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Satellite Radio - An Emerging Technology

Who wouldn’t want to have access to a virtual music collection in a tiny package while on board, or a means of getting the news without heading ashore?  Unlike conventional radio, the satellite variety offers the capability of picking up broadcast signals over ranges of thousands of miles, rather than the 30 to 40 most people are used to.  Satellite radio is still an emerging technology, but its gaining ground among car manufacturers, as well as boat manufacturers looking toward the future.  It offers the benefit of much better sound quality, and the availability of hundreds of different stations that broadcast all manner of music and news on an unprecedented level.     How It Works Satellite radio begins with ground stations on earth that transmit the signals up to a network of satellites orbiting the Earth.  The satellites receive the signals and send them back to Earth to be picked up by receivers in cars, boats, and portable devices.  Satellite audio is digitally encoded, thus providing close to CD-quality sound without the fading that you experience with conventional radio as you leave the signal range.  The addition of ground-based repeating stations serves to amplify the signals in areas where interruption is common, such as cities.     Providers such as XM, Sirius, and WorldSpace each operate their own fleet of satellites that enable broadcasts over their particular areas of coverage.  XM and WorldSpace position their satellites in Geostationary Orbit, meaning the satellites remain fixed over a particular location on Earth, and rotate with it.  Sirius satellites, on the other hand, are configured for coordinated elliptical orbits that assure that at least one satellite is over the coverage area at any given time.    Where It Works At present there is no worldwide satellite radio provider; XM and Sirius cover the continental United States, while WorldSpace covers Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and into central Mexico.  Increasing coverage is merely a matter of expanding the satellite networks, and fulfilling a demand.  Coverage includes the coastal areas around the continents, and in most places is available well out to sea.    It’s For Boaters Too The advantage of satellite radio is that car owners and boaters alike can enjoy the availability of a multitude of musical genres and news programs on almost any continent and coastal area.  And limited or commercial-free listening is an attractive feature regardless of where you're tuning in.  Current trends in music suggest that the future will see a departure from CDs, and a move toward streaming audio networks that are essentially digital jukeboxes.  Similarly, with satellite radio you have at your disposal a virtual music collection, without a pile of CDs.

Units can be installed on new boats, or be bought as stand-alone receivers

Currently, many car and boat manufacturers offer their products with satellite radio systems installed.  The systems start at about $100 for the receiver and tuner package.  Service is available at about $10 a month, with discounted multi-year packages available.  Soon enough coverage will include all continental and coastal areas on the planet, and cooperation between current providers will allow customers to have access in any area where satellite radio is available, worldwide.