Sirius XM repeaters

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Sirius XM repeaters

Postby kal » Sat May 21, 2016 6:56 pm

I've been using a Sirius XM satellite radio trial run and must say I'm taken by the service. I've found that I'm increasingly turning away from CBC 690, CKWX 1130 and CKNW 980 to the XM channels Watercolors (all jazz), Bridge and CNN.

So far I haven't had to pay for the service but the free period is running out. The company calls every few days in an attempt to sign me up. So far the best offer has been $38 for six months. I also want the home (Internet) service but that runs an extra $4 a month.

In any case, when the company calls I don't show any enthusiasm for the service. In fact on yesterday's call I noted that I can't make good use of Sirius as the signal drops out in numerous spots on my commute route. I was not expecting the comeback that the company is installing repeaters in the lower mainland. I was skeptical but I've found a report here that there is in fact one already:

http://www.dogstarradio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Terrestrial_Repeater_249

Anyone else a fan of satellite radio?
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Re: Sirius XM repeaters

Postby albertaboy4life » Sat May 21, 2016 7:48 pm

I am.

I've pretty much given up on local terrestrial radio aside from 660News which I listen to for traffic and weather reports before beginning my morning commute. Once I'm in my car, it's nothing but SiriusXM. It's a particularly good service on highways 1 and 3 west from the Alberta border where little to no live announcers can be heard on local radio outside of major centres. I've rarely experienced any signal loss en route.

I've had a lifetime subscription to SiriusXM since early 2011 and have recently added a home kit which is connected to an old home stereo receiver extending my use of the service.

The repeater(s) in Calgary for the Sirius service has some challenges staying operational for extended periods of time, but when it is operating the reception is quite good excepting underground parking garages which is to be expected.
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Re: Sirius XM repeaters

Postby jon » Sat May 21, 2016 8:49 pm

kal wrote:I was not expecting the comeback that the company is installing repeaters in the lower mainland. I was skeptical but I've found a report here that there is in fact one already

Here in Edmonton, without the ground-based repeater(s), I seriously doubt I would listen to satellite radio. During my free trial in 2010, the repeater was down for several weeks, and it was cutting out all over the place as I drove around. With the repeater, I usually lose a second or two under a couple of wide overpasses and, curiously enough, lose it altogether in my garage.

Money-wise, my XM lifetime subscription has paid for itself more than twice over, in no small part due to the monthly rate increase since I signed up. A friend tells me that they don't offer the lifetime subscriptions anymore. Even when they did they were for the lesser of the two:
  1. how long I own the same car
  2. how long I live
As for programming, I really miss the announcers on Fifties on Five, but, looking back, feel that it was worth it to get Pat St. John doing live radio, not voice tracked, on Sixties on Six for four hours each weekday. Unfortunately, Pat is currently in the hospital.

I have not listened to the Internet-based service since my free one month trial expired in 2010, but the sound quality was awful back then. The satellite-delivered audio is not perfect, but at least it is listenable in a vehicle.
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Re: Sirius XM repeaters

Postby radiofan » Sat May 21, 2016 10:10 pm

I've had Sirius/XM since last August and only go back to terrestrial radio except for the odd traffic report.

I get the odd quick dropout along the Mary Hill bypass, Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge and along North Road by Hume Park (all areas that have big trees along the roadway.

After my free trial, I took the one year package for $87 plus taxes and managed to get one year of online service included.

If I do get tired of Sirius, I have hundreds of hours of music and old airchecks on a 64 GB memory chip that I can pop into the radio.

I haven't had to endure a Maple Ridge Chrysler commercial for months.
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Re: Sirius XM repeaters

Postby Russ_Byth » Sun May 22, 2016 11:22 am

radiofan wrote:I haven't had to endure a Maple Ridge Chrysler commercial for months.


But now that you've moved, they're even 'closer than you think!' :carrot:
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Re: Sirius XM repeaters

Postby beddows » Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:48 pm

I am one of the lucky ones who bought a lifetime subscription. No longer available. Broke even about 3 years ago, now its free. I spend 6 months a year in Mexico as a wagon master for RV caravans and could not live without Sirius. I don't get many dropouts even way down there. I am glad I went Sirius instead of XM as their satellites are in higher orbits. Xm starts to get drop outs south of Maztalan, I have no issue with Sirius all the way to the Guatemalan border. Only when parked under trees. I've given up on local radio, it's not the sameas it was in my youth. Too restricted. I listen to watercolors, deep tracks, 60's on 6, classic Vinyl. And of course while in Mexico, the CBC.
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Re: Sirius XM repeaters

Postby kal » Wed Jun 22, 2016 4:19 am

Not to get too technical about satellite radio satellites ... they are in geostationary orbits, which means they are all the same altitude above the earth's surface, and, by definition, they must be in place over the equator. So, there should be no difference between these satellites, at least insofar as their location is concerned. Where they can differ is in the aiming of their antennae.

And I too like Watercolors. :)
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Re: Sirius XM repeaters

Postby kal » Sun Sep 25, 2016 8:28 pm

Here's a fine article on satellite (Sirius XM) radio and HD radio, from the technical perspective.

http://electronicdesign.com/communications/what-s-difference-between-satellite-radio-and-hd-radio

Since starting this thread I've come to learn that the Sirius satellites are in different orbits from their XM counterparts. In fact they are in unique orbits called tundra orbits. However, it seems that as these satellites age out of operation, the merged company will no longer be using this technology.
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