What Is Satellite Radio?

Just like the name indicates, satellite radio uses satellites and related equipment to broadcast radio channels to car or home radios. The concept really received its impetus in 1992 when the FCC set aside a chunk of radio frequency for what they called Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). Five years later, Sirius Radio and XM Satellite Radio purchased licenses from the FCC, and both companies started putting the pieces into place to be able to start broadcasting.

Conventional radio waves can only travel 35 to 45 miles before they die out. The signal for satellite radio services is broadcast more than 20,000 miles above the Earth’s surface. Programming on satellite radio is subscriber based, meaning you pay a monthly fee to descramble the signal from the satellites. But, most satellite radio service comes commercial free, so you don’t have to worry about channel hopping. Channels include music, talk radio, sporting events, kids programs, and news.

The Who’s Who of Satellite Radio

There are currently three major players in the satellite radio game: Sirius radio, XM satellite radio, and WorldSpace. Sirius radio covers North America, including the continental U.S., Canada, and Alaska. XM provides service in the continental U.S. WorldSpace is developing coverage in other parts of the world (Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America) and are definitely the most ambitious in terms of client coverage (a potential of 4.6 billion clients covered on 5 different continents). Each company uses different satellite technology and methods to provide service in their respective areas.

Satellite radio equipment, such as car receivers and home stereos, are sold at a variety of consumer electronic stores, and are starting to become standard installations in new cars. Conventional radios cannot receive satellite radio transmissions, so picking up the service usually entails purchasing a receiver, though some kits are available to make conventional radios satellite-radio compatible.

Because of the different technology each company utilizes, receivers are not compatible with every company. For example, if you subscribed to XM but then wanted to switch to Sirius radio, you would need to get a new receiver that was compatible with Sirius. Some satellite television companies include satellite radio service in their channel packages,

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 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

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have designed satellite broadcast systems that differ but they achieve the same high quality of satellite radio. A milestone of this success is the fact that satellite radio signals that are available across the United States and into Mexico and Canada. Rock and Roll – No its not a genre any more! XM Satellite Radio has two satellites named Rock and Roll which remain in parallel geostationary orbit to provide radio coverage throughout the United States. Sirius Satellite Radio has chose to use three satellites in an inclined elliptical orbit. This configuration provides 16 hours per satellite of signal, which gives a great redundancy if any satellite were to fail. Playing it smart, Sirius and XM both have spare satellites, which can be called on in a moments notice if needed.

XM satellite radio and sirius satellite radio have Earth based broadcast stations that are used to send up information to the satellites, which is then dispersed through out the globe. Sirius and XM both have disk jockeys that manage, create and program music which is then sent up to the satellites. The information is then taken in by the satellites and sent through a rebroadcast of the streams to earth. The Major advantage of this is that, unlike earth-based radio stations whose signals reach listeners 150 miles away, satellite radio signals have a huge reach, and are receivable anywhere within the continental United States and hundreds of miles in each direction of the borders. Satellite Radio is growing to become a world wide network and offerings are growing throughout the world. XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio are making it happen!

So How Does Satellite Radio Work: First, a receiver decodes and plays the received signals through an antenna. In the beginning, some cars have used a tuner that accepts the antenna signals and then passes them to a satellite radio-ready radio for playing. Ad the concept has grown out of the car and into the home, home kits for satellite radio use direct RCA inputs for home theater and traditional stereo systems. A Growing number of choices is occurring and each company is developing a broad scope of products for consumers. Already we are seeing receivers for car-only, boom boxes, computer-only, and portables for use in car and home configurations. The companies making these products are, Audiovox, Delphi Skyfi, Terk, and plenty others are jumping on board. Both XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio have licensed recievers and other products for consumers use.

Scott fish is the Owner of http://www.TopSatelliteRadio.com.

Top Satellite Radio is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio. Quick Access: http://www.TopSatRadio.com

sf@topsatelliteradio.com

Normal radio has been around for decades and is part of many people’s lifestyle. This is changing. Regular radio is monitored and regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, whom has fined several radio stations and media companies within the last 3-4 years. The FCC has only fined radio stations a maximum of $27,500 per show no matter how man profanities were aired.

Recently the FCC has been upping the ante and in conjunction with Congress has decided to raise the fine up to $500,000 per incident per station (Potter). A slap on the wrist has turned into a business-changing event. “Sexually explicit comments by Bubba the Love Sponge and Howard Stern could get a station in trouble — no doubt about it. Clear Channel Radio dropped both shock jocks this year after being hit with record fines.”(Potter) Recently Howard Stern has made a move to Sirius Satellite Radio in an effort to preserve his career and free speech. Consumers are reaching towards satellite radio as a way to hear unregulated news and content.

Recently XM Satellite Radio has claimed to have over 3 million subscribers paying $9.99 per month and Sirius claims to have over 1.3 million customers paying $12.95 per month. Many of those customers pay an additional $2.99 per month for premium content such as the upcoming Howard Stern Show.

Several normal radio stations and media outlets are realizing the potential to get their message across in a broad fashion. XM has launched a morning show, which is hosted by Bob Edwards, whom was fired earlier this year by National Public Radio. "The Bob Edwards Show" will air on a public satellite radio channel that also features news and programs from Public Radio International, among others. Sirius has its own public radio channel carrying NPR programs. Consumers and companies are demanding free speech and it seems that satellite radio is the vehicle.

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have designed satellite broadcast systems that differ but they achieve the same high quality of satellite radio. A milestone of this success is the fact that satellite radio signals that are available across the United States and into Mexico and Canada. Rock and Roll – No it’s not a genre any more! XM Satellite Radio has two satellites named Rock and Roll, which remain in parallel geostationary orbit to provide radio coverage throughout the United States. Sirius Satellite Radio has chose to use three satellites in an inclined elliptical orbit. This configuration provides 16 hours per satellite of signal, which gives a great redundancy if any satellite were to fail. Playing it smart, Sirius and XM both have spare satellites, which can be called on in a moments notice if needed.

XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio have Earth based broadcast stations that are used to send up information to the satellites, which is then dispersed through out the globe. Sirius and XM both have disk jockeys that manage, create and program music which is then sent up to the satellites. The information is then taken in by the satellites and sent through a rebroadcast of the streams to earth. The Major advantage of this is that, unlike earth-based radio stations whose signals reach listeners 150 miles away, satellite radio signals have a huge reach, and are receivable anywhere within the continental United States and hundreds of miles in each direction of the borders. Satellite Radio is growing to become a worldwide network and offerings are growing throughout the world. XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio are making it happen.

Unregulated Satellite Radio is the answer for free speech in a government regulated airwaves arena. Not only can listeners hear unbiased information but also they can listen to it anywhere in the United States. Media giants are jumping to get the piece of the pie regarding satellite radio, as the new wave of the future is satellite radio.

Scott fish is the Owner of Satellite Radio Receivers Sirius and XM Reviews

Top Satellite Radio is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio. Quick Access: http://www.TopSatRadio.com

I recommend everyone buy a system for their car of Satellite radio. Go to

http://www.xmradio.com

and check it out. It is very excellent, inexpensive and impressive, soon it will be offered for your wireless PDA. Sirius is also good and has 100 channels their website is

http://www.siriusradio.com

It appears that the radio station industry may be the next hit with advertising lost revenue as more and more people go to satellite radio and dump their regular radios. This is going to hurt them because new car buyers are getting the XM and Sirius systems and many are buying gift certificates for loved ones at Best Buy and Circuit City for after Christmas Installations. We know that the trade Journal Industry is tanked and consolidating fast, that Advertising magazines is way down. That companies like Procter and Gamble and Unilever paying for advertising on results only. Advertising firms are going the way side and this is hurting the industry badly and causing empty office spaces in downtown sections of large cities. Satellite TV has also hurt TV stations by adding channels and therefore people flip channels more often some stations disallow flipping on certain commercials for an extra fee.

Now after reviewing this we have determined a few more facts and after our discussions and confirmations with this Quick Lube we found they had actually increased sales in their two bays to equal the three bay max volume. Simply by installing stereos and developing another set of new clientele, younger crowd on average and there seems to be no end in sight to the number of new people wanting these systems. Just a thought if your volume of oil change customers base is dwindling due to a local low priced competitor, that you might think of other revenue streams to make the lease payments.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

We propose building a uniform for infantry communication specialists, which is an antenna. The sleeves will have elongated zippers. One sleeve will have a zipper which when open will expose a nickel silver antenna, which will go from the elbow to the wrist. The other arm will have an antenna when exposed which goes from the shoulder to the wrist. The longer antenna will have a wire tube, which can be connected to the midpoint of the other forearm antenna.

This wire tube will when extended point past the forearm antenna to complete a directional antenna. The antennas when stored will have dense lead like covers around the zipper to protect them from EA (electronic attack) or detection.

The Soldier will place one arm straight up and unfold the system to the other arm, which will be bent upward at the elbow. The arm pointed straight up will have a base connection, which can touch the jawbone.

We will use technology now available in the Cell Phone Telecom Industry, which allows for non-verbal communication via the vocal cords vibrations and use the inner ear for direct transfer, with a micro recording device on the Shoulder of the soldier. It is theorized that this can be used for human sonar, hyperwave generation, microwave defense, communication, rescue, emergency or as a warning device.

For military it could be used within the battlespace for offensive or defensive operations.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

So what is the difference between Sirius and XM?

First of all, Sirius and XM both offer the same commercial-free music service broadcasted via satellites. Sirius offers 120 channels, or feeds, of music, sports, and entertainment programming. For this service, Sirius charges a flat monthly subscription fee of $12.95 for residents of the continental US. XM currently charges, on the other hand, has 122 channels broadcasting similar content (68 of which are music channels), and charge a slightly smaller monthly fee: $9.95. XM currently has the largest share in the satellite marked with 2 million customers.

So why does Sirius charge more? Sirius claims to have superior sound quality thanks to their statistical multiplexing technology, which provides additional bandwidth across all SIRIUS streams. This is supposed to increase overall sound quality and resolution. There has been little feedback however, to verify whether or not this system really enhances sound quality to a noticeable degree. In addition, Sirius is offering free audio feeds through the internet to its paying customers, something XM charges a couple dollars a month extra for. So if you plan on listening to the radio via the net often, you can expect to pay about the same no matter which company you go with. Sirius also claims to have 24 hour customer service - something XM radio has yet to fully achieve. Oh, and one more thing. Sirius has 2 NPR channels, for you NPR fans out there: NPR Now and NPR Talk. Pretty cool.

So does that mean Sirius is better? Well, that depends. XM has some neat stuff too, like a bunch of cool XM Satellite Radio receivers and displays. They also have the biggest broadcasting network right now, and are probably the most likely to expand services significantly in the near future. Overall, they are just about equal, and you are better off going with either of these services than any other.

Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on the Sirius and XM satellite radio services please visit our XM vs Sirius webpage.

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.

Satellite Radio, in short, can be described as commercial-free music, news, sports and talk shows. Many of the biggest players and events are now available from Sirius radio and XM radio like Howard Stern, Fred Schneider (the B52s), NFL, English Soccer, NBA, NASCAR, NHL, Major League Baseball, INDY, and the PGA.

Satellite radio began in 1992, when the ‘S’ spectrum was allocated by the FCC to four companies. The two main ones, Sirius and XM paid a pretty penny (in fact almost $80 million dollars worth) to buy a license. Satellite-based radio began on May 15th, 2001 when XM Radio completed their satellite system. Sirius followed shortly when they launched in July, 2001. Since then, expanded products and competition has changed the radio landscape.

While automobile manufacturers started installing satellite radio in 2001 and 2002, most new vehicles come equipped with one now. XM has two satellites (called ‘Rock’ and ‘Roll’) in parallel orbits to cover the mainland US market, while Sirius has three. Both have recently been awarded licenses for the Canadian market.

So what are the differences between the two providers?

XM has a flat $9.99 a month fee with no contracts to sign. They have the latest portable equipment. XM offers some of the best varieties of programming available today. They offer 68 commercial-free music channels; 32 channels of News, Sports, Talk & Entertainment; and 21 channels of instant Traffic & Weather in major metro areas. Here’s the latest information of channels:

15 channels of Rock music

11 News channels (Fox, CNN, ABC, CNBC, MSNBC, BBC, C-SPAN, Bloomberg)

11 Talk & Variety channels (Discovery, E!, Experts & advice, African American Talk, Christian Talk)

10 channels of Pop music & Top Hits

7 Country music choices

7 channels of Blues & Jazz music

7 Hip Hop and Urban music choices

6 different channels of music by the Decades (40’s through 90’s)

5 Sports channels (ESPN, Fox, Sporting News, NASCAR)

4 Dance music channels

4 World music choices

3 Christian music choices

3 Comedy entertainment channels (adult comedy, family comedy)

3 Classical music channels

2 Kids entertainment channels (Disney)

2 Latin music choices

Sirius offers a $12.95 per month fee and you can pre-pay for a full year for a discount (works out to $9.99 per month). They offer better sports coverage with play-by-play of the NBA, NHL, and NFL. Sirius has signed some great talent of celebrity DJs. Sirius offers 60 channels of music with no commercials, 50 channels of News, Sports, Talk and Entertainment; and 20 channels of 24/7 Traffic & Weather in major cities. Here’s how Sirius stack up with their channel line up:

16 Talk & Variety channels (Discovery, E!, Talk for Women, CourtTV, Air America, Gay/Lesbian, Body/Mind/Spirit Talk)

14 channels of Rock music

12 channels of Pop music & Top Hits

10 News channels (CNN, CNBC, Fox, NPR, PRI, C-SPAN, BCC, World Radio, Bloomberg)

9 Hip Hop and Urban music choices

7 Sports channels (ESPN, play-by-play channels)

6 Country music choices

6 Jazz music channels

5 Dance music channels

4 different channels of music by the Decades (50’s through 80’s)

3 Classical music channels

2 Christian music choices (Catholic)

2 channels of Blues & Reggae

2 Latin music choices

2 Comedy entertainment channels (regular and uncensored)

2 World music choices

1 Kids entertainment channels (Disney)

To read more on Satellite TV and Radio, please visit my site: http://www.satellite-tv-and-radio.com