# Spotbeams possible on satellite radio?



## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

Is spotbeam technology like those used with DirecTv and Dish Network able to be used with satellite radio such as XM radio and so forth? The advantages could be local radio news for certain regions. It would be like adding local channels in a way, only just having the audio to them. I know that some local radio stations have local news from some channels.


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## James_F (Apr 23, 2002)

Is it really needed? I'd assume that audio would take up much less bandwidth than video so I wouldn't think it would be needed...


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## dlsnyder (Apr 24, 2002)

Wow! Just imagine what the NAB would have to say about that one! They are already worried about satellite competing with local broadcast by means of terrestrial repeaters. The satellite radio companies have steadfastly maintained that they are not out there trying to compete with local radio stations. I am sure many of their listeners would disagree.

I don't know if it is possible or not (my guess is that it is). Currently the business model doesn't support it. The big selling point is being able to tune the same radio channels continuously from anywhere in the country. From what I have read here and elsewhere there are no plans to deliver any local programming.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

For XM, it's possible since there are only 2 fixed-positioin satellites ("Rock" and it's sister "Roll").

Sirius, howevfer, has 3 satellites, of which 2 are "visible" at any one time - they're doing a kind of figure-8-looking-from-the-ground orbit that usually guarantees they'll be higher in the sky than the XM satellites whicha re over the equator at geosynchronous positions.

Can you imagine spot beams on a moving platform? What a tracking nightmare!


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

But if XM radios come with AM/FM tuners is this necessary?


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## HarryD (Mar 24, 2002)

I sure hope they don't force LIL for radio stations! That would be a nightmare.


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## mnassour (Apr 23, 2002)

That's like comparing apples and monkeys  . There are no network contracts for radio such as there are in teleivison. And...you don't hear CBS radio on XM either, do you?


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

In fairness he does not want LIL. He wants a local news feed. But I still think OTA will work fine.


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## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

FYI StarChoice is the only system to dish up LOT'S of local radio........over 50 stations in addition to their 40 commercial free audio channels......

....11 from Vancouver +12 from Toronto+ 7 from Spokane + stations from Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Whitehorse, Montreal + Halifax, etc.

Rock, alternative, news, dance, country, sports, talk, jazz, campus, NPR, CBC Radio One + CBC Radio Two.....whatever you want......they are all beaming down from Anik F1- the world's most powerful commercial sat!

......I spend more time listening than I do watching!


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

Try Driving around with a starchoice dish on your car.

Remember I have warned you a few times to stop posting your Starchoice ads here. No one cares, we are a US DBS site.


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2002)

XM's Rock and Roll have no directional capability. And given the omni-directional nature of the receiving antennae, directional transmitters would constantly be interfering with each other.

But that is not to say that local content cannot be inserted into your radio.

If a third-generation radio had a small dynamic buffer, there is no reason the national service couldn't download local traffic, weather, sports, even a horoscope into a particular radio.

For example, a user could configure his radio to retain XM local programming in his chosen area codes.


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## raj2001 (Nov 2, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Jacob S _
> *Is spotbeam technology like those used with DirecTv and Dish Network able to be used with satellite radio such as XM radio and so forth? The advantages could be local radio news for certain regions. It would be like adding local channels in a way, only just having the audio to them. I know that some local radio stations have local news from some channels. *


To answer your question, yes it can be used. As a matter of fact, you can think of CONUS coverage as being one huge spot beam. I'd understand why you'd want local news coverage and the sort, but local AM radio covers a considerable distance and beyond the local coverage area, and would be adequate for that purpose. For news you don't need great sound quality anyway.


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## raj2001 (Nov 2, 2002)

> _Originally posted by zumahans _
> *XM's Rock and Roll have no directional capability. And given the omni-directional nature of the receiving antennae, directional transmitters would constantly be interfering with each other.
> *


I believe Rock and Rolls' antennae were designed to cover a specific footprint, namely the continental US. It's not hard to have more antennae to narrow the footprint to cover certain areas.


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2002)

I think stop beams for satellite radio would never really happen. It would be far more practical to just boardcast terrestial digital radio. However, I would not mind if dish or directv offered local stations via there spot beams, I think this would be a nice thing.


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## Msguy (May 23, 2003)

Dish and Direc Tv have found ways to deliver local channels via spot beams. Maybe XM will do the same in the future? That would be awesome! When you travel around the country say if you drive down to Florida and have your XM on when you get into Tampa Bay or Jacksonville or whatever your XM radio begins to pick up Tampa Bay's or Jacksonvilles Local Radio Stations. How cool!!!


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## Guest (Jan 13, 2004)

One reason I got XM was so I no longer had to listen to the lame, boring, commericialized, repetitious, hit-based local radio stations in my area. The "local" connection will be more than satisfied with the new local traffic/weather station for my city XM will offer next month. I can't imagine paying to hear local radio dribble.


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## yomama (Nov 3, 2003)

Oby said:


> One reason I got XM was so I no longer had to listen to the lame, boring, commericialized, repetitious, hit-based local radio stations in my area. The "local" connection will be more than satisfied with the new local traffic/weather station for my city XM will offer next month. I can't imagine paying to hear local radio dribble.


BINGO ! :righton:


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

Msguy said:


> Dish and Direc Tv have found ways to deliver local channels via spot beams. Maybe XM will do the same in the future? That would be awesome! When you travel around the country say if you drive down to Florida and have your XM on when you get into Tampa Bay or Jacksonville or whatever your XM radio begins to pick up Tampa Bay's or Jacksonvilles Local Radio Stations. How cool!!!


Don't they have AM/FM tuners? It can do that now.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Wow!! Another very old thread back from the dead!! I have one question about spot beams on Satellite Radio. Why? If you are driving around in your car and you get tired of your satellite radio, simply switch over to FM or AM. Call that a spot beam if you like, the results would be the same.


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## mjz (Jul 27, 2002)

I am not so sure of if It can be done

1) XM runnes at a lower frequency, I think about 1.5ghz, so spot beams can not be a tight as with the 17ghz of DBS satellite

2)Power: XM rock and roll use an entire Boeing 701 Bird to drive a singal transponder! That one transponder puts out over 18KW of power! That also means that since they only use one transponder, so frequency sharing would be impossible.


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## Doug E (Jul 6, 2002)

mnassour said:


> That's like comparing apples and monkeys  . There are no network contracts for radio such as there are in teleivison. And...you don't hear CBS radio on XM either, do you?


No CBS, but ABC network news is on XM


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