The cost of a satellite radio installation is broken down into two different groups, the startup (installation costs) and the monthly subscription to either XM satellite radio or Sirius satellite radio. Receivers and mounting hardware, the cost of activation are all start up costs. Recievers are available for your car, your home, your computer and now portable receivers are available. So how much does satellite radio installation really cost?

Satellite Radio installation costs are broken down as follows:

Activation costs are the amount that both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio charge to start service. Activation costs vary, where $5.00 with Sirius and $9.99 with XM will get you ready to go. Telephone activation is $15.00 with Sirius and $14.99 with XM. Monthly subscription costs then play into the cost, but these depend on some factors. Recent media campaigns are dramatically dropping the cost of installation and activation, both XM and Sirius are offering free activation in some instances. Further Detail at: www.TopSatelliteRadio.com

A typical cost of a car satellite radio installation can vary depending on whether you use a Satellite radio which is dedicated only to satellite radio reception or if it also can play CDs.

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $75 - $125

Radio $125-250

Antenna $60.00

Labor $80.00

Activation $10

———————

Total $400 - $600

Typical costs for a home satellite radio installation:

For this to work, you must choose to install a dedicated stereo receiver unit. Common AM/FM receivers are very similar to satellite radio receivers. Your auxiliary input is used to connect and a antenna is used to receiver the streaming content.

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $150-$300

Antenna $60.00

Activation $10

—————-

Total $220 - $370

Portable units are now being offered and can give you the ease of using your satellite radio anywhere you want! Each room in your house would require a home kit, which includes antennas, output cables, and power supplies. Home kits offer flexibility and ease of use as they can be plugged into your home stereo, computer, and boom boxes. Portable satellite radio installation costs are as follows:

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $120

Home Kit $140

Boombox X 2 $100

Activation $10

—————-

Total $370

Scott Fish is the owner of Top Satellite Radio which is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio.

http://www.TopSatelliteRadio.com | Quick Access: http://www.TopSatRadio.com

sf@topsatelliteradio.com

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio subscription costs vary and are changing though recent promotions.

XM Satellite Radio Subscription

If you agree to a commitment ranging from two to five years and prepay you can lower your effective monthly charge to as low as $7.48.

XM Satellite Radio Subscription costs are a monthly service where the charge is $9.99.

Adding up to four additional receivers only costs $6.99 each, per month. Certain special channels cost a little more for your satellite radio subscription cost, for example, Playboy Radio, a premium service, is an additional $2.99 per month. Commercial and Business subscriptions cost $24.99 per month. Business subscriptions are a little more expensive due to additional royalties that must be paid when potentially more people are listening to the station.

Sirius Satellite Radio Subscription

Sirius Satellite radio subscription costs are a monthly service where the charge is $12.95. With a year or 2 year commitment, Sirius offers lower monthly rates.

Check out this hot deal going on right now! For $499.99, your radio is live for life! Sirius is currently offering a pretty good deal on a lifetime subscription that is radio-attached.

With Sirius you can activate as many as three additional radios for $6.99 each per month. Business subscriptions are $24.99 per month.

Satellite radio subscription cost is based on the number of stations that you have access to any the amount of extras that you add. Adding special services can increase your satellite radio subscription.

About The Author

Scott Fish is the owner of Top Satellite Radio which is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio. Scott fish is the Owner of Satellite Radio Receivers Sirius and XM Reviews

http://www.TopSatelliteRadio.com | Quick Access: http://www.TopSatRadio.com

sf@topsatelliteradio.com

Satellite radio is an increasingly popular alternative to regular radio. With satellite radio you pay a certain subscription fee every month (around $15 or so) to get around 100 music channels broadcast by satellite. The subsciption cost pays mostly for the lack of commercials, which is a major plus for most listeners.

In order to take advantage of satellite radio you will need a satellite radio receiver. There are several types of receivers availiable, and a few of the most popular models are produced by Delphi. Their two most popular models are the MyFi and SKYFi line. The MyFi satellite receiver is slightly smaller and is considered the most portable. This device is meant to be taken with you just about anywhere - much like a mp3 player like the Apple iPod. The SKYFi is your standard satellite receiver unit and is commonly installed in cars, boats, and the home using different accessory kits. You will find more information about both of these units below.

Delphi MyFi Portable Satellite Radio

Manufacturers Description: The Delphi MyFi is the industry’s first personal XM satellite radio that you can take with you anytime, anywhere - right out of the box. MyFi provides the personal freedom to experience over 130 digital XM channels virtually anywhere. Packaged with a rechargeable integrated battery pack, antenna, remote control, headphones, home kit and vehicle kit, the palm-sized MyFi is Delphi’s most consumer-friendly satellite radio yet. MyFi also has the ability to store up to five hours of XM programming with the press of a button. Favorite music and programming is never missed and available for playback at any time.

Features:

- The first personal and portable XM satellite radio

- Breakthrough time-shifting "Memory Mode" capable of storing up to five hours of XM programming

- Integrated, rechargeable battery

- Built-in FM transmitter to make any FM radio an XM radio

- Everything you need in one package for car, home, and on-the-go

- Info Extras include a personalized stock and sports ticker

- Live XM listening mode

- Up to thirty channel presets

- Large, illuminated six-line LCD display

Price: $300

Delphi SKYFi Satellite Radio Receiver

Manufacturers Description: SKYFi allows access to XM’s 101 channels of music, news, sports and entertainment programming in the vehicle or at home. Enhanced features, such as the large 5-line display, 10-button direct channel entry and 20 channel presets help users easily navigate XM’s award-winning radio service. SKYFi™ also gives listeners the ability to preview and search XM channels by artist name and song title. Accessory kits for the home, vehicle, or our on-the-go Audio Systems (sold separately) make SKYFi™ portable and fun.

Features:

- Advanced 5-line display concurrently shows channel number, channel name, artist name and song title

- Preview song titles & artists

- 10 button direct channel entry

- 20 channel presets

- remote control

Price: $100

Delphi SKYFi2 Satellite Radio Receiver

Manufacturers Description: Using leading edge technology, the exclusive Replay/Pause feature continuously and automatically saves the last 30 minutes of programming – including programming from multiple channels.

Features:

- Exclusive Replay/Pause – continuously records 30 minutes of the selected XM station for flexibility.

- Built in FM Modulator – SKYFi2 can wirelessly transmit XM satellite radio to any FM radio – no need for wires or complicated connections.

- TuneSelectTM – select channels and programming in several different modes - TuneSelect mode automatically finds favorite programs too!

- Personalized information tickers - stay up-to-date on your favorite stocks, sports and XM guides as the tickers scroll on the bottom of the receiver’s display.

- Advanced display - display up to 5 lines of text on a white screen concurrently showing channel, song, artist and title information.

- Backward compatible – will operate with original SKYFi accessory kits

- Remote control included

- Wide variety of listening accessories available:

- Vehicle kit – everything needed to install SKYFi or SKYFi2 in your car or truck

- Home kit – everything needed to connect your SKYFi or SKYFi2 to a home audio system

- Marine kit – everything needed to install your SKYFi or SKYFi2 in a marine environment

- Audio System – a portable system that contains speakers and docking station

- CD Audio System – a portable system with a CD/MP3 player and an AM/FM tuner

Price: $130

Bradley James is the chief editor of SciNet, a popular consumer electronics review website. To learn more about satellite radio receivers and satellite radio in general, please visit our satellite radio receiver website.

Sports is filled with Rights and fees. Who has the right to broadcast and reproduce sports, and how gets paid? College Universities always hold local radio rights for their sports programs. Satellite radio has caused a conflict with these schools due to the amount of the local broadcasts going national over satellite systems.

Many universities believe that the local radio stations should receive some proceeds from these broadcasts. However in many cases, they are not currently getting any money from satellite radio Services.

Negotiations have occurred at some level but not for every one, it has been a league-by-league issue. XM, for example, deals with several major conferences, including the Pac-10. However, Sirius negotiated individual deals with Southern California and UCLA, and these are all creating a conflict between the companies and their respective teams and leagues. And although these fees are not very large, with a growing subscriber base and increased satellite radio popularity, the fees and the battle to control rights are definitely going to increase and heat up!

It’s going to be very interesting as the fight to control content gets more heated, we have seen it happen with TV and traditional radio, and now it’s satellite radio’s turn.

Scott Fish is the owner of Satellite Radio Sirius and XM satellite Radio Reviews - Search Engine Optimization Firm

If you’ve been thinking about buying an XM or Sirius Radio, now might be a good time to make that purchase as the cost of these radios is now at the lowest point ever.

For example, Crutchfield has the Delphi Roadyxt XM Satellite Radio Personal Audio System Package for just $59.95. This package includes RoadyXT radio with car kit, antenna, and power adapter. As recently as six month ago, the cost of this unit might have been twice as much.

Crutchfield has the Samsung neXus 50 at $89.95 after a $50 mail-in rebate. This trim, little unit is an XM satellite radio and MP3 player and can even be connected to your home stereo system.

If Sirius is more your thing, you can get the Sportster Replay SPT-K2

from Crutchfield for $79.99 or the Delphi SkyFi2 XM Satellite radio and car kit for 59.95; Crutchfield also has the SIRIUS Starmate Replay for $69.99. The Starmate Replay unit has an interesting feature in that it automatically stores the last 44 minutes of the channel you’re listening to – giving you the ability to replay favorite tunes.

Why have these radios gotten so cheap?

The prices of these radios have dropped to these new lows because both companies have adapted the “razor and razor blade” marketing strategy. This is based on a discovery made years ago by razor manufacturers – that you can just about give a man a razor because you will then sell him the blades to use with it for years and years to come.

In other words, XM and Sirius are offering you satellite radios at really cheap prices so they can continue to sell you their services at $12.95 a month for years and years to come.

Stop and think before you buy

Before you buy a satellite radio, you might think about two things. First, that $12.95 a month. On the face of it, that might not seem like much but that’s $155 a year – this year and every year – for years and years. The second thing to think about is HD Radio. This new technology makes AM sound as clear and static-free as today’s FM, and FM sound as crystal-clear as if you were listening to a CD. Plus, HD radio is broadcast over the airways and is completely free, just like AM or FM radio.

So before you rush out to buy one of those low-price satellite radios, you might want to stop and think about that $155 a year vs. free.

For more information on HD Radio, including an explanation of the technology, as well as information, HD2 channels, and HD text messaging, be sure to go to http://www.hd-radio-home.com. You can also get detailed information on HD Radios at http://www.hd-radio-buyers-guide.com.

Douglas Hanna is the publisher and webmaster of two HD Radio websites as well as the author of numerous articles on HD Radio

Satellite Radio has become a very popular alternative to broadcast radio since its first release. It did take a while for the two competitors of satellite radio, Sirius and XM, to begin gaining customers. Equipment was expensive and bulky. There is also a monthly fee for the service, where broadcast radio is free. Satellite does have a few advantages against broadcast that helped it gain momentum more each year. There are very few channels on satellite radio that have commercials. This is very similar to premium cable television like HBO or Showtime…they cost extra but have no commercials.

Another great feature Satellite Radio offers is quality that you cannot find in broadcast radio. Satellite radio is a digital signal that sounds cleaner and has virtually no static because with digital signals you either have close to full quality or nothing at all. Satellite also offers coast to coast coverage so you do not have to search for a local station when you travel.

Recent technology moves have helped the receiver end of satellite radio tremendously. Car manufacturers now offer satellite equipment built in to new cars so that there is nothing to buy, just the monthly service fee. Some car companies like GMC only offer XM capability, but many companies offer you to choose either but not both. Car manufacturers also offer much more high end stereos that can utilize the benefits of a digital signal. They use this as a sales pitch to show how good their stereos really are.

Satellite does have new competition that is broadcast for free like analog radio. HD Radio will be broadcast by many local stations in the near future offering better quality than satellite radio. This is much like television stations that broadcast HD TV locally. There are still commercials, but clear sound and music information about artists is available by any HD Radio equipped stereo. Only the future will tell if people are willing to shell out the dough to avoid commercials.

Find the latest information and more at http://all-satellite-radio.info/

As time goes by and technology grows and changes to suit the needs of people we have seen an increase in the need for portability in media. People are on the go and require more portability in their Radios. Science and Technology has grown with the demand of the people. This demand has bred Portable Satellite Radios.

Portable Satellite Radio allows a person to listen to various genres of music at any given time, on demand, via Satellite technology. Where once we had Cassette tape walkman devices, then Compact Disc walkman devices we now have the capability to take our music with us wherever we go without being limited to the radio stations in our local vicinity. This means there is no longer a boundary of radio signal that is limited to your town or city. Now you can hear feeds that take place all over the nation, without having to wait for it to be syndicated and picked up by your local radio station.

There are many different Portable Satellite Radio providers such as XM, Sirius Radio and many others. These services are fee based and provide users with a variety of different genres of music for a monthly service charge. This allows the Portable Satellite Radio user to be able to travel with his or her musical selections but not limit them to a play list of music that is made up of only a few songs.

Not only is there a wide variety of music on Portable Satellite Radio. There are also many other types of media such as the national news and Talk Radio. As the Portable Satellite Radio technologies took off shock jock Howard Stern made the switch from normal syndicate radio to Portable Satellite Radio. Many other radio personalities quickly followed suit.

The reason behind the boom of radio personalities making the switch from normal analog radio to Portable Satellite Radio is that it gave them the freedom from some of the FCC restrictions about freedom of speech. Unlike analog radio the FCC doesn’t control as strictly Portable Satellite Radio feeds. Portable Satellite Radio and the boom in the industry also gave radio personalities a broader fan-base. Exposing them to more people who typically may have not heard of them or had the opportunity to enjoy what they bring to the radio.

When looking for a Portable Satellite Radio service you must take into consideration coverage area as well as pricing. What kind of cost will you pay for the convenience of not being bound to limited music and services? Portable Satellite Radio gives you the convenience that is almost necessary in today’s fast paced world of technology and media.

Most audio equipment retailers now provide Portable Satellite Radio devices and services. For the most part these devices can be budget-friendly and the monthly service fees reasonable. If you are interested in expanding your musical tastes and are an on-the-go type of person, Portable Satellite Radio may be something you would be interested in.

Satellite Radio HQ http://satellite-radio-hq.com/ talks about the history of satellite radio, the equipment you’ll need, the satellite radio channels you can receive and much more.

Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS):

SDAR is a satellite-based direct-broadcast radio service in which digitally encoded audio entertainment material is broadcast to Earth-based receivers, either directly from an orbiting satellite, or from the satellite to the receiver via a repeater station (This is a special case in which the receiver is in a shielded location). SDARS is a radio communication service through which audio programming is digitally transmitted by one or more space stations directly to fixed, mobile, and/or portable stations, and which may involve complementary repeating terrestrial transmitters, telemetry, tracking and control facilities. Through SDARS compact-disc quality audio is available because of digital transmition is employed.

History of Satellite Radio:

Satellite radio is an idea over a decade long. In 1992, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated a spectrum in the "S" band (2.3 GHz) for nationwide broadcasting of satellite-based Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). Only four companies applied for a license to broadcast over that band. The FCC gave licenses to two of these companies in 1997. CD Radio (now Sirius Satellite Radio) and American Mobile Radio (now XM Satellite Radio) paid more than $80 million each to use space in the S-band for digital satellite transmission. The first satellite based radio launched by XM on Sep 25, 2001, then followed by Sirius on July 1, 2002.

At this time, there are three space-based radio broadcasters:

Sirius Satellite Radio

XM Satellite Radio

WorldSpace Satellite Radio

Importance and significance of Satellite radio:

We all have our favorite radio stations that we preset into our car radios, flipping between them as we drive to and from work, on errands and around town. But when you travel too far away from the source station, the signal breaks up and fades into static. Most radio signals can only travel about 30 or 40 miles from their source. On long trips that find you passing through different cities, you might have to change radio stations every hour or so as the signals fade in and out. Now, imagine a radio station that can broadcast its signal from more than 22,000 miles (35,000 km) away and then come through on your car radio with complete clarity. One could drive nearly hundreds of kilometers without ever having to change the radio station! Not only would you never hear static interfering with your favorite tunes, but also the music would be interrupted by few or no commercials.

Satellite radio companies are comparing the significance of their service to the impact that cable TV had on television 30 years ago. Listeners won’t be able to pick up local stations using satellite radio services, but they will have access to hundreds of stations offering a variety of music genres. Each company has a different plan for its broadcasting system, but the systems do share similarities.

XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio and WorldSpace satellite individually provides digital-audio radio services (SDARS), with commercial-free programming, digital-audio quality, and countrywide coverage. Each company offers nearly 100 channels of digital music and talk radio (many of them commercial-free or with a reduced number of commercials) that can be received from coast to coast with no service interruption. Each offering number of music channels, these services clearly provides programming options not available through traditional radio.

One of the main feature of SDARS is SDARS provides almost Commercial free (or Commercials are restricted) programs. And also it provides news, weather forecasts, and sports apart from entertainment-based programs The primary application for this service is constant coast-to-coast coverage of radio for cars. We have all experienced the problem of trying to listen to radio on a long trip. Both AM and FM stations fade in and out as we drive into and out of their coverage area. Portable full satellite radio service available now a days for the car, home stereo and personal radio environments. Car manufacturers have been installing satellite radio receivers in some models for a few years now, and several models of portable satellite radio receivers are available from a variety of electronics companies.

Signal reception is generally poor as well as variable in the cases of AM or FM. With the SDARS systems, radio coverage throughout the 48 continental states is solid and continuous. Unlike for AM and FM channels SDARS signals are available in a unique format

Subscription based radio service:

Because the technology requires access to a commercial satellite for signal propagation; Satellite Radio services are commercial business entities (not private parties), which offer a package of channels as part of their service —requiring a subscription from end users to access its channels. Satellite Radio Service can be subscribed at a monthly fee of $12.95 U.S. and up which is very much worth full to the service that it gives.

Future of Satellite radio:

SDARS seems to get good market growth because of the following factors. Increasing partnerships of XM and Sirius with Automobile OEM and distribution outlets made the SDARS more popular. Introduction of more convenient hardware smaller and more portable radios for the automobile as well as the home stereo, computer and office and personal environments made possible at the same time.

Home and personal use Industry promotional advertising and awareness campaigns given the SDARS more popular. Sirius and XM now also offer subscribers the option of listening to their programming online. Apart from all of this, price drop of hardware making it more affordable for after market purchase.

Author can be contacted through crsjith@gmail.com for more information about SDARS.

Jith is an Electrical and Electronics Engineer from southern India. Author is an expert in Avionics systems, Automobile systems and have good command over communication protocols.

Satellite radio still has not caught on in the United States of America. Despite the hundreds of channels XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio offer, there are still two major drawbacks. The first is that someone who would want to buy digital radio equipment will have to pay for an expensive receiver and will also have to pay a monthly subscription fee. It is yet to be seen if satellite radio will catch on in the United States. I predict that the monthly subscription fees will also come down and be more in line with a traditional reciever.

Secondly, while it is great for some people that the stations are exactly the same everywhere in the country, many people like some variety to their music and will want to hear a different disk jockey playing different sets of songs instead of the same guy day after day. Even though you have hundreds of stations to choose from, chances are they will only be playing certain songs over and over. Despite the setbacks, in an attempt to drum up business for the satellite companies, electronics retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City offer great deals to those in the market to buy digital radio receivers. And these deals will get even "sweeter" as the retailers embrace innovative new markeing tactics.

Someone looking to buy digital radio receivers from XM Satellite Radio’s store for example will actually have to try to pay full price. At XM’s own digital radio receiver store, prices are slashed all over the place. Almost every receiver, including the incredibly popular Delphi SkyFi 2, contains tons of mail in rebate offers. XM is also offering special deals on bundle packages so people can enjoy purchasing the receiver, a car kit and a home audio kit all in one package for less than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of just the receiver.

The otherwise very pricy Delphi MyFi portable receiver is slashed even more with XM’s store offering the regular $225 US item to customers for only $175 US. These amazing deals are offered in a way to make people forget about the monthly fee associated with satellite radio subscription. For those looking to buy digital radio listening equipment, almost any store you visit will have excellent markdowns on receiver products. The nature of having a montly subscription fee warrants the lower prices on recievers. This is probably the only way in which the retailers are able to sell these recievers.

Keith Londrie II is a well known author. He has written many great articles on many topics, including satellite radio information. For more information, please visit http://www.digital-radio-info.info/ You may also be interested in Keith’s other offerings at his site http://keithlondrie.com

In America, currently the most popular way to enjoy high quality music broadcasts in your car or home is through satellite digital radio. Two companies have pioneered this technology and each offer a variety of different services and stations to choose from. In the process of making their broadcasts the best they can possibly be, both companies completely removed commercials from their schedules and brought in well known radio hosts and musicians to provide commentary and act as disk jockeys. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks associated with each company, mainly the fact that you have to pay significant prices for the satellite digital radio receiver and you also have to pay a monthly fee for use of their services. Monthly fee not withstanding, both companies are bringing today’s best of cd quality radio to you. Both companies offer a line up of many different music and other listening choices. You will be able to find the station you want to listen to and be able to enjoy music without commmercials.

The most popularized satellite digital radio broadcaster is currently XM Satellite Radio. This company has associated itself by teaming up with many auto makers including General Motors, Honda and Volkswagen. They offer a variety of services, most costing around $10 US a month. In 2004 they launched the first of a line of portable satellite receivers so people can take their music wherever they go. With XM you have service coverage throughout North America, excluding Hawaii. However, in some major cities, XM still needs to install devices to improve signal quality amidst the skyscrapers. XM became newsworthy recently by signing on Oprah Winfrey to their lineup of superstars. There are currently six million subscribers to XM’s satellite digital radio broadcast, twice as many as Sirrus has.

As the only real alternative to XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio has a lot to live up to. They are the underdogs of the satellite digital radio revolution, clocking in at only three million subscribers. Sirius uses three satellites to cover the United States, Canada, Alaska and the upper half of Mexico. As with XM, there is no coverage in Hawaii and there are some quality issues with reception in cities dotted with skyscrapers. Many car companies have teamed up with Sirius to offer factory installed equipment, including: BMW, Daimler-Chrysler, Ford, Toyota and Nissan. Sirius made the news recently with their acquisition of renowned radio personality Howard Stern in January 2005.

Keith Londrie II is a well known author. He has written many great articles on many topics, including satellite radio information. For more information, please visit http://www.digital-radio-info.info/ You may also be interested in Keith’s other offerings at his site http://keithlondrie.com