Delphi Roady XM Receiver

By David Dritsas

When satellite radio first debuted it was for the car, and several different components had to be installed by a professional, which made it an expensive proposition. This isn’t the case anymore. In a package no bigger than a cereal box, the Delphi Roady has everything you need to get XM satellite radio. The Roady itself is a small, rectangular receiver that fits in your hand and works just like a head unit in a car, except that everything is mounted externally. The beauty of this design is its portability. You can easily transfer the Roady from one car to another. You just connect the antenna, the audio output and a 12V adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter and you’re good to go.

There are some connection caveats, however. For audio output, Delphi supplies a cassette adapter. Even though it won’t give you the same digital quality you get from a direct connection, the cassette adapter works well enough, if you have a cassette player. That’s the catch. Many new cars forgo this option, which makes the adapter worthless. The other alternative is to connect the Roady to a head unit that has auxiliary audio inputs (the cables are not included), but again, this is not always standard. The final option is to use an FM modulator that tunes the Roady signal through your car radio. This will give you slightly reduced quality again, but may be a good option if your CD head unit has no inputs. Delphi even has a version of the Roady that includes an FM modulator.

Once you’re connected, you have access to the 101 stations that XM offers (100 really, since one is a service preview station). About 60 are music stations with no commercials, while the remaining 30 of these are news and talk radio stations with limited commercials. As a radio lover who often gets bored of my CD collection, this kind of variety is extremely exciting. The Roady can hold 30 station presets or you can browse the stations by category. And, because of the nature of the digital transmission, artist and title information can be stored on the unit so that, later on, you can remember the name of the song you really liked.

The best thing about the XM’s programming is that it’s original. Unlike the inhuman automatons that program your local radio station, XM has live programmers and on-air DJs that deliver an incredible variety of music. For example, the blues channel plays numerous selections in the genre, not just the same old hits you hear all of the time. I admit, I found some stations uninteresting due to my own tastes, but it’s nice to know the diversity is there in case one would like to sample, for instance, the latest in what the Radio Classics channel has to offer.

In the time I used the Roady, signal reception was never a problem. The antenna, which is smaller than your palm, comes with an extremely long cord and can be mounted to your hood. I set mine inside, under the back window. Even in the city—going under bridges and in between tall buildings—I never lost reception. The styling is an extra plus, too. You can toggle the backlight of the LCD display between seven different colors and there are three different color face plates and rubber rings included in the box (other colors have to be ordered).

Though perhaps not as seamless as an expertly installed system (get ready for a lot of wires hanging about), the Roady makes satellite service affordable and portable. I have to admit I’m not crazy about the idea of paying one more monthly fee for something that, in analog form, used to be free. But I don’t see any signs on the horizon that commercial radio is getting any better, and let’s face it, this much diversity has never existed in analog radio.

Delphi XM Roady

$119

$9.95/month for service

Multi-year contracts can reduce monthly fee

30 presets

Mounts on any dashboard

www.xmradio.com