Is Sirius Satellite Radio worth it?

[politicat]

Okay, here's the deal - we don't do TV. (We both grew up in TV addicted households, and neither of us can stand it anymore. Occasional movies that we rent, that's it.) I'm losing my sight as well, so I prefer to save my sight for things that I really enjoy and have a real interest in.

We do a lot of radio, audio books, etc. We're getting an Air America station in my area later in May, but I'm not sure how good the signal's going to be - it's going to be opposite a Xtian Fundy station that has multiple FCC complaints for pumping the signal to drown out those "Satanic Secular Humanist Liberals." (I have heard them say this.) (And no, the FCC does nothing about this.) (It's an amplitude issue - so 670 = 1340.)

So we're looking into Sirius. Any advice, any cautions? Which device should I look for?

Thanks,

PCat

[Chicago Democrat]

1. I'm going to look for it today too!~!~

I want one that can move around with me, cause Im gonna get a new car sometime.. AFter Franken's show is over I'll see you at Best Buy Niles.

[Az]

2. Been thinking about it myself and the consensus

seems to be that Sirius is more liberal friendly but XM is technically more advanced. The balance may be changing though.

[Chicago Democrat]

4. Oh Im going Sirius! They have original GAY programming and

the FULL Air AMerica lineup!

[mvd]

15. They kept Radio Left after putting on Air America

2 Left channels! Sirius is great.

[BiggJawn]

3. They're pumping a harmonic on 1340?

I read that right? the Fundies are on 670 and they're throwing a harmonic over the top of a station on 1340?

They have a very good but very evil Engineer....

[politicat]

5. That's what's happening on 1340 (which is NPR)

Boulder's AAR station is going to be 610 (IIRC) and there's a Xtian station at the double in Adams County (where we're going to be living after the end of May). I'm not confident that they'll behave.

The Fundies are in 670 in Adams county as well (different set) and they're throwing harmonics at the 1340 station.

Yes, NPR knows about it, and theoretically, so does the FCC.

And yes, I'd say they do have an evil engineer. the DH and I call him Pitr. (User Friendly.)

Best

Pcat

[PROGRESSIVE1]

6. What's a Harmonic and how does it disrput stations?

[Az]

7. It has to do with frequencies

When you throw out a radio signal it has its own frequency. Thats how you can tune in a specific station. Frequency refers to the number of times a signal can oscilate back and forth in its sine curve over a specific distance. The higher the frequency the more hills and valleys. The lower the fewer.

A harmonic occurs when two different frequencies are in an area. When one frequency results in a multiple of the other a number of the high or low points can match up and if the signal strength is higher it can override the weaker signal. Its a form of jamming. It is experienced as hearing another station come across the weaker station.

[politicat]

9. Not being a sonics expert.... here's the effect.

I turn on the radio. Instead of my nice, normal, tame Morning Edition or Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, I'd get The Hellfire and Brimstone Hour, followed up with Who Wants to Burn a Liberal at the Stake? Needless to say (I'm not Christian, though I have no issues with most of the more reasonable ones) this is not my idea of good entertainment.

Thinking back to college physics, what I think is happening is that the two stations are on equivalent amplitudes. The 670 station cycles at 670 cycles a second, and the 1340 cycles at 1,340 cycles a second. But a station cycling at 670 also cycles at 1340 by default.

Please correct me if I'm wrong - the math makes sense to me, but I'm not in electronics or sonic engineering and I packed those text books already!

Pcat

[BiggJawn]

13. The 670 is being operated incorrectly.

The assigned frequency (670) is being fed to the final amplifier of their transmitter. Now what possibly could be happening is that the final tank circuit (a resonant network of inductance and capacitance) which is usually "tuned" to exhalt the fundamental and supress all other freuencies has been mis-tuned to allow 2X the fundamental, or the harmonic, pass through to the antenna.

In the case of the 670 kcs. station, it's radiating enegy at it's assigned freuency (670) AND on the assigned frequency (1340) of another station.

This will effectively "jam" the 1340 station, especially in the vicinity of the 670 station.

I'm surprised either the FCC or the 1340 station's lawyers have been unable to get any relief. No, the FCC doesn't surprise me, but I would think a lawyer could file a "cease and desist" suit proving harm from the illegal operation.

[lazarus]

8. do they have a boombox yet?

That's the one thing I like about XM Radio, when I've looked at the two. XM has devices that let you take the tuner from your car into your house/office and hook it to a boombox or stereo.

[politicat]

10. We ruled out XM automatically.

It's owned by clear channel. Here in the home of Clear Channel Command Central, I want another media voice.

And I'm not concerned about boom boxes - I've got my stereo set up to take input from my iPod, so I should be able to get it to take input from anything that's got a 1/8th in jack.


Pcat

[lazarus]

12. no, it isn't

"XM Satellite Radio Inc., an emerging force in broadcasting, was incorporated in 1992 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. XM is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange since October 5, 1999."

http://www.xmradio.com/corporate_info/corporate_information_main.html

They did get $75 million from Clear Channel back in '99.

They do list Clear Channel as one of their "strategic partners," and Randall T. Mays, Executive Vice President and CFO of Clear Channel Communications, is on the Board of Directors, so I'm not saying that XM is pure or anything. I don't like them, both for this and their ties to NewsCorp, which owns Hughes (DirecTV) and therefore a 7.4% voting interest in XM Satellite Radio Holdings.

[Az]

11. Pretty sure Sirius has that too

Not positive mind ya. But I thought I saw that sort of thing.

[geniph]

16. Yes, they do

I think it's Audiovox that has the plug & play unit with a new boombox.

I have XM, and I take it quite literally EVERYWHERE with me. Satellite radio RULES!

[NicoleM]

14. Have you looked at their website?

Go here for their lineup. They have a *ton* of programming. My receiver is pretty much stuck on AAR and a music station called Alt Nation, but on the weekends we listen to one of the two NPR stations a lot. DH listens to the sports feeds sometimes.

I love my Sirius.