How Does Satellite Radio Work? | The Communication Blog

Saturday, October 22, 2011

How Does Satellite Radio Work?

By Daleim Nust


The invention of radio was a landmark in the world of broadcasting. In today's digital age, satellite radio has ushered in a new era of radio communications. This type of radio has revolutionized the industry and changed the way that people listen to the airways.

It works by sending a digital radio signal to a communications satellite. As a result, satellite covers a wider area than traditional radio signals, which typically span only 30 to 40 miles from their source. In contrast, satellite transmits its signal more than 20,000 miles away from its source. The quality of satellite radio broadcasts is also superior to that of terrestrial radio, since the signal is digital.

On some channels, the music controller or disc jockey will choose, say, fifty minutes worth of music, will listen to it in order to determine that the quality and the order are correct and then let the computer play it over the airwaves. This allows ten minutes every hour for the news and then the sequence can be repeated automatically.

Another great feature is being able to identify what you are listening to you. The radio tuners receive meta data that includes song information like title, artist etc It's a great way to discover new music as you can simply scan the channels until you hear something you like, then you can see exactly what it is.

Much like satellite television, subscribers pay a fee to obtain satellite services from their car or from their home. They must also purchase a receiver in order to gain access to satellite radio channels.

In America, for instance, the two areas concentrated on at first were the densely populated east and west coasts in order to maximize possible income. One satellite would be incapable of covering the entirety of the United States in that orbit.

In the coming years, it will be interesting to see where satellite takes its listeners next. Indeed, this exciting new technology is becoming a part of everyday media culture.




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