Imagine if you could listen to uninterrupted CD-quality music beamed from space and transmitted through your car’s radio. That’s the kind of thing that Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio both offered when they first launched satellite radio at the beginning of the 21st century.
In 2008 Sirius Radio purchased XM and combined the two systems to create a single company called SiriusXM. While the Sirius and XM brands are now one company they continue to make radios that work with both services. You can even still get programming from your old XM receivers when you buy a new Sirius radio.
Satellite radio works by sending music and other programming to three satellites that orbit the earth. The satellites transmit the signal to special antennas on cars, homes and portable radios. The signals are also beamed to terrestrial repeaters that help ensure the signal can reach all areas.
Each Sirius and XM satellite has three overlapping signal beams with a coverage area of over 14 million square miles. The broadcasters uplink their content to the satellites through a centralized hub site or individual feeder link station. Satellite broadcasters receive digital signals that are encoded with data at a rate of 128 kilobits per second. The signals are processed using the StarMan chip from STMicroelectronics. The satellite signal is demodulated, error-corrected, de-interleaved and decrypted using the chip before being received by an automotive satellite antenna.
Some people think that satellite radio has lost popularity because of a proliferation of streaming apps, but the service is still available and convenient for many people. It doesn’t use cellular data, which is an advantage if you live in a country where mobile service is expensive, and it can be used in locations where cell reception isn’t reliable. It also offers a wide variety of entertainment and talk options, including sports and uncensored comedy channels.
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