Satellite Radio vs. Digital HD Radio - And The Winner Is

There's a lot of buzz right now about satellite radio, largely because of Howard Stern's move to Sirius Satellite Radio.

While moving to Sirius might make sense for Howard because of his scatological language and on-the-air hi-jinks, it just might not make as much sense for most radio listeners.

You see, satellite radio is about to see competition from a new technology called HD Radio.

HD Radio is the digital system recently approved by the U.S. Government for multicasts of local AM and FM radio. This is, of course, broadcast radio ? meaning there is no fee and no subscription required.

The benefits of HD radio are:

AM radio sounds as good as today's FM radio.

FM sounds almost as good as if you were listening to a CD.

Multicasting means that stations can add as many as two additional digital subchannels to their primary broadcasts. And broadcasters have said that many of these subchannels will be commercial free -- at least initiallyi ? just like satellite radio.

HD radio includes text messaging so that you eventually will be able to receive real-time weather forecasts, traffic updates and other information right on your radio.

People who have been testing the first HD tabletop radio from Boston Acoustics have said maybe satellite broadcasters better start worrying. The Recepter HD radio measures just 4.4 by 7.6 by 6.75 inches, with an extension speaker that is 4.4 by 4.4 by 6.0 inches, but produces sound that can only be described as amazing.

Besides being free and offering great sound, HD radio has another important feature that satellite radio can't match. Its programming is local. Satellite radio may be commercial free, but there's no local weather reports, no traffic updates, no local news, no local personalities.

The battle between satellite radio vs. terrestrial radio is not going to go away. Satellite radio will grow in popularity. And terrestrial radio is about to get a second life ? thanks to digital HD radio.

So, the real winner in this war won't be either. It will be us consumers. We will be able to choose satellite radio, conventional AM or FM radio, digital HD Radio or all three.

It really is a case of ?the more choices, the merrier.?

Do you play golf? If you do and you'd like to reduce your handicap -- and have a great vacation -- all at the same time, you just can't beat North or South Carolina. To learn more about golf schools in these two states, including their costs, just go to http://www.topcarolinagolfschools.com

Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive, an avid golfer, the author of numerous articles on HD radio, and the Internet and the publisher and webmaster of http://www.hd-radio-home.com

How Does Satellite Radio Work

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.

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for SatelliteCritique.com. For our satellite radio guide and for satellite radio reviews, visit us.

Sirius S50: Combine Your Favorite Satellite Radio Programs with Your Favorite MP3s

Have you ever wanted to combine the benefits of commercial free satellite radio along with listening to your favorite MP3s, all while driving in your car? If so, Sirius Satellite Radio may offer the product that you've been looking for. While car receivers that allow you to listen to satellite radio and your favorite MP3 music have existed for some time now, a recent product released by Sirius Satellite Radio takes the satellite radio/MP3 combination to the next level. The Sirius S50 is a satellite radio/MP3 player that you can listen to while you're either riding in your car or sitting in the comfort of your home or office. The Sirius S50 comes with a car dock that connects the main unit to your vehicle. While the unit is connected to the car dock, you are able to listen to live Sirius Satellite Radio programming as well as any MP3s that you have stored on the 1GB flash memory unit. You can also pause and rewind the live satellite broadcasts as well as record up to 50 hours of your favorite Sirius Satellite Radio programming.

This unit also comes with a full color display which features channel logos and wallpaper so that you can easily identify the station that is currently playing. The neat My SIRIUS Channels feature automatically determines your three most listened to music channels and captures programming from each. Do you like to create playlists of your favorite MP3s? Well, you will find the Sirius S50 suitable to your needs as you can create playlists from your MP3s as well as from songs that you have recorded from your favorite Sirius broadcast channels. Additional features of the Sirius S50 include: game alerts that prompt you when your favorite teams are playing, a sports ticker with up to the minute scores, 30 channel presets, and a one touch channel jump button.

Along with the main unit itself, you also get a USB cable, earbuds, and PC software that allows you to download MP3s to the Sirius S50 from your PC. The software also supports streaming Sirius music channels over the Internet which is free with your Sirius Satellite Radio subscription. Currently the software is only available for Microsoft-based PCs, therefore all of you Mac users will have to go to your friend's house to download your music if you decide to purchase the Sirius S50. The really neat thing about this unit is that it also doubles as an IPOD-like MP3 player, as you are able to listen to your MP3s and pre-recorded Sirius channel programs with the earbuds that come with the unit. You can clip the Sirius S50 to your hip and listen to your favorite tunes on your way to school or work. The unit supplies up to 6 hours of playback on the rechargeable battery. If you're in the market for an in-car satellite radio unit, you should definitely give the Sirius S50 a good hard look before you make your final purchase. While it may be a little pricier than your average satellite radio unit (Suggested Retail: $329.95), it really puts those extra dollars spent to good use.

Dwayne Wright is an automotive enthusiast with over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. If you decide to upgrade your car audio system with a Sirius S50 satellite radio/MP3 player, visit his site at http://www.customautosearch.com to find a professional car audio installer in your area to install your new equipment.

The Facts You Need To Know About Satellite Radio - Part 1

Time and technology marches on and things that were considered impossible just a few years ago, are now almost routine. That applies to a lot of things in life, but certainly to the way that we are able to listen to radio broadcasting today.

Just a few years ago it was just accepted that if you tuned in to a particular radio station, you would lose reception and clarity if you were driving long distance and you would have to hunt around and find another station instead. It was also accepted that every broadcast would be filed with lots of ads that you didn't really want to hear, just so the radio station could turn a profit.

Well, now there are more choices to be ahd and technology has made a whole new way of broadcasting radio possible. It's called satellite radio and we will try to help you understand a few facts about it, because the more you know about it, the more you will no doubt appreciate what it can do for you.

First of all, conventional radio traditionally only travel around 30-50 miles with any clarity at all, and then they degrade rapidly. Much of that is due to the roundness of the earth and so as the signal goes out it can't follow the contour of the earth and so the signal is lost to the user. Satelliter radio has solved that issue altogether. As it's name implies, the signal is sent from satellites over 20,000 miles above the earth, so there is absolutely nothing that can obstruct the broadcast signal.

There are currently two major players in the US in this new field, Sirius and XM satellite radio. XM has two satellites in orbit and Sirius employs three. They are specifically timed and placed within orbit to maintain constant coverage of the US for about 16 hours at a time. What this means to you is that no matter where you go in the US and no matter what time of day or night, you will not lose reception, and can enjoy the programming that you like uninterrupted.

This feature alone of satellite radio is an incredible advantage over conventional ground-based radio stations. It comes in handy especially for folks who may live in rural areas that get very poor reception from standard radio, and for those that are long distance travelers. There is no hunting for stations as their reception fades. No having to listen to programming that you don't particularly like just because it's the only thing available in a particular area. Just crisp, clean programming all the time.

But there is lots more about satellite radio to be covered in Part 2 of this report.

Jim Johnson writes on consumer related matters. Find out more about satellite radio and satellite radio reviews at the Satellite Radio Review.

The Facts You Need To Know About Satellite Radio - Part 2

In Part 1 of this report, we discussed how the technology of using satellites to broadcast radio signals from over 20,000 miles above the earth results in great reception throughout the US everywhere and all the time. But there is more.

Satellite radio is not free radio. It is subscription based, meaning that you pay a monthly fee for the service. The costs are very nominal though as Sirius costs $12.95 a month and XM is $9.95 a month. Neither of the subsciptions can be said to be expensive, but initially you may recoil from thwe idea of paying for something that you have gotten for free for so many years.

However, think about this. You weren't actually getting anything for free all this time. Think of how much time in your life has been wasted listening to ads or commercials on the radio instead of the programming that you tune in for. If you added it all up, it would no doubt be a huge chunk of time, and if your time is worth anything, you were definitely paying a price for tuning in. The radio stations have no other way of making radio broadcasting a profitable business, so you are stuck with putting up with ads for so many minutes of every hour just to be able to listen to the programming you want in between the commercials.

Satellite radio is following the proven business model example of cable television and instead of inundating you with ads, they just provide high quality programming all the time. No ads, no commercials, no wasting your time.

And what kind of programming do you get? Just about anything that you can imagine, and it's growing all the time. Your selections include music, talk radio, sporting events, kids programs, news and more. There are several celebrities that have set up shop in the studios of the satellite radio companies, including the high profile case of Howard Stern. But you can find even more celebrity specific programming from others like Martha Stewart, Jimmy Buffet, Eminem and more.

There are around 65 channels of music listening alone on each provider's service, and they cover almost every conceivable kind of music that is found in the US including rock, jazz, country, blues, reggae, and more. And there are several different kinds of each music genre as well, For instance, rock has channels devoted to hard rock, early rock, soft rock, heavy metal, and many more. Just pick your favorites and tune in for solid good music that you like to listen to wherever you go.

Be sure to read Part 3 for even more satellite radio facts.

Jim Johnson writes on consumer related matters. Find out more about satellite radio and portable satellite radio at the Satellite Radio Review.

Satellite Radio Online Store Rapid Christine Breen

 

April 7, 2004

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.

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