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Sample Sirius satellite radio receiver (Scarborough photo)

I'm pretty manic about tunes in my car.  No, I don't have a giant thumping bass in the trunk, but I simply must have music when I'm driving -- all kinds of music, from all over the world, especially on a road trip. Fair warning here:  I can't stand talk radio.  If you love it, please don't be offended, but my favorite thing to yell at my radio is, "Shut up and play music!" :)

In our Dodge Grand Caravan, for example, I toggle between my five or six favorite FM radio stations, the CD player and the tape player (yes, we included a cassette tape player in the factory audio installation -- too many great tapes in our collection to convert them all to CD/mp3.)  The minute the FM station shifts to an ad, I'm outta there.  That's when I really wish that we had my ultimate travel buddy, satellite radio, installed in the van the way we have it in our little Saturn wagon and in our house.  It's no problem for me to pay a nominal fee to Sirius each month, about $18, to not have to listen to obnoxious ad chatter and to have a spectacular variety of music to choose. 

The signal is always there (except for a momentary loss under an overpass or in a tunnel, when you lose line of sight to the satellite) no matter where I'm driving.  Let me tell you, it's good to have quality music when you're driving out in the middle of nowhere.   

I love AM or FM when they're local and interesting, like the King Biscuit Time blues show on AM 1360 KFFA in Helena, Arkansas, or the Rendezvous des Cajuns for great Louisiana Cajun music on KRVS Radio Acadie/KEUN in Eunice. Louisiana.  The problem is, I can't hear that good stuff unless I'm within range of their transmitter tower.  Although many good radio stations stream on the Internet, like KGSR Radio Austin and WWOZ New Orleans, in my opinion their quality is the exception rather than the rule, and I can't do streaming Internet audio in my cars (yet!)

Sirius now almost feels like I'm listening to a local channel; I've gotten to know all of the DJs, so I know who comes on when and I enjoy their familiar patter, like when Early T (Earl Times) does the early Mardi Gras show on Sirius Blues 74.  My other favorites include jazz on the Jazz Cafe,  the Coffee House for an eclectic mix of acoustic rock and singer-songwriter, The Pulse for 90's and current stuff, and some "hot buttered soul" on Soul Town.  I love me some R&B/Motown/Philly soul -- hey, I'm a child of the 70's, so don't laugh at me in my van singing Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye hits.

Do you know what else you can listen to via satellite, other than the same tired AM/FM radio classic rock or dumb call-ins?  Here are some examples:

 **  Radio Disney is programmed for kids and 'tweens.  It's 90% music plus sports, nutrition, geography and entertainment programs. "Kids and 'tweens can listen to their favorite songs from a variety of music styles including Pop, Retro Hits, Soundtracks and Kid Songs."  It's a long way from "The Wheels on the Bus."

  **  Nordic Rox will spotlight the best music from Sweden and elsewhere in Scandinavia on the Spectrum Channel.  The program "will be hosted and programmed by Radio Stockholm on-air personality Viktor Petrovski, a prominent figure in the Swedish music scene.  Also contributing to the program will be the lead singer of the Hives, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, and highly respected ABBA historian Carl Magnus Palm (on behalf of ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.)" 

Come on; who knew that there is an "ABBA historian?"  Mamma Mia!

  **  Are you a NASCAR fan?  Check out the Sirius NASCAR Radio channel, featuring regular shows with driver Tony Stewart and crazed commentator Mojo Nixon.

  **  Do you know your Whitesnake from your Guns N' Roses and are proud of it?  Pull on the leg warmers and listen to Hair Nation, vintage rock from the Big Hair 80's.

There used to be two options if you wanted to look into satellite radio, Sirius and XM Radio, but as of February 2007 they are going to merge.  Stay tuned for details.

I mentioned earlier that we had Sirius professionally installed in our Saturn, but not the minivan.  We can still put it in the van if we take the satellite signal receiver out of the house and stick it on the dashboard.  We did this last summer when we moved from Florida to Texas, and I drove the van with the kids (beloved husband got the Saturn and our four cats; I'm not sure who had the better deal.)    The antenna pod has a magnet, so you plop it on the roof, run the wire into one of the front windows to the dashboard unit and find an unused radio channel to use for the satellite broadcast.  Not a very pretty installation, but it worked and was only temporary. 

One of these days I'll break down and pay for a third install in the van -- I'm just too addicted to the variety and lack of ads on satellite radio.  Hmmm, my teenage daughter and I have a big Texas-Chicago road trip coming up this summer, and we're taking the van.  I hear the sound of "professionally installed audio" starting to ring in my ears....

Update 28 March 2007:  The Wall Street Journal has an interesting analysis of the proposed merger between Sirius and XM Radio.  It sounds as though the companies have asked the FCC to merge, but it isn't a done deal because of monopoly concerns.

Update 18 April 2007:  This post was featured on the Carnival of Wheels, hosted by the blog The Garage.  Pay them a visit!

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