Seminar Report On
SATELLITE RADIO
Submitted by
P.IndrakumarReddy
In the partial fulfillment of requirements in degree of
Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science & Engineering
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
Satellites are one of the greatest achievements of mankind. They
have been used for various applications like communication, military
application, weather forecasting and so on. They play a big role in the case
of television channels and other entertainment networks. One of the latest
applications of satellites is the satellite radio.
Satellite radio is a subscriber based radio service that broadcast
directly from satellites. It is an advanced form of mobile radio service where
one can receive compact disc quality music and other entertainment
channels. Even if the person is miles away from the radio station, the quality
of the program is not affected. The paper deals with the basic structure of the
satellite radio and its transmission and reception procedures.
CONTENTS
1.
INTRODUCTION
2.
BASIC COMPONENTS OF SATELLITE RADIO
2.1. SATELLITES
2.11
XM Satellite radio
2.12
Sirius Satellite radio
2.13
World space Satellite radio
2.2. GROUND REPEATERS
2.3. RADIO RECEIVETRS
TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION
12
3.1
Generation of DAB signal
13
3.2
Reception of DAB signal
14
3.3
Frequency of operation
15
3.4
Multipath interference
15
SATELLITE RADIO VS. OTHER FORMATS
16
ADVANTAGES OVER ANALOG RADIO
19
CONCLUSION
20
BIBLIOGRAPHY
21
1
SATELLITE RADIO
1. INTRODUCTION
We all have our favorite radio stations that we preset into our car
radios, flipping between them as we Subscribers will be able to receive up
drive to and from work, on errands to100
radio
channels
featuring
and around town. But when travel too Compact Disk digital quality music,
far away from the source station, the news, weather, sports. talk radio and
signal breaks up and fades into static. other entertainment channels.
Most radio signals can only travel
about 30 or 40 miles from their source.
Satellite radio is an idea nearly
On long trips that find you passing 10 years in the making. In 1992, the
through different cities, you might U.S.
Federal
Communications
have to change radio stations every Commission (FCC) allocated a
hour or so as the signals fade in and spectrum in the "S" band (2.3 GHz)
out.
for nationwide broadcasting of
satellite-based Digital Audio Radio
Now, imagine a radio station Service (DARS).. In 1997. the FCC
that can broadcast its signal from more awarded
8-year
radio
broadcast
than 22,000 miles (35,000 kill) away licenses to two companies, Sirius
and then come through on your car Satellite Radio former (CD Radio) and
radio with complete clarity without XM Satellite Radio (former American
ever having to change the radio Mobile Radio). Both companies have
station.
been working aggressively to be
prepared to offer their radio services to
Satellite
Radio
or
Digital the public by the end of 2000. It is
Audio Radio Service (DARS) is a expected that automotive radios would
subscriber based radio service that is be the largest application of Satellite
broadcast
directly
from
satellites. Radio.
DEPARTMENTOF COMPUTER SCIENCE, SVIST,KADAPA
.SATELLITE RADIO
The satellite era began in September 2001 when XM launched in
selected markets. followed by full nationwide service in November. Sirius
lagged slightly, with a gradual rollout beginning _n February, including a
quiet launch in the Bay Area on June 15. The nationwide launch comes July 1.
To the average user, these systems will look very similar to
conventional AM/FM .radio systems, whether they are used in the home,
office, or on the road. However. the real difference is in what the listener
won't see. Rather than receiving a signal from a tower antenna of a local radio
station, these new radios will receive signals from a set of satellites in
geosynchronous orbit. Programming will be up linked from ground stations to
the satellites and then broadcast back to large geographic areas.
The programming will be up linked to the three geostationary orbit
satellites and then rebroadcast directly to radios in the vehicles of CD Radio
subscribers. Ground based repeaters will be used in urban areas to provide a
clear and uninterrupted radio signal.
Fig. 1 The satellite station
SATELLITE RADIO
2. BASIC COMPONENTS OF SATELLITE RADIO
Each company has a different plan for its broadcasting system, but the
systems do share similarities. Here are the key components of the three
satellite radio systems:
SATELLITES
GROUND REPEATERS
RADIO RECEIVERS
At this time, there are three space-based radio broadcasters in various
stages of development:
XM Satellite Radio launched commercial service in limited areas of the
United States on September 25, 2001. (They were originally going to launch
service September 12. but postponed the event because of the terrorist attacks
on the United States.)
Sirius Satellite Radio is now operational in the United States, with its
official launch on July I, 2002.
WorldSpace is already broadcasting in Africa and Asia, and will begin
broadcasting in South America sometime soon.
XM Satellite radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have both launched such
a service. Satellite radio, also called digital radio, offers' uninterrupted, near
CD-quality music beamed to the radio from space.
SATELLITE RADIO
Taking a closer look, you will see slight variances in the three satellite
radio companies' systems. In the next three sections, we will profile each of
the companies offering satellite radio services.
2.1 SATELLITES
2.1.1 XM SATELLITE RADIO
XM Radio uses two Boeing HS 702 satellites, appropriately dubbed
"Rock" and "Roll," placed in parallel geostationary orbit, one at 85 degrees
west longitude and the other at 115 degrees west longitude. Geostationary
Earth orbit (GED) is about 22.223 miles (35,764 km) above Earth, and is the
type of orbit most commonly used for communications satellites. The first XM
satellite, "Rock," was launched on March 18.2001, with "Roll" following on
May 8. XM Radio has a third HS-702 satellite on the ground ready to be
launched in case one of the two orbiting satellites fails.
XM Radio's ground station transmits a signal to its two GED satellites.
Which bounce the signals back down to radio receiver son the ground. and the
downlink will be in the 2.33-2.34 GHz frequency range. A spare satellite will
be kept on the ground for emergencies. The radio receivers are programmed to
receive and unscramble the digital data signal, which contains up to 100
channels of digital audio. In addition to the encoded sound, the signal contains
additional information about the broadcast. The song title, artist and genre of
music are all displayed on the radio. In urban areas, where buildings can block
out the satellite signal, ground transmitters supplement XM's broadcasting
system.
SATELLITE RADIO
2.1.2 SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO
Unlike XM, Sirius does not use OED satellites. Instead, its three SS/L1300 satellites form an inclined elliptical satellite constellation. Sirius says the
elliptical path of its satellite constellation ensures that each satellite spends
about 16 hours a day over the continental United States , with at least one
satellite over the country at all times. Sirius completed its three-satellite
constellation on November 30, 2000. A fourth satellite will remain on the
ground, ready to be launched if any of the three active satellites encounter
transmission problems.
The Sirius system is similar to that of XM. Programs are beamed to one
of the three Sirius satellites, which then transmit the signal to the ground
where the radio receiver picks up one of the channels within the signal.
Signals are also be beamed to ground repeaters for listeners in urban areas
where the satellite signal-can be interrupted.
While XM offers both car and portable radios, Sirius is concentrating
on the car radio market. The Sirius receiver includes two parts -- the antenna
module and the receiver module. The antenna module picks up signals from
the ground repeaters or the satellite. Amplifies the signal and filters out any
interference. The signal is then passed on to the receiver module. Inside the
receiver module is a chipset consisting of eight chips. The chip set converts
the signals from 2.3 gigahertz (GHz) to a lower intermediate frequency. Sirius
also offers an adapter that allows conventional car radios to receive satellite
signals.
SATELLITE RADIO
2.1.3 WORLDSPACE
So far, WorldSpace has been the leader in the satellite radio industry. It
put two or its three satellites, AfriStar and AsiaStar, in geostationary orbit
before either of the other two companies launched one. AfriStar and AsiaStar
were launched in October 1998 and March 2000, respectively. AmeriStar,
which will offer service to South America and parts of Mexico, is not yet
scheduled for launch. Each satellite transmits three signal beams carrying
more than 40 channels of programming, to three overlapping coverage areas
or about 5.4 million square miles (14 million square km) each. Each of
WorldSpace satellites' three beams can deliver over 50 channels of crystal
clear audio and multimedia programming via the 1,467- to 1,492- megahertz
(MHz) segment of the L-band spectrum. which is allocated for digital audio
broadcasting.
AfriStar is positioned in a 210 East geosynchronous orbit and is
controlled by the WorldSpace Operations Center located in Washington, DC.
The prime contractor for the satellite is Alcatel Space Industries, and Matra
Marconi Space built the EuroStar 2000+ satellite bus. The uplink frequencies
are 7.025-7.075 GHz, and the downlink frequencies are 1.452-1.492 GHz.
Each AfriStar downlink spot beam has capacity for ninety-six 16 kbit/s monoAM-quality signals that can be combined for fewer channels of higher audio
quality. The downlink signals in each spot beam are combined into two Time
Division Multiple Access (TDMA) carriers. Uplink signals can be. accepted
as TDMA signals from control stations or, individually, as Frequency Division
Multiple Access (FDMA) signals from originating program locations.
SATELLITE RADIO
WorldSpace also launched AsiaStar in March 2000, a DBS radio
satellite that currently covers Asia(1050 East orbit). In late 2000, WorldSpace
plans to launch AmeriStar (950 West orbit) to cover Latin America.
The United
area
The company has
with XM
going
States is not currently part
to share
beyond
one
invested
radio
stations
WorldSpace's
WorldSpace's coverage
in XM Radio and has an agreement
any technological developments . WorldSpace
nation and eyeing world
market. That might be overstating
WorldSpace does
of
plan to
cannot
projected
the
company's
is
domination of the radio
intent a
bit.
But
reach the corners of our world that most
. There are millions
listening area
of
people
living
in
who cannot conventional radio
station. WorldSpace says it has a potential audience of about 4.6 billion
listeners spanning five continents.
Fig 2 WoridSpace will be able to broadcast to the majority of
the world's population when its AmeriStar satellite is
launched.
WorIdSpace broadcasters uplink their signal to one of the three satellites
through a centralized hub site or an individual feeder link station located within
the global uplink beam. The satellite then transmits the signal in one, two or all
three beams on each satellite. Receivers on the ground then pick up the signal
8
SATELLITE RADIO
and provide CD-quality sound through a detachable antenna.
Fig. 3 World space integrated solution
2.2 GROUND REPEATERS
Satellite radio reception, poses threats from weather, tall building_ and
mountains that can potentially interfere with broadcasts.
To avoid the interference caused by tall structures, both Sirius and XM
Radio are supplementing their satellite coverage with terrestrial transmitters,
called ground repeaters. If the satellite radio antenna is blocked by a
skyscraper, it should pick up signals from one of the ground repeaters.
Getting signals from a satellite to receivers in cars or in the home is a
tall order. Although the microwaves the satellites rely on are able to penetrate
the atmosphere from space, they need a "direct line of sight" and can only
reach their target if unimpeded by obstacles such as trees, houses, or
SATELLITE RADIO
thunderstorms. Therefore, ground-based repeaters are needed to prevent
service interruption in cities where tall buildings otherwise would block the
line of sight between radio receivers and the satellites. XM has employed
more than 1,000 of these terrestrial repeaters, which have been strategically
placed throughout the continental United States to receive the XM signal
directly from the satellites, and then retransmit it to XM radios in cars and
homes. These repeaters have been installed in densely populated cities, on the
roofs of buildings, and in mountainous areas where line of sight can be
difficult to maintain.
2.3 THE SATELLITE RADIO RECEIVER
Existing AM/FM car radio will not be able to receive satellite radio
broadcasts. Two options are available. Replacement of the radio with a 3-band
capable receiver (AM, FM, Sirius or XM Satellite). Radios can be purchased
as a dealer option or can be directly purchased at consumer retail stores, mail
order and Internet stores. All major manufactures are prepared to provide
radios capable of satellite radio reception.
A second option is the purchase an adaptor for existing AM/FM radios.
The adaptor will contain the satellite receiver, along with display and control
functions. Sirius and XM have developed slightly different technologies which
mean that you can purchase a radio capable of receiving satellite broadcasts
from one company or the other. but not both.. You need a receiver, about the
size of squashed shoe box, which goes under a car in the trunk, along with a
fist-sized antenna that sits on the roof or trunk lid.
The receiving end is virtually the same for both companies, but the
satellite configurations are different: XM Radio will use two satellites, and
Sirius will use a combination three. These receivers, somewhat akin to
AM/FM tuners, are made up of two parts: an "active" antenna and a receiving
module.
10
SATELLITE RADIO
XM and Sirius Radio will work similarly. Each will beam a
combination
of
original
and
syndicated
programming
to
orbiting
communications and terrestrial satellites which will send out signals to the
satellite radio receivers. These receivers, somewhat akin to AM/FM tuners,
are made up of two parts: an "active" antenna and a receiving module.
The antenna is active because it basically looks for available signals to
pick up from. Satellites it recognizes. When it finds them, it amplifies them,
filters out any accompanying noise and interference, and then sends them to
the receiver, where most of the real work is done. En route to the receiver, the
signals are converted from analog to digital. Once in the digital realm, they
are analyzed for quality, and then processed and combined to produce the best
digital "image" of the sound. The receiver also decrypts the signals and finally
converts them back to analog audio, which can be sent to the radio' s speakers
so one can hear it.
The receiver connects to your existing car radio through a device called
an FM modulator that puts the signal on an unused portion of the FM band.
Or you can buy a car radio -- called a "head unit" by industry insiders -- that's
"satellite ready" to make a direct wired connection for maximum audio
quality.
On the open road, the receivers pick up a signal from orbiting
satellites. Sirius and XM have also built repeater stations on the ground in
major metropolitan areas to maintain reception when the satellites are blocked
by buildings or other large structures.
SATELLITE RADIO
11
One receiver utilizes a vehicles existing FM radio. A small flat 2" disk
antenna is attached to the outside of the vehicle, a processing unit is placed in
the trunk or dashboard and a display and control screen mounted next to the
vehicle's FM radio. The display screen indicates the selected channel number,
channel name, song title and artist.
Each receiver contains a proprietary chipset. XM began delivering
chipsets to its XM radio-manufacturing partners in October 2000. The chipset
consists of two custom integrated circuits designed by ST Microelectronics.
XM has partnered with Pioneer. Alpine, Clarion, Delphi Deleo, Sony and
Motorola to manufacture XM car radios. Each satellite radio receiver uses a
small, car-phone-sized antenna to receive the XM signal. General Motors has
invested about $100 million in XM, and Honda has also signed an agreement
to use XM radios in its cars. OM began installing XM satellite radio receivers
in selected models in early 2001.
WorldSpace satellite receivers are capable of receiving data at a rate of
128 kilobits per second (Kbps). The receivers use the proprietary StarMan
chip set, manufactured by STMicroelectronics, to receive digital signals from
the satellites
SATELLITE RADIO
12
3. TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION
Digital radio works by combining two digital technologies to produce
an efficient and reliable radio broadcast system.
Firstly, an audio compression system, called MPEG, reduces the vast
amount of digital information required to be broadcast. It does this by
discarding sounds that will not be perceived by the listener - for example,
very quiet sounds that are masked by other louder sounds - and hence not
required to be broadcast, and efficiently packages together the remaining
information.
The second technology, COFDM (Coded Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplex) ensures that signals are received reliably and robustly,
even in environments normally prone to interference. Using a precise
mathematical relationship, the digital data signal is split across 1,536 different
carrier frequencies, and also across time. This process ensures that even if
some of the carrier frequencies are affected by interference. or the signal
disturbed for a short period of time, the receiver is still able to recover the
original sound.
The interference which disturbs FM reception, caused by radio signals
"bouncing" off buildings and hills (multipath) is eliminated by COFDM
technology. It also means that the same frequency can be used across the
entire country, so no re-tuning of sets is necessary when traveling, or taking a
portable receiver to a different area.
Instead of having a different frequency for each radio station, digital
radio combines several services together in what is called a multiplex.
SATELLITE RADIO
13
The multiplex has a gross capacity of 2,300,000 bits. which are used for
carrying audio, data and an in-built protection system against transmission
errors. Of these about half the bits are used for the audio and data services.
Throughout the day, the data capacity allocated to each service can be varied
by the broadcaster.
The UK Government has allocated seven multiplexes on the radio
spectrum 217.5 230.0 MHz, which will be used for BBC and Commercial
Radio for national. regional and local services. Each multiplex can carry a
mixture of stereo and mono audio Services and data services too; the number
of each dependent on the quality required.
3.1 GENERATION OF THE DAB SIGNAL
How each service signal is coded individually at source level, error
protected and time interleaved in the channel coder is shown in Figure 3.1.
Then the services are multiplexed in the Main Service Channel (MSC),
according to a pre-determined, but adjustable, multiplex configuration. The
multiplexer output is combined with Multiplex Control and Service
information, which travel in the fast Information Channel (FIC), to form the
transmission frames in the Transmission Multiplexer. Fig 3.1 Finally,
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is applied to shape the
DAB signal, which consists of a large number of carriers. The signal is then
transposed to the appropriate radio frequency band, amplified and transmitted.
14
SATELLITE RADIO
Fig 4 Generation of DAB signal
3.2 RECEPTION OF A DAB SIGNAL
Figure 3.2 demonstrates a DAB receiver. The DAB ensemble is
selected in the analogue tuner, the digitized output of which is fed to the
OFDM demodulator and channel decoder to eliminate transmission errors.
The information contained in the FIC is passed to the user interface for
service selection and is used to setup the receiver appropriately. The MSC
data is further processed in an audio decoder to produce the left and right
audio signals or in a data decoder (packet Demux) as appropriate.
15
SATELLITE RADIO
User Interface
Fig. 5 DAB receiver
3.3 FREQUENCY OF OPERATION
Digital radio is operated in a frequency range of between 215 - 230
MHz (Mega Hertz). This part of the radio spectrum is sometimes called Band
III, or VHF, and was previously used for some television transmissions and by
the military. The central frequency for the BBC National Multiplex is
225.648MHz.
3.4 MULTI PATH INTERFERENCE
Multipath interference occurs when radio waves bounce off buildings,
hills, or other obstacles. This means the waves reach the set at different times,
causing interference. This is a particular problem in the car. Digital radio sets
have processors which filter out interference and correct errors, such as those
caused by multipath, so no interference. In fact, digital radio is designed to
use multipath to its advantage.
16
SATELLITE RADIO
4. SATELLITE RADIO VS. OTHER FORMATS
Satellite radio differs from AM or FM radio and digital television
radio (or DTR) in the following ways. The table applies primarily to the
United States.
Radio format
Satellite radio
AM/FM
Digital television
radio (DTR)
Monthly fees
US$6.95 and up
None
Very low
DTR represents a
small portion of
the total monthly
television fee.
Portability
Available
Prominent
None a typical
set consists of a
stereo attached to
a television settop box (the
primary function
of the set top-box
is normally
designed for
cable or satellite
television
viewing).
Listening
availability
Sound quality
Very high a
satellite signal's
footprint covers
millions of
square
kilometres.
Varies
Low to moderate
Very high
implementation of FM
service requires
moderate to high
population densities
and is thus not practical
in rural and/or remote
locales; AM travels
great distances at night
.
AM: Usually very low, Varies
but can be the highest
FM: Usually Moderate,
but can be very high.
17
SATELLITE RADIO
Variety and
depth of
programming
Frequency of
programming
interruptions
(by DJs or
commercial
advertising)
Highest
None to high mostly
dependent on
the channels,
some of which
have DJs; most
Variable highly
dependent upon
economic/demographic
factors
Highest
Variable dependent on the
satellite
television
provider and the
various packages
they provide and
on the user's
subscription.
None to low dependent on the
provider;
however, it is
common that
some stations
channels are
advertisementfree because of
the paid
subscription
model of
satellite radio.
Governmental Yes
regulation
Yes significant
governmental
regulations regarding
content
will have DJs.
Usually no
advertisements
(DirecTV and
Dish Network
both claim to
provide
advertisementfree content).
Low to none
The sound quality with both satellite radio providers and DTR
providers
varies with each channel. Some channels have near CD-quality audio, and
others use low-bandwidth audio suitable only for speech. Since only a certain
amount of bandwidth is available within the licenses available, adding more
channels means that the quality on some channels must be reduced. Both the
frequency response and the dynamic range of satellite channels can be
superior
to most, but not all AM or FM radio stations, as most AM and FM stations
clip
the audio peaks to sound louder; even the worst channels are still superior to
most AM radios, but a very few AM tuners are equal to or better than the best
SATELLITE RADIO
FM or satellite broadcasts when tuned to a local station, even if not capable
of stereo. AM does not suffer from multipath distortion or flutter in a moving
vehicle like FM, nor does it become silent as you go behind a big hill like
satellite radio.
Some satellite radio services and DTR services act as in situ
repeaters for local AM/FM stations and thus feature a high frequency of
interruption.
18
Nonprofit stations and public radio networks such as CBC/RadioCanada, NPR, and PRI-affiliated stations and the BBC are commercial-free.
In the US, all stations are required to have periodic station identifications and
public service announcements.
In the United States, the FCC regulates technical broadcast spectrum
only. Program content is unregulated. However, the FCC has tried in the past
to expand its reach to regulate content to satellite radio and cable television,
and its options are still open to attempt such in the future. The FCC does issue
licenses to both satellite radio providers (XM and Sirius) and controls who
holds these licenses to broadcast.
Degree of content regulation varies by country; however, the majority
of industrialized nations have regulations regarding obscene and/or
objectionable content.
SATELLITE RADIO
19
5. ADVANTAGES OVER ANALOG RADIO
Conventional analog radio cannot meet this standard, simply because
of the technology used and the transmission environment in which it is
broadcast.
As well - unlike AM and FM - digital radio reception is virtually
immune to interference, which means there are no static growls or 'multi path'
echoes (caused by signal reflections off buildings or topographical features) to
make listening unpleasant. at home, or in the car, In short, digital radio
eliminates the noise that creeps into analog radio transmission and reception
The reason digital radio is so reliable is because it employs a 'smart'
receiver. Inside each digital radio receiver there is a tiny computer: a
computer capable of sorting through the myriad of reflected and
atmospherically distorted transmissions and reconstructing a solid, usable
signal for the set to process.
In contrast, an un-intelligent analog receiver cannot differentiate the
useful information from the useless noise. It reproduces the entirety of
whatever signal it is tuned to: static, 'multipath' echoes, and all.
The XM satellites have been allocated 12.5 MHz of frequency
spectrum-over sixty times the bandwidth of a single FM radio station. In
contrast, a commercial FM radio station has only 200 kHz of bandwidth. Also,
in FM radio, the modulation signal is limited to frequencies below 15.000 Hz,
whereas the satellite radio audio signal is able to extend to above 20,000 Hz.
20
SATELLITE RADIO
6. CONCLUSION
For the listener, digital radio will be more than just 'the best sound on
the airwaves', it will be an intelligent communications device that will offer
more services and conveniences than can be provided by conventional analog
technology.
For the broadcaster, digital radio is not just a way to stay competitive
with other forms of digital sound, but one that offers numerous new business
opportunities as well.
It is a bright future for listeners and broadcasters alike: a future that
truly promises to provide 'the best sound on the airwaves' for the world.
21
SATELLITE RADIO
7.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.
D. Prabakaran, WORLD SPACE- Satellite digital audio broadcast
service. Electronics For You. Nov 2001, Volume 33, No:11.
