Satellite Radio Site : Satellite Radio Accessories

Radio Shack, Circuit City, Best Buy or almost any electronic shop has satellite radio accessories to help you hook up your home or vehicle exactly how you need it. Instead of having a separate DVD player, CD player, MP3 player, radio and satellite radio system, there are tuners that can combine everything into one unit. Also, did you know you can get a remote control that displays your satellite radio station, artist and song? There are many options for the tech savvy individual.

You may be wondering, "In addition to my subscription, what sort of satellite radio accessories will I need to get started with Sirius in my home?" First of all, you will need to purchase an indoor or outdoor antenna. There is a weatherproof indoor/outdoor antenna ($35) you can use with Sirius boombox kits, Sirius home kits and some Sirius radios. Or you may opt to mount a Sirius outdoor antenna ($40), which can be purchased separately or as part of a Sirius Home Distribution kit.

Next you should choose a home tuner. You can buy a simple home tuner (like the Sirius Connect) for as little as $49 that hooks onto your existing stereo system. Or you may prefer the SRH550 Sirius Home Tuner or Niles Sirius Tuner Module, which comes with display, game alerts, 30 channel presets, as well as antenna and remote all included. Most kits come with a special remote control that allows you to view songs, artists and stations (and change the station from any room in the house).

Instead of a home tuner module, some people prefer to buy a satellite radio ready boombox that plays CDs and MP3s as well. For $200, you may also like RCA's Sirius Ready Shelf system, which gives you a 256 MB flash MP3 player so you can add your digital files to the system or rip songs off Sirius radio into MP3s as well. Nestled between two speakers and just the right size for a bedroom or kitchen set up, this satellite radio receiver makes an attractive gift.

Another logical purchase would be the $100 Sirius Echo Signal Repeater system, which allows you to send your satellite radio signal to any room in the house, without running cables or antenna wires. If you have satellite television, you can buy a $60 Direct Broadcast Splitter kit, allowing you to run both things through just one cable, making installation and setup less complicated. A new product called "Sonos" sells for $999 and allows you to listen to satellite radio and your entire digital music collection in up to 32 rooms, controlling them all from a full color, hand-held device, with no wires or connecting.

If you don't know a phone jack from a cable TV jack, you may choose to have someone install your Sirius home tuner kit for you. The kit will come with an instruction manual on how to set up your antenna, tuner and service, but not everyone is comfortable doing that on their own. Ask your retailer if they provide that service or call 1-888-539-7474 with your questions. In addition to your subscription, you'll generally want several satellite radio accessories including: an antenna, extra cable, the satellite radio receiver and a remote control.

Today's Tip On Satellite Radio

You've caved. Initially the idea of paying $13/month for radio seemed silly, since you already had a perfectly fine set up, but over time the idea of having 130 channels of commercial-free listening charmed you. Since you'll need a few items to get started, you may be wondering what kind of Sirius Satellite radios to look for at your local electronics shop.