Is it possible to pick up Satellite Radio with a regular car radio ?

Question

I was listening to the radio 106.1 near Baltimore and I was picking up an interview that Howard was doing with Scott Baio about his new show about Scott trying to get married at 45. I know 106.1 is out of Philadelphia, but isn't Whoopi Goldberg on that frequency

I was listening to Howard Stern. I forgot to put his last name, at 1st I thought it was a recorded old show but thatr Scott Baio show just started

Well if Howard isn't on regular radio I think some strange phenomenon is happening with my radio

Answer 1

Here's the deal; most after-market portable Sirius radio tuners used in cars have built-in FM modulators. That means they re-broadcast the Sirius channel on a regular FM channel so that the user can listen to Sirius through his car radio.

Up until about a year ago, many Sirius units had very powerful FM modulators. We had one in our shop that, under certain conditions, could be tuned in about 100 yards away. Recently the FCC required manufacturers to reduce the FM modulator power, but it didn't affect the millions of Sirius tuners that had already been sold.

You were probably just driving near someone with one of the older Sirius tuners, and you were picking up the output from his unit's FM modulator.

A note for Ruben: HD Radio, unlike satellite radio, IS free. If you have an HD Radio tuner, you don't have to pay to receive the signals.

Answer 2

What you heard was pirate radio. I have Sirius Satellite radio and Howard Stern was interviewing Scott Baio today. So someone is illegally rebroadcasting the current satellite radio stream.
It is impossible to pick up satellite radio with an FM tuner.

Answer 3

If it was, then everyone would be doing that rather than paying for a satelite subscription. They operate on different frequencies than normal radio program.

It's a good thought, but not likely.

Answer 4

no, you would not be able to pick up satelite radio with a regular radio. it might have been a radio station that sounds like it and might be very local in your case.

Answer 5

i dunno bout the whole 106.1 deal i live in new york so i wouldn't know but umm u can't pick up satellite with a regular radio.. thats impossible its not improbable its just straight up impossible.. if anything you could've gotten interrupted by another signal or maybe an HD radio signal interruption but even that i doubt..

Answer 6

your answer is NO. HD radio and companies such as XM, and syrius use a total different frequency for their own transmitions. that is why their radio is not free.....good luck