Listening to Sirius Internet Radio all over the place
Now that I'm able to play Sirius Internet Radio on my Windows Mobile devices, I've been searching for ways to leverage my monthly subscription. Over the last few weeks I've purchased some accessories that allow me to enjoy Sirius internet radio in lots of different places. All of these accessories port music to external speakers by plugging them into a device's 3.5 mm stereo audio port. I use adapters on some of my devices to accomplish this (2.5mm to 3.5 mm adapter; HTC 3.5mm 2.5mm headset adapter converter). Now I can enjoy Sirius internet radio around the town, in my home and on the deck or anywhere else I happen to be.
Around the town
An advantage of driving an older car is that it has a cassette player incorporated into its sound system. I tested out the Griffin iTrip Auto Universal Plus FM Transmitter and the Griffin Direct Deck Universal Adapter to pipe Sirius Internet Radio through my car's stereo system. Because the sound quality of the cassette tape adapter is exceedingly better than that of the FM transmitter, I purchased the Griffin Direct Deck Universal Adapter (COST: $17.99).
To ensure I've always got plenty of power to listen to the radio on my windows mobile phone, I also purchased the Griffin PowerJolt Dual Universal USB Car Charger (COST: $19.99) to recharge the battery when I'm on the go.
Throughout my home
I thought about buying an internet radio like the Grace Wireless Internet Radio (Cost: $138), but I really didn't want to get another appliance that would be dedicated for one purpose. Then I figured out I could purchase a few inexpensive accessories and use my Windows Mobile devices and some existing speakers instead.
- Livingroom: I'm using a Philips Mini to RCA Stereo Cable (Philips SJM2101/27) to pipe Sirius internet radio from my HTC Fuze through my home stereo system. I'm plugging one end of the cable into an unused port on the stereo receiver (DVD, I think) and the other end of the cable into the windows mobile device headphone jack. (COST: $4)
- Bedroom: I'm using the Griffin Direct Deck Universal Adapter that I purchased for my car to listen to the radio through the speakers of an old clock radio. (The picture below shows Sirius playing on the HTC Fuze)
- Kitchen: I'm using a pair of powered Sony portable speakers that I purchased for a portable CD player years ago. (The picture below shows Sirius playing on the IPAQ Voice Messenger)
On the deck/at the beach/anywhere else
The JBL On Tour Portable Speaker System (COST: On clearance at Walmart for $35.00) serves as a portable boom box. The sound quality is amazing! (the picture below shows Sirius playing on the HP IPAQ Glisten)
Now I can listen to Sirius internet radio wherever and whenever I have a wifi or data connection.
An added bonus is that I can use all these accessories with my Zune or any other mp3 player!
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Julie,
Great article. I have a few questions, though. What software do you use for listening to Sirius on your Windows Phone? Do you pay an extra Sirius subscription to access through the web?
Thanks,
Diego: I'm using SXRadio2 and I subscribe to Sirius Internet Radio, which costs $12.95 a month. See this article that describes SXRadio2.
One easy solution for the car is an auxillary cable that connects to the back of your deck and then gives you a 3.5mm female plug. Best Buy sells them and installs them. The installation looks pretty good. The input jack is small so they usually attach it somewhere next to the center console. At my store they have it displayed with a 30 year old AM/FM only radio deck. They are showing that it can work for any car stereo. And the sound is great. The cassettes just don't sound that good. And don't get me started on the FM modulators. I could not go 3 miles without having to change the radio station. Very annoying. I actually bought a car stereo that has Sirus and has an auxillary jack and usb input on the front plate. It was expensive, but I got tired of the exposed wiring and having to connect and unconnect everytime getting into and out of the car.
I'll have to take a look at the Best Buy solution. Thanks for letting me know about it.