Starmate 5: "We used the satellite radio signal coming from either XM or Sirius"

[Little Chuckie]

A sign of the first XM/Sirus radio?

Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/26/sirius-starmate-5-stops-by-fcc-xm-gets-a-mention/)

FCC report (https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=163912&fcc_id=%27NKRUPAST5%27)

[SOS]

Every once in a while there are claims that there is a sat. radio that could get both bandwidths.

[thelord68]

This nothing new. I know for a fact that XM R&D has been working on cross functionality even before the merger was announced. Part of the problem is that the circuitry that Sirius receivers use had higher power requirements than the XM units, so it wasn't just an issue of cramming the right chips into place.

The other issue is that is also not just a matter of two different manufacturers both making FM radios. The raw (digital) signal is different (so differently tuned antenna), the audio codec is different, etc.

[Turfmower]

What did they do tape a brick to a Inno?

[WetChicken]

The XM and Sirius signals are right next to each other, you can use an XM antenna on a Sirius radio, and vice verse.
As far as technologies I am not familiar with them, but it takes only 1 bit to be different.

[jackjack]

you can use an XM antenna on a Sirius radio, and vice verse.


Have you tried doing that? Unless something changed from two years ago when I had both systems, it won't work.

[weeniewawa]

I have a Peterbilt that came from the factory with sirius, I am using the same antenna with my skyfi3, no problem. even the same connector

[Razor Roman]

Part of the FCC mandate that created both satellite radio companies was the requirement that they work towards developing inter operable receivers. Obviously with a merger coming, they will be working towards that much more quickly now.

[WetChicken]

Razor, that makes no sense if another object of the licenses was that they could never merge, which Professor Anthony has mentioned before.

[thelord68]

Razor, that makes no sense if another object of the licenses was that they could never merge, which Professor Anthony has mentioned before.

Actually, it makes perfect sense. It doesn't force the consumer to be locked into one service or the other only because of equipment purchases. In a way, it is more to force an open standard, because rather than two or more hardware development paths, the FCC probably though it would probably drive them to converge on a common transmission method. Once that was in place, it would make the cost for other competitors to enter the market cheaper as well.

But either way, it was a requirement of the license. That's why they have been working on this since before the merger ever came up.