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XM Deal with Raytheon

S

spooge

Guest
The US Govt. has already solved the problem. I refer you to the agreement between Raytheon Corp. and XM.
Best thing that could happen to XM ? Terrorist attack in USA that leaves large area uninhabitable, sat receivers would be required item for survival and communication between Govt. and citizens.
 
splurge said:
The US Govt. has already solved the problem. I refer you to the agreement between Raytheon Corp. and XM.
Best thing that could happen to XM ? Terrorist attack in USA that leaves large area uninhabitable, sat receivers would be required item for survival and communication between Govt. and citizens.
Click to expand...

They didn't make a similar deal with Sirius?
 
splurge said:
The US Govt. has already solved the problem. I refer you to the agreement between Raytheon Corp. and XM.
Best thing that could happen to XM ? Terrorist attack in USA that leaves large area uninhabitable, sat receivers would be required item for survival and communication between Govt. and citizens.
Click to expand...

That would certainly be some kind of help, but not much.

First, only 7 million people have satellite receivers. Most are in cars. Portable satellite devices have low battery duration, so if there was as big an attack as you envision, power might be out and no way to recharge the radios (most portables are rechargable, not battery operated).

Second, the bases of operations of XM and Sirius are in two of the cities that would most likely be targeted (somehow even contemplating this is unpleasant) and the infrastructure to originate programming, deliver it to the uplinks and broadcast it might not be operative.

These are cases where heritage communications would be of most value. Shortwave and AM radio (with its ability to cover vast areas at night) would be much more useful and would have a much better probability of surviving.

Remeber, "Jericho" is not real (I am amused that the writers have the residents searching for satellite TV instead of distant AM stations).
 
If its just XM, its 7.7 million, and with Sirius its another 6 million, and up to 40% use is in homes. It used to be 90% in cars, but has fallen alot with the reatil market selling plug and plays and home units , not just for auto use anymore. So its nearly 14 million, not 7 million, just to keep things up to date.
 
AZJoe said:
If its just XM, its 7.7 million, and with Sirius its another 6 million, and up to 40% use is in homes. It used to be 90% in cars, but has fallen alot with the reatil market selling plug and plays and home units , not just for auto use anymore. So its nearly 14 million, not 7 million, just to keep things up to date.
Click to expand...

I should have said "XM" in quoting the number. Sorry. The fact is, most satellite listening is in the car, even if there are a goodly number of portable devices. The reason is that unless you live near a terrestrial repeater, reception anywhere but in open space is "iffy." I have one of the XM portables, and even in open spaces in the Coachella Valley, I have to wear a Devo-like antenna on my helmit to listen out of doors, and there is no way it works indoors. In LA, neither at home nor at work can I get reception, but it is good in clear areas outdoors.

Even 14 million, most restricted to cars, pales ocmpared to over 700,000 terrestrial radio receivers.
 
Thats 700,000,000 not 700,000, and there is no comparison, free radio is everywhere, and does its job of reaching the public.No pay service will ever match that coverage. The government would be foolish to try to depend upon pay subscription radio exclusively to get its message out to the most people. However, there are times when sat radio does serve a need, as in New Orleans during Katrina, many local radio stations went down, and XM and Sirius were both used by the public- I know first hand of this situation. Batteries and a XM or Sirius radio kept people in the know when even local radio was off the air for awhile. Both terrestrial and sat radio can and should perform public service hand in hand, its not competition when it comes to emergencies. Oh by the way I have had XM and Sirius for 5 years, and have had reception without repeaters from Veracruz, Mexico up to Anchorage, Alaska. I get indoor reception, with no repeater signal where I live and in several other locals around the USA ( central Washington, southern Utah, Northern Minnesota, northern California, and Yukon, Canada, none of which have repeaters within 150 miles). Reception problems vary, often more problems in urban areas due to local interference and obstructions. Repeater range is actually limited compared to regular radio. (Oh yeah, a vehicle is a great place to get radio recepetion during emergencies, when the power in the home is out).
 
I’m a big fan of XM, but I consider it a luxury item with limited use. In time of a real emergency there is nothing that can replace my battery/windup/solar/am/fm/sw receiver with a LED light. If anybody is on the air, I’ll get the message.

A good example is WWL after Katrina. Those guys were a real lifeline for New Orleans.
 
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