XM Sportscaster Satellite Radio
XM SPORTSCASTER SATELLITE RADIO REVIEW - Sports, More Sports... Oh, and Some Music Too
February 2007 By Stephen Krasowski
Being in the midst of the professional hockey season, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the XM Sportscaster Satellite Radio Receiver. As a Philadelphia Flyers fan (And no, they’re not doing too well this year) and an all-around hockey fan in general, I enjoyed tuning in to not only Eastern Conference, but Western Conference games as well. Typically, because we are located on the East Coast, we rarely see or hear West Coast games, so it has definitely been a real treat for me.
In addition to carrying NHL games, the Sportscaster also carries programming such as Major League Baseball, NASCAR, the PGA Tour, college sports, ESPN, FOX and your typical 170+ channels that come with your subscription.
The car kit comes complete with an antenna, car mount, a remote control and the car lighter power adapter. I didn’t even attempt to suction the unit to my car windshield via the two suction cups that are provided. I had a bad experience when I had done this with another radio and GPS system I had previously reviewed. I had no problem viewing the clear, well-lit display screen on the front of the unit. It allows you to see the channel name and number, song or sporting event. Unfortunately, although the arrow and menu buttons are easy to access and allow you to navigate the radio fairly easily and the unit is extremely lightweight, the unit does not fit securely in the accompanying car mount. It’s supposed to lock into place. However, whenever I felt the need to change the station, the unit would slide left and right while in the mount. This was a little distracting and disappointing for me, especially while driving. After several unsuccessful attempts at tightening the unit to the mount, I decided to place it in the cup holder and used the remote control that is also included. The remote was easy to use and very beneficial for me when changing stations. It also allowed me to distract my fellow backseat drivers by letting them play around with the remote themselves.
I really enjoyed utilizing the FAV (Favorite Channels) feature that allows you to store up to 30 of your favorite channels. This is extremely beneficial since there is such a wide variety of channels and most of the time, for me anyway, was spent listening to sports programming. Although I also had a few music channels preset as well (the 60s, 70s and 80s rock). Of course, XM wouldn’t be XM without the popular shock jock duo of Opie and Anthony. Funny stuff.
In addition to carrying NHL games, the Sportscaster also carries programming such as Major League Baseball, NASCAR, the PGA Tour, college sports, ESPN, FOX and your typical 170+ channels that come with your subscription.
The car kit comes complete with an antenna, car mount, a remote control and the car lighter power adapter. I didn’t even attempt to suction the unit to my car windshield via the two suction cups that are provided. I had a bad experience when I had done this with another radio and GPS system I had previously reviewed. I had no problem viewing the clear, well-lit display screen on the front of the unit. It allows you to see the channel name and number, song or sporting event. Unfortunately, although the arrow and menu buttons are easy to access and allow you to navigate the radio fairly easily and the unit is extremely lightweight, the unit does not fit securely in the accompanying car mount. It’s supposed to lock into place. However, whenever I felt the need to change the station, the unit would slide left and right while in the mount. This was a little distracting and disappointing for me, especially while driving. After several unsuccessful attempts at tightening the unit to the mount, I decided to place it in the cup holder and used the remote control that is also included. The remote was easy to use and very beneficial for me when changing stations. It also allowed me to distract my fellow backseat drivers by letting them play around with the remote themselves.
I really enjoyed utilizing the FAV (Favorite Channels) feature that allows you to store up to 30 of your favorite channels. This is extremely beneficial since there is such a wide variety of channels and most of the time, for me anyway, was spent listening to sports programming. Although I also had a few music channels preset as well (the 60s, 70s and 80s rock). Of course, XM wouldn’t be XM without the popular shock jock duo of Opie and Anthony. Funny stuff.
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