When it come to consider jumping in the satellite radio bandwagon, there are many questions to be answered about them like ?How does satellite radios work??, ?What kind of equipment should I purchase?? etc. but in this article I will try to answer a question that first pops up in everybody's mind: ?HOW MUCH DOES SATELLITE RADIO COST?? This is a tricky question because the cost of a satellite radio is divided in two: installation (or activation) costs and the monthly subscription fee. Let's go over some of this questions so get a better idea.

Activation costs?

Activation costs refer to the amount of money that are to be spent on a XM or Sirius Satellite Radio to start the service. Although you can find many promotions that allow you to save up money, the activation costs vary, being able to make the activation by phone or by World Wide Web. To be more precise, if you activate your satellite by phone, you will pay $15.00 if you choose Sirius Satellite or $14.99 by choosing XM and, as for WWW activation, the cost of goods is somehow lower: $5 with Sirius or $9.99 with XM. As for the monthly subscription costs we will discuss this below, but, before that, I must say that recent media campaigns are dramatically dropping the prices for installation and activation, both on Sirius or XM, in some cases even offering free activation.

What are the typical costs for a car dedicated installation?

If you want to install a satellite radio into your car you are to consider buying a new satellite-ready car stereo if you don't have one. Although many local dealers offer built-in car satellite radio, there is still the problem of having a satellite radio receiver. And these, as you may notice, cost money. It is possible though to use the existing car stereo that does not support satellite radio. How? There are two known ways of connecting the receiver to the available non-satellite radio car stereo. First, by using the radio inputs (usually the CD) and installing a control unit for tuning up the satellite radio streams. The second method consists in installing a satellite radio receiver, which broadcasts the satellite radio signal on a FM frequency. The place where you can install the receiver depends: under the seat, in your trunk, etc. taking care of connecting the receiver to the satellite radio antenna mounted on the car's exterior.

So, there will be a minimum cost of $350.00 and a maximum of $600, like below:

Receiver $75 - $125

Radio $125 - $250

Antenna $60.00

Labor $80.00

Activation $10

Costs for a dedicated home installation

If you choose this option, that means you will have to install a dedicated stereo receiver unit, which in some cases is similar to regular AM / FM receivers. As an additional cost, you will have to buy an antenna, which can be found at a price of $60. Here is a short review of the approximate price of installing a dedicated stereo receiver unit:

Receiver $150 - $300

Antenna $60

Activation $10

How Much a Portable Unit Cost?

Portable units gives you the ease of using you brand new satellite radio wherever you want, but, in every room you will have to own a home kit (antennas, output cables and power supplies). The price for this option is around $400.

Receiver $120

Home kit $140

Boombox x2 $100

Activation $10

What About the Subscription Costs?

As for the subscription costs, it depends if you own a Sirius or XM Satellite Radio.

Subscription costs for a Sirius Satellite Radio are paid monthly where the charge is $12.95, with a low adjustment is you subscribe to a year or two. The highest number of Sirius radios that can be activated are three for $6.99 each per month. Business subscriptions are $24.99 per month. Another interesting thing is that for $499.99, Sirius is offering a life time subscription.

On the other hand, if you have a XM Satellite Radio, you will have to pay a monthly charge of $9.99. Still, some channels are to be paid separately, like Playboy Radio, which costs an additional $2.99 per month. Commercial and Business Subscriptions cost $24.99 per month.

Although we may not have covered all possible questions, now we have a better idea so we can take a more informed decision to go with a satellite radio or just wait for technology to get even better and cheaper.