Satellite Radio
Learn about satellite radio
The audio world was changed in 2001 when satellite radio got its broadcasting license, bringing more than 100 channels of crystal-clear commercial-free content to subscribers across North America. Now you can have news, music, comedy and more beamed to you from space!
Satellite Radio Units
Not unlike an mp3 player or GPS, a satellite radio receiver is a small LCD display that is wired to an antenna that receives the satellite signal. There are models for your car, your home or your boat, or to carry with you, but all are basically the same. You can get home stereo receivers that are satellite-ready and will show you the satellite program information on its display. There are also a wide array of cars and trucks that come with radio satellite capabilities built in. The Delphi satellite radio was the first unit produced to receive the signals, but lots of manufacturers are producing them now.
Satellite Radio Stores
You can buy satellite radio receivers and subscriptions at almost any major electronics store. Best Buy, Future Shop, The Source and Wal-Mart are just a few major retailers that carry this technology. There is also a multitude of places online to shop for satellite radios. EBay is one place where you can look for cheaper accessories, as well as online classified sites like Craigslist and Kijiji. The official store of the two main providers of radio satellite, Sirius and XM, is myradiostore.com, where tons of receivers, antennas, cables and accessories can be found.
Satellite Radio Channels
The breadth of programming available on satellite radio is what makes it so outstanding. For sports fans, almost every single game of most major leagues is broadcast live. For news junkies, numerous international outfits have satellite channels, delivering up-to-the-minute information and analysis. If you love to laugh, the exclusivity of some of the comedy channels and the uncensored nature of their content will have your sides splitting in no time.
The two competitors, XM and Sirius, merged to form Sirius XM in 2008. In Canada, the two are still separate companies, but in the United States you have the option of subscribing to one or the other, or both. This maximizes your channel selection and gets you specific programming that either one provider or the other has to offer. Unfortunately, the two providers use different technologies, so an XM-specific and Sirius-specific receiver is still required.
