XM Radio Needs Roadway Tunnel Satellite Service Relays

Recently I drove thru the Boston Tunnel after traveling up the East Coast. I noticed after going thru several tunnels along the way that the XM Radio cut out. Of course I was not surprised as it is hard to get a signal while underground from a satellite. Yet each time I entered a tunnel, I happened to be listening to a really great song on the 80’s station. The Baltimore Tunnel was not an issue, there was no traffic and I sailed thru; no big deal. In New York the tunnel took a little while to travel thru due to the traffic, but still a few extra minutes and then the radio was as good as gold again. The real issue was in Boston and the traffic was fierce. I spent nearly 20 minutes in the Big Dig, without the radio and had my CD collection in the back and could not get up to get it. This led me to believe there must be a better way. XM Radio has a slight time delay so you can go under highway over passes without cutting into your music or news on any of the over 200 channels. However, when going thru long tunnels or in canyons you often miss the signal, as you do not have a direct line of sight to the satellite.

XM Radio ought to make a deal with the government agencies, which operate these tunnels to put relays on the entrances to make sure the signals are available inside the tunnels, to keep people happy and prevent road rage. If you consider the onerous behavior of some of these Bostonians here, you would surely agree. Nowhere in the country are the drivers as discourteous as in Boston, Mass. No wonder they parked the car in Harvard yard. I got flipped off by a guy out his sunroof, who honked his horn with his elbow while talking on his car phone. Obviously this gentleman was having a bad hair day and also was a little perturbed that his XM Radio was not working either? Could all of this been prevented with a little music to calm the average beast? Think about it.