Satellite Radio Alternative For Free With Better Content
I really like satellite radio, but it has enough downsides to make me not buy it. I don't like -
- Buying more electronics for a truck that already has to much stuff to fool with.
- Buying proprietary electronics that are only good for something if I pay a monthly fee. These should be free with service
- Repeating content on many of the stations. For example, the hard rock station will start playing the same set you heard a few hours prior
- Not enough talk radio for me. Even when they do have it, it's still hard to get anything other than political talk radio.
My solution was found in a simple low cost mp3 player, the MP3/WMA FM Car Modulator with USB Port/Audio Input that gives an FM radio signal in the cab of the truck. It accepts a thumb drive. Now I have found quite a few podcasts that I download to the thumb drive. This provides many hours of content for free. I can tailor it to whatever shows I enjoy. I have local radio podcasts, instructional podcasts, music, and about anything else provided in mp3 format. No bill. The downsides are -
- Cheap player only plays files in the sequence they are stored on the drive. You cannot rewind back to a precise point. Of course, you can't rewind radio either, so it's still a winner as you can replay the entire show at least.
- Takes a little time to download and prepare the files
- No live broadcasts, but many events can be listened to later on a podcasts
Podcasts are easy to find try a search here for "podcast directories".
Alternatives to the alternative.
Gotta love the podcasts, and there are many ways to get them. My personal favorite is to use a podcatcher program that runs on my smartphone. After downloading the podcatcher software and subscribing to the podcast feeds, it's as easy as hitting play when a new show comes in.
You can connect your smartphone to your stereo many different ways. Through an FM modulator, direct line into your stereo's aux port, or my personal favorite, a bluetooth connection to a bluetooth equipped stereo.
For Blackberry I would recommend Podtrapper, and for Android I would recommend DoggCatcher. They are both paid apps, but well worth the $7
As far as which shows to subscribe to, since you are reading a site of this nature, you will learn a lot from "The Tech Guy Podcast"
Good idea.
I've noticed some of the content on satellite radio is repetitive and disappointing. This is a good idea, even if you DO have satellite radio.