You need three things to hear Sirius Satellite radio – a receiver, an antenna and a subscription.

First, receivers. There are three types available. One is called “Sirius satellite ready.” This is the kind that plays through your car radio's CD or cassette player. The second is a Sirius tuner that can be connected to your car radio. The third is usually referred to as plug and play and can be used in both your care and home.

The whole kit

If you decide to buy a Sirius ready receiver, make sure you get a complete kit. These kits include the receiver, car cradle, built-in FM transmitter, and an antenna. JVC makes one of these kits – available online (OnlineCarStereo) for $44.95. On the higher end, there is the new, feature-rich Sirius SC-FM1 Starbase kit which costs $139.99 at SonicElectronix. Again, this kit contains everything you need for Sirius radio in your car, including a wireless remote.

If you have a car receiver with satellite controls, you might choose a Sirius radio tuner. These tuners must match your car audio system. In other words, you must buy a Kenwood tuner to work with Kenwood car audio system. As an example of these tuners, a Kenwood SIR KEN1 tuner can be purchased online for about $93.00.

For Sirius radio in the car or your home

If you want to hear Sirius radio in both your car and home, you will need to buy a plug and play unit and expect to pay more. The reason for this is that you will need the a car kit plus a kit for your home.

The receiver itself is usually not much larger than a packet of cigarettes, making it very portable. One such example of this is the Sirius Sportster. It comes with a built-in wireless FM transmitter, docking cradle and antenna and can be purchased online (Crutchfield) for $99.99 after rebate. The home kit for this unit costs about $50.00.

Keep in mind that these are just examples. When it comes to Sirius satellite radio, you can spend just about as much as you would like – with the addition of accessories such as a boombox, a radio extension kit, high performance antennas, battery packs and so on.

And, finally, you will need a subscription to the service -- $12.95 a month or about $155.00 a year.

If you want digital radio but don't want to pay for it, there's another technology called HD Radio that enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally. These digital broadcasts provide listeners with radically improved audio quality, more radio channels through multicasting, and new data services. To learn more about this amazing new technology, just go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com, for complete details.

Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive and the author of numerous articles on HD radio, the Internet and family finances.

• Is Sirius Radio for You?


• What Is A Satellite Radio?


• Satellite Radio vs. Digital HD Radio – And The Winner Is


• Is Satellite Radio Killing Broadcast Radio?


• Not All HAMS Are Edible


• Now Might Be a Great Time to Buy a Satellite Radio But There Are Some Things to Consider


• Commercial-Free Programming: Just One of the Benefits of Satellite Radio


• The History Of Portable Satellite Radios


• The Internet Radio Boom


• Satellite Radio – Its Not Your Fathers Sputnik


• Satellite Radio: XM Radio or Sirius?


• The FM Modulator – Used for Its Convenience, not Quality