How Does Satellite Radio Work?

Satellite radio is one of the biggest improvements in broadcasting since the introduction of FM. Satellite radio signal can be broadcasted for more than 35,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) with complete clarity and high quality sound. You will never get static interferences while listening to over 100 radio channels. 

The idea behind satellite radio has appeared in 1992, when the United States Federal Communications Commission granted a spectrum of the S band (the 2.3 GHz frequency) for Digital Audio Radio Service. The license to broadcast in that band was allocated to Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio in 1997. Now there are three companies that provide satellite radio in the world: Sirius and XM in Northern America and WorldSpace in Asia, Europe and Africa. 

Each of these companies offer different broadcasting systems, since the radio signal of each is proprietary. This means that you will have to buy different hardware depending on your subscription to one of these companies. However, there are three components common to all satellite radio services: the satellites, the ground repeaters and the radio receivers. Different satellite radio companies broadcast the radio signal in different ways. For instance, XM satellite radio uses geostationary satellites which have orbits that are synchronized with the movement of Earth. 

These satellites are located above the equator. In order to allow subscribers to receive crystal-clear signal despite obstacles such as buildings, hills or bridges, XM satellite radio service has installed a network of repeaters antennas that receive the radio signal from the satellites and retransmit it to the subscriber’s receiver Sirius, on the other hand, uses satellites that have unique elliptical orbits around Earth. These kinds of orbits allow satellites to get higher in the sky than geostationary satellites and this prevents loss of signal. This is the reason why Sirius has fewer terrestrial repeaters than XM. 

Satellite radio services have digital broadcast centers where a huge amount of music in digital format as well as CD format is stored. Radio programmers have the task of selecting which song has to be played at which time. There are also a lot of studios managed by digital radio companies where artists perform live. 

All songs and material are transmitted to the satellites in digital format so that the signal contains very high quality sound. The signal is encoded by the satellite and then retransmitted to the repeaters antennas, which then transmit it to the radio receiver which decodes it and plays the sound. The entire process is very quick and reliable. 

Satellite radio would not be possible without digital compression. Digital compression is a technique that uses sophisticated algorithms to compress as much material as possible on the available bandwidth. Once you make a subscription to a satellite radio provider you will need the appropriate radio equipment. Traditional radios cannot decode the signal received from satellites so you will need special equipment. 

Home Decorating On A Budget

As the seasons change, many times your local thrift and consignment stores will have a change in inventory. So, be sure not to miss out on decorating supplies, furnishings, accessories, paint, wallpaper, and fabrics that can be found at many thrift stores. But, before you go shopping, make a plan that incorporates items you already have into your decorating task. The best strategy in budget decorating is to always inventory and use what you have on hand before buying decorating supplies. Be sure to check out the garage, attic, and/or basement for useful materials or furnishings that can be recycled into a new decor.

Shop in your own home first! Consider moving items from one space to another. Sometimes pulling items from one room to another and simply re-organizing, fixing up, or just using an item in a different way can be enough to jazz up a room. Add a fresh coat of paint, different window dressings and rearrangement of furnishings, and WHA LAH! You have a new room.

Need some paint? If you can be flexible about color, check the mis-mixed table at your local home improvement, hardware, or paint stores. You can find high quality paints for a fraction of the original retail cost when colors don't turn out exactly as they should have. Sometimes you can find a slight variation of just the color you've already picked that will work just as well with your selected color scheme and save you lots of money.

I buy these mis-mixed paints (usually for $2-3 per gallon or less) throughout the year and store them appropriately for later use. This way I go shopping in "my own" paint department first to see if I can accommodate the decorating plan I have chosen. Planning ahead and grabbing these types of decorating supplies when they're a bargain is a great way to maximize your home decorating savings.

Collecting fabrics for future use is also another great idea. Even unwanted clothing can be used to create small window dressings, pillow covers, and accessories. Many people give away scraps of fabrics or sell them at yard sales. Be sure to check clearance and end piece items at sewing and fabric shops. It's really so simple to make a curtain or a pillow. Usually only requires sewing simple seams. For more complicated tasks, if you can't figure it out for yourself, you're sure to find a how-to book at any library or search on-line for free information.

I've found some excellent ideas for decorating on a budget, do-it-yourself projects, and decorating theme ideas from television, how-to books, and online home decorating sources. Benefit from some of the wonderful ideas and projects offered by professionals. You can get some great ideas for areas of your home that you just don't know what to do with.

Before you make your plans, check out several books at the library on home decorating. You will find no shortage of books on the subject of do-it-yourself home decorating. Glance through them and grab ideas to incorporate into your own decorating task. If you have a specific challenge to overcome, likelihood is someone else has already encountered it, conquered it, and written a book or web page about it. Use their knowledge! It will save you time and frustration of figuring it out.

Make your own accessories. Learn to make swags and wreaths. Swags and wreaths bring texture and color into a space and can be fairly simple to create. A simple how-to book is all you need to create a few decorative pieces. Wreaths can easily be adapted to suit any theme or color scheme. And, handmade ones are a fraction of the cost of those purchased already made. Swags are sooooooo easy to make once you have the right supplies and tools. Like wreaths, they have a basic structure that can be adapted to suit any theme or color scheme. Once you become an experienced swag or wreath crafter, you can whip together an accessory for any decor in a matter of minutes.