XM Radio Follow-up

During my drive to Las Vegas I listened to my new XM radio. Having non-stop music playing the whole drive was nice. However, I found that I was constantly changing stations whenever a song came on that I didn't like. I think the XM stations need to be more specialized. Too many of their stations play a wide variety of music, and certain bands can be heard on many stations. The digital radio from my cable at home has great stations, such as power rock, 80s new wave and alternative. Even my favorite XM station, Fred, doesn't seem to stick to one type of music. Another problem I had was changing the stations. I preset 10 stations for easy access, but when I wanted to listen to a non-preset station, it was difficult due to the placement of the radio and I had to watch the road at the same time. Maybe if I mounted the unit in a better location (it was placed on the passenger seat), it would help, but I plan to use the same radio in both my cars, so I don't want to permanently install the radio.

My only option for playing the radio was to use the built-in FM tuner. You tune the XM radio to a station that is not being used and then tune your car radio to that same station. I was lucky enough to find a station that worked for 90% of the drive. In my other car, I can use the cassette adapter for input into the radio, and the audio quality is much better. However, that add another cord hanging down from my dash and those adapters tend to ruin cassette players - not that I ever used mine. The best way to connect the XM radio is through a direct RCA connection, and for some reason most new vehicles still don't have this option.

I know it sounds like I don't like XM, but I do. I'm only pointing out the negatives. Over time I'm sure I'll be very happy with my purchase.