From April 4-17, Sirius Radio is offering The Best of XM for free! SIRIUS subscribers will have full access to XM’s top talk and sports channels, with The Best of XM Free Preview. Just tune in to the channels below and enjoy unrivaled talk, uncensored comedy and nonstop sports.

Oprah Radio- Channel 195

MLB Network- Channel 210

Opie and Anthony on the Virus- Channel 197

PGA Tour Network- Channel 209

NHL- Channels 211-220

NBA- Channels 211-220

XM Public Radio- Channel 196

IndyCar Series- Channels 211-220

XM College Sports- Channels 211-220

You can call 888-756-2545 or Click Here to Activate the Free Preview.

Just a warning, not all Radios are Best of XM compatible so make sure you call the number before you sign up for the offer. Finally this is a Free Preview, if you do not cancel Best of XM you will get charged after the Free Preview ends.

Tucked away rather quietly on XM 202 The Virus channel with heavy weights Opie and Anthony, and perhaps often ignored and out of the spotlight of Howard Stern fans who may flip through the dial on SIRIUS 197, sits the “The Worst Kept Secret In Radio”: the Ron and Fez show broadcasting Monday through Friday 11am -3pm ET.

The “buddies” as fans call them, are led by former stand-up comedian and cigar connoisseur Ron Bennington. Ronnie B, aside from having a cupcake which bears his name, managed Ron Bennington’s Comedy Scene in Clearwater, Florida in the early 80s and is credited for discovering comedian Jim Breuer. It’s Ronnie B’s quick wit and fast one liners that fans of the show sit on the edge of their seat waiting for…regardless of whether the show topic is a fan calling in, the current topic of the day, or the misadventures of one the of the shows Co-hosts. The atmosphere is carnivalesque, and Ronnie B takes center ring as head barker.

Ronnie B is joined by sidekick Fez ‘Marie” Whatley. If Ron is the consummate comic straight man, it is poor Fezzy who assumes the role of comic relief. Check that. It is Fez who fits perfectly into the sympathetic role of psycho-I’m seeing a shrink daily-my life’s a mess-I suffer on air-heart attacks-fans confuse me with a homeless person-and I have a sexual secret-I may reveal on air soon. Most listeners buy in and sympathize with Fezzy and join the Whatley Posse. Others grab sticks and join the fun in poking at Fezzy’s miserable life. After all, even Fezzy’s own cat hates him.

Fez’s most recent show contribution was trimming his mustache Hitler style, and wearing a diaper through the streets of New York. His “Baby Hitler” look was all the rage. He currently has a shaved head while sporting a fashionable toupee and roams the SIRIUS/XM studios displaying his “hair system”.

Other characters in the Ronnie B carnival of the absurd are East Side Dave and Black Earl. At all times the listener is aware of the comic genius of Ronnie B. The show is not produced or scripted. Mr. B, as sidekick ESD sometime refers to him, knows exactly when to pull the strings  to get his staff and interns to chime in and open their wide mouths wide enough to insert their feet. It is like a “work” in wrestling, or an old carny trick. He only feigns interests in these guys comments because he knows they will set him up for one of his killer one liners.

East Side Dave, for the record, has actually been suspended by SIRIUS/XM for on-air stunts. Black Earl, who worked at WNEW-FM during the Opie and Anthony years, is now back after quitting on air. He earned his name, not because he his African American, but because he wears only black and prefers rock music to hip-hop.

For new listeners tuning in, it may take awhile to get used to some of the “inside” jokes, running bits, and the plethora of regular callers that provide the backdrop for Ronnie B to provide his biting social, cultural, sports and news commentary.  But then the Ron and Fez show is just a bunch of friends or “buddies” sitting down and just shooting the breeze. The daily “Ichibon” is when listeners call in with their breaking topic of the day. There is even “Twitter Gossip”, a segment where fans of the show report what other fans are saying or doing on Twitter. “Hayseeds” are what Ronnie B refers to callers who live outside the New York area. “Ham and egger’s” are the fans who work 9 to 5 jobs.

If you are bored of listening to radio shows talking about radio shows, give Ron & Fez a listen on XM 202 SIRIUS 197 (With Best of XM). The show airs 11am EST to 3pm EST and replays 1am to 5am. And if you are on Twitter you can follow @202Friends or go to the Ron & Fez fan website. More related Twitter accounts for the show are East Side Dave @rfeastsidedave, Earl Douglas “Black Earl” @edouglas528, and of course Fez Whatley @fezwhatley.

Written by RC.

This month that all changes. SIRIUS XM has created a new technology called PowerConnect. What Power Connect does is essentially mimic the sound quality the old strong FM radios did, but it doesn’t carry over to nearby vehicles affecting their listening. I’ve heard about the PowerConnect system for months and I was convinced it would have been similar quality to the FM Extension Cable or XM Sure Connect but after testing it in multiple vehicles it’s clear that the PowerConnect is the answer and solution we’ve all been waiting for. No doubt about it, the PowerConnect Technology works and works really well. It’s neck and neck as good as sound quality from an FM Direct Adapter install and is as easy as plugging in the attached Cigarette Lighter Adapter that the new radios come with.

Three new radios come with PowerConnect. The XM SkyDock, the XM Onyx, and the SIRIUS Stratus 6. The PowerConnect doesn’t add any additional wires or cables to one’s install, in fact it removes one. If you setup your radio with PowerConnect all you really need to do is plug in the antenna, mount the radio, and plug in the PowerConnect 5 Volt Cigarette Lighter Adapter. The PowerConnect adapter uses the ground in the cigarette adapter to spread the signal through your vehicle. SIRIUS XM Radios with Power Connect are now easier to install than the Strong FM Plug and Play Radios ever were.

If you have a fairly new radio that doesn’t have PowerConnect your aren’t out of luck. There are PowerConnect car kits coming out soon that will be backwards compatible. Those kits will work with the following radios. On the XM side Audiovox Xpress, Xpress EZ, XpressR, Xpress RC, and Mirge. On the SIRIUS side Starmate 3, Starmate 4, Starmate 5, Stratus, Stratus 4, Stratus 5 and Sportster 5.

PowerConnect is a game changer. For the past 3 years it has been more of a hassle to get Satellite Radio in the car because most units would need to be installed with additional hardware. That is once again a non issue. The PowerConnect technology makes setting up and listening to Satellite Radio easy again. Now is the time to quit procrastinating and upgrade your radio or buy one as a gift for a friend or family member all thanks to this little power adapter.

MM, a poster on Digital Radio Central had been looking for a way to get a SIRIUS in his wife’s 2008 Nissan Altima for months. He didn’t want a Dock and Play SIRIUS Radio even if it was hooked up properly for the best sound quality. Eventually a solution arose. Peripheral Electronics offers the hardware to fully integrate SIRIUS Radio along with an iPod/iPhone connection to the factory Nissan Radio. This setup will allow one to control SIRIUS on the radio with all the hardware cleanly tucked away behind the car’s radio. The Sound Quality is top notch and it’s a seamless way to control music stored on one’s iPod or iPhone. MM got the kit from TSS-Radio here. For the full review from MM go to Digital Radio Central. This type of kit is also available for Acura, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hummer, Isuzu, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercury, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Scion, Saab, Saturn, and Toyota.