Satellite Radio Antennas - Improve Your Reception

Conventional radios in our vehicles have an antenna provided for us. Is usually located in the rear of the vehicle and it works for FM and AM which operate in the megahertz and kilohertz frequency range respectively. Satellite radios require an antenna that will not work well from the one in our vehicle, so they require the driver to install it.

The purpose of the antenna is to attract the radio signal from satellites orbiting the earth back to your vehicle. It is not as impossible as you may think since the antenna is highly tuned for the exact frequency that satellite radio providers use. Our only job is to position it in a place where it works close to 100% of the time.

The easiest place to locate the antenna is simply throwing it up on the dash. This works most of the time but the signal from space could be bouncing off the car especially the roof since the antenna is located inside the vehicle. Creating reflection points is the last thing you want to do since it is now harder to reach the antenna. It may be easy to locate the antenna inside but the reception may be fuzzy.

It does not matter which satellite radio provider you choose, the antenna should have a magnet on one end. This works great while attaching it to sheet metal on the external of the vehicle. The sheet metal actually helps the reception by turning the whole vehicle into an extension of the antenna. The antenna uses the antenna currents of the vehicle to boost the reception power of the antenna.

Not all locations on the sheet metal will work the same and you may have to do some trial and error. Antennas work different on each vehicle since the sheet metal is different on each vehicle. This difference changes the reflection points and other antenna properties, which does not make for a cut and dry solution. The roof will mostly work the best since there are no obstructions between the antenna and the satellite. Placing the antenna on the trunk lid may also work well provided the length of the cable is long enough.

Now that you have the antenna positioned, the last word of advice is the antenna cable. This cable is most cases are very long and you have to hide it somewhere. Make sure there are not kinks in the line. This will degrade the signal even though you positioned the antenna correctly. Imagine the cable, as a water hose, any kinks and you would be preventing the water from continuing through. The antenna signal works the same.

Try different spots in your vehicle and even try different spots for your receiver as well. In some cases, moving the receiver can make the reception change drastically. This is only for some models but if you have located the antenna correctly and the reception is still poor, try that next and of course make sure you are using a blank station. Use these tips and you will be on your way to a happy satellite radio experience.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Antennas

How Satellite Radio Gives You Nearly Limitless Choices

Satellite radio is a great product for anyone who does not like one specific type of music. With satellite radio you can choose from hundreds of stations and never get bored with your options. You can listen to rock, dance, reggae, and jazz. If you are interested in sporting events you will find a variety of different sports covered through the two major satellite radio companies.

If you own a satellite radio you do not have to worry about changing radio stations every couple hundred miles like you would have to do with a regular radio station. With a satellite system you can listen to your favorite music while traveling from one side of the United States all the way over to the other side.

A big plus to using satellite radio is all the extras you get with each song. As you listen you will see song titles and the artist's names scroll across your receiver. This is great for all of us that can never remember the name of a song, even though we have heard it several dozen times.

In the past radio hosts and musicians were censored by the radio stations that played their songs or talk shows. But with satellite radio censorship is no longer an issue. Because the programming is very descriptively separated into categories, only people who want to listen to a station will tune into that station. This provides a great way for individuals that enjoy free thinking talk shows and musicians an uninterrupted way of supporting their favorite stars.

Many people argue that they do not want to pay for music when they can listen to it for free over the regular radio stations. But are our regular radio stations really free? Is wasting 15 minutes of your time listening to commercials really a good way to spend your time. Most of us don't think about all the time we waste on commercials during our daily commute into work. With satellite radio you don't have to be bothered with commercials, instead you can listen to your favorite channel uninterrupted for your entire journey.

Satellite radio does require a minimal monthly fee, but this fee is extremely understandable when you consider all the extras that are included in the satellite radio systems. Subscribers are even going to soon be able to see videos using their satellite systems.

Satellite radio is a vastly expanding business that will only grow in the years to come. You don't have to worry about satellite radio being some kind of fad that is going to go away. Satellite radio is here to stay so you should definitely consider giving it a try.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as a car accessories at www.caraccessoriesplus.com

Best LIVE Satellite TV/Radio for Your PC

Are you looking for the best website for watching 1000s of Satellite TV/Radio stations from all around the globe right on your PC? If yes, I've an answer for you. I've purchased a few online TV packages and this is the best site (SatelliteTVtoPC.com) that I recommend for watching more than 3000 quality Satellite TV stations right on your PC with a wide range of selections at the cheapest onetime price.

First of all, you don't need any special/extra hardware or equipment such as TV card or Satellite Receiver to use this service. As soon as signup was done, I got a link to the download site via email to download their software for LIVE broadcasts. I was able to watch worldwide TV stations instantly after installing the software. The picture resolution and sound quality are good. The software is neatly arranged with user-friendly menu options for easy navigation. It provides thousands of TV (3000+) stations and as well as major Radio stations from around the globe.

For instance, if you want to watch LIVE Game broadcasts, you don't need expensive Satellite or Pay-Per-View service anymore. You can watch all of them including their local commercials for FREE in your PC, which we think is the greatest feature. None of the channels are pre-recorded and all of them are LIVE stream videos from the fastest servers in their network. If you're a great Jazz fan, you got all Jazz Radio stations around the world including major US Jazz stations in one place.

The TV/Radio channels are arranged by country names and selecting a specific country's TV stations is very straightforward. I like the stations especially from UK, Canada, Australia, and of course US channels including News, Shopping, Sports, Weather, Movies, Music & much more. If you're a world traveler don't want to miss your home favorite channels, this is the best software for you. All you need is your Laptop, this software and of course internet connection.

Check this out: http://www.MoviesNMusic4u.com/SatelliteTVtoPC

XM vs Sirius Satellite Radio

So you want to switch to satellite radio, but you aren't sure with which service to go with? Two of the biggest names in satellite radio today, XM and Sirius, both offer a large variety of music stations that you would never hear on regular commercial radio. And most of the music channels, for both services, are commercial free. Of course, nothing is truely free. Both Sirius and XM charge you a service fee to listen to their music channels - someone has to pay for those satellites!

So you want to switch to satellite radio, but you aren't sure with which service to go with? Two of the biggest names in satellite radio today, XM and Sirius, both offer a large variety of music stations that you would never hear on regular commercial radio. And most of the music channels, for both services, are commercial free. Of course, nothing is truely free. Both Sirius and XM charge you a service fee to listen to their music channels - someone has to pay for those satellites!

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.

This Sirius vs XM satellite radio review was brought to you by SciNet Science and Technology Search Engine. SciNet is not affiliated with or specifically endorses Sirius or XM satellite radio. Please consult the XM and Sirius product information and configurations before you purchase either device or service. It is also a good idea to seek other product review and information as necessary.

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