Imagine clear, static-free music broadcasts from satellites 22,000 miles away that won’t be interrupted by commercials — that’s what satellite radio does. Both XM and Sirius have been offering this service since the beginning of the century. It works by transmitting encrypted digital signals to satellites that bounce them back down to earth and into a special receiver that decodes the signal and delivers more than 170 channels of music, talk, news, sports, weather, and more. Most satellite radio services operate on a subscription basis, so you pay monthly to get access to the programming.
A key thing to note about satellite radio is that it only transmits at two frequencies, which limits the bandwidth available for music and higher fidelity feeds. As a result, the best satellite music stations still only offer about half the bandwidth of a high-fidelity FM station. This is the trade-off that comes with satellite versus FM — in exchange for crystal clear, uninterrupted music, you don’t get all the extra features like talk and news.
Most satellite radio providers are heavily connected to cars, with the lion’s share of listening occurring while drivers are moving on four wheels. In fact, most car manufacturers partner with satellite radio companies to make the service a standard feature in new cars. These partners typically give subscribers a trial period – usually 6 months or a year – before they have to commit.
While there are other ways to listen to satellite radio, a dedicated receiver with a built-in satellite tuner is your best bet for the ultimate experience. If you’re going to go this route, consider one with a built-in HD radio, which offers better quality than FM and allows you to display program information (like song titles and artist names) on the screen.
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