I think it was tennis great John McEnroe who made the phrase “You can not be serious” famous, but he certainly wasn’t referring to SIRIUS and the latest trend in digital satellite technology… Satellite Radio. Any discussion about Satellite Radio just wouldn’t be proper without first paying homage to its digital forerunner, Satellite TV. Since its introduction in 1994 Satellite TV has been the single most successful consumer electronics product in history. It only seems natural that on the heels of such success would come yet another form of digital satellite technology, Satellite Radio.
Satellite Radio squarely addresses the biggest problems associated with current radio technology. FM Radio signals are relatively short range and prone to static. Combine this with a healthy dose of commercials, and you have the makings for some pretty disgruntled listeners.
As far as technology is concerned, Satellite Radio leaves FM in the stone age. Multiple satellites located in geosyncronus orbits above the Earth deliver crystal clear, near CD quality audio signals to wherever you may be. That means you can get in your car and drive across the entire United States while listening to the same radio station. To top it off, your music will never be interrupted by annoying commercials! If you love music, Satellite Radio is a dream come true.
The Satellite Radio scene currently consists of two providers who eagerly compete for your business, SIRIUS and XM Radio. Both companies knew that it wouldn’t be easy to convince the public to part with their hard earned cash unless the value of their product was readily apparent. Having the advantage of starting with a blank sheet of paper, SIRIUS and XM have designed their systems from the ground up to be nothing less than state of the art.
SIRIUS operates from an ultra modern facility located at Rockefeller Center in the heart of New York City. Being in New York was an important part of their mission, as this puts them within close proximity to major recording artists, and disk jockeys. Their custom designed and engineered performance studios are frequently visited by top musicians stopping by for live interviews and performances. SIRIUS programming features over 60 music channels with ZERO commercials, along with 40+ specialized sports, news, and entertainment channels.
XM Radio’s broadcast center is located in Washington, D.C., and includes a 2,600 square foot performance studio for live recording and broadcasts. It is the largest and most advanced of its kind in the world, where artists from all musical genres come to perform exclusive concerts for XM listeners. For regional broadcasting and location work, the Washington studio is supplemented by studios in New York and at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. XM also offers over 60 channels of 100% Commercial-Free music, 30+ channels of News, Sports, Talk & Entertainment, and 20+ channels of XM Instant Traffic & Weather.
Although it’s in its infancy, Satellite Radio is begining to prove that people are willing to pay for what they currently can get for free. XM and SIRIUS Radio have been growing their subscriber base at a very healthy rate. With its roots in automotive sound, the recent availability of new hardware has truly made Satellite Radio a total solution. Walkman style units now allow you to take Satellite Radio just about everywhere, and sophisticated home units are also available that perfectly integrate SIRIUS or XM Satellite Radio into your home entertainment system.
The future looks bright for Satellite Radio. For those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel, the decision to switch to Satellite Radio can almost be a no brainer. The fees are reasonable, and the service and programming are absolutely top notch. The hardest choice you will have to make is whether to go with SIRIUS or XM Radio. All things in life should be this easy.
© Written By: Michael Casamento
Michael Casamento is the founder of SatelliteTVSmarts.com offering comprehensive comparisons, along with the latest News, Deals, and Information on Digital Satellite TV, and Internet Access.
For more information visit:http://www.satellitetvsmarts.com
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As many companies try to diversify their trade services we are seeing a rather unusual migration to services that one might never think possible in the Oil Change Quick Lube Industry. One company we visited had closed one of it’s bays since it had a Wal-Mart across the street and started to install car stereos, specifically XM Radio. Now we tested the XM Radio ourselves and our gut feeling right away was this: XM Sattelite Radio is great.
I recommend everyone buy a system for their car of Satellite radio. Go to
http://www.xmradio.com
and check it out. It is very excellent, inexpensive and impressive, soon it will be offered for your wireless PDA. Sirius is also good and has 100 channels their website is
http://www.siriusradio.com
It appears that the radio station industry may be the next hit with advertising lost revenue as more and more people go to satellite radio and dump their regular radios. This is going to hurt them because new car buyers are getting the XM and Sirius systems and many are buying gift certificates for loved ones at Best Buy and Circuit City for after Christmas Installations. We know that the trade Journal Industry is tanked and consolidating fast, that Advertising magazines is way down. That companies like Procter and Gamble and Unilever paying for advertising on results only. Advertising firms are going the way side and this is hurting the industry badly and causing empty office spaces in downtown sections of large cities. Satellite TV has also hurt TV stations by adding channels and therefore people flip channels more often some stations disallow flipping on certain commercials for an extra fee.
Now after reviewing this we have determined a few more facts and after our discussions and confirmations with this Quick Lube we found they had actually increased sales in their two bays to equal the three bay max volume. Simply by installing stereos and developing another set of new clientele, younger crowd on average and there seems to be no end in sight to the number of new people wanting these systems. Just a thought if your volume of oil change customers base is dwindling due to a local low priced competitor, that you might think of other revenue streams to make the lease payments.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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In this age of the mobile phone, walkie talkies, or two-way radios, seem like an anachronism. However, many people who grew up before the 1990s may recall that no respectable private eye or detective story was complete without a walkie talkie being used while following a suspect or chasing a criminal!
You may not be the sort who likes to follow suspects or chase criminals as part of your daily activities, but you could still use a walkie talkie in your daily life. If you enjoy outdoor activities, love to go motorcycling, work in a school, college, pub or club or look after a little baby at home, you would find a walkie talkie a very useful gadget. You may need a walkie talkie system if your job requires you to move around from one point to another within a three kilometre range. The benefit over mobile phones is that they are license free and do not have any associated call charges.
For instance, you can use a regular baby monitor if you are at home downstairs and your baby is asleep upstairs, but what happens if you need to visit a neighbour? Some walkie talkies have a wider range than regular baby monitors and also include a “baby monitor” mode. You can leave one radio in the baby’s room and take the other wherever you go—when the baby wakes up or begins to cry, you will know at once. The Cobra MT725 Value Pack is ideal for this.
Workers in pubs or clubs, or teachers and staff members in schools and colleges would find walkie talkies very effective and useful when communicating with colleagues. In both cases, workers and staff members may have to respond to emergencies, and may not be near a telephone. Walkie talkies can be clipped onto belts, and come with an earpiece-microphone combination to enable discreet communication. All you need to do to send a message is to press the Push to Talk button on the handset.
Motorcyclists can use a walkie talkie system that fits into their motorcycle helmets, along with the Push to Talk button that is mounted on the motorcycle handlebar or the recommended voice activation via a MICVOX. If you plan a motorcycle holiday with a group of friends, this system should enable you to stay in touch, over a distance of a mile, in all kinds of weather. You will also find a walkie talkie very useful on a skiing or mountaineering holiday—you may not be able to use mobile phones in the mountains or abroad as the roaming charges may be more than you want to pay!
If you are on the lookout for a suitable walkie talkie, all you need to do is take a virtual walk down our aisles at BB-Shopping.com. We stock Cobra and Entel Euro-Wave walkie talkies that you can use at home and outdoors. You can also purchase walkie talkie accessories and download manuals from our site.
Ian Williams
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