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Portable Satellite Radio Buying Guide

Info_lover | May 11, 2010 |

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Satellite radio is an emerging radio technology. The working of satellite radio is just like your cable TV, where you have to subscribe and pay monthly for the radio service. The portable satellite radio provides unparalleled programming variety. Hip-hop, rock, country, jazz, classical, Latin, Christian and pop music channels are available on the portable satellite radio.

The portable satellite radios have a base radio station on earth. From this base radio station, music, talk shows, news and commentary of a game are transmitted to the satellite. The satellite then transmits the signal to the intended continent. The satellite stations broadcast digital signals to the portable satellite radio and this broadcast is available anywhere with clarity. .

Portable satellite radio receiver allows listeners to enjoy hundreds of radio channels provided by, you guessed it, satellites. News, sports, entertainment, talk-radio, and music are all brought to you in crystal-clear, commercial-free audio. Until recently, satellite radio had been dominated by two separate satellite radio providers- XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. In 2007, a merger between the two companies was approved by their respective shareholders. In late 2008, the FCC approved the merger, and now Sirius XM Radio, Inc., is the holding company for the two satellite services. Their most popular product is the Sirius Stiletto 2 portable satellite radio and the Stiletto SL100 portable satellite radio. This Sirius portable satellite radio is quite possibly the best portable satellite radio player on the market.

There are two types of satellite services available: mobile and fixed location. Mobile systems, such as XM Satellite™ and Worldspace™ are designed for users who want to access the service while moving anywhere on the continent. Fixed location services, such as Music Choice™ or Muzak™ provide background music to retail stores, hotel lobbies and other fixed locations.

Satellite receivers are all issued an electronic serial number radio ID, which is used to validate the device against the service subscription database. This ID number ensures that only paid subscribers are able to access satellite radio programming. The radio ID number can be located within the satellite radio tuner as required.

How to Shop

The two companies are currently completely independent of each other; if you have an XM receiver, you cannot listen to Sirius stations. Also, manufacturers are aligned with one or the other. If you buy a Panasonic satellite receiver, it will only carry Sirius. Kenwood, Clarion, and Jensen also supply Sirius, while Pioneer, Alpine, and Sony supply XM. Both companies have websites where you can listen to the program lineup each offer--this is the deciding factor for many people. Initially, the sound quality of XM had a noticable edge over Sirius, but improvements have closed the gap. You can also check out portable satellite radio reviews online.

If you're happy with your current head unit, you can get a tuner that connects via FM modulation or with an auxiliary input. Or, you can get a satellite-ready head unit that will control the satellite receiver as well. These typically are brand-specific, so if you buy a Kenwood head unit, you will have to buy a Kenwood tuner. Some head units have an integrated satellite tuner, eliminating the need for the extra component. In addition, some newer CD and cassette systems incorporate a satellite tuner, and these are covered in this website's car audio CD player and in-dash cassette player sections.

What to Expect in Satellite Radio

Satellite radio service is still a minor player and mostly it is inevitable that these 2 companies will continue to invent and deliver new technology and even more features. XM Radio and SIRIUS Satellite Radio will have to devote resources to such innovations if they are to attract enough subscribers to become profitable. I would expect to see smaller devices, with better recording features and larger display screens and eventually long battery life.