Satellite radio is broadcast over clear, static-free digital signals from orbiting satellites, making it possible to listen to your favorite programming anywhere you travel in the continental United States and Canada. It’s a great way to get your fill of music, talk shows, sports, news and traffic. However, it also comes with a price tag. SiriusXM subscriptions start at $10 per month for a basic plan and go up to nearly $20 a month.
In the early 2000s, two competing satellite radio companies – Sirius and XM – launched their respective services in North America. In 2008, the two companies merged to form Sirius XM Radio.
The original Sirius system uses three satellites in highly inclined orbits, while the XM service has two satellites in geostationary orbits. Both systems use robust diversity and signal coding techniques to ensure high-quality reception of over 100 audio channels, three video channels and various data services.
Satellites transmit digital streams of audio and other information using up to 32 kbit/s. A satellite receiver receives the digital signal from the satellite and converts it into analog audio. The Sirius and XM satellite transmissions are encoded, decoded, error-corrected and de-interleaved by special circuitry on the receiver chip. The digital signals are asynchronous, with a four-second delay between the two satellite carrier signals to achieve signal diversity.
In addition to music, Sirius and XM both offer sports programming. Sirius carries NFL, CFL and NHL games, with exclusive rights to NBA games beginning in 2005 with a new 24-hour channel called Full Court Press. Earlier, the company shared NASCAR coverage with XM. Sirius’ spacecraft Radiosat 1 through Radiosat 4 were manufactured by Space Systems/Loral and were launched on Proton K Block-DM3 launch vehicles. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has one of the first satellites launched as a spare, a Radiosat 3 that was a part of the Sirius elliptical satellite constellation. It was donated by Lon Levin in 2009.
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