By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
L&D Automotive - Lavon, Texas
www.landdauto.com
The framed navigation and professional graphics give this site an appealing look. The “Ask a Tech” section provides customers and potential customers the ability to inquire about problems with their vehicles. This site also offers a complete service menu and printable coupons.
Web Wise
Beyond AM and FM Comes a New Radio Signal
Telematics have dramatically changed our driving experience. With an array of products, including navigation systems, entertainment systems and hands-free phones, the telematics industry is growing. One more component is being added to the advancing telematics industry: satellite radio.
Imagine receiving 100 crystal-clear radio channels that never fade regardless of where you are in the country. Two satellite radio services - XM and Sirius - are now vying for control of your dashboard and hope consumers are willing to pay a monthly fee to receive digital audio in their automobiles.
XM launched its two satellites, appropriately named “Rock” and “Roll,” in March 2001 and began broadcasting last November. With the main broadcast center in Washington, D.C., XM transmits its signals to the two satellites orbiting 36,000 kilometers above earth. The XM radios, manufactured by Pioneer and Sony, constantly choose the best signal source for its 100 digital channels.
Sirius' radio content is almost identical to XM's content. Both offer commercial-free music stations, while some talk and entertainment channels have on-air ads. The company's studios are in New York, but the audio travels via fiber-optic cable and microwaves, feeding to an uplink station in New Jersey. This uplink then transmits the audio to the satellites. Sirius' technology includes satellites that rise and set over the United States. Sirius uses three satellites that beam their signal from an orbit tens of thousands of kilometers above the earth. The result is a slightly clearer signal than the XM satellite signal.
Satellite radio receivers cost between $300 and $600, while service ranges from $9.99 to $12.95 per month, depending on which company you go with. Both XM and Sirius recently announced deals with major car manufacturers to implement the system in new cars. And considering 17 million new cars are sold in the United States each year, these deals hold a powerful distribution potential.
Will consumers pay for radio? The same questions arose in the 1980s when cable television was evolving. If the same trends hold true today, satellite radio could become a popular entity in our culture.
Net Numbers
In the next five years, more than 20 million Americans will subscribe to satellite radio.
Yankee Group (www.yankeegroup.com)
ASA Web Ways
12th Annual Shop Management Software Guide
It never fails! Just when you're ready to upgrade your shop management software, you can't seem to find a copy of the July issue. Keep in mind that all features and monthly departments found in this issue or previous issues of AutoInc. can be found online at the AutoInc. Web site (www.autoinc.org). The complete software charts of this issue are available as PDF (Portable Document Format) files for your convenience. Download the pages anytime and print out a clear copy using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If your computer does not have Acrobat Reader installed, a link to the free version is available on the AutoInc. Web site.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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