Zazbot Discount Shopping

Many new cars are arriving with XMRadio already installed and operational. Integrated into the radio system of the car the convenience of listening to over 100 radio channels regardless of where you are in the country is truly amazing. We just picked up our new Altima 2.5 SL and it came equipped with xmradio already installed. Our first trip with our car took us down to Biloxi, Mississippi from Canada and we listened to the XMRadio stations all the way.

Not only was there no fade out or fade in with xmradio, we were able to listen to all of our favorite channels including music as well as talk shows. The only thing we were missing is a TV to watch some of the talk shows. For example, CNN is one of the channels you can listen to, with exactly the same content that you would listen to and watch if you were watching at home on your television. We listened to Elvis radio which gives you 24/7 music of all of the songs that were ever recorded by Elvis. There was also commentary from the DJ, as well as comments from time to time from people who were visiting Graceland. If you like Elvis this is the channel for you.

News & Talk Shows

For the Oprah fans there is a channel dedicated to Oprah and all of her supporting shows. These include Dr Oz and the Gayle King show. Some are live while others are replays, however it means that you never have to miss one of the Oprah shows while you are traveling in the car, your RV or camping.  There are XMRadio devices available that are standalone units that you can carry with you while you travel, install them in your cottage or RV while you are camping. ( More on these later).

Rosie O’Donnell started a new radio show just for satellite distribution.  My wife wanted to listen to this channel and I reluctantly agreed. I am not a huge fan of Rosie, but that is just me. Well after listening for a few minutes, I found myself laughing at her jokes and enjoying the banter between Rosie and her supporting cast. During our trip we listened to Rosie almost every day while we were in the car.

We are talk show fans and there are lots of talk shows available to listen to. Some of the names we have already mentioned, but also shows such as Ron & Fez, The Open Road for truckers, Family talk, Laugh USA, Laugh Canada, Me & Vinnie, Doctor Radio, Kids Place, the Catholic Channel and more. Regardless of what you like to listen to, there is probably something for everyone.

XMRadio Program Guide and Categories

There are currently 130 channels available for customers to choose from and they also stream 80 channels over the internet as well for users to listen to at home or wherever they can access the net. The 130 channels are split among the following categories – Music, Sports, News, Talk & Entertainment with something for everyone, we think that everyone will be satisfied with their service and content. We certainly are.

If you are into music instead of talk shows like us, choose from pop, rock,dance,hip-hop, country,christian, jazz, blues, classical or Latin. With so many choices for music, there will  be something to help you pass the long hours driving or even if you are just going around the block.

Service Plans

We purchased the annual plan after our initial 3 month plan completed. The initial 3 month plan came with the new car and was free to us for that period. Initially we were uncertain about whether we would renew on an annual plan and it turned out to be a good thing that we waited to sign up for XMRadio. Turns out the closer you get to completing your free service, the better the deal that XMRadio will offer you.

We received 3 offers after we picked up our car. The first offer was a full price offer and did not appeal to us. In addition we were just learning about XMRadio and the channels they offered. The second offer came about a month later and knocked off several percentage points off the full price. Better, however we thought we may as well wait until the end of our service and then renew. Turns out that this also was a good decision. The last offer arrived in the 3rd month and dropped the annual fee by over 30% so we quickly signed up.

The amount of money saved by taking this offer is not huge. The service is not that expensive to start with, however we always love to get a deal and better that the money is in our account and not someone Else’s.

XM on Your Iphone!

You may not be planning to buy a new car and want to have XMRadio available. Or you enjoy your RV as you travel around the US or Canada. There are satellite radios  available now that are stand alone, that you can carry with you in your car, RV or your home. They come with mounting hardware and are easily moved around so that  you can enjoy them regardless of were you car. You will need to purchase the radio as well as a monthly or annual plan to enjoy XMRadio.

Consumers who own their own ipod or iphone can also sign up for XMRadio online and listen to their favorite radio station regardless of were you are. These same accounts can also be listened to over the internet on your home computer. Once area to be aware of is that you will need a data plan for your ipod or iphone and downloading music to these devices will consume some or all of the allowable bandwidth that you may subscribe to . If you have an unlimited data plan then there are no worries.

Customers can listen to XMRadio on their computer, their iphone, ipod or in the cars and RV’s by purchasing a standalone XMRadio. We hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours.

Our Garmin GPS Nuvi 750 system is one of the best Christmas gifts that we have received.  We travel a lot by car across the United States and Canada. In the past we have relied on the old fashion paper maps to navigate, CAA books to find local hotels and restaurants as well as entertainment venues. Needless to say there have been a few discussions in the car when we got lost or did not get to our destination as quickly as we thought we might.

No more! Once we started using our new Garmin GPS Nuvi 750, we just plug in the address we want to go to or search for a gas station etc etc and follow the directions! For many people who have used a GPS device, this is old hat, however when you are driving 5000 miles across the United States or Canada, the true value of the GPS system really makes itself known.

We also really like the restaurant chain,  Texas Roadhouses, and downloaded information we found on the internet into our Garmin Nuvi 750 GPS system. Whenever we are near a roadhouse we get an alert to tell us that our favorite steakhouse is nearby.

We also downloaded a database that someone put together of favorite spots that the police like to set up speed traps. The first time we encountered a speed trap location, ( the police were not set up, thank goodness) our Garmin GPS device rang an alarm and flashed an alert on the screen to alert us that we were approaching a speed trap area. That was pretty cool!

Map Updates

Consumers can check out the Garmin web site for updates to current maps that are installed in their GPS device. There is a fee for this service unless you are within the warranty window, however if you want to have the latest upgrade and plan on traveling a great deal then it may well be worth it to upgrade your GPS system.

Garmin offered two choices for our Nuvi 750 system.  For $69 US we could download a one time update or for $119 US we could download updates 4 times a year for as long as we owned the device. Both deals are pretty good, however for our traveling requirements, we opted for the lifetime package and updates 4 times a year. They will also send you an email notification when a new update is available!

It is also important to note that the one time map update does not include map updates for Canada. The lifetime update map package coverage includes detailed maps for the United States and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Mexico coverage is not included. Maps for Mexico, and Europe can be purchased separately.

The process of connecting the Garmin Nuvi 750 GPS system to the internet was relatively straight forward, however we did have to update the browser interface from the last time we had used it.  That meant another download and installation, which took a matter of 5 minutes. We also had to restart our browser as well. Everything installed easily and we now have the latest maps!

Once you decide that you want to upgrade your maps , go to www.garmin.com/mapupdates and follow the instructions for downloading the map update package you select and if needed, the interface package which is free.

Interface with the Garmin Nuvo 750 While Driving

We have become avid users of this GPS system while driving, however we have to emphasize that drivers should not be programming your next destination or searching for addresses on the Garmin while driving. When the Garmin system turns on, there is a warning and of course their web site also emphasizes this point.

We have to agree with Garmin. Fortunately there have been no accidents or even close calls, but it is difficult to drive safely and program your Garmin at the same time. We strongly recommend against trying any kind of programming other than reading or following the maps on the screen while driving.

Drivers have the choice between following directions by following commands on the screen or listening to voice instructions from the GPS internal speaker. Consumers can also tune their radios to a specific frequency to listen to voice commands through their cars radio system. We found that the GPS internal radio is fine and we programed our GPS to use an Australian female accent.

Other Features We Like

There are a few other features that we like as well. For example, converting  from kilometers / hour to miles per hour when you travel from Canada to the United States. This also includes your current speed and speed limits are also shown on the map display.

We also really like the trip tracking statistics. Average speed, moving and stopped along with total. This last statistic is interesting. Whenever I use mapquest to plan our trips we never know if they include stops or not and what average speed they use to calculate the time to get to your destination. Our Garmin GPS Nuvi 750 takes into account stopped time and recalculates arrival time. So with rest stops, stop lights and traffic there is never any guess work as to when you will arrive at your destination.

Saving favorites is another excellent feature. You might ask why do you need to save a favorite if you already know how to get there. We found that it is sometimes nice to know how long it will take to get somewhere, or perhaps a better route. We found for one location that there was actually a better route than the one we had been taking for years!

Consumers can program their GPS for the shortest distance, the faster time or off road. One couple we know had their GPS programmed for the shortest route which ended up taking them along country roads that were not much more than logging roads. Never again! Even if the fastest route is a bit longer in terms of distance traveled, staying on well traveled paved roads is definitely the way to go.

Have you ever used an electric jack hammer? They are great machines for breaking up concrete and pavement around the home or at construction sites. However I was really not prepared for the workout that I was going to get when I used this thing. Now most people reading this are probably saying, well yeah, they shake like crazy and after an hour of using one of these machines, every bone in his body was all shook up!

Actually the electric jack hammer I rented was a Bosch 11304 Brute which has a great feature called shock mounted handles. In other words the handles move in relation to the jack hammer and so most of the vibration from the jack hammer is absorbed by the handles and not by the operator. This is absolutely a great feature and reduces the wear and tear on your body significantly.

The Bosch 11304 Brute electric jack hammer features 15.0 amp draw, an impact energy of 43 pounds, weighs 64 pounds and a 1-1/8 inch Hex shank size. The guys at the rental store gave a 5 minute instruction on how to use the electric jack hammer and sent me on my way with a heavy duty extension chord as well. The unit fits easily in the trunk of your car. Be careful when placing the electric jack hammer into your trunk and lifting it out. The unit is heavy and you are lifting from an awkward position. If you can, I would advise getting someone to assist in lifting the electric jack hammer into and out of the car.

Man handling an electric jack hammer that weighs 64 pound with out the drill bit which weighs another 18 pounds for over 2 hours provides a workout that you will never get at the gym. I am no slouch, however I was totally exhausted after 2 hours work, but my slab of concrete was all broken up! I now have a great deal of respect for men who do this on construction sites for many hours every day.

My slab of concrete was the apron around our pool. The electric jack hammer dealt with this easily, however some concrete chips went into the pool. You have to be very careful removing these chips to avoid damaging the vinyl liner. In this particular case as well, one needs to be very careful to maintain your balance. The Bosch 1134 Brute electric jack hammer is top heavy and if you are not careful, you and the electric jack hammer can topple over, in my situation, into the pool. Fortunately this did not happen!

This is an electric jack hammer and draws up to 15 amps which most household outlets will handle. However you do need to use a heavy duty extension chord when using these machines. If not the voltage drop on the extension chord will be too much and  the electric jack hammer will not develop the power needed. I also understand that the motor could overheat as well.

Operation of the Electric Jack Hammer

Operation of the electric jack hammer is relatively straight forward, however the simple trick about using these machines is like many machines. Let the electric jack hammer do the work and you just point it in the right direction. I would place the bit in the location I wanted and pressed the button to start it and watched it drill into the concrete slab I was trying to brake up. No problem except that the first time I let the bit get too deep in the concrete to the point it was almost buried. Of course lifting a 64 pound electric jack hammer up when the bit is buried in concrete is not the easiest thing to do. Eventually I was able to get it out and started another location.

Next thing I learned is that you drill a series of holes along a line and eventually a chunk will break off of the main slab. You may have to break up this chunk into a smaller size so you can carry the pieces of concrete. Once I got the hang of it , jack hammering this concrete slab went fairly smoothly. I was breaking up a concrete slab that was approximately 3 inches to 5 inches thick. The Bosch 11304 Brute electric jack hammer handled this with ease. Just get into a routine of drill into the concrete about 2 inches, lift and move along a line about 3 inches and eventually a slab will break off . Read more about this product »