Satellite radio has become more and more popular these last few years and one of the reasons is the quite and static free reception enjoyed by the listener even in remote locations. If you have ever been on a road trip in a car and trying to tune the radio, you know how frustrating it can be to try to keep the radio tuned.

As soon as you find a good station,you will drive out of the area and it will become static and then fade away
completely. It was a pain to travel from one area to another constantly fiddling with the tuner to get a working station. And it seems that as soon as you find one that picks up properly, you have driven out of the area and cant pick it up anymore. But now technology has advanced and with satellite radio, you can now pick up any station from the satellite.

Radio signals can travel only about 30 to 40 miles past the transmitter. This is why when you are travelling and you
drive too far away from the radio transmitter, it becomes static and eventually you lose the signal completely. The good news is that technology has come a long way and just like we have satellites for television, we also have them for radio. Satellite radio lets you hear your station from anywhere you go in the country. It has never been easier to have great radio.

What you might not know is that automobile manufacturers have been installing satellite receivers in cars for many years now. This is helping technology advance and makes it easier for you to keep up with the changing trends. In fact, the FCC has given out around $80 million dollars to different companies that are researching this technology. All of this research means better radio for you.

You may have already heard that there are three main companies that are involved in satellite radio technology. There is a lot of competition between these companies which can only be expected. Worldspace and XM Radio are two of these three companies and they have signed an agreement with each other. They have agreed to share any technology so this is a huge benefit to you the consumer. The more these companies can work together, the better the benefits to the consumer will be.
About the Author

Corbin Mathieson is the owner of Ask Satellite, Inc. which is a premier source of information about Satellite. For more information, go to: http://asksatellite.com

Written By: Corbin Mathieson

It looks like satellite radio is here to stay. With the availability of equipment and the benefits the service has to offer, it seems more and more people are choosing to use satellite radio. If you are wondering how satellite radio works, read on.

Satellite radio offers you commercial free radio. No more static, no more interrupted broadcasts; just hour after hour of uninterrupted music. And you won’t lose your favorite radio station as you cross the state. But you will have to pay for all this convenience.

Your dependable traditional radio won’t work for satellite radio, so you’ll need to purchase a new radio and you will need to have it installed (unless you are purchase a portable system). The price of the new radio varies depending on the model you choose. You’ll also need to pay an activation fee and a monthly fee.

Think of satellite radio as an extension of cable. For your monthly fee you’ll get edgier and less censored programming, innovative programming, more channels, and specialty channels. As an added convenience, while you’re listening to the music you’ll see the name of the song and the artist name displayed which means no more confusion about whose song is playing.

Back in 1992 the FCC allocated the 2.3 GHz or S band for nationwide broadcasting of satellite based DARS. Four companies applied for licensing and two were granted licenses. The two that were granted licenses were Sirius and XM. Both already had satellites in orbit.

They operate by beaming their programming to their satellite, which then transmits the signal to the ground. Your satellite radio then picks up the channel you have selected to listen to.

For listeners that live in urban areas satellite signals can become interrupted, so the satellite providers also beam the signal to ground repeaters to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Sirius was the first to offer commercial free programming on its music channels, but both Siruis and XM now have commercial free programming. Both are competitively priced. Currently, XM offers over 160 commercial free channels. Sirius has over 125 commercial free channels.

The special programming that Siruis and XM carry is the deciding factor of which service to choose for many people. Sirius carries NFL football games; XM carries college games. XM carries NASCAR races; Siruis has a Playboy channel. Sirius carries Howard Stern; XM carries Oprah.

Satellite radio is no longer the radio of the future. It’s the radio of today, and is being chosen over traditional radio programming by more and more people every day.

About The Author:
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for SatelliteCritique. To learn more about satellite radio and satellite TV, visit http://www.satellitecritique.com/ and http://www.satellitecritique.com/satellitetvreview/

Written By: Gray Rollins