Americans are slowly changing the way that they listen to music. Instead of listening to limited radio stations that are sometimes filled with commercials, people are now getting their music through satellite radio.

Sirius and XM are the top suppliers of satellite radio. To listen to this amazing, commercial free programming all listeners will need a satellite radio player. If you are interested in making the switch from traditional radio programming to satellite radio then you have four options when it comes to selecting a player.

(1) Satellite Radio Players for the Car

When you are in your car, how often do you turn the radio on? Since the majority of Americans listen to music when they are in their vehicle, satellite radio players for the car are always in demand. Satellite radio players that are designed for cars often come in two varieties. There are some players that can be inserted where a traditional car radio goes. These players would require a mounting plate. Circle or other shaped players can be mounted on the dashboard or the ceiling of vehicle.

The average price for satellite radio players designed for the car is between $70 and $150.

(2) Portable Satellite Radio Players

In addition to satellite radio, other advancements in music include Ipods and MP3 players. These products are popular because they are portable. One thing that many individuals, maybe even yourself included, do not know about satellite radios is that some of them are also portable. These portable players are most commonly used when exercising or traveling on foot.

The average price for a portable satellite radio is between $200 and $350.

(3) Home-based Satellite Radio Players

Satellite radio players that are designed for home are similar to the above mentioned players; however, they are often stationary. Home-based satellite radios come in a wide variety of different designs. The different design options make it possible to match a player with a particular home dcor color or style. Due to the size of most home satellite radios, they are often unable to be used in vehicles or as portable players.

The average price for a home-based satellite radio player is between $100 and $400.

(4) AllinOne Satellite Radios

If you are music lover then it is likely that the above mentioned satellite radio players appealed to you, but what if all of them did? Purchasing a satellite radio player for the home, vehicle, and another one to take with wherever you go can get fairly expensive. All-in-one satellite radios are a solution to that potentially expensive problem. All-in-one satellite radios are small enough so they can be transported whenever you go and they can also be used in the home or in your car.

The average price of an all-in-one satellite player is between $150 and $350.

The features found on a satellite radio player will all depend on the manufacturer; however, there are some common product features. The majority of satellite radio players come with rechargeable batteries, full color displays, channel presents, a remote control, and song storage. Portable players are likely to come with headphones and a belt clip. Satellite radios that are designed for the vehicle are likely to come with stands, suction cups, and other dashboard accessories.

If you are interested in subscribing to a commercial-free satellite radio service then you will need at least one of the above mentioned satellite radio players. Of course, you have the final decision when it comes to selecting a particular player, but you should know that all-in-one satellite radio players are now the most popular. All-in-one satellite radios give you the ability to hook the player up to your car speakers, your speakers at home, or your headphones. To most Americans, the features are well worth the price.

About the Author:

Matt Barstow offers valuable tips and information about satellite radio, players, and services. Read his latest report answering the most popular questions about satellite radio. http://www.satellite-radio-review.net

Written By: Matt Barstow

You have probably heard of the two satellite radio companies, Sirius Radio and XM Satellite Radio, but you may not know a lot about them such as how much each costs or what radio talent is available on each. Many people are tired of listening to regular AM and FM radio stations for several reasons. It may be that they are tired of being bombarded with commercials. It may be that they do not like the programming available to them. On the other hand, it may simply be that they are in a rural area and tired of losing their radio signal all the time. Regardless of the reason, many consumers are turning to satellite radio as a viable alternative to regular radio stations.

Both companies are able to offer you static free radio due to satellites. XM (based in Washington D.C.) has two and Sirius (based in New York) has three satellites across the United States. Both companies offer users commercial free radio. Sirius offers over 125 channels and XM offers 160 different channels. There are dedicated channels for genres of music such as jazz, folk, country and pop for diehard fans. One cool feature of satellite radio is you can see the name of the artist playing as well as the song title. So never again do you have to spend time wondering just who sang that song you just heard! There are also channels for local weather and traffic, sports, comedy, women’s issues, talk shows, even old time radio shows. Soon, you may be able to see video as well as hear audio on your satellite radios.

There are also celebrity shows for both satellite radio companies. Martha Stewart recently signed a deal to launch a 24-hour radio channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. And most everyone has heard that Howard Stern is on Sirius as well – uncensored. Having gotten in trouble with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for his radio talk show, he decided to jump to the uncensored airways of satellite radio. Since his show started, the Sirius subscriber base has increased by at least 2.7 million. If have satellite radio and want to hear National Public Radio (NPR), you will have to subscribe to Sirius as they are the only one offering NPR. But XM is not to be left behind by Sirius. XM signed Snoop Doggy Dog, but the big coop is Oprah. In September of 2006, XM users will be able to tune in to Oprah & Friends. The new channel will offer broadcasts of The Oprah Winfrey Show, O, the Oprah Magazine and programming on fitness, health and self improvement.

All this sounds great, but what do you actually need to be able to receive satellite radio? You will need either a Sirius or an XM radio. This does not necessarily have to be a radio only for use in your car either. There are also home radios available today and there are even radios you can use both at home and in your car. The price for a basic radio offered by both Sirius and XM is as low as $49.99. You will also need to subscribe to a service. Both Sirius and XM charge $12.95 a month for you to receive satellite signals on your radio. However, if you have several cars with satellite radios, you can save by choosing the family plan available from both companies.

Just how popular is satellite radio becoming? In March of 2005, Hyundai announced that it would be the first automaker to put satellite radios in all of its models sold in the United States. Each Hyundai, including the popular Sonata, Santa Fe, and Elantra models, will come equipped with an XM satellite radio. When this was announced, shares in XM’s parent company rose by more than 8 percent. Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz also announced in March 2005 that Sirius radios would be a dealer-installed option on some of their models.

So which satellite radio should you choose? That depends on you. You should check out the stations available by visiting each company on the web before making a decision. Both offer radios at comparable prices, so it really comes down to what you want to hear. Are you a Stern fan? Then you have to go with Sirius. But if you love Oprah, you can only hear her on XM. Regardless of which one you choose, you will no doubt be very pleased with the services and reception of satellite radio.

About The Author

Matt Barstow offers valuable tips and information about satellite radio, players, and services. Read his latest report answering the most popular questions about satellite radio. http://www.satellite-radio-review.net.

Written By: Matt Barstow

Satellite radio has quite literally been a god send to people who live or travel regularly in remote locations, or even for people who are required to travel long distances. Static-free reception can now be experienced and enjoyed by listeners who have a satellite radio even if they are
in the remotest of locations.

In the past if you were travelling for long periods, every hour or so you would have to start tweaking with the radio dial, as the radio station you were just listening to began to turn to static after it seemed to fade in and out for a while. You would then frantically try to locate a new radio station to listen to and just as you did, it too would turn static. This would go on until eventually there were no
decent stations left on the dial and then finally you would succumb to putting on a cassette or a CD or even turning off the entire stereo all together. But with the advent of satellite radio, static, tuning, fiddling and complete boredom will soon be a thing of the past.

The standard, more conventional radio signals are only able to travel around 30-40 miles from their original
transmitters so if you travel beyond this distance then the signal will eventually get weaker and weaker until you are no longer able to hear the transmission at all. However in a far greater development of technology, satellite radio waves travel from space (around 22,000 miles) meaning that you will be able to travel across the entire country without even having to change national radio stations because the frequency will be consistent and strong.

Automobile manufacturers have been installing satellite radio receivers as standard fittings for some years now, so
when the satellite radio transmission finally begins most drivers will be able to clearly access the signals and won’t
experience any problems in utilizing the new technology. What a revolution!! Currently there are only three space-based radio broadcasters who are working on the
development of this technology. In 1997, the government agency the Federal Communications Commission gave licenses
worth around $80 million to these companies to experiment and deliver on the allocated radio band for digital satellite radio transmission.

These three satellite radio companies have conducted completely different research programs and as a result naturally are now offering different products to the market.
As a result there is more then likely going to be a ‘VHS versus Beta’ type battle between the companies as the
technology progresses. Two of the companies, XM Radio and Worldspace have made a formal agreement to share new
technological developments with the other party and to make every effort to work collaboratively to develop and design
further innovations in this expanding communications field. This partnership can only be a good thing for consumers,
particularly consumers who frequent remote locations on a regular basis and who need to communicate with the outside world when they do so.

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

Written By: Corbin Mathieson

Corbin Mathieson Ask Satellite

Rapid Satellite provides the best selection of Sirius Radio satellite equipment

RapidSatellite.com was one of the first web sites I found offering satellite radio satellite equipment. They only carry Sirius satellite radio products, but they have a good selection.

Right now RapidSatellite.com is having a great special programming offer. For $129 you can get a Sirius satellite radio system for both the home and car. Pay $179 now and get a $50 rebate from Sirius Radio. I bet they won’t be continuing that offer for long as they’ll get sold out overnight! That is one heck of a deal. I was pricing XM Radio for car and home and the prices were significantly higher on other websites. But for $129 getting satellite radio for car and home? That’s what I call a no brainer. Click the link here to see for yourself. What a deal. I still can’t believe it.

Almost forgot to mention that if you pay for a year’s service of Sirius satellite radio they’ll throw in three months free. That’s not a bad deal folks.

Ok now on to review what satellite equipment RapidSatellite.com has to offer for Sirius Radio buffs.
Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver (requires Plug-n-Play Module)
Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio Shuttle Portable Tuner. This package includes just the Sirius tuner & remote. Requires a Home Adapter Kit and/or Vehicle Adapter Kit. $99.99

Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio Tuner (Requires Home or Car Module)
Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio Here2Anywhere tuner. This package includes the Sirius Tuner and Remote. Requires a Vehicle Adapter Kit and/or Home Adapter Kit. $99.99

Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio System w/ Plug & Play Home Use Kit
Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio Here2Anywhere tuner. This package includes the Sirius tuner, remote and home adapter kit. $149.99

Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio System w/ Vehicle Plug & Play Kit
Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio Shuttle Portable Tuner. This package includes the Sirius tuner, remote and Vehicle Adapter Kit. $149.99

Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio System w/ Home Plug & Play Kit
Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio Shuttle Portable Tuner. This package includes the Sirius tuner, remote and Home Adapter Kit. $149.99

Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio System w/ FM Wireless Vehicle Plug & Play Kit
Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio Here2Anywhere tuner. This package includes the Sirius tuner, remote and FM Wireless Vehicle Adapter Kit. $149.99

Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio System w/ Both Home & Vehicle Plug & Play Kit ($129.99 after $50 Sirius Rebate)
Audiovox Sirius Satellite Radio Shuttle Portable Tuner. This package includes the Sirius tuner, remote, Home Adapter Kit and Vehicle Adapter Kit. ($50 Sirius Rebate) $179.99

Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio System w/ Both Home & FM Wireless Vehicle Plug & Play Kits (149.99 After $50 Sirius Rebate)
Kenwood Sirius Satellite Radio Here2Anywhere tuner. This package includes the Sirius Tuner, Remote, FM Wireless Vehicle Adapter Kit & Home Adapter Kit. $199.99

As you can see I really like RapidSatellite.com for their package selections at reduced prices. They really know how to entice someone to buy!

RapidSatellite.com is a member of the Better Business Bureau Online and #1 in consumer satisfaction among cable and satellite TV suppliers as rated by J.D. Power and Associates. Basically, you can trust this company that when you order you’ll get what you ordered with no problems.

After you put the item in your shopping cart and decide to checkout you’ll need to create an account. Just the usual of name, address, username, password which speeds up the checkout process later and allows you to not type it all back in the next time you purchase from them. They cannot ship to P.O. boxes, so you’ll have to use a real address. The not shipping to P.O. Boxes is from credit card fraud. People steal credit cards and then get items shipped to P.O. Boxes. Cutting out shipping to P.O. Boxes cuts out that fraud.

After you enter your delivery address they’ll run it past the USPS to make sure there are no problems delivering your item. That’s a really nice feature that they double check your address. Shipping was only $9.99 for a receiver shipped to my zipcode in the middle of nowhere. They accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

Their toll free phone number that is staffed 24 hours 7 days a week is always visible at the upper left corner of every page. I don’t know about you but that inspires confidence in them for me.

About the Author

Christine Breen is the successful owner of the website 1Stop-Satellite-Radio.com which educates consumers about satellite radios.

Written By: Christine Breen

Ever wonder how this whole satellite radio thing works? I mean, it seems to be THE thing now. Many auto manufacturers are installing satellite radio receivers in their new automobiles, and there are home and portable models available through your favorite electronics outlet. But what is it? How does it work? Why should I pay for radio?

You pay for TV, dont you?

Once, in those long gone days of yore, cable television operators offered us television, which we had happily been receiving for free through big tree-branchy things on our roofs, for a fee. Many people scoffed at the idea of paying for 30 channels when they received four or five, gratis. Well, just look at us now cable TV, satellite TV, 500 channels not quite filling us up. So lets stop asking questions about why you should pay for satellite radio, and lets find out how the dern thing works.

Well, how does the dern thing work?

Lets start by looking at the type of radio you are used to. AM radio broadcasts at a frequency range from 535 kilohertz (kHz) to 1700 kilohertz (1.7 MHz). FM broadcasts between 88 MHz to 108 MHz. Without getting too technical, one hertz is basically one cycle per second. So FM radio waves transmitted at 88MHz are cycling 88 million times per second. This seems like a lot, but is actually relatively slow. Slower cycles require larger antennas to transmit and to receive them. Also, radio station antennas are stationary and earthbound, and are therefore limited in range. At higher cycles, smaller antennas suffice. Cell phones range from 824 MHz to 1990 MHz (1.99GHz), depending on the type of service; this is a much faster cycle, and therefore a smaller antenna is used. Satellite radio is broadcast at 2.3 GHz, so your car or portable receiver has no trouble picking up the signal. There have also been great advances in antenna technology, which provide us with a relatively small, flat antenna rather than a dish that would have to be constantly adjusted to point toward the satellite as we drove around town picking up kids from soccer practice.

All them numbers hertz my brain.

Lets lay megahertz and gigahertz aside for a moment. In addition to those higher frequencies, satellite radio signals come from, you guessed it, satellites. These satellites are in a geosynchronous orbit, which is an orbit that keeps the satellite always above one location on the planet, making it stationary relative to the earth. The satellite receives a digital signal from the ground station and bounces it back to us. Because the signal is digital, it can be compressed and beamed out packed full of additional data (disguised as 0s and 1s), and received by any satellite radio receiver tuned to the signal. Satellite radio receivers can pick up the broadcast from anywhere in the coverage area (meaning the whole US) because the satellite is orbiting at about 22,200 miles (35,000 km) above the earth, which allows for a greater dispersion of the signal. Its analogous to water flowing from a showerhead. An inch from the showerhead, the water is a relatively tight stream. At the other end of the shower, the water sprays all over the wall, and gets on the bathroom floor, causing your wife to yell angrily about the mess. Satellite radio beams work in much the same way. The radio signal is much more widely dispersed 22,000 miles from the satellite that sent the signal. So with satellite radio, you can listen to the same station as you drive from New York City to Los Angeles, whereas traditional radio has a range of only about 30 to 40 miles. And thanks to repeaters, or signal boosters, placed in urban areas, you can receive generally uninterrupted signals even driving through cities with large buildings and thick bridges.

Hey, thats kind of cool!

But wait! Theres much, much more! The digital signal can carry much larger packets of data, and satellite radios are equipped with chipsets, or processors, that can decode that data. So satellite radios not only play the music, but also decode and display information containing the song title, album, artist, and genre. Satellite radio owners can also choose from hundreds of stations, which allows for specialization, just like your cable or satellite TV. In the same manner that you can get the HBO Comedy Hits of the Brahman Caste of Nepal Channel, and Tasmanian Worm Wrestling on ESPN 127, you can receive niche music, comedy, news, and sports broadcasts on your satellite radio. Pick your genre: any decade since the 40s, Rock, Country, Urban, Jazz, Blues, Dance, Latin, World Music (e.g. Chinese, Indian, African), Classical, Kids, and even news, sports, comedy, and talk. You can also tune in to any sub-genre of the above; for example, in the Rock category you can listen to soft, heavy, classic, deep cuts, acoustic, instrumental, and even unsigned acts.

Maybe I should get me one of them there satellite radios

Now that you know how it works, you can listen for the sheer pleasure of it – without all those nagging technical questions churning in the back of your mind. Go get you one.

About the author:
Albert Medinas has developed and maintains the website Satellite Radio Galaxy, which answers the most common questions people have about Satellite Radio. Please visit us at http://www.satelliteradiogalaxy.comtoday.

Written By: Albert Medinas

A satellite radio or subscription radio (SR) is a digital radio that receives signals broadcast by communications satellite that covers a much wider geographical range than normal radio signals.

The satellite radios function anywhere there is line of sight between the antenna and the satellite, given there are no major obstructions, such as tunnels or buildings. SR audiences can follow a single channel regardless of location within a given range.

As the technology requires access to a commercial satellite for signal propagation, SR 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.

The satellite radios use the 2.3GHz S band in North America, and generally shares the 1.4GHz L band with local Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) stations elsewhere. It is a type of direct broadcast satellite, and is strong enough that it requires no satellite dish to receive. Curvature of the Earth limits the reach of the signal, but due to the high orbit of the satellites, two or three are usually sufficient to provide coverage for an entire continent.

Presently, the main radio satellite service provider in Europe, Asia and Africa is WorldSpace. WorldSpace has its own satellites covering most of Europe, Asia and Africa.

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio are the two radio satellite gains in the United States and entire North America. A monthly fee is charged for both services. Sirius offers a one time fee plan of nearly $500 valid for the lifetime of the equipment. These offer the news, weather, sports, and several music channels.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) commenced the Canada’s first satellite radio operations on November 1, 2004.

About the author:

About Author: The author is a writer for a Technology and Gadgets website http://www.nextforum.net You can even ask questions and find quick answers on forums for technology here http://forums.nextforum.net

Written By: Gagandeep Dhaliwal

Satellite radio has been a godsend to people in remote locations, or even just those who travel long distances. In the past while on a long car trip, every hour or so you’d have to start fiddling with the radio, as the station you were listening to turned to static after up to an hour of fading in and out. Then just as you’d find a new one, it, too would go to static, and so it would go on. Now with the advent of satellite radio, that static and fiddling will be a thing of the past.

Conventional radio signals can only travel 30 or 40 miles from their source, so the further away you travel from the radio transmitter, the fainter and weaker these traditional signals will become. Satellite radio waves travel from space – 22,000 miles away, yet you will be able to travel across the country without having to change radio stations and quite possibly without having to endure endless commercials about things that you are not really interested in.

Cars, with satellite radios, have been coming for many years now. But as the service takes off many more drivers will be making use of the new technology and be grateful for the flexibility it provides. At present there are only three space-based radio broadcasters, but many more are in the pipeline, as the Federal Communications Commission sanctioned a sum of $80 million to give licenses to companies to make use of the specified radio band for digital satellite radio transmission.

These three different satellite companies have done research and development in different areas and this has led to the offering of different services by them. No doubt the VHS Vs Beta type of battle would continue to intensify in the time to come as the technology progresses. Only time and sponsorship would decide who the winner of this battle would be. But whatever happens, it would only be good news for travelers as more and more companies are waiting to join this exciting field.

Two of the companies, XM Radio and Worldspace, already have an agreement with each other to share new technological developments and to continue to work together to create further innovations in this expanding field. This can only be good for consumers, particularly those who frequent remote locations on a regular basis.

About The Author

Distanza Betrachtung is the owner and operator of Rob Satellite, Inc., a leading Internet portal for satellite information. For more satellite information and resources, be sure to visit: http://www.robsatellite.com.

Written By: Distanza Betrachtung

Well if you like to listen to music the answer is yes!

But you probably already have a radio that works quite nicely and are wondering why you might want to switch, right?

Satellite radio is a paid subscription – it works via a satellite feed so you can listen to the radio anywhere you want and there is no range restrictions so your favorite song won’t become garbled with static as you drive down the road out of range. It works like satellite television, except it can travel with you. A satellite radio can go in your home, your car or you can carry it around with you. It provides crystal clear digital sound no matter where you are and is commercial free.

Satellite radio can really open up the range and choices of music. With satellite radio subscriptions, you typically have access to several music channels, which reach all genres and subgenres of music. The best providers will also provide you dozens of channels for the latest news, talk radio, and information, along with local traffic and weather forecasts and all the sports events you could want.

XM Radio is rapidly growing and services over 2 million listeners providing 68 music channels. With this satellite radio, you can get country, rap, classical, bluegrass, rock, reggae and most anything else you can imagine. IN addition, there are over 30 channels just for news , sports, talks shows and other entertainment programs that don’t include music. And if that’s not enough there is another couple of dozen channels that provide weather and traffic for most major cities.

If you want satellite radio you will need a reciever and antennae to pick up the satellite feed. This equipment is state of the art, and the best subscription services also offer AM and FM as well as CD accessibility. Satellite radio can be set up to work with your existing home entertainment system, in your car or as a portable that you can bring with you.

Some of the new satellite radios and receivers are quite small and lightweight and good for carrying around. All satellite receivers will conveniently display the channel, song title, and artist name. If it’s a sporting event, they abbreviations for each team will be shown so you can find that game you are looking for instantly instead of having to wait until the announcer mentions one of the teams.

Of course, satellite radio is perfect for listening to in the car since you won’t have to fiddle with tuning knobs or try to find a new station as you drive out or range of what you are listening. Conveniently, many new cars are coming equipped with satellite radio service and even offer it free for 30 days. Don’t worry, though if you don’t want to pay for the service after your trial is up, your radio receiver will still work with the usual AM and FM channels.

About the author:

Lee Dobbins writes for a2z-satellite where you can find more about satellite services including satellite tv, radio and internet.

Written By: Lee Dobbins

(ARA) – With over 100 channels of music, news, sports, and entertainment, satellite radio is shaping up to be one of the hottest gifts.

Best Buy, the nations largest electronics retail chain, recently declared that the XM satellite radio was one of the most wanted mobile electronics gifts. Business Week magazine named the Roady satellite radio one of the best products of the year alongside the new $20 bill and the AIDS medicine Fuzeon.

Satellite radio aims to offer programming to satisfy most every taste, from classical music to hip hop, bluegrass to blues, underground rock to contemporary hits. Non-music channels include Fox News, BBC Radio, ESPN Radio, and audio books.

Unlike typical FM and AM radio stations, satellite radio channels play few or no commercials. Listeners can tune into a favorite station in one city and keep listening as they travel from coast to coast without interruption. The sound is static-free and sharper than traditional radio. Satellite radios also have a display screen that shows the name of the artist and song playing on each channel.

XM, the leading provider of satellite radio, can be played on a car radio, home stereo, or computer. It offers a portable boombox that can be carried most places, indoors or outdoors. Listeners pay a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 a month.

When satellite radio was first introduced in 2001, there were plenty of skeptics. Many questioned whether a subscription radio service could compete with free radio.

But with over 1 million subscribers in less than two years of business, XM says the service has struck a chord with the public. Hugh Panero, the company president and CEO, says the primary appeal to shoppers is the variety of programming. Satellite radio has something that appeals to most anyone, whether you like jazz, stand-up comedy, or NASCAR racing, said Panero.

Some of the more unique channels offer childrens music and storytelling, old-time radio shows like The Shadow and The Lone Ranger, and music that gets scant airplay on FM and AM, such as reggae, tejano, and folk music.

There are several kinds of satellite radios at prices ranging from $50 to $300. The newest model for the car and home is the Delphi Roady. It comes with a radio receiver, micro antenna, and car adapters for $119.99.

Another option is the portable SKYFI audio system, which retails for $229.99.

Satellite radios are available at most retail stores that sell consumer electronics. You can also get it as a feature in several models of new cars.

For more information about XM Radio, you can visit its Web site at www.xmradio.com. Fans of XM have their own, independent Web site at www.xmfan.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content