Guide to Car Satellite Navigation Systems
What are the Best Car Satellite Navigation Systems? Checking online comparisons and reviews can help you figure out what's perfect for you. by B._Ketton Satellite Car Audio
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. 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. Business applications Satellite radio, particularly in
the United States, has become a major provider of background music
to businesses such as hotels, retail chains, and restaurants.
Compared to old-line competitors such as Muzak, satellite radio's
significantly lower price, commercial-free channel variety, and more
reliable technology make it a very attractive option. Both North
American satellite radio providers offer business subscriptions,
though given the merger of XM Satellite Radio with Sirius, the
future of XM for Business is uncertain. Sirius's commercial services
are provided nationally by third-party partner Applied Media
Technologies Corporation. Satellite radio has a large following
within the truck driving community as well.
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System design Satellite radio uses the 2.3 GHz S band in North America and generally shares the 1.4 GHz L band with local Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) stations elsewhere. It is a type of direct broadcast satellite and is strong enough that it requires no satellite dish to receive. Local repeaters similar to broadcast translator boosters enable signals to be available even if the view of the satellite is blocked, for example, by skyscrapers in a large town. Each receiver has an Electronic Serial Number (ESN) Radio ID to identify it. For example, Sirius uses channel 184, Sirius Weather & Emergency. Like other radio services, satellite radio also transmits program-associated data (PAD or metadata), with the artist and title of each song or program and possibly the name of the channel. United States In the United States, two companies operate satellite radio services: XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, though these companies are merging. Some XM music channels have commercials, while Sirius is commercial-free. Both services have commercial-free music stations, as well as talk and news stations, some of which include commercials. XM uses fixed-location geostationary satellites in two positions, and Sirius uses three geosynchronous satellites in highly elliptical orbits passing over North and South America, to transmit the digital streams. Satellite radio's chief asset is the fact that it is not localized: drivers can receive the same programming anywhere in the footprint of the service. Specialty stations cover things such as family talk, radio drama, classical music, and live events. As of Feb 28,2008 XM claims over 9 million subscribers, while Sirius claimed 7.6 million as of October 30, 2007. One critical factor for the success of satellite radio is the deployment of in-car receivers. Both Sirius and XM have attempted to convince automakers to equip vehicles with their receiver. As of 2007, the following manufacturers offer satellite radio as original Sirius has an exclusive contract for VW and Audi vehicles from 2007 through 2012[citation needed]. Those brands previously offered both services. GM, Honda and Suzuki are all major investors in XM; Sirius is not offered as options in their vehicles.[1] Bentley and Rolls-Royce come not only with receivers and lifetime subscriptions for Sirius service. One of the challenges for satellite radio has been to move away from cars and into the homes of consumers.[citation needed] Several portable satellite radio receivers have been made for this purpose. XM satellite radio has developed the XM2go line of "Walkman-like" portable receivers, such as the Delphi MyFi, the Pioneer AirWare and Giant International's Tao. Polk Audio makes a component-style home XM Reference Tuner[2] and a tabletop entertainment system, the I-Sonic[3], with XM capability. Sirius has developed the Kenwood Portable Satellite Radio Tuner, Sirius S50, Here2Anywhere and the Sirius Stiletto 100.[4] The Pioneer Inno and Samsung Helix for XM were among the first portable receivers to offer the ability of recording live content for playback later. Thus allowing for satellite radio to compete more fully with MP3 players. One bump in the road to becoming more widely used in the home was both Sirius and XM running into legal issues in early 2006 with the FCC about their internal FM Transmitters. Canada On November 1, 2004, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) began hearing applications for Canada's first satellite radio operations. Three applications were filed: one by Standard Broadcasting and the CBC in partnership with Sirius, one by Canadian Satellite Radio in partnership with XM, and one at the last minute by CHUM Limited and Astral Media. The first two would use the same systems already set up for the U.S., while CHUM's application is for a subscription radio service delivered through existing terrestrial DAB transmitters rather than directly by satellite (although satellites would be used to deliver programming to the transmitters). The CHUM service is all-Canadian; the other two applications propose to offer a mix of Canadian-produced channels and existing channels from their American partner services. A small "gray market" already exists for Sirius and XM receivers in Canada in which a Canadian would have an American order their receiver and setup. On June 16, 2005, the CRTC approved all three services.[5] In its decision, the CRTC required the following conditions from the satellite radio licensees: A minimum of eight channels must be produced in Canada, and for each Canadian channel, nine foreign channels can be broadcast. At least 85% of the content on the Canadian-produced channels (whether musical or spoken word) must be Canadian. At least 25% of the Canadian channels must be French-language stations. At least 25% of the music aired on the Canadian channels must be new Canadian music. CHUM appealed the decision, claiming they would not survive if Sirius and XM both were allowed in the Canadian market, and that the licence conditions regarding Canadian content imposed on Canadian Satellite Radio and Sirius Canada were too lax. Canadian Satellite Radio and Sirius Canada countered that CHUM was simply trying to create a monopoly in the Canadian market. Lobbyists complained that the CRTC decision did not require enough Canadian content from the broadcasters. by Kevin_Vida Articles Related to Car Navigation
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