Theres been a big push in the consumer electronics industry lately. Its been the movement towards satellite radio, but one of the biggest questions being asked is how does this technology work?

How do you get all of these fantastic stations tuned into one satellite radio receiver? Theres a lot more going on behind the scenes then just clicking the on button. How is it possible the signal can be so crystal clear?

Well first off you need to decide on a provider. IN the US there are two main providers: XM radio and Sirius. Each station provides fantastic satellite radio programming, and the way each service works is very similar so there isnt a big learning curve between the two. How ever the type of programming that each provider offers varies, so depending on your listening habits you should consider this closely. In Canada XS is currently the only provider available. Hence there really isnt a big choice for you to make there.

After youve decided on a provider you need to run down to your local consumer electronics store and pick up a satellite radio receiver, or purchase one online. The Satellite radio itself is the second most important component in the system, and in discovering how satellite radio works.

Different satellite radio receivers are designed to unscramble signals that are sent from satellites orbiting earth. Each satellite radio service launches satellites into orbit; the provider will then send encrypted signals to each satellite. These orbiting satellites send the signals back down to us. When a subscriber selects a particular satellite station their radio receiver the radio decodes the signal sent from the satellite and provides the requested station.

So you can see that satellite radio behaves similarly to traditional radio. A signal is broadcast, and our radios at home and in our cars pick it up. However traditional signals are broadcast over the airwaves while satellite radio is provided via the satellites in space. Unlike traditional radio, which at times isnt the cleanest sound, satellite radio provides users with a clear sound no matter how far away from their local city they are. There is minimal range limit with a satellite radio signal, so its possible to continue to listen to the exact same station almost no anywhere.