Satellite radio is a service that provides audio to vehicles, home stereo systems, and other devices. It operates in the same frequency band as conventional FM radio, but uses a different technology to transmit signals across the globe. Its advantages include a clean digital signal with near CD-quality sound, coast-to-coast coverage, and the ability to broadcast text information like stock quotes and sports scores alongside musical signals.
How Satellite Radio Works
In the United States, Sirius XM is the only provider of satellite radio services. The company’s ground station beams a signal to one of its three active geostationary satellites, which orbit the Earth in parallel. The satellites bounce the signal back to specialized receivers on the ground, including your car’s stereo system.
These receivers receive the signal and convert it into more than 170 channels of digital audio. The signal also contains a host of other information, such as song title, artist, and genre.
Some people use satellite radio as an alternative to traditional AM/FM radio, especially if the local stations are too busy or not offering the programming they want. In these cases, the radio receiver can access a selection of commercial-free channels through a subscription service.
XM and Sirius began combining their programming in 2008 to become Sirius XM Radio. Both companies were in debt, and the merger aimed to lower costs and provide more programming choices.
The service offers around 100 stations, and many of them are commercial-free or close to it. In addition, some of the more raunchy radio hosts like Opie and Anthony are now on satellite.
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