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Sirius Radio - Everything You Ever Wanted to KnowNick Smith Sirius radio, or more generally satellite radio, came out just a few years ago. If you’ve never listened to satellite radio or heard about it, this article is your lucky break. In this article you’ll find out what satellite radio is and how it works. 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, and you can receive the transmission through your television satellite dish. How Does Satellite Radio Work This is the cool part. The music, talk show, sporting event, etc., are recorded digitally in a studio, after which the message is encoded. The encoded signal is sent to the satellites from ground stations Sirius radio based in New York; XM based out of D.C.. The satellites then relay the signal to receivers in your car or at home. The receivers contain chipsets that decode the signal and play it through you stereo. In urban areas where taller buildings might block the signal from the satellites, ground repeaters or transmitters are used to resend the signal, eliminating pockets of dead space. XM uses two satellites to cover the continental United States with their signal. Sirius radio uses three satellites to form a satellite constellation. The way they are set in orbit ensures that each satellite spends about 16 hours at a time covering the U.S. and that there is always at least one satellite over the U.S. at any given time. WorldSpace satellites beam three signals each to increase the amount of territory they are able to cover with their three satellites. All three companies have reserve satellites ready to launch in case one of their satellites stops working. Satellite radio technology looks like it’s here to stay. It is ideal for those that live in areas where normal radio reception is poor, or for those willing to pay a little each month to not have to listen to commercials. Chances are good that soon every new car you buy will have satellite radio installed, and that more and more homes will be equipped for it. I have only covered the basics. It is definitely worth your time to find out more about what each company has to offer.
| | | | RELATED ARTICLES The Right Bathroom Accessories Will Make Your Bathroom Unforgetable Bathrooms arent just about the basics but are about the bathroom accessories! Bathrooms have become places to relax and unwind. They are not just for doing your business and leaving. People have spent time in designing a place to find peace and quiet! And the bathroom accessories that you have in there will help accomplish this! Window Shutters on a Budget While there is great value in installing custom-made interior wood window shutters, sometimes they are still too expensive for certain applications.Some alternatives – including poly or vinyl shutters – are less expensive but also much less attractive.For a high-quality solution at a lower cost, look for a company that sells individual solid wood shutter panels that can be installed in any configuration. Ship Ahoy! 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They are made in nature and, once harvested by people, are refined into beautiful kitchen countertops that will add value to any kitchen. They come in many colors, colors that are made in nature and of true iridescent quality. A Well Chosen Bathroom Vanity Will Make Your Bathroom Look Great! A bathroom vanity is the centerpiece of your bathroom.Regardless of how well the rest of the bathroom is decorated, it just won’t look right without the right bathroom vanity cabinet.Fortunately, there are many options for someone who wants a new bathroom vanity.For example, some bathtub supplies are very popular and durable such as bathroom vanity cabinets made almost entirely out of frosted glass.Or, if you prefer more traditional bathroom vanity cabinets, exquisite bathroom vanity cabinets made almost entirely of wood are also available. Grandfather Clocks Bring a Sense of Awe…Theyre So Tall Standing tall and big are the stately grandfather clocks. They are huge, immense beings with personalities of their own, and do they tell time. Boy oh boy - do they tell time. They also go ding dong a lot. At least the antique grand father clocks would. One has to realize that grandfather clocks are less about time than they are about other things. Using a Feng Shui Compass What should you look for in a feng shui compass and how should you use it Pine Furniture Care Guide First, some background on PINE WOOD. Pine is a naturally soft wood which continues to "breathe", based upon changes in the local home, office, store, etc. humidity and temperature. On the individual furniture piece there may be slight defects, such as knots,and shakessmall cracks in the surface of the wood. Some minor shrinkage may sometimes occur. These natural irregularities in pine enhance its overall uniqueness. Electrical Safety in the home Electricity is a wonderful part of our lives, clearly enabling us to do so many of the things we take for granted. Food preparation, entertainment, communication, and so much more are all dependent upon the delivery of electricity. And yet, coming into direct contact with electrical current can severely injure you. In some cases, it can even kill you. Here are some things you can do to keep safe. Some of what we suggest may seem obvious, but we include it here because we believe its impossible to over emphasize the importance of safety. How Can I Stop Foreclosure On My House We understand the being in foreclosure is a scary thing. You are probably wondering how can I stop foreclosure on my house. There are many options available when facing foreclosure. They may include reinstating the loan, forbearance, loan modification, mortgage refinancing, sale of the property, deed in lieu of foreclosure, or bankruptcy filing. Want a Garden, But Don’t have Enough Dirt Or Space Hydroponics Gardening Is The Answer! Hydroponics gardening is the perfect solution for anybody who wants a garden, but does not have enough space or dirt.Hydroponics gardening is, simply put, a method of growing plants using a nutrient solution instead of dirt.With hydroponics gardening, you are able to grow beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables virtually anywhere you want.In addition, hydroponics gardening requires much less maintenance than a normal garden would.In fact, you will usually spend less than five minutes a day maintaining your hydroponics garden.Every few weeks the nutrient solution will have to be replaced, but that too will only take a few minutes.While some heavy fruiting vegetables like tomatoes and peppers may not be able to thrive in the nutrient solution, almost all other types of flowers and vegetables will just fine in a hydroponics garden. Avoid the "How Much" Hassle When Buying Firewood How much firewood should I buy, and when should I buy it These are questions that may lead busy homeowners to postpone ordering their firewood. Here are some answers from fireplace experts. Laser Measuring Devices I have used a Hilti PD-30 laser distance measure for about six months now and at first the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on a fancy electronic measuring tape seemed crazy. But I have come to depend on this little electronic wonder. Spring Into Action: Home Maintenance Spring has sprung! Even more important than buds, birds, and bees, spring brings buyers! When buyers are looking for a place to nest, they would really rather not see problems. As it turns out, nearly every home inspected has problems or imperfections of some sort or size. Most issues are very minor and simple to correct. Almost all are a result of deferred maintenance. Authenticity Of Vastu Science of Indian architecture Vastu is one of the most ancient sciences of Indian architecture and is composed of specific rules, regulations and directions, set down by sages of the vedic times. For the modernsociety it is the highly evolved, comprehensive building philosophy. Tasteful Home Decorating Changes Your House Into a Home There is this undocumented story about Andrew Carnegie who kept postponing the decision to redecorate his home just because black, his default color of choice, was simply not used in home decorating those days! Mercifully today, you could well translate your home decorating ideas into alluring reality. For home interior decorating no longer means just coloring your walls in pastel shades and showing off your antiques – it is about using all the home decorating tips that one can get to highlight the most of what one possesses. Unless of course you wish to shrug the opportunity and call in a professional designer. But even this experience could be fascinating – what with "walk-throughs" in your "virtually" designed home before even a single coat of paint is applied! Yes, with home decorating, either way you always come up trumps! How To Choose The Right Television For You Watching television has progressed from a luxury that only few had in their homes in the middle of the last century to the point where most consumers not only have one television, but often they may have several. And television programming has expanded greatly from just the three big networks to a whole host of other channels as well. |
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