 | Tech-FAQ Tip: Click Here to Check for PC Errors |
What is satellite radio?
Satellite radio is a broadcast music service which was approved by the FCC in 1992. The FCC granted the first licenses in this space in 1997.
Satellite radio uses the 2.3 GHz S band frequencies.
Satellite radio is technically known as Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS).
Satellite radio broadcasters currently include Sirius Satellite Radio, XM Satellite Radio and WorldSpace.
XM Radio uses two geostationary satellites. Sirius Satellite Radio uses three satellites which travel in elliptical orbits. WorldSpace currently uses two geostationary satellites, but is expected to add a third satellite to extend service to Central and South America.
Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio both serve the United States. WorldSpace currently serves Asia and Africa.
Purchase a satellite radio receiver at Amazon.com
Delphi SA10085 Roady2 XM Satellite Radio Receiver with Built-in Wireless FM Modulator
Delphi's compact SA10085 Roady2 XM satellite radio is, on average, four times smaller than competing plug-and-play models. While 30 percent thinner and 40 percent lighter than the original Roady, the Roady2 features the smallest satellite-radio antenna available, together with a built-in wireless FM transmitter for easy setup and reception in any vehicle. Just tune your car's radio to any of the unit's 12 FM frequencies and sit back to enjoy XM Radio's 68 commercial-free music channels; 34 channels of sports, talk, comedy, children's, and entertainment programming; and more than 20 channels of advanced traffic and weather information for major U.S. metropolitan areas.
Roady2 offers a convenient scroll wheel, 30 channel presets, and 10 direct-entry buttons. The two-line display offers artist, track, and channel information, and it has seven selectable background colors to achieve the look that suits your style: red, night blue, green, pink, purple, sky blue, and orange. TuneSelect will alert you when a favorite song starts playing on another channel, and the unit's versatile mounting options consist of a vent mount, swivel mount, or Velcro.
Audiovox SIR-PNP3 Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver
Designed for use in the car, through your home stereo, and even in Audiovox's compatible boombox, the SIR-PNP3 Sirius plug-and-play tuner receives more than 120 streaming satellite radio stations, including stations with commercial-free music, talk, sports, and children's programming. Listeners will need an Audiovox home or car kit to use the tuner, but once equipped, they can transfer the tuner between the house and the car stereo as often as they like, negating the need to buy second and third receivers. The tuner is remarkably easy to use, with a large 2.5-by-1.38-inch amber backlit LCD screen that displays the artist info, song title, category, and time, along with a 0-9 number pad and a wireless remote that allow for direct channel access. Users can manually adjust the contrast and dimming level for better viewing, or they can set the display to Auto Dimmer so that it instinctively adjusts to the ambient light level. The receiver also includes a built-in FM transmitter that broadcasts satellite tunes through any FM radio--a bonus for people whose car stereos don't come with auxiliary inputs. Otherwise, most users will choose to connect the tuner (via one of the Audiovox kits) to a stereo's RCA jacks or 3.5 mm auxiliary input for better audio performance.
The SIR-PNP3 is equipped with a number of convenient user options. Most listeners will appreciate the 30 presets in three separate banks (A, B, and C), along with the preset scan function, which browses among the preset channels rather than perusing the entire station catalog. In addition, the receiver includes a preset list mode that displays the preset channels either one at a time or six at a time, with listings by channel name, artist, or song title. To save time, listeners can also directly access Sirius channels by their three-digit channel numbers rather than paging through the channel directory. Additional features include a Look Ahead function, which checks the current playlist of other channels without leaving your current station; an S-seek function that searches the Sirius signal for songs or artists that match your pre-determined favorites; and several time-based options, including an alarm clock, a sleep mode, and a program alert that automatically activates the radio and turns it to a specific program at a preset time.
Bookmark What is satellite radio?
