Now is it Satellite or not?

Ok,
I have been researching Sirius,XM radio,,
from my gatherings they use only cell site towers for the
transmission,,not a actual satellite at all?

I believe they both really do use satellites, which explains why they sometimes stop working under heavy tree cover or when travelling in long tunnels... the buffer just runs dry if the signal is blocked for more than a few seconds. If they were using cell technology, they'd be able to withstand driving under trees, but they'd have MAJOR dead zones out in the boonies.

I've read some info on how XM works but I don't know if Sirius does this as well.

In places where there are "dead spots" XM satellite radio installs "repeaters" to cover some of those areas. Maybe some of those repeaters are located on Cellphone Towers or inside tunnels.

All the repeaters do is take the signal from the satellite and retransmit it to the dead spots to get more signal coverage.

[ QUOTE ]
yuandrew said:
I've read some info on how XM works but I don't know if Sirius does this as well.

In places where there are "dead spots" XM satellite radio installs "repeaters" to cover some of those areas. Maybe some of those repeaters are located on Cellphone Towers or inside tunnels.

All the repeaters do is take the signal from the satellite and retransmit it to the dead spots to get more signal coverage.

[/ QUOTE ]

Could be; I think I've read this somewhere also. They may be repeating at satellite frequencies, or there might be an augmentation channel that runs at a lower frequency, similar to the way that WAAS works for GPS.

LN,
They are very much satlites.

In my car I don't have my XM antenna in a great spot. Its at the very front of my windshield between where the wipers rest. So when Im driving soulth (antenna facing the orbital plane) it works great. When Im driving north, I get a once in a while fade out for a few seconds. Try the xm web site, it lists where the sat's are parked. Ones over the east, and one is over the west. Named "Rock" and "Roll" of all things.

If I remember right, they are geo sync orbits, so their positions seem to stay put over the same spot on earth.

Later dude

Yes, xm uses two sat in geo sync orbit one on the east coast near the gulf and one near hawaii. Sirius uses three that are in a orbit from south america to canada two are always over the us. As mentioned above they put up repeaters in urban areas with tall buildings, they also sell private repeaters for the house user and stores like best buy and circuit city or malls, etc. BOth offer streaming online of their content.

Having both, xm blows out way more power than sirius and can go through walls, trees, etc. Sirius is more line of sight and since the sats are in orbit the signal can come and go unless you have a range of a clear view. Of course if a repeater is near by that is not a worry, you can get it in basements, cement rooms and even elevelators.

I use both and love both, a search online should get you more information on either and 13 bucks aint that much to ask to get streaming audio from the news channels and commercial free music, anywhere in the us and a few hundred miles into canada, mexico and off the coast.

Thank you,
that is some good information.

THanks, I do not mind having an intelligent conversation about sat radio, but most turn into bashing it and it ruins the point. Ive listened to radio all my life as a disabled person, am, fm shortwave. Ive listened to some shxxxy signals, so the lower than cd quality of either does not bother me. I much rather listen to coast to coast am over sat than am radio. They also play PSAs and other show notes during regular commercial break too.

Just for your interest, both are making wearable sat radios. Seems in most, but not all places you can get a signal and both companies have built in recorders to record programs or music for such a situation.

If you are thinking about either, both offer a preview station to see if it works and in the menus you can get the signal strength of sats or repeater and the basic screen shows a signal meter like your cell phone.

Yes I bet coast to coast is way more clearer than am,
Now do they have the same format as the am broadcast?

I don't think that SAT can have the same line-up as a standard AM (or FM) syndicated station... The existing shows/talent would have signed exclusive deals with the local stations across the country.

Satellites blanket the US and local stations would take it unkindly to lose their "exclusive" rights to material--kind of the same thing that knocked stations off of the Internet a few years ago--took the stations quite a while to re-tool their Internet streams to block shows that they did not have the rights to broadcast outside of their region (even some commercial advertisers also did not want their ads broadcast outside of their own region).

As an example, IIRC, Howard Stern was talking about his upcoming move to satellite that one radio network kicked him off the air and billed him for airtime as they felt he was doing more advertising (for a competing network) than the show they were paying him for. (sorry--I don't know the outcome of all of this)

-Bill

Not. For now anyway. Part of the fun of radio for me is playing with finding a good signal. I like Coast to Coast, too, and finding it among other shows at different places around the dial is almost a nightly ritual. Fiddling with my radios is something that's entertained me for almost fifty years, since getting my first transistor, which still works, in the late fifties. I'll have some trouble paying for my radio fix. But then, I used to say that about cable TV, too.

Geoff

Both xm and sirius rebroadcast the same am and fm talk show crap. Both have the Right and Left stations then they have their own made up of right and left talk shows, then other talk shows to fill out the line up. I rather they have exclusive in house talk shows, which both seem to be doing.

You want to get strange distant stations? I had a cable guy tell me to hook or touch the antenna to a radio to the cable wire and that he could tune in stations around the world. NEver tried it myself. I use to listen to distant stations while delivering news papers, but they would fade. Kind of funny to be out in 70 degree weather delivering papers and hear of snow or vice versa.