First, let me say that I've disliked FM radio for a long time, because what passes for good music nowadays often-times leaves a lot to be desired. I let go of FM radio in the late 80's and never looked back, but have been an avid fan of AM talk radio. So, when I made the decision to check out satellite radio it was with sketicism. My stagnating music collection eventually won out. I decided the exposure to new artists and the access to more interesting shows and live specials was too tempting to pass up, so I did the research, decided XM was the service for me. Lucky for me I had received an e-mail advertisment from a prominent electronics retailer chain about a sale on XM radios. It was the extra nudge I needed to get out there and look at them.

I had no idea what model I wanted. All I knew is I didn't want to spend a lot and I wanted some decent features for the money. Upon arriving at the store I made my way to the kiosk and stood there trying out different radios. I weighed each in my mind and I kept coming back to the Roady XT. The look, the button placement, the large screen, the package which included everything... and the $59 sale price. It wasn't a hard choice. The only other radios I considered were in the $250 price-range. The Roady XT had the vehicle/home connectivity I wanted, so I took the plunge.

I had it set up in my truck in a matter of minutes in the store parking lot. The installation was simple and straight-forward if you read the instructions. Two things I overlooked in my excitement: 1) Antenna placement needed to be outside the vehicle because it's magnetic and requires a ground plane, 2) Mounting considerations for the radio were an afterthought. After I got home and had a chance to read the manual I placed the antenna properly and mounted the radio. I was set.

The first thing I was impressed with is the size of the radio itself. It's about the size of a cigarette box. This unit was made for portability and to fit almost anywhere. The docking station is low profile as well and takes up very little room. The radio fits in the dock snugly and the dock supports it nicely from behind, so you can press on those buttons without it moving or giving.

The Roady XT is designed to hook to an existing head unit, either directly or via an FM transmitter. Since my head unit died months ago (I never saw the need to get another one with an MP3 player hooked up) I plugged the radio directly into my EQ input. There is no volume adjustment, only volume presets 1 thru 6, which adjust the output level. In other words, the Roady XT assumes you'll be amplifying the signal through your head unit. Fortunately my EQ has volume controls. NOTE: I have yet to try the FM transmitter, so I can't say how well it works.

The user interface takes a few minutes to get used to. The radio has presets (A, B and C), which allow you to store your favorites in three separate profiles. Then there is direct mode, which allows you to enter channel numbers to tune into directly. You cannot enter channel numbers in preset mode. You must first switch to the channel you wish to store in direct mode, then switch to the preset you want to store the channel in and press/hold your preferred button. It can be awkward at first, but once you get that down you'll be navigating easily. Other nifty features include multiple screen colors and display modes, auto on/auto off, contrast, etc.

After a week of using the unit I decided I wanted a home kit so that I could listen to XM radio at home and record it on my computer. The home kit comes with a similar docking station, indoor/outdoor antenna, remote control, power supply and 1/8"-to-RCA cable. Setup was a cinche. I found that I had to have the antenna outside to get good reception. I ended up running my antenna out the patio door (because I live in an apartment and couldn't drill holes), which works fine.

In the last couple of weeks I've had a ball listening to and recording music. I listen to comedy, talk radio, bluegrass and anything else that I find interesting. I've gotten my money's worth already and it's not even been a month yet. Lately I've been recording bluegrass for my father to listen to and play along with. I can't express enough the enjoyment I get out of XM radio.

I'm completely happy with the quality of the Roady XT and its versatility. It fit my needs perfectly. It's THE budget XM radio to get in my opinion.