extensive- check out the full channel listing here. [xmradio.com]
The Reception:
Not bad. I am using the weakest form of transmission, which is infrared FM modulation. I believe the next best solution, reception-wise is the cassette adapter. Not useful for me, as I do not have a cassette player in the vehicle. Better still is a direct connection to the stereo, with the best option being on the integrated units. The integrated unit would run me about $300, so that is currently not an option.
The reception is usually quite clear. Not necessarily CD quality, but still very good. On occassion, I am subject to light static. Unlike some other satellite radio listeners, I haven’t had my radio cut out when I enter the parking garage at work. I have had a brief hiccup in my reception going under certain bridges. In general, no complaints.
The Gear:
So far, I have really enjoyed having satellite radio. I have the Roady2 receiver made by Delphi. It looks like this (image linked from xmradio.com):
The install was painless. Of course, this model isn’t one of those fancypants expensive models that integrate into the car stereo. Actually, install might imply more work than I did. In that light, let me say that setup was painless. Routing an antenna wire underneath the windshield weather stripping to the inside of the vehicle was the only part that was even mildly tasking.
In about 15 minutes, I had the receiver setup and had signed up for radio service. It took somewhere in between 30 to 45 minutes before the signal came through on Christmas day, but it has been smooth sailing since then. For service, I chose the six month package. Service is $10/month, so this setup is going to have to really deliver to get me to continue to subscribe six months down the road.
One instant perk is the blissful absence of commercials. According to the XM Radio FAQ:
All of XM Radio’s music channels are 100% commercial free. Today’s FM stations carry 18 minutes or more commercials per hour.
No unreasonably amped up announcer sharing the news about the year end clearance event at Bob Howdy’s Auto Acres Extravaganza(tm). No commercials of any kind. I haven’t even heard pitches from XM itself, extolling me to try some of the premium content like Playboy Radio. Even the sadly dignified NPR pleas for support are absent, despite the fact that there is a NPR-like channel, called XM Public Radio.
Former NPR heavyweight Bob Edwards hosts his talk show on XM Public Radio. Other Public Radio favorites like Sounds Eclectic, Whad’Ya Know?, and This American Life are also present. This may not sound like a big deal, as just about everywhere probably has a NPR station, but this is a definite benefit. For instance, I don’t think Sounds Eclectic even airs on my local NPR station.
So I have had my satellite radio system for a month now. Even after a month has gone by, I feel like I am not getting the most out of it, which really is a result of not having very long drives.
I have done only minimal exploration. I am listening to XM in my car, so I can’t really play with the receiver and drive at simultaneously. Part of the problem is that the receiver’s current mount location isn’t really convenient for flipping through the stations. I am hoping to address this with the purchase of a remote control, a Roady specific model like the one below, linked from xmradio.com:
Having the stand-alone receiver vs the integrated car stereo monitor has a hidden benefit. Delphi sells a kit that turns my Roady2 receiver shown above into a portable, Walkman style, audio player. At $150, the kit is a bit pricey, but it would make a great birthday present in April. From my lovely wife. For my birthday. As a birthday present. Second week from April.
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Some handy features taken from the product page at delphi:
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That’s pretty cool. I didn’t know that getting it w/out an XM-ready receiver was even possible. I’ve always kicked myself for not getting one when we upgraded the Accord a few years ago but at the time it was in its infancy and I didn’t think it would be worth it. I think my brother-in-law (or his wife) also got one for Xmas so I’ll check with him to see how they’re enjoying it. Unlike you, I spend a ton of time in my car (as does just about anyone who lives in metro Atlanta) so it would probably be worth it to me. Right now the car is a cluttered mess of cds, but there are only two or three radio stations that are even remotely good. Sadly, the small town of Chattanooga, TN has a station I like better than anything Atlanta has to offer and I’m just out of range.
If you were relatively happy with the content on your CDs but didn’t like the clutter, you could also use your recently acquired iPod, with appropriate connection accessories, to deal with that problem. But I can see the value of having someone else pick music for you, and thereby expose you to some new things you might discover you like.
Yeah, I still don’t actually have the iPod, although I’m told it’s on the way. (although on the way means 4-6 weeks)