Satellite Radio: Something I Never Knew I Was Missing

Who in their right mind pays for radio? That's what I was thinking... until I got Sirius as a gift. It was an odd coincidence actually. A few days before I received my Sirius unit and subscription, I had been disgruntled trying to find some music on in my morning commute. My CDs had all been played out, so I was hoping I would find something besides morning shows.

Since I have received my Sirius unit, Sirius is all I listen to: in the car, at work (via online), and at home. It is addictive and you will not know that until you try it.

Subscription Basics

The basic subscription for Sirius is $12.95 per month. You may purchase a lifetime account for $499.99. Sirius allows you to add on up to for units to your account. Each unit gets a discounted rate for the monthly service fee.

Online Listening

All Sirius accounts are able to access the Sirius online player. This allows a subscriber to listen to Sirius on their computer. All the music stations are available; however, a good number of the talk stations are not. The quality of the music on the online player seems just as good as via the Sirius unit. The player requires no additional software installation and can be played right from a modern web browser such as FireFox or Internet Explorer.

Commercial Free

All of Sirius' music stations are commercial free. That's right - no commercials at all. Talk stations do have advertisements. This may be because stations such as Fox News and E! Radio are broadcasting the current shows being aired on their respective television network.

Current Shows

When I watch the news or my wife watches E! news we are not necessarily watching as much as we are listening. Having stations such as Fox News and E! broadcast the current television feeds over the Sirius radio allows us to be able to listen to our shows while driving. Unfortunately, these two stations are not available via the online player.

Uncensored Content

Some Sirius stations are uncensored and some are. However, for the most part, you will find that the stations have more freedom to say and play what they want. This allows for a lot of independent bands to have their records played, as the disc jockeys have more freedom.

Howard Stern

Even if you are not a fan of Howard, this is still one reason to like Sirius!

Sports

Sirius has numerous sports channels. You can listen to an array of sports such as the NFL, NHL, NBA, and Nascar on your radio. Similar to the news broadcasts, these stations are not available online.

Coverage

I travel a lot. The fact that I can travel long distances and never have to touch the dial or lose my favorite station is a huge factor for me. Sirius has coverage for the whole continental USA, most of Canada (except for the upper North part), and for most of Mexico.

Conclusion

With over 120 stations and with a price tag less than a cup of coffee per day, Sirius is no doubt a great product to love! We would also recommend looking into XM, an alternative provider to Sirius.

Matthew Payne is a contributing member of http://coffee-tips.quickprovider.com/ and http://articles.quickprovider.com - both high content filed article sites.

Why You Should Consider Sirius Satellite Radio

What is the best entertainment at a cheap price for your car, home, or office? I know you might initially be thinking the internet or a DVD player is the answer, but the newest trend is a twist on an old form of entertainment. Satellite radio frees you from commercials and is a great experience for most. You don?t have to listen to jingles and bad commercials. There is also no need to seek out obscure radio stations when you are in a rural area. One of the best ways to get satellite radio is through Sirius Satellite Radio.

Sirius Satellite Radio is the second of the satellite radio companies to take to the sky. They were a pioneer in many technological ways, but were spawned as a competitor coming behind XM. They helped to really popularize satellite radio and are quickly gaining ground on the leader in the industry. Sirius Satellite Radio is certainly here to stay.

As was mentioned before, Sirius Satellite Radio was an up and comer with its own advances in the industry. Because of this, they have a market share just behind the 2 million listeners XM boasts. That is still no where near the popularity of cable and satellite television, but it is a big stare for something that has not been around very long. Sirius Satellite Radio has had time to establish themselves by making contacts with DISH Network, so that they actually have access to over 10 million listeners. You can find everything from classical, to rapp, to jazz on their stations. In addition to the many music stations, Sirius Satellite Radio also has many additional channels consisting of news, sports, talk, and even entertainment. Then, to make sure local customers don?t miss out, Sirius Satellite Radio offers a total of more than 120 channels if you add up everything they air.

There are many reasons to choose satellite radio. It is, after all, the hottest and newest trend in radio entertainment and can be valuable to you in your home, office, or even your vehicle. In fact, many new cars and trucks are coming equipped for satellite radio and include programming packages prepaid for a year or so. The idea is that once you have it you won?t want to be without it. So if you enjoy radio entertainment and like the idea of having many varieties in programming at your fingertips, then consider Sirius Satellite Radio or one of the other satellite radio programming providers out there. You will find a more consistent, convenient, and on demand radio programming selection right at your fingertips.

If would like to find more of my personal articles on Satellite Radio, please feel free to visit my website on Satellite Tips!

Commercial-Free Programming: Just One of the Benefits of Satellite Radio

Think of your favorite music or discussion topics, piped into your home or car in digital-quality, crystal-clear sound. And then think of your favorite format with absolutely no commercials - no used car salesmen, no fuel company ads, no heavy rotation ads hawking every possible product or service all the way to work and home again - all your favorite stations available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with no static.

Whether you love fifties music or reggae, conversation from right wing pundits or Air America, or even 'round the clock comedy, Satellite Radio is it. The purchase of a satellite radio and a small monthly fee will open a whole world of ad-free radio listening to you.

XM Satellite Radio offers over 150 digital channels in formats specializing in music, sports, talk, and entertainment, plus 21 channels dedicated to weather and traffic patterns in major metropolitan areas around the U.S. XM offers the deepest music playlist available, with over 2 million titles. For $12.95 a month (less if you opt for an annual contract) and the cost of an XM radio (anywhere from 50 to 200 dollars, after rebate) you will have an amazing range of music formats to choose from, from Decades to Classical to Urban, from Jazz and Blues to Latin, World, and Christian. Channels for kids are available as well, plus a variety of sports, talk and comedy formats.

Sirius offers over 60 music channels plus a wide variety of other formats, including football, soccer, and even horse racing channels. The "World" music options are a bit more edgy than the XM offerings, and offer music from all over the world, including Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, the British Isles, Central Europe and Asia. Musicians range from the Rolling Stones to the Gypsy Kings and Khadja Nin. Both XM and Sirius offer channels which give emerging artists a boost.

Sirius offers a variety of radio systems, including a Plug and Play kit with adaptors for your car or home radio, only $29.99 after the rebate; the systems go up in price and complexity from there. Subscriptions start at $12.95. Right now Sirius and XM systems are not compatible.

Owners of conventional broadcast radio stations have expressed concerns that the commercial-free satellite stations will cut into their listenership and, as a result, their ad revenue; but the proponents of satellite radio feel that that won't happen. There's plenty of room for free local programming offering local and regional news and events announcements. With this thought in mind, both XM and Sirius offer radios which can be connected to home or car radios without interfering with their regular operation, for the best of both worlds: free local stations keeping the listener up to date on happenings in their community, plus the best in music, talk, and sports from around the world.

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and Topics. She has published numerous articles in local and regional publications on a wide range of topics, including business, education, the arts, and local events. Her feature articles include an interview with independent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com

Learn Satellite Radio

Satellite radio is actually composed of two Boeing HS 702 satellites orbiting our atmosphere and aptly named "Rock" and "Roll". One is located at approximately 85 degrees west longitude and the other at 115 degrees west longitude. Geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) is about 22,223 miles (35,764 km) above Earth, and is the type of orbit most commonly used for communications satellites. The first satellite to up, "Rock," was placed in orbit on March 18, 2001. "Roll" followed with it's launch on May 8. Satellite radio has a third HS-702 satellite on the ground ready to be launched in case one of the two orbiting satellites break down or fail.

Satellite radio's station on earth transmits a signal to its two GEO Satellites, which bounce signals back down to the ground. The radio receivers are programmed to receive and unscramble the digital data signal, which contains up to 100 channels of digital audio. In addition to the encoded sound, the signal contains additional information about the broadcast. The artist, song title and category of music are all displayed on the radio. In urban areas, where buildings can block out the satellite's signal, broadcasting equipment is supplemented by ground transmitters.

Each receiver contains a unique manufacturer's chipset. Satellite radio began delivering chipsets to its manufacturing partners in late September or early October of 2000. The chipset consists of two custom integrated circuits designed by STMicroelectronics. Satellite has partnered with Pioneer, Alpine, Clarion, Delphi Delco, Sony and Motorola to manufacture satellite capable car radios. Each radio receiver uses a tiny, car-phone-sized antenna to receive the digital signal. GM has invested about 100 million dollars in digital satellite radio, and Honda has also created a contract to use these same radios in its cars. General Motors first began installing satellite radio receivers in specific models in late 2000 and early 2001.

For approximately twelve dollars per month, subscribers can listen to crystal clear digital sound. For this small price, music aficionados receive up to 100 channels of music, talk and news. They can also listen online via streaming audio service with over 70 channels. Most of the stations received are commercial-free, with none of the channels having more than seven minutes of ads per hour. Satellite advertisers include USA Today, BBC, CNN/Sports Illustrated and The Weather Channel. The service is clean & clear and more of what the surveyed population asked for. The future of satellite radio is clearly bright.

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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.

Satellite Radio: Subscription Costs

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio subscription costs vary and are changing though recent promotions.

XM Satellite Radio Subscription

If you agree to a commitment ranging from two to five years and prepay you can lower your effective monthly charge to as low as $7.48.

XM Satellite Radio Subscription costs are a monthly service where the charge is $9.99.

Adding up to four additional receivers only costs $6.99 each, per month. Certain special channels cost a little more for your satellite radio subscription cost, for example, Playboy Radio, a premium service, is an additional $2.99 per month. Commercial and Business subscriptions cost $24.99 per month. Business subscriptions are a little more expensive due to additional royalties that must be paid when potentially more people are listening to the station.

Sirius Satellite Radio Subscription

Sirius Satellite radio subscription costs are a monthly service where the charge is $12.95. With a year or 2 year commitment, Sirius offers lower monthly rates.

Check out this hot deal going on right now! For $499.99, your radio is live for life! Sirius is currently offering a pretty good deal on a lifetime subscription that is radio-attached.

With Sirius you can activate as many as three additional radios for $6.99 each per month. Business subscriptions are $24.99 per month.

Satellite radio subscription cost is based on the number of stations that you have access to any the amount of extras that you add. Adding special services can increase your satellite radio subscription.

Scott Fish is the owner of Top Satellite Radio which is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio.

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