Sirius Radio has a ton of great rock  music stations. Most terrestrial radio formats are either New Rock, Classic Rock and then “Oldies Rock” type stations.

With Sirius, you have great rock stations on expanded programming formats. The two best comparisions that demonstrate this are Sirius Classic Vinyl 14 and Sirius Classic Rewind. Classic Vinyl is essentially the format of a Classic Rock Station from terrestrial radio but with a ton more variety. Classic Rewind is the second generation of Classic Rock. So with Rewind, you have stuff that is more recent but has made way into the Classic Rock category.

Sirius 19 The Boneyard is Classic Hard Rock with a sprinkle of Classic Heavy Metal. This is great for fans of Metal who might be getting on in years. Metal fans getting old? What a concept!

The Sirius rock stations under the decades category give a great time machine example of the development of rock and roll. When you start at 50′s on 5 up through 90′s on 9 you see the evolution of rock and roll music. You get the best examples of popular songs which cracked the Billboard Top 40 lists.

Check out all the Sirius Rock Stations on the dial. How often can you hear multiple rock and roll formats on terrestrial radio? No more than 2, I am sure of it.

Many people purchase subscriptions to Sirius Radio on the attraction of commercial free music. This is arguably one of the biggest reasons people are drawn to Sirius Radio.

In order to bring in revenue, you can find advertisements on many Sirius Radio Stations. All outside of the music categories.  Advertising on Sirius Radio apparently is a pricey investment but as many company have attested, it can pay off tremendously.  Many companies advertise products on the channels of Howard Stern. When the King of All Media himself voices many of these commercials, the companies are able to even attract more of the audience to product.

There was some musing some time ago that SiriusXM would start allowing advertisements on the music stations. This discussion seems to now have thankfully waned. Surely SiriusXM PR people realized that there would be a major massive backlash if this were allowed to happen.

The risk would be too great. Many customers who were drawn to Sirius because of commercial free music would no doubt vacate their subscriptions.

Commercial free music provides a soundtrack. That soundtrack of having very little interruption provides the listener with the most enjoyable listening experience. This is the big separator which distances Sirius radio from terrestrial radio.

SiriusXM needs to continue making the music stations commercial free. Subscribers are now used to this, so changing this concept would spell disaster for the company.

Sirius Radio has some excellent country music radio stations. I have reviewed them here in previous entries but it is time for a review and revisit. It is because of Sirius Radio that country music fans are able to hear the best from all genres and sub-genres.

Sirius 60 the Highway spins mostly newer country music. This is music that would appear on the top 40 country lists at the current time. So recent and current popular country hits appear on this Sirius radio station.

Sirius 61 is Sirius Prime Country. This station prides itself on having a 90′s and more programming format. There was a period of time in the 1990′s where there was a slew of more memorable tracks which made a ton of cash and dominated country music radio.

Sirius 62 is The Roadhouse. This Sirius country music station is drenched with history. Some of the great classic country music is spun on this endearing format loved by those in that generation and more. The Roadhouse has introduced many younger listeners to roots of popular country music.

Sirius 63 Outlaw Country is my personal favourite of the Sirius country music stations. Outlaw Country is the brainchild of Little Steven Van Zandt, who also founded Sirius 25 Little Steven’s Underground Garage. The OC as it is known to listeners for the most part plays great Americana music. I would define Americana music as country with the rebellious edge. The popularity of this type of country is growing so much that Americana Music has been given a category of its’ own at the Grammy Awards.

Finally I must give a nod to Sirius 62, Willie’s Place. Willie’s Place plays a nice mix of the early Outlaw Country type stuff plus other music that Willie Nelson himself approves and enjoys. Lots of cowboy stories abound and abundant!

Although I do not really consider bluegrass music to be country music, I acknowledge it is similar in many ways. With that in mind, check out Sirius 65 Bluegrass Junction. Bluegrass Junction plays a ton of stuff from pioneer Bill Munroe all the way to Bluegrass ambassador and mainstay Ricky Skaggs.

Visit the Sirius website under category at http://www.sirius.ca/en/channels/channel_guide.aspx?cat=music to check out more information on the Sirius country music radio stations.

Sirius Radio is now accessible for Sirius Canada customers via applications for the respective smart phones.

Go to the Sirius Canada website section on Mobile at http://www.sirius.ca/en/mobile/. 

Here you can download Sirius radio apps for Blackberry, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android mobile devices.  Once here click on the respective buttons at the left to download applications for your mobile device.

The apps are free for Sirius customers. If you do not have Sirius radio, you can download the app and enjoy a FREE Sirius radio trial and listen via your mobile device.

With this app you can carry Sirius radio with you pretty much anywhere you go. I realize this may eliminate the need for the Sirius Stiletto radio and the great portable features it has, but rest assured the Sirius Stiletto radio is still an excellent option for home, car and Sirius radio on the go.

I am interested in reader opinions and viewpoints on the Sirius radio apps. Please comment here for the benefit of other readers. Tell us what your kudos and criticisms of the apps.

If you are looking for Sirius radio parts, you might be best to search online retailers to find what you are looking for. There are a ton of great deals online. Here are some of the places to check out for Sirius radio parts.

http://www.satellite-radio-source.ca Satellite Radio Source prides itself on being one of Canada’s best Independent sources for Satellite Radio equipment. They also have a great selection of stuff for XM customers.

http://www.tss-radio.com is an American based site selling Sirius radios and Sirius radio equipment. They do ship to Canada. If you happen to live within a reasonable drive to the US, many border stores will allow customers to have their parcels shipped to the store and charge a small holding fee. In some instances you could end up saving money even with the gas you spend to get to the border. So big savings on Sirius radio parts can happen from US distributors.

Of course you can always search for Sirius radio parts on the websites of the big box retailers. www.bestbuy.ca , www.futureshop.ca and www.thesource.ca. I would personally recommend BestBuy’s site because the service I have received has been excellent. BestBuy also offers free shipping over $20.00.

The downside to shopping through the big box retailers for sirius radio parts is that selection is often variable or minimal. You might have to keep checking back periodically to see if stock is added. Sometimes these retailers might get a mass shipment of a particular Sirius radio part or Sirius radio, allowing the retailer to blow the items out for decent pricing.

Finally, you can look for Sirius radio parts at the main source through the Sirius Canada site at www.sirius.ca

On that note, coming up in a few weeks I will post a walk-through of the Sirius Canada website. How to navigate through it, finding what you want and general information.

With regulatory approval, the Sirius Canada Merger with XM Canada will likely take effect later this 2011 year. Both companies will follow suit with SiriusXM out of New York and become one company.

It is the hope of many Sirius radio and XM radio subscribers in Canada that they will now be able to access the best of packages for each respective entity.

Sirius subscribers will hopefully be able to obtain the Oprah channel along with full NHL hockey and Major League Baseball coverage which XM radio carries. In the same scenario, XM radio subscribers will hopefully be able to now access great programming on Sirius such as the Howard Stern and Martha Stewart channels, as well as Sirius NASCAR radio and the Sirius NFL football radio stations.

This kind of cross programming will allow many users to fully embrace the kind of entertainment available to them on satellite radio. How great for a hockey fan like myself to be able to find any NHL hockey game being broadcast for online listening. In addition to checking on my favourite teams I would love to be able to hear the commentary in between periods of these stations which are feeding the games through to XM radio subscribers. Hopefully this merger between the two entities will be of benefit to subscribers while the company works to gain and subsequently maintain a presence of profitability.

It is my understanding as well that Sirius radio units will be easily programmable in order to access the best of XM once that happens. Sirius customers will not be required to purchase new equipment.

I invite readers to comments and share opinions on what you think of the merger and if we will benefit from it.

The Sirius Sportster 3 Radio is a combination of a brightly lit orange background with dark lettering advising you what is on the screen. It is one of the more user-friendly Sirius Radios where you can program 11 of your favourite channels on buttons 1 through 0 and the Sirius jump button. The Sirius jump button is identified with a check mark icon. The Sirius jump button essentially is programmed the exact same way as one of the numbered pre-sets. At any given time you can go to a selected favourite channel.

Once you program your Sirius radio remote control for your Sirius Sportster Radio, that remote will respond to your programmed pre-sets.  For example, hitting the 1 button on the Sirius radio remote will bring it to the programmed Sirius radio station on your Sportster. This applies to all Sirius radios which have programmable remote controls. The Sirius Sportster radio is also very user-friendly when it comes to overall channel navigation. You can view channels by category, be it talk radio, genre of music, and categories that may be even more specific in a breakdown of entertainment.

 The Sirius Sportster 3 has been a majorly popular seller for Sirius and many subscribers own these units which can be used at home, in Sirius car kits and Sirius boom boxes. You can still purchase a Sirius Sportster 3 or the newer Sirius Sportster 6 Radio through the Sirius Canada website online store and through most of your favourite electronics retailers. Visit the Sirius Canada website at www.sirius.ca for more information about the Sirius Sportster and other great Sirius radios for sale.

Once you have your Sirius radio activated, the next major step is to find a radio frequency on the FM dial that will give you the cleanest signal. Most people when they find a frequency are able to have that frequency apply to their Sirius radio vehicle kits as well as the Sirius radio home docking units.

Sirius Canada used to have a listing of suggested frequencies at www.sirius.ca but I can no longer seem to find it. Many of the older Sirius Radio units that you can still purchase have the old website listed but it appears to no longer be there.

It can be a daunting task, however once you find that great radio frequency you will enjoy minimal static on your radio. It is helpful to keep in mind the frequencies of your local FM radio stations. You may find that staying as far away from them as you can will be helpful and reduce signal interference. There may be occasional exceptions to this rule. When I recently set up my newer Sirius Stratus Radio, I was able to land on a radio frequency that was only a few decimal points off of the local country station. Surprisingly it is a clean signal. 

The whole process of finding a Sirius radio frequency essentially is trial and error. You may spend up to an hour or so until you find that right frequency. If you are getting frustrated, I would not recommend calling Sirius customer service right away. Ensure that you have checked out every possible frequency you could land on. One of them should work eventually.

When you are going to install Sirius radio in your car, you can spend the money having it professional installed if you want to. Most people prefer to install Sirius radio in their cars themselves.

Most Sirius instruction books will display the “appropriate means” of installation by having the Sirius radio antenna placed somewhere strategically on the vehicle roof. The cord could be weaved through the back of your car, in and around your floor carpets.

I have personally never been comfortable with this method. If you live in an area with high crime, it is just easy for someone to come by your car and simply snip the antenna cord. The Sirius radio installation guide will say that the antenna must be somewhere clear so the signal can come in.

What I prefer to do is have my Sirius vehicle kit completely in the car. I will have the Sirius antenna on the dashboard taped down so it does not slide around. In one vehicle I have the dash mount sitting down underneath the beverage holder. In my other vehicle I have it sitting in a perfectly fitted cavity above the glove box.

Majority of people either mount the Sirius unit using the suction cups on the windshield or clipping the Sirius car unit through the vents.

I have found that the Sirius vent clips do not hold very well. If you must use one or the other, the suction cup mount is much better.

If you want to spend the money on a professional Sirius radio installation, I certainly would encourage it. But surely that money can be spent elsewhere if you can figure out to do it yourself.

I have a difficult time with Talk Radio on Terrestrial Radio overall. I loathe the news, so I am genuinely disinterested in listening to much talk radio on Terrestrial Radio. So I just avoid it altogether.

With Sirius, we are fortunate as customers to have such a variety of options available for our listening pleasure. I never thought much of talk radio until hearing the King of All Media in my high school days. And Stern still rules!

I’m going to mention a handful of Terrestrial talent who I would love to see from from the Terrestrial Newsroom to Sirius Radio. I think honest journalism is dying in this world. These are 2 of the few Talk Radio greats  remaining in Canada.

David Rutherford of AM 770 Calgary is one of the most upfront journalists to ever get behind the mic and in front of the camera. He lets people speak while getting the whole story into the audience for everyone to understand. I think Dave would be even more blunt with listeners if he did not have the restraints of CRTC rules.

Jordi Morgan is a politically experienced former CBC journalist with a demeanour that is honest and thorough. He was one of the most underrated broadcasters during his time with the taxpayer-funded corporation. Morgan returned to the airwaves in October of 2010 hosting Maritime Morning which is heard at http://www.news957.com
http://www.news919.com and
http://www.news889.com .

Talk Radio without restrictions is one of the reasons we look to Sirius as part of our entertainment. Any other names you would like to see from Talk Radio?