Satellite radio

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A satellite radio or subscription radio (SR) is a digital radio signal that is broadcast by a communications satellite, which covers a much wider geographical range than terrestrial radio signals.

For now, satellite radio offers a meaningful alternative to ground-based radio services in some countries, notably the United States. Mobile services, such as Sirius, XM, and Worldspace, allow listeners to roam across an entire continent, listening to the same audio programming anywhere they go. Other services, such as Music Choice or Muzak's satellite-delivered content, require a fixed-location receiver and a dish antenna. In all cases, the antenna must have a clear view to the satellites. In areas where tall buildings, bridges, or even parking garages obscure the signal, repeaters can be placed to make the signal available to listeners.

Radio services are usually provided by commercial ventures and are subscription-based. The various services are proprietary signals, requiring specialized hardware for decoding and playback. Providers usually carry a variety of news, weather, sports, and music channels, with the music channels generally being commercial-free.

In areas with a relatively high population density, it is easier and less expensive to reach the bulk of the population with terrestrial broadcasts. Thus in the UK and some other countries, the contemporary evolution of radio services is focused on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) services or HD Radio, rather than satellite radio.

For more information about Satellite radio, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with satellite radio


Sirius XM passing $2 royalty fees to subscribers

Technology / Telecom

created Sep 30, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(AP) -- Listeners of Sirius XM Radio Inc. are getting $2 fees added to their monthly satellite radio bills, in what's effectively a price increase for consumers.


Sirius XM Radio planning to stream to iPhone, iPod

Technology / Telecom

created Mar 12, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(AP) -- Financially struggling Sirius XM Radio Inc. is planning to stream its subscription radio service to the iPhone and iPod Touch devices from Apple Inc. beginning this spring.





Search results for satellite radio


STPSat-1 successfully completes extended mission

STPSat-1 successfully completes extended mission

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 02, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The STPSat-1, built for the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program (STP) and operated by the DoD STP for the first year then transitioned to NRL for the last 16 months, was decommissioned on October ...


North Pole wolf emails locations to researchers

North Pole wolf emails locations to researchers

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 01, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

In July the scientists, one from the United States, the other from Canada, put the satellite collar on Brutus, the leader of his wolf pack, on remote Ellesmere Island, only 600 miles from the North Pole. Their ...


Suggestions for tech-happy holidays

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The holiday season is as much a time for tech as for toys. Electronic gadgets are at the top of many wish lists and account for an ever-growing share of holiday shopping budgets. Fortunately for shoppers, tech gifts don't ...


Magic box for mission impossible

Technology / Telecom

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

On September 11, firefighters, police officers and ambulance workers faced a terrifying rescue effort in the World Trade Center complex. They battled to save people from the collapsing Twin Towers, searched for survivors, ...


Researchers patent enabling technology for spread-spectrum systems

Technology / Telecom

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

If you've ever gotten the dreaded "network busy" message while trying to make a cell phone call, you've experienced the complication of sharing a single network with numerous other users.


You're being followed: Scientists track movement of living things

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 13, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Almost 24 centuries after the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote his book, "On the Movement of Animals," modern scientists are still struggling to understand how, why, when and where living creatures move.


The Stars My Destination

The Stars My Destination

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (23) | comments 2

The Voyager spacecraft are now in the outermost layer of the heliosphere, traveling toward interstellar space - the first man-made spacecraft to travel such a vast distance from Earth.


Swift, XMM-Newton satellites tune into a middleweight black hole

Swift, XMM-Newton satellites tune into a middleweight black hole

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- While astronomers have studied lightweight and heavyweight black holes for decades, the evidence for black holes with intermediate masses has been much harder to come by. Now, astronomers ...


SMOS forms three-pointed star in the sky (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Following the launch of ESA's SMOS satellite on 2 November, the French space agency CNES, which is responsible for operating the satellite, has confirmed that the instrument's three antenna arms have ...


NRL sensor provides critical space weather observations

NRL sensor provides critical space weather observations

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, Oct. 18, 2009, the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by NRL's Space Science ...



List of search results for satellite radio