Ok, you want a story, here’s a story.

My name is Duane, and I’m addicted to Satellite Radio.

It’s not something that happened over night.  This addiction took years.  It started with one simple subscription to XM back in July of 2002, and blossomed into multi-subs to both Sirius and XM.  Since that day in 2002, I’ve not had to drive my truck and had to listen to any terrestrial radio unless I wanted to.

Buying my first XM Radio was simple enough.  I walked into a Circuit City and shelled out $300.00 for a Sony Plug-N-Play radio.  It wasn’t a fancy radio by any means, but it came at a premium.  Radio, car dock, and antenna.  Everything this gateway drug had to fuel a much harder addiction.  And installation was quite easy, too.  Just plop the radio on the dash, hook up the power into the cigarette lighter, throw the tape deck addaptor in the tape deck and away you went.

The Sony PNP had a two line display with six presets (I think.  It’s been a long time).  The black display with bright blue letters and numbers scrolled from channel to channel.  No fancy key pad.  My passion started to grew.

Most of what I listened to back then was NASCAR.  Still is, but I’m listening to more and more music channel and the NFL and MLB.  NASCAR was really the real clincher for me when it came to which service I was going to get.  I love hearing those race cars and truck go around and around.  The announcers discribing all the action, like I was sitting here right at the track, as I drove down the highway.  Weekends driving was (and still is in a way) scheduled around the races.  Getting to listen to the races to pass the miles is quite enjoyable.

The Sony PNP managed to sustain my addiction for a year.  Then it was off to bigger and better radios.  The Delphi SkyFi would become my next radio of choice.  With its bigger, more info showing red display and 10 key touch pad, it fueled my need for this medium even more.  The remote was small and nicely shaped.  It fit in the palm of my hand so well.  It was like Yoda holding his light saber.  I would weld it to my advantage.  Changing channels at will.  When I song came on that I didn’t like, that little remote made it easy to cut off the song as it stood for another, more pleasent tune.  Need a sports score?  Just use that little remote and off you were to sportsland.

This was only the first year and a half or so with satellite radio.  The real addiction started to spread when I introduced this medium to my ex-girlfriend.  Then came more radios.  New ones for me and for Cyndi.  And this would not be the end of it.  With the announcment of NASCAR leaving XM at the end of the 2006 Season for Sirius at the beginning of 2007, I would have to expand my passion even more.  To newer and better radios.  Ones that recorded the races and programs that I loved to listen to.  Trying to cut back now was only going to be futile.

Duane

Satellite Radio