The End...?

So here's the story...

While back in Michigan over the holidays, I rented a Mustang from Hertz that just happened to have Sirius Satellite Radio. I was able to listen to a couple more channels over the course of the holidays...and glanced ahead a little to see how far I still had to go. So, I reported on Channels 183 and 184, and figured I'd pick up with Canada Weather (Ch. 185) and Hardcore Sports Radio (Ch. 186) when I returned to California.

Strangely, I get in the car this morning, turn the dial past 184...and end up back at Sirius Hits 1. What the...? I bring my radio into work, hook it up to the Internet with the USB jack, and update the handset. Okay, so maybe now it will work after I hook it back up to the docking station and receiver...after the radio updates both of those upon reconnecting.

But...no dice. No further update took place...and I see from the Sirius Channel Guide that I should be getting six more channels:

• 185: Canada Weather
• 186: Hardcore Sports Radio
• 188: RCI plus (International Talk Radio)
• 192: Rock Velours (Canadian Soft Rock)
• 193: Energie 2 (International Pop, Rock and Urban Music)
• 198: Playboy Radio

But...no dice. Well...I can either make a stink to Sirius about those missing six channels...or I can just end the six-month long experiment in peace (and finally listen to the thirty channels I've been bookmarking).

So long, experiment...until next time...

Day 120: Sirius Weather and Emergency

My Best Guess: Get a nationwide view of what's going on overhead, from nasty storm fronts to important weather systems...Sirius Weather and Emergency makes sure you're prepared for what lies ahead!

According to Sirius: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, The Weather Channel Radio Network on SIRIUS is the place where you will get a complete picture of the weather across the United States from the #1 source for weather, The Weather Channel. Every hour you’ll hear the national weather summary plus short and long range regional forecasts, city-by-city forecasts, “Weather and your health” features and other lifestyle reports such as regional special events, golfing weather and Boat & Beach reports. When the weather is particularly severe and life threatening, the SIRIUS Weather & Emergency system activates on Channel 184. Frequently updated reports from The Weather Channel Radio Network will air giving you the latest information on a Severe Weather event. And, when there's a national emergency or an Amber Alert, the SIRIUS Emergency System is activated to bring you updated information that could be life saving. Which evacuation routes are available...where the shelters are open, word from first responders on disaster recovery planning.... and Amber Alerts from across the country are always available on channel 184.

Curt's Rebuttal: I don't have much to say here...this channel is actually pretty damn impressive. The official online description actually went on for a bit longer, but I just took the highlights...

Sample Playlist:

• You pretty much get several (I counted three) different takes from several different meteorologists about what is going on across our nation, weather-wise. Last night, for example, rain and snow was hitting the Northwest part of the country, while there were also bad snow conditions in Denver. A third primary weather spot was up in Maine (and across New Hampshirt and Vermont, too), with much white stuff getting dumped on them. It was kind of interesting to tune into this throughout the day, as I got to hear progress on how the rain was approaching, and later drenching, Seattle...how the snowstorm in Denver was scattering to the Great Plains...and how Maine continued to get dumped on. Fun random weather fact: there was dense fog in Dodge City, Kansas last night...I just liked how they picked that random city to report on.

Verdict: Unfortunately, as interesting as this was, I very seldom tune into weather reports. And while it was actually engaging to get that nation-level view of what was happening to our weather, I'd be more likely to tune into one of the city-specific channels that also covers traffic if I needed to find out anything.

Day 119: The Korean Channel

My Best Guess: Straight from Korea to your Sirius dial, get everything from classical music and top techno/dance hits, to morning talk show zaniness and hard-hitting headline news...all in the span of 15 minutes!

According to Sirius: Hit Korean music, breaking news and talk shows that cover topics Korean Americans care about.

Curt's Rebuttal: Okay, true...but there WAS classical music on there. And I still say that the trippy thing about this station was it's ability to cover ALL of those areas in just under 15 minutes.

Sample Playlist:

• Well, once again we fall into the realm of a "language barrier," here. But the neat/strange thing about this channel was that listening to it on the 20-minute drive into work gave me a quick sampler of almost every genre: love ballad, two anchorpeople reading news headlines, techno-pop, something that sounded like an interview with a lot of laughter, and strange music that sounded like filler during "station identification" on UHF TV stations. They were really hard to peg down...and the transitions between segments were sudden and unexpected.

Verdict: Going to have to pass, largely for the whole "language barrier" thing, but the format was intriguing and always kept you wondering what would be next...

Day 118: CNN En Espanol

My Best Guess: For our Spanish-speaking listeners, now you can get all of your local, national and international news from CNN...with a little latin flavor!

According to Sirius: CNN en Español provides unmatched coverage of breaking news, complemented by live reports and hard-hitting interviews. It’s all the headlines shaping our world, presented in a vibrant and compelling manner with thought-provoking insight, by a team of award-winning journalists who are internationally recognized for their experience and knowledge of Latin America.

Curt's Rebuttal: I guess that's probably a bit more accurate than what I had. But I still think it had a bit of Latin flavor...

Sample Playlist: Ah, international radio stations. For the most part, I had no idea what was being reported, but I did pick up on a bit of the following:

• In the morning drive, I was listening to news stories about the world of computing. I only know this because I heard the following words and phrases in a relatively short time frame: WinAmp, Peer-to-Peer, Internet, Microsoft
• On the ride home, I heard "Wall Street" mentioned about five or six times in a one-minute span. Guessing this was business news.
• A commercial for "Songs of Romance," featuring Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, etc. This was, frankly, a little disturbing.
• Not sure if the post-commercial discussion was still on the topic of business news, but I did hear "FedEx" and "UPS" thrown around quite a few times.

Verdict: Again, have to pass...although Latin-flavored news would likely prove to be more interesting than its English counterpart, if only I spoke the language.

Day 117: ESPN Deportes Radio

My Best Guess: Sports from south of the border, broadcast directly to your Sirius radio "en Espanol," ESPN Deportes Radio brings you the latest news on both American and Mexican sporting events

According to Sirius: ESPN Deportes Radio is your premier 24-hour sports network - completely in Spanish - featuring a variety of great talk including Sports Center. Get up-to-the-minute sports updates in Spanish every 20 minutes.

Curt's Rebuttal: Well, they did seem to mention a lot of "football," and seemed to be listing a lot of what sounded like Central and South American countries, so I'm guessing this is more than just ESPN from the U.S. translated into Spanish.

Sample Playlist

• Well, the radio only said "ESPN Deportes Radio" all day, so no idea if there were different programs going on or not. I think I heard reference to the "American League" and "baseball" on my morning drive...so they were likely talking about the latest news in steroids usage. The drive home was definitely all about boxing, though, as Mike Tyson's name kept coming up.

Verdict: Already wasn't planning on subscribing to much in the way of sports radio...so throw in a language I don't understand and I doubt I have to spell out my plans here. Also, note that the channel jumped from 161 to 181...I get the sense the journey is almost over!

Day 116: FamilyNet Radio

My Best Guess: The most blessed of Christian talk radio is assembled for your devoted listening, 24/7, on FamilyNet Radio

According to Sirius: A rich blend of family-friendly, faith-based entertainment from North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, featuring the 700 Club, CBN Newswatch and more.

Curt's Rebuttal: Actually, on my receiver, this was called The Christianity Network, or something similar. So I call shenanigans. Actually, the website looks like it lists some of the shows I listened to today, so maybe God hasn't blessed the satellites with an update yet.

Sample Playlist

• Right from the Heart, with Bryan Wright: I went to school with a Brian Wright...at least that's how I THOUGHT he spelled his name. Well...I guess I doubt this is him. Anyway, he gave us some perspective on what likely would have been going through the Virgin Mary's head during the first Christmas. All conjecture, but not without being a little interesting.
• Focus on the Family, with Dr. J. Dobson: Doctor J was interviewing a woman who was telling the tale of how she had been working at a horse ranch or something (I came into the tale late, so am filling in the blanks with my imagination) that had been visited by troubled youths. She ended up working with a homeless girl whose family had pretty much all been murdered. She saw it as her opportunity to preach the Word to her. Kind of rubbed me the wrong way a little, actually.
• The Dave Ramsey Show: Dave helped callers with financial problems, such as figuring out whether or not it was even important to build up your credit score after a couple years of deep financial trouble, assuming you weren't planning on taking out a loan ever, ever, ever again. The Lord was conspicuously absent from this show, except during the commercials, where I was continuously referred to as "The Lost" (in contrast to "The Saved"), and how the best way to save me was to play on my desire for a long life. Or something like that. If you're going to name me after a TV show, please use "Heroes." Much obliged.

Verdict: Didn't really care for this one much...my soul is doing just fine, thanks for asking.

Day 115: EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network

My Best Guess: Evangelical programming finds a home in the heavens with Sirius Satellite Radio, as the best religious programming feeds your spirit with The Word every day

According to Sirius: EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network features a daily line-up for people of all ages and backgrounds. Listeners will find content filled with hope and inspiration. The EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network offers listeners live call-in talk shows, informative teaching series, daily devotions, inspiring prayers and Church events. EWTN’s strong commitment to original, high quality programming continues to attract listeners from all faith groups.

Curt's Rebuttal: Yeah, I guess this channel is different from the prior one as it focuses a little bit more on prayer and worship than on the overall topic of religion.

Sample Playlist

• Women of Grace (LIVE): First off, I didn't hear any women on this program, which threw me. The portion of the show I got to listen to was basically a listener Q&A, with people calling in with questions on spiritual warfare (good vs. evil), how to bring repentent sinners into the fold, and the rise of the "swamp of atheism." There was a shout-out to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was nifty, given how I learned about her yesterday.
• Catholic Answers Live: Another phone Q&A. Guess Catholics have a lot of questions going on inside their heads. This was a bit more interesting as it explored the church's seemingly conflicting stances on the death penalty and right-to-life. It also looked at the topic of "healing masses," where the afflicted are supposedly washed of their sins without a "true" confession.

Verdict: Not Catholic, not gonna bookmark it...but it was interesting hearing the Q&A given some lengthy thought.