Friday, October 13, 2006

Orbitcast Discusses Next Gen Satellite Radio FM Transmitters

Understanding the Next Generation of Satellite Radio FM Transmitters
(via www.orbitcast.com)

With the FCC's crack down on FM modulators exceeding emission levels a new alternative needed to be created that satisfies two major criteria: 1) the FM signal can't "bleed" to other vehicles and 2) it needs to provide the best user experience possible. None of these factors are negociable.
Enter the next-generation of FM Transmitters for satellite radio. Both XM and SIRIUS have very similar approaches: localize the transmission as close as possible to the car's pre-existing antenna.
The next obvious approach is to hard-wire the satellite radio directly to the headunit, but that's asking a bit much from the consumer. That's not to say that running wires all over your car should be considered an easy task for most consumers, but this is a good compromise. The Big Box Retailers with installation services are going to be loving this by the way, because these extra FM wires are going to entice the consumer to go with a professional installation (which provides an upsell opportunity to go with the hard-wire approach)....read more: here