XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service in the United States that provides digital programming directly from two satellites (nicknamed "Rock" and "Roll") in geostationary orbit above the equator, and a network of ground-based repeaters. It is based in Washington, DC. XM's business model is to provide pay-for-service radio, with commercial-free music channels, analogous to the business model for premium cable television channels. They also provide other data services such as weather information for pilots and weather spotters. They also transmit coded traffic information directly to navigation systems using TMC technology. As of January 2003, revenues have been lower than expected, and the company has needed to refinance. Their service includes 68 different music channels, 33 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, and 21 regional traffic and weather channels. The XM signal uses 12.5 MHz of the S band: 2332.5 to 2345.0 MHz. XM's competitor in the U.S. is Sirius Satellite Radio. On August 11, 2004, XM's subscriber base broke the 2.5 million mark. XM-capable receivers cost $50–200. Monthly service fees are $10 for the first receiver, and $7 each for up to four additional receivers on the same account. The company has partnered with Acura, Audi, General Motors, Honda, Isuzu, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, and SAAB to offer in-dash XM receivers on an OEM basis. As of January 2004, XM is the leader in the satellite radio market. The combination of two satellites and the ground based repeater network is designed to provide gap-free coverage anywhere within the continental U.S. Unfortunately, both the XM-1 and XM-2 satellites are suffering from a generic design fault on the Boeing 702 series of satellites, which means that their lifetimes will be shortened to approximately six years (design lifetime of 15 years). XM-3 will need to be launched in 2004 to ensure continuation of service, and procurement of XM-4 will need to be advanced by several years. It is believed that XM was issued a credit by Boeing on the new spacecraft. XM Satellite Radio makes the majority of its stations available on the Internet, for an additional subscription fee of $8 monthly for those without an over-the-air account and $4 monthly for those with an over-the-air account. External links http://www.xmradio.com/ Orbitcast.com A blog about all things Satellite Radio Satellite Radio Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM_Satellite_Radio