XM/Sirius

[flintstone mop]

Hello ALL
On a technical note...........what happened to the satellite signal when XM and Sirius were joined together???
Would there be 5 satellites on the air?? Sirius had three satellites on the air to cover the USA as XM did with Rock and Roll. Yes, that was the name of their two satellites.
Can you imagine the physical plant to generate all of those channels? It's probably like a huge I.T. room ("farm") and many traditional looking studios.


Fred..................This is not a Ham subject at all, BUT the RF side of satellite radio is interesting too. I hope I'm interpreting things right........but XM's original satellites are using two transponders @ 3kw each 3KW RF??? I'm sure there are many spare transponders aboard.

Fred

[WB2YGF]

I don't know about the Sat part of it, but what happened from a programming point of view is that identical channels were merged.  In other words, if there were 2 adult contemporary stations, one of them won out and that one is simulcast on both XM and Sirius on their original respective channel assignments.  The leftover unique channels were then added to each others systems as new channels.  A package of the most costly channels of each brand is offered on the opposite brand for $5 extra.

The end effect is more channels and variety for the same price and the voice ID for a "station" specifies two channel numbers instead of one. (XM nnn, Sirius nnn)

[KL7OF]

I got Sirius radio for the shack here in Tum Tum.....I took a sirius receiver to Alaska last summer and it won't work because Sirius satellites are right at the horizon when you are that far north...XM Radio works there however ...Their sats must be higher??  I wonder if the Sirius will work there now that they have merged and shuffled satellites..I'm looking for satellite info....   

[Carl WA1KPD]

I have had XM for the last 3 years or so. I have a 1 hour commute each way and it has been really nice.
However I have to say I liked it much better before the merger

There are more "DJs" now on all channels. I liked not listening to the prater. If I am on the "60s" channels just play the Monkeys for me let me read who they are on the screen and shut up. Don't put someone on who thinks they are "Cousin Brucie- WABC)  between each song

I used to really enjoy the R&X rated comedy channel (150) They had really funny comedians. Now there are a lot of obscure Howard Stern types that are not too funny and that I do not enjoy. At least Lewis Black is on from time to time  http://www.lewisblack.com/audio/lewb_revwhite_10_clip_48.mp3

I enjoy classical but the new play list has a lot more dissonance and modern classical music. I listen to the channel to calm me down not incite some deep visceral reaction.

With all those comments I think I must also say there must be some feedback that is being listened to because some of those issues seem to be tempered.

Or maybe I have just become an OF



73

Carl
/KPD

[WQ9E]

Carl,

I have been an XM subscriber for around 8 years and was pretty satisfied up until the merger.  However, with the idiot DJ noise brought over from Sirius I am not sure I will renew because if I wanted to listen to idiotic DJ chatter I can do that for free.   I bought a new Cadillac CTS in May and it is designed to integrate an Ipod into its touch screen audio system and with the Ipod the only thing I listen to on XM in the car is the old time radio channel.  Since my pickup and my wife's car have audio input jacks they are Ipod ready also even though they lack the integrated control system.

 For considerably less than what XM costs I could buy a whole lot of vintage radio episodes on MP3 to get my Shadow, Dragnet, and Six Shooter fix on long trips.  I have a few more months to run on my annual subscriptions and if the DJ chatter continues on the decades channels then I won't be renewing.  Of course given the satellite radio financial picture it may be a moot point soon.

Rodger WQ9E

[WB2YGF]

I used to listen to Mix.  Then they added an annoying commercial at the top of the hour.  At about the same time they added Flight 26 which was similar with no commercial.  After the merger it became The Pulse.  Some of the DJ's remain from Flight 26.  Seems like they are adding more advertising for their other channels, and this evening, for the first time they did a 30 second "music news" segment.  I don't like where this is heading.

I never particularly liked XM's classical playlists.  Lately I have been listening to Classical Masterpieces on Music Choice in the shack (via cable).

I could go either to MP3 or I can stream Internet music over my Palm phone, but so far, there is no substitute for CNBC over XM.

[Carl WA1KPD]

Thanks Rodger. I was beginning to wonder if it was just me hitting the wall at 55.

I have an Acura with the iPod jack and may just make the same change. Have you noticed Sirrus/XM has tempered it a bit lately?

By the way although not a traditional Cadillac fan, I like the CTS. A friend at work has one and I was impressed.

Carl
/KPD

[WQ9E]

You are welcome Carl.

I may be getting grouchier due to the winter ice storms but it seems to me that the DJ chatter is even worse in the last few weeks.   I also believe that the play lists have a lot less variety after the merger.

I think you will like the Ipod.  I went with an 8 GB "Nano" which is great for vehicle use since it has solid state memory instead of a mechanical drive so it should be pretty resistant to the heat and cold of a car environment.  One of the sites tested it by running it through a washer and dryer cycle and although they managed to destroy the LCD display the Ipod continued to work.  My only complaint is it seems Apple updates the software every week or so and instead of loading a patch or update it downloads the entire 60 + gigabyte Itunes software each time.  It isn't a big deal over broadband but it does seem they could clean up their act a bit.

I have been very happy with the CTS thus far, it has been trouble free and a lot of fun to drive.  I bought the rear wheel instead of the all wheel drive version since I have a 4WD pickup and I have been surprised how well it does in the snow with the 50/50 front to rear weight balance.  It is averaging just over 24 mpg which is pretty impressive for a heavy car with a 300 HP engine using regular 87 octane fuel.  I still like my crew cab pickup better for long trips but the CTS was a lot more fun to drive on the mountain roads during my last trip to the Smoky Mountains. 

I hope with the economic downturn Sirius/XM will cut down on the number of DJ hours!

Rodger WQ9E

[Carl WA1KPD]

Hey Rodger,
Should probably go to PM but what the heck.

I do have an 8 GB Ipod Nano. I like music but am not the type to sit around and just listen to it. But I spend a lot of time in big silver tubes in the sky and I really like it up there. I have an eclectic variety and it is always shuffling to something I like. One song is Moody Blues, the next is randomly something from the 20s and then Allison Krauss. Then Lewis Black pops in with a commentary. His take on Enron and the flim flam is so on que right now it is funny ""You don't want another Enron? Here's the law: If you have a company, and you can't explain, in one sentence, what the %*^& it does, it's illegal!"   

I had the origonal 1g Nano and upgraded about 2 years ago. The new Nano is great becuase the screen is crsiper and the case does not scratch as easily. Also I can fly coast to coast and the battery is still well charged. Before the 6 hour trip from CT to CA killed it.

I have actually watched a movie on that little screen and my eyes are not  what they were some years ago. Now on the plane I boot up the laptop, and use the Ipod as the memory. The HD stays off. The laptop battery is then used just for the screen and some processing.

Carl
/KPD