Almost everybody has a favorite radio station set into their car radio that they can enjoy while traveling from home to work, doing errands, or driving around town. The problem is, when one starts to travel too far from its source station, its signal breaks up and is often lost. This is because the majority of “radio signals” can just travel about thirty to forty miles from its source.

The Revolutionary Key

What about if a radio station could actually broadcast radio signals from beyond twenty-two thousand miles away, yet is received by your car radio with pure clarity? That would be saying goodbye forever to changing stations all the way from Tacoma to Washington D.C. Not only does it mean that you’ll never hear static in your favorite tunes, but your music will be interrupted by only a few or no commercials at all.

Sounds good? Then say hello to satellite radio. Satellite radio is presently the front liner of radio evolution in several countries, particularly the United States. Basically, satellite radio is a “digital radio signal” that broadcasts through a “communication satellite”, covering a bigger geographical range compared to “terrestrial” radio signals.

Also known as “digital radio”, satellite radio offers an uninterrupted, almost CD-quality music rayed to one’s radio from space. Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio have both opened this particular service to the public.

Many car manufacturers have already started installing satellite radio “receivers” into several models for some years now. Additionally, a number of models for portable satellite radio receivers can already be bought from various electronic companies.

The Basics

The idea of satellite radio has actually been “in the making” for more than a decade now. In the year 1992, the Federal Communications Commission of the U.S. allocated a certain extent in the “S” band for national broadcasting of the satellite-based “Digital Audio Radio Service”.

Four companies submitted an application for license of broadcasting over this band. Two of the companies were given the licenses in 1997 – Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. These companies paid over eighty million dollars each to be able to use the allocated space in the “S-band” for “digital satellite transmission”. At present, there are three companies known to offer the space-based radio transmission –XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, and WorldSpace.

Satellite radio companies compare the importance of the service they’re giving, to that of the impact cable TV had on TV viewing thirty years ago. While listeners will not be able to pick up “local stations” when using the services of a satellite radio, they’ll have the exceptional advantage of being able to access hundreds of radio stations that offer an assortment of music genres.

Every company has their own plan for a broadcasting system, but these different systems do have similarities. The key components to these satellite radio systems include satellites, radio receivers, and ground repeaters.

Business Applications

Today, satellite radio, specifically in the U.S., has turned into a key provider of “background music” to many businesses such as retail chains, hotels, and restaurants. In comparison to its “old-line” competitors like “Muzak”, satellite radio offers a notably lower price, more reliable technology, and a channel variety that’s commercial-free. Satellite radio has become a more attractive option for businesses, and its popularity has significantly grown since it was first introduced.

Satellite radio has been hailed as among the greatest advancements of radio since the FM band’s arrival. Its signal has always been digital, offering its listeners crystal-clear and almost CD-like quality of music 24/7 –not to mention mostly commercial-free. The content of satellite radio ranges from “commercial-free” music to “classic” recorded and current sports events, and to talk shows. With a satellite radio service, your listening pleasures go beyond average to the most excellent.