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[S508]Sirius Satellite Radio Installation

by Jim Johnson, Jim

If you want to take advantage of the satellite radio boom which is picking up steam with almost every passing day, you only have two major choices if you live in the US, either XM or Sirius. Both providers offer high quality, digital programming with over 100 channels to listen to so you can never run out of something good on the radio.

But what are the differences between the two services? It makes sense to figure that out in advance and make the right decision for you, as the equipment that you buy that enables you to receive the signal from one of the providers, cannot be used with the other provider if you decide that you want to make a change for some reason. So that means that examining the programming options from both XM and Sirius is an important step in the buying process, as it will be very expensive if you decide to change after the equipment has been purchased.

In actuality though, there are more similarities between the two providers than there are differences, especially in the field of music. Each has over 60 channels of music to tune into including all of the major generes like pop, hip-hop, blues, all kinds of rock, country, jazz, classical, as well as dance music and music by the decades (70s, 80s, 90s, etc.) So in this area, either one will no doubt provide you with all the music programming that you could ever need.

The differences in programming start to show up in the talk radio and sports radio sections though. In sports, XM broadcasts baseball games and Nascar, whereas Sirius has committed to more overall sports programming including all NFL footbal games, most NBA games, NHL, and Nascar. So if you are a sports fan, the differences can be important in this area.

In talk radio, one of the biggest draws for Sirius is Howard Stern. Of course, his radio show has been very popular for many years and has lots of listeners, so if he is a favorite of yours, you can only find him on Sirius. But there are other talk shows available as well, although Sirius tends to attract more celebrity talk shows hosted by the likes of Martha Stewart, Jimmy Buffet, and more. One other advantage in the talk area, is that Sirius also carries NPR, which has a wide fan base as well. The list is constantly changing though, so check the latest channel lineup to see what talk channels are being offered at this point.

Both services offer always-on, everywhere service that is available no matter where you live in the US, and the equipment for receiving each service is pretty extensive, with XM maybe having a slight edge in the portability field.

So look over the channel lineups carefully, choose your provider and enjoy the next step in high quality, digital entertainment.

You have probably heard of the two satellite radio companies, Sirius Radio and XM Satellite Radio, but you may not know a lot about them such as how much each costs or what radio talent is available on each. Many people are tired of listening to regular AM and FM radio stations for several reasons. It may be that they are tired of being bombarded with commercials. It may be that they do not like the programming available to them. On the other hand, it may simply be that they are in a rural area and tired of losing their radio signal all the time. Regardless of the reason, many consumers are turning to satellite radio as a viable alternative to regular radio stations.

Both companies are able to offer you static free radio due to satellites. XM (based in Washington D.C.) has two and Sirius (based in New York) has three satellites across the United States. Both companies offer users commercial free radio. Sirius offers over 125 channels and XM offers 160 different channels. There are dedicated channels for genres of music such as jazz, folk, country and pop for diehard fans. One cool feature of satellite radio is you can see the name of the artist playing as well as the song title. So never again do you have to spend time wondering just who sang that song you just heard! There are also channels for local weather and traffic, sports, comedy, women's issues, talk shows, even old time radio shows. Soon, you may be able to see video as well as hear audio on your satellite radios.

There are also celebrity shows for both satellite radio companies. Martha Stewart recently signed a deal to launch a 24-hour radio channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. And most everyone has heard that Howard Stern is on Sirius as well - uncensored. Having gotten in trouble with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for his radio talk show, he decided to jump to the uncensored airways of satellite radio. Since his show started, the Sirius subscriber base has increased by at least 2.7 million. If have satellite radio and want to hear National Public Radio (NPR), you will have to subscribe to Sirius as they are the only one offering NPR. But XM is not to be left behind by Sirius. XM signed Snoop Doggy Dog, but the big coop is Oprah. In September of 2006, XM users will be able to tune in to Oprah & Friends. The new channel will offer broadcasts of The Oprah Winfrey Show, O, the Oprah Magazine and programming on fitness, health and self improvement.

All this sounds great, but what do you actually need to be able to receive satellite radio? You will need either a Sirius or an XM radio. This does not necessarily have to be a radio only for use in your car either. There are also home radios available today and there are even radios you can use both at home and in your car. The price for a basic radio offered by both Sirius and XM is as low as $49.99. You will also need to subscribe to a service. Both Sirius and XM charge $12.95 a month for you to receive satellite signals on your radio. However, if you have several cars with satellite radios, you can save by choosing the family plan available from both companies.

Just how popular is satellite radio becoming? In March of 2005, Hyundai announced that it would be the first automaker to put satellite radios in all of its models sold in the United States. Each Hyundai, including the popular Sonata, Santa Fe, and Elantra models, will come equipped with an XM satellite radio. When this was announced, shares in XM's parent company rose by more than 8 percent. Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz also announced in March 2005 that Sirius radios would be a dealer-installed option on some of their models.

So which satellite radio should you choose? That depends on you. You should check out the stations available by visiting each company on the web before making a decision. Both offer radios at comparable prices, so it really comes down to what you want to hear. Are you a Stern fan? Then you have to go with Sirius. But if you love Oprah, you can only hear her on XM. Regardless of which one you choose, you will no doubt be very pleased with the services and reception of satellite radio.

Article Source : Advantages Of Satellite Radio

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Both Jim Johnson & Matt Barstow are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jim Johnson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Information Technology, Dental Practice and Abdominal. Find out more about and. Jim Johnson's top article generates over 301000 views. to your Favourites.

Matt Barstow has sinced written about articles on various topics from Keyboard Synthesizer, Entertainment Guide and Satellite. Matt Barstow offers valuable tips and information about ,. Matt Barstow's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.