Listening to the radio is one of the great pleasures of driving. However, before satellite radio came along listening while on the go could be frustrating. Radio signals are only able to travel so far before losing their power, which often resulted in music cuts during a song. Satellite radio solved this problem by broadcasting clear, static-free digital signals from orbiting satellites to receivers in cars and homes. These receivers decode the digital signals and turn them into audio for listening. Many services offer a wide variety of channels, including music, talk shows and news, all for a subscription fee.
The three major satellite radio providers—Sirius, XM and WorldSpace—have a few things in common, but each utilizes a unique broadcasting system. For example, Sirius uses satellites that orbit the Earth in an oblong shape that allows them to reach higher in the sky and lose their signal less often. XM uses two satellites in geostationary orbit, XM Rhythm and XM Blues, which are supplemented by a network of ground-based repeaters that provide gap-free coverage of the continental United States, Alaska and Canada.
You can get satellite radio in any car with a special tuner and an antenna, although the easiest option is a dock-and-play receiver that plugs into your factory radio’s aux input or FM modulator. This type of receiver also connects to a home stereo with an RCA cable or to an outboard FM antenna on your RV or boat.
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