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July 1, 2011

Satellite Radio: Is It Expensive?

Satellite radio is highly popular these days and it is increasing in popularity more and more every day. If you are not certain what satellite radio is, you can look at it like cable or satellite television. In essence, satellite radio is a subscription only service. It has a colossal assortment of radio stations that are not available on the ordinary AM or FM services.

If you are wondering about how much satellite radio costs, then the answer is the maddening one: it depends. It depends, because there are several variables, such as the apparatus itself, installation fees and monthly fees. Equipment from the countless manufacturers varies a lot as well.

For example, Bose is more expensive than a Chinese device from Walmart. Installation charges vary depending on where you live and who you use and the monthly fee will depend on which package or bundle you select. So, unfortunately, the answer is: it depends.

There is also a one-off ‘activation fee’. This costs about $15 if you do it by phone and about $5 if you do it over the Internet. However, the push is on to get you signed up, so there are frequently promotions on doing away with this ridiculous rip-off fee. As if you will not be paying enough in monthly charges for the rest of your life!

If you want to install satellite radio in your car, you have two alternatives, if your existing radio is not ‘satellite ready’. You can either buy a new car stereo that is ‘satellite ready’ or you can purchase a satellite signal receiver and decoder unit and plug it into your present radio. This decoder can be hidden away under the driver’s seat or stashed in the trunk of the car. You will also need a new antenna on the roof.

Costs differ outrageously, but let’s average it out at $600 for a decent, new, satellite-enabled, ready to go stereo fitted and working or $350 for a cheap system using your own radio, but also ready to receive satellite broadcasts. So, you could say, on average, for about $500 you can be listening to satellite broadcasts.

However, just as with laptop computer prices, demand causes downward pressure on prices and by the time you read this article, the price could have halved. Let’s hope so.

Portable satellite radio receivers can be a bit cheaper, mostly because there are no installation charges and come out at around $400.

Then there are the monthly subscription charges. As I said above, this depends on the package you choose. The average fee is $10-$15 a month, but specific channels can be extra. For instance, you could get the Playboy channel for free at one time, but the normal cost is $2.95 per month.

Sport can cost more, especially for a finals match. Sometimes, you can get a discount for paying annually and Sirius even has a one-off, lifetime option at $500. Perhaps the best thing to do is keep an eye on the promotional offers and be ready to pounce quickly when a suitable one comes up.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is currently concerned with Bose alarm clocks. If you would like to kcurrently more, please visit our website at Bose Digital Radio.

June 24, 2011

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

The generations alive now, especially in the Developed world, are all au fait with speaker technology to a certain level. Most individuals began purchasing music centres in the Seventies if they were old enough and that trend has carried on and the technology has got better and better.

Audio reproduction has come on in leaps and bounds since the Fifties and Sixties when most people were satisfied with a mono Dansette record player. My father was still listening to his favourite 78′s on a wind-up record player with a pin for a needle and a trumpet for a loudspeaker in the early Sixties. Then he purchased a Dansette later in the Sixties.

I purchased a Sanyo music centre in the Seventies and he followed suit. The quality of acoustic reproduction on those systems was laughable in comparison with what is on the market these days.

The latest development is surround sound, which was only accessible in the cinema twenty years ago, but surround sound speakers are far better now than they were then and you can install them at home without requiring a bank loan.

Usually surround sound speakers are connected with film scores, so a surround sound speaker system could be fitted to the outline jacks on your television or home theatre system.

Home theatres are very much in fashion now that many individuals are having to stay in more frequently to save money. A small family that likes to go to the pictures once a week can recoup the costs of a good home theatre system within a year.

When looking at surround sound speakers, you may think that the cost is high, but do not forget that it is the surround sound speakers that transform a film into a cinematographic experience. They also last forever if not abused.

Two pointers: get the best that you can afford and buy speakers that will stand on the floor or can be hung on the wall.

Purchase quality rather than quantity. If you can just afford two speakers of great quality, so be it, You can buy another one later. With surround sound, the rule is: the more speakers the better.

Three is the absolute minimum, seven is fine, but eight is much better. The more speakers that you have, the less volume you will have to put through them so the longer they will last.

The above configurations will be stated as: 2:1 (stereo plus a sub-woofer); 6:1 (front and back stereo speakers, a front central channel and a rear sub-woofer); 7:1 will add a rear central channel.

The good thing about this type of surround speaker system is that you can easily upgrade it, but you have to start properly by buying a recognized marque that will allow you to add speakers throughout the years.

One of the best speaker systems you can buy are Bose, but they are expensive, but they are also the envy of any sound enthusiast too. If you want the best, but do not have the capital take your time building a system of Bose surround sound speakers.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on numerous topics, but is now involved with Bose IE2 Headphones. If you would like to know more, just visit our website at Bose Digital Radio.

June 16, 2011

How Do You Get A Job In Music Production?

You would imagine that once you have your degree in Music Production you would be well on your way, would you not? But it does not normally work like that. It is false that getting a degree makes acquiring a job easier, because there are more people going for jobs with degrees than ever before and we are in an period when every business is looking for savings. It is true though that you will not ge a decent career with prospects without a degree any more.

So, you have your degree in music production and companies are not falling over themselves to hire you, so what do you do now? Well, one of the things that you should do is put your creative talent to work to unearth ways to get a job in the music industry. Before we get onto the topic of looking for a career, there are a few items that you have to know about music firms.

Most young people dream of acquiring into the music industry and rubbing shoulders with stars even if they do not have any talent. Because of this the music industry as a whole hardly ever has to advertise for vacant jobs although they might be required to by law in some countries.

They will just pay lip service to this law because it is daft, a sop and unenforcable. They will promote from within, use family and hire head-hunters, just like most companies do.

This means that it is at least as much who you know as what you know and this means networking. You will have to learn how to network to get yourself at least an interview. Attempt to get in even if it means on the lowest rung of the ladder, as an intern.

The vast majority of companies that take interns fill vacant positions with the best and most eager interns. The drawback is that interns get paid very little if at all. But if government can get away with it so will industry.

The first step to take after acquiring your degree is to study up on the career you would like and the firm you would like it with. You know how to do that. Learn as much about the career and the firm as you can. Then draw up a list of all the people you know who might be able to help you or vouch for you.

Teachers, lecturers, bands you roadied for, concerts you helped out on – anything – and get in touch with them. Ask if they know of anything going and get their permission to use their name in an interview or career application.

Send out resumes to the precise person by name who has the authority to hire or recommend you. This involves more study. This is a long shot because music production companies are inundated with resumes, but follow yours up with a second letter and enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. Send a third as well, why not? Then begin following it up by email and phone.

Stay calm, be pleasant, but say that you would like a reply and if you have been rejected with reasons why so that you can correct your short-comings. Try to learn from set-backs and one day it will work out for you.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is currently involved with Bose new wave radios. If you would like to kcurrently more, please visit our website at Bose Digital Radio.

June 8, 2011

Why Should I get XM Satellite Radio?

XM Radio is one of the two largest American satellite radio broadcasters. They broadcast over 150 programmes of all types like sports, traffic, weather, music of all decades and comedy.

The largest area of their broadcasting activities though is music. After all, that is what most people like to listen to while they are driving or working at home or in the yard.

The music of XM Radio is wide-ranging, catering for the needs of every music ever recorded. For instance, of the sixty-eight music channels, there are channels that play music from only one decade: from the Forties to the Noughties!

Then, transversing those barriers of time, there are music channels that only play Rock and Roll or only play Bee Bop or only play the Blues. There are also channels that only play new records.

There are others that only transmit film soundtracks. In fact, XM music radio has most bases covered. There are even channels that play the music that is being made live in nightclubs such as the ‘B.B. King Club’ in New York City! The ‘Blue Note Club’ is there as well! In fact, the world of music is your oyster.

Then, on a different level, there are the leisure shows hosted by people like Snoop Dog and comedy shows with artists such as Opie and Anthony. There is family comedy too and Playboy Radio for the adult members of the family, although Playboy Radio films do not have to be censored.

Sports fans will enjoy the devoted sports channels. XM Radio’s sports channels report on such sports as American football, basketball and baseball on a regular basis, although there are international sports shown for the more out-going as well: worldwide, International sports such as soccer, the most popular participation sport in the world.

In fact, there are at present thirty-eight sports channels in XM’s stable, although by the time you read this, there will probably be three or four times that number. Many service providers are flocking to Xm’s service in order to gain nationwide coverage in the United States.

News channels are there as well. Channels like the world-respected BBC World Service, CNBC, Fox, the controversial C-Span, CNN, the Discovery Channel, NASCAR Racing, E-Entertainment and many more.

If you require equipment to receive this interesting new technology, you can easily find it on the Internet or in your local shopping mall. The cost of the equipment will not break the bank, but it is best if you price it up and then wait a week or two because new ‘special offers’ are coming out all the time.

The best technique to get XM Satellite Radio for today’s best price is to wait and look which way the wind is blowing, in a short while you will get this illustrious satellite broadcaster for a bargain price.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with Bose Radioss. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Bose Digital Radio.

June 3, 2011

Satellite Radio Quality, Content And Availability

Satellite radio has certainly taken off. It is very popular for two or three main reasons such as quality, content and availability. In the context of satellite radio, quality refers to the quality of sound that is capable of being reproduced by the equipment because of the signal; content refers to the kinds of programmes being transmitted by the different radio channels or stations and availability refers to the footprint or coverage of the satellite, that is how much area of land receives the signal from the satellite.

All these comparisons are made with terrestrial radio broadcasts obviously. For instance, we all know that typical AM or FM stations vary hugely in quality, the content can be heavily interspersed with advertising, jingles and inane chatter and coverage is normally only on a very local basis.

The two big players in the American satellite radio market are of course Sirius and XM and each one is attempting to out do the other in these three fields

Normally, satellite radio produces a quality of sound which is comparable to CD quality. This is extremely high, particularly if you use good quality equipment to replay the signal received. If you just replay satellite radio through tinny, ancient, blown speakers, then you will hardly benefit from this boost in quality at all.

Quality, content and coverage have all played a role in increasing the popularity of satellite radio, but it is probably content which has played the greatest part.

You may be wondering why anyone would want to pay for subscription radio, when there is so much free radio about. It is a fair question, but in fact, similarities can be made with cable TV and broadcast television. Why do people pay for that? Is it the sound quality? Or the content? Or what? A lot of cable TV is rubbish as well. Sports coverage, possibly.

At least the preponderance of satellite radio is free of commercials. That has to be worth a few dollars a month and it is in fact a large selling point. Many people cite the lack of commercials as one of their foremost reasons for moving to satellite radio.

It is likely that all big league sports coverage will move to subscription only over the next few years. This will inevitably be carried out with the utilization of satellite radio. American football, soccer, baseball, basketball will all either get their own nationwide stations or be bundled with other stations

People are fed up with the amount of advertising on AM and FM radio, but at the end of the day, the main reason whether to get satellite radio or not for most people rests on content not even so much on the quality of the sound. If sport is taken off terrestrial radio and only available on satellite radio, then people, especially men, will switch to satellite radio, which is precisely what happened with cable and satellite television.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is currently involved with Bose alarm clocks. If you would like to kcurrently more, please visit our website at Bose Digital Radio.

May 14, 2011

Music-Orientated Careers And What They Are About

The United Kingdom has always had a very active music industry and although, or maybe because, we are in recession now, it is still thriving. Many young people are attracted to the music industry and so dream about getting a career in it.

However, we are not all musically gifted and only the very best get anywhere by following that path anyway, but there are other routes to go down if you want a career in the music industry.

There is a colossal raft of support needed to put musicians on the stage, television and radio, because musicians are notoriously too badly organized to get this work done on their own – especially top level musicians who insist that the stage, the lighting, the facilities and the contracts have to be just right.

So, once a musician has proved his or her worth, somebody has to get him bookings and promote his name, get him a record deal and make certain that he is sufficiently paid. This will be the music publicist

The label manager works for the recording firm and liaises between the various departments to make certain that the production and release of the artist’s CD’s are co-ordinated to the nth degree.

Management always has to have assistants and the music industry is no exception. An assistant to a manager in the music industry will have standard administrative duties not dissimilar to office duties in other industries, but the papers, contracts, invoices and cheques will be regarding famous, glamorous people that everyone knows from the Television.

The music industry employs research analysts to track and strive to predict future trends in music tastes. These researchers are sometimes called digital research analysts. This is quite a skilled job and necessitates expertise in the industry, in markets, trends and management.

The Internet plays an ever growing function in the marketing of music and the musicians who make it and so there are now openings for online editorial managers, whereas the career did not exist ten years ago.

The publicists and PR people also require co-ordinating on the Internet and web sites need to be built. Every band needs a Facebook and Twitter account and any other account in an online phenomenon that is up-and-coming.

There are events producers and junior events producers and senior events producers because live music produces more money than record sales since so much of that is pirated these days. Most bands could not continue without live events and most would not want to either, because performers like the limelight quite literally.

The music industry makes use of cheap labour as does even government and there are internships to be had. The pay for an intern is very low and occasionally they do not get paid at all, but they gain a wealth of experience and make very helpful contacts. The most enthusiastic and hard-working interns are normally hired after their internship is over.

There are routes into the music industry that might seem unconventional, but if you strive some of these avenues you will stand a better chance of procuring a career in the music industry.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a range of topics, but is now involved with Bose new wave radios. If you would like to know more, please go to our web site at Bose Digital Radio.

May 6, 2011

Why Satellite Radio Is So Popular.

The current entertainment world is awash with methods of and goods for using up our spare time and meanwhile filling our brains with mindless trivia and advertising junk messages. In between the programmes and the music, the message is ‘buy,buy, buy; from me, me, me’. This is one of the reasons why satellite radio has become so popular, but I will come back to that later.

One of the main reasons why people like satellite radio is because if you travel fairly long distances, you do not keep getting out of range of the station it took you ten minutes to find and search for another one.

Satellite radio stations have a tendency to possess a large to very large footprint. In other words, you ought to be able to keep listening to the same station if you want without continuously retuning.

Not only that, but satellite radio is invariably digital in nature which means that the signal will be better and the ensuing sound quality will be far better too. This means that the background noise that we have been conventionally used to has practically vanished.

The sound from a good piece of digital stereo equipment is second to none. In reality an AF /FM radio cannot hold a candle to a satellite radio station.

The cost of satellite radio gear has dropped dramatically, which has increased its public awareness and uptake, which in turn has increased sales and allowed the price to fall further. Nowadays, a satellite radio receiver is as cheap as chips.

Not only that, but in the early days, in the Seventies and Eighties, parabolic dishes needed to be extremely directional. They had to be trained on the satellite as a satellite TV dish still has to be now, but a radio system does not have to be so accurate anymore, which allows them to be used in cars and boats.

If you get fed up of the adverts that continuously drone out of terrestrial radio at you, it can be a good idea to find a satellite radio channel that suits you and subscribe to it. For $10-12 a month, you will get the kind of programming that you prefer without all the ads!. Isn’t that magnificent?

As with all forms of entertainment, at the end of the day it is up to the end user to choose whether the cost of satellite radio is acceptable, but one thing is for sure, satellite radio increases one’s choices.

If you are fed up with the present range of radio stations in your area then the thousands of extra, frequently world-wide stations available to you on satellite radio may be just the thing that you are looking for, particularly if you are searching for a station in a foreign language that is not covered in your neighborhood.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a range of subjects, but is now involved with Bose alarm clocks. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Bose Digital Radio.

April 26, 2011

How Can You Get Free Radio Advertising? – Part 2

Welcome to part two of ‘How To Get Free Radio Advertising’. In part one we looked at how to get in touch with the radio station manager and how to broach the subject of getting free on-air radio advertising. If you have not yet read it, please look for ‘How To Get Free Radio Advertising – part 1′ on this site.

Doing it this way makes saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ very easy for the manager, because his only decisions are whether he trusts you and whether he can schedule you in or not. If the manager agrees to give your suggestion his consideration, put all your material in a package with a covering letter reiterating what you said on the phone, a photo of or a gratis copy of your product and your advertising copy.

Send it off or deliver it immediately. Include a stamped, self addressed envelope, if you want a written reply or your material returned.

If your proposal is rejected, send him a ‘thank you, perhaps next time’ note and move on to the next name. If you are rejected frequently, perhaps you ought to sweeten your offer a little by raising their percentage of the cut or increasing the price of the product. You will have to do some research there too, if you do not get it right first time.

Doing business such as this is traditionally done using the phone and the postal service, because radio managers are usually hard-pressed for time. However, it would be feasible to do all this over the Internet, except sending samples, naturally, if the manager is comfortable using the Internet.

It always amazes me how many people there are out there in business who do not use the Internet very frequently because they do not understand much about it.

You could propose using the Internet for sending your stuff over but do not be pushy about it, because the manager might be too embarrassed to declare that he cannot use the Internet. It could also be faxed over, but faxes frequently come out looking shabby and that might damage your chances. If in doubt, just post it.

If you get a green light to your application, be ready to act quickly, so always have your stuff bundled up and ready to go. Never give them time to forget who you are or ‘go off the boil’.

You will need to have written your advertisements first, but how long should they be? This is a difficult one, so ask the manager in your initial discussion, whether they have an advertising policy or predilection for the length of slots.

It could be thirty seconds a slot or sixty seconds (a double slot). As soon as you know, you can write your ads: two different adverts for each length of slot.

If you want to be totally pre-prepared, you could write two fifteen second, two thirty second and two sixty second ads before you even ring anyone. And do not forget to read them back out loud several times to check them for length. Try getting a few friends to read them back to you as well.

The radio station will require you to sign a contract and you should have a simple contract drawn up too showing your payment policy, returns policy, dispatch policy, et cetera, et cetera.

In summation, your P.I. Advertising Package should contain the following: 1. a cover letter 2. a sample or product literature 3. two thirty second and two sixty second adverts 4. your P.I. advertising contract 5. a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

In conclusion, I want to suggest a couple of tips. Whilst you are composing your commercials, try to include a catchphrase of some kind so that you can use it in your off-air advertising to remind people that your product has been advertised on-air. Spend a lot of thought composing your advert: radio station managers are busy, professional people and they cannot afford to waste valuable air time on failures.

If your item sells and makes money for them, you will be welcome back, otherwise you will be ostracized. Put a few ads in the paper and fliers through the doors to pre-warm people to your up-and-coming radio advertising campaign.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now involved with Bose radio alarm clocks. If you would like to know more, please go to our web site at Bose Digital Radio.

April 24, 2011

Music For Christmas

Christmas is a very extraordinary time of year for Christians and particularly for Christians living in Christian countries. A large part of the atmosphere at Christmas is created by Christmas music. Christmas music has traditionally consisted mainly of carols and hymns, but some pop songs have become firm favourites in the repertoire of music for Christmas.

This special blend of traditional Christmas carols and pop music made especially for Christmas makes the month of December immediately identifiable.

Obviously, the kind of Christmas music that you will hear the most often depends on where you go and what stations you listen to. If you listen to stations that specialize in well-liked music for the young, you will hear very little Christmas music.

If your taste is for so-called ‘easy listening’, you will get to hear ‘White Christmas’ by Bing Crosby a number of times a day, because it is said to be the most well-liked Christmas music of all time. You will also hear many songs by Cliff Richard, who has been bringing out Christmas ‘specials’ for decades.

Christmas specials are records brought out with a Christmas message of peace and goodwill. Artists who release these specials are attempting to be the number one best selling artist over the profitable Christmas period.

The number one record over the Christmas period will be played millions of times over the airwaves and in discotheques making bags of money for the singer and the song writer in royalties.

Classical radio stations will play traditional Christmas music such as Handel’s ‘Messiah’ and choral renditions of popular carols and nativity songs like ‘Away in a Manger’, ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’. This sort of song is also sung in schools, churches and Christmas parties all over the country – every western Christian country.

Well-liked time-honoured children’s’ Christmas songs are ones like ‘Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’, ‘On the First Day of Christmas’ and ‘Good King Wenseslas’. Then there are songs from the Fifties and Sixties which were sung in renowned Christmas films. Songs like ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire’ and ‘I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus’.

There is, in fact, a colossal selection of Christmas music available, but many songs are repeated over and over again ad nauseam. On the one hand, most people find it just lovely to hear a couple of Christmas songs every day, but on the other hand, most people are happy when the Christmas music ceases on Boxing Day.

This is because the modern trend has been to start playing Christmas music on December the first or even late November. A month of this music repeated endlessly becomes mind-numbing. Everybody loves the Christmas holiday season and the parties, celebrations and joviality that goes with the season, but the Christmas music goes on for too long for the majority of people.

Everybody ought to have a selection of Christmas music to play over the festive season, but remember, when you have friends visiting, not to over play these records as everybody will have heard them dozens of times already that day.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a range of topics, but is currently involved with Bose Radioss. If you would like to kcurrently more, please go to our web site at Bose Digital Radio.

April 23, 2011

Tips For Buying A Car Alarm On Line

Security is a big issue these days. Everyone feels threatened in some way or another and there are devices on the market to alert one to these risks. One such system is the car burglar alarm. Car burglar alarms have been around for quite a while, but these days they are very advanced. There are also tens, even hundreds of types of car alarms.

Car burglar alarms are a deterrent to most car thieves or vehicle burglars, but they will never hinder the single-minded, professional crook. There are two types of vehicle thieves. There are those who want to steal your vehicle and there are those who want to take its contents. Then there are opportunist vehicle thieves and specialized vehicle thieves, some of whom steal to order.

In general, the more functions that a car alarm has, the more expensive it will be. Some car alarms will have vibration sensors, some will have internal motion sensors and others will have immobilizers, which stop the engine from being started under certain circumstances. These days, most new vehicles come with a vehicle alarm installed into the vehicle?s electrical circuitry.

Some of these set-ups are extremely complex, while others, usually less expensive models, are fairly basic. The car alarms on a Bentley, for instance, use digital finger-printing, or biometrics, to open the door and switch on the ignition.

If your vehicle did not come with a factory-fitted vehicle alarm, you should add one as even fairly sophisticated vehicle alarm systems are relatively cheap now. However, most secondary auto alarms are fairly cheap because they still have to be fitted. If you cannot install a vehicle alarm yourself, the cost of installation is usually more that the initial purchase price.

If you want to source your own vehicle alarm, whether you want to fit it yourself or not, the cheapest place to locate one is on the Internet. However, because you will not have sight of the alarm before purchasing it, you should take additional care.

The first point is not to treat the Internet as an occasion to buy the very cheapest alarm possible. It is a far better plan to use the Internet to purchase a model of vehicle alarm that you already know of at the lowest price.

There is a big difference. First find out which vehicle alarm is best for your car and then go surfing for the cheapest outlet. When you have located a few places that sell the article you want quite cheaply, then you should look at the locality of the retailer.

It can be a huge advantage to have the merchant near at hand, if there is a problem with the article. This can be even more of a problem with cheaper devices.

Next you should scrutinize the terms and conditions of the retailer?s sales and returns statement, especially if the retailer is situated in a country that is not your own. It is always safer to buy from your own country if it has good consumer protection laws.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on various subjects, but is currently involved with Prestige car alarms. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Escort 8500.

November 13, 2010

Satellite Radio: What Is It?

Satellite radio has actually been around for quite some time, but it was unavailable to many people because the stations that were broadcasting were fairly unknown, the equipment was expensive and the arials, normally in the form of dishes were highly directional, which meant you had to use high-priced, skilled installers.

For proof of this you need look no further than bookmakers and betting shops who needed specialized satellite broadcasts beamed to their establishments with the results of the races live.

The difference now is in price and the power of the satellite radio transmission units in addition to the receivers. In other words, satellite radio technology has progressed a long way since the Eighties. Satellite radio can also be received more easily nowadays, although the reception of satellite TV broadcasts still requires a directional receiving dish. This is why satellite TV cannot be received well on a boat or in a car, but you can still get satellite radio and you can still use your cell phone.

Satellite radio broadcasts are digital so most of the advantages of using it are associated with digital technology. Some of these are: the capacity to pick up signals from all around the wold through the satellite network and the loss off interference – that annoying hiss that you often got at night while listening to a distant broadcast. Reception is now invariably crystal clear owing to the uncomplicated means that is digital – on and off or high and low.

Digital only makes use of two signals so they are impossible to mix up, whereas analogue had millions of them allowing for mistakes due to bad weather or / and bad apparatus. That has been basically eradicated.

The situation in the US is that there is still competition between two opposing systems: XM and Sirius and it is to be hoped that this situation will soon be resolved as it was thirty years ago between VHS and Betamax, because otherwise it will only be the customers who lose out in the end – the customers of the firm that goes through.

There were originally problems with satellite radio in some areas because natural or man-made structures would block the line of sight from the antenna or dish to the satellite resulting in a break in transmission. Typical reasons for this would be tunnels, mountains and sky scrapers.

However, the satellite radio service providers soon came up with a resolution to the problem by bouncing the signal from the airborne satellite off terrestrial dishes, in other words, reflecting them at closer to ground level, thereby providing satellite radio to millions of inner city dwellers.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a range of topics, but is now concerned with Bose alarm clocks. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Bose Digital Radio.

November 12, 2010

Some Facts About Satellite Radio Technology

Satellite radio technology is the equivalent of cable or satellite television and it is certainly here to stay. There are several reasons for this: the quality of the broadcasts is higher, the quality of the apparatus’s reception is higher and the general coverage of the station, that is to say the so-called satellite’s footprint is far greater too.

This means that if you travel long distances, you will be able to stick with the same channel without having to look for a new one every forty or fifty miles as you need to do with AM or FM radio channels.

In order to reach this quality, the recording and playback speed needs to be around the 384 kbps level. The music tracks are catalogued in a similar way to the MP3 system, which uses names called ID3 tags.

Each station on satellite radio attempts to establish its own identity. A music station may try this by playing music only of one type or from only one period or decade. This means that you may get a satellite radio station called 1970′s Punk music or Twentieth Century Classical Music.

On some stations, the music controller or disc jockey will choose, say, fifty minutes worth of music, will listen to it in order to ascertain that the quality and the order are correct and then let the computer play it over the airwaves. This leaves ten minutes every hour for the news and then the programme can be repeated automatically.

Satellite transmission uses digital recordings and each channel is encoded on a different frequency. Similarly, each decoder, say, in your car or your home needs to recognize and decode each channel separately as well. This coding and decoding is done very quickly, in fact in what is called ‘real time’.

The resulting binary or digital code is then turned into into analogue signals so that your speakers can reproduce it. This process produces sound which is just about of CD quality.

The transmitting satellites are in a geo-stationary orbit at 23,000 miles above the Earth and have a large footprint which is the name given to the region of ground that is capable of receiving their broadcasts.

In America, for example, the two fields concentrated on at first were the densely populated east and west coasts in order to maximize possible income. One satellite would be incapable of covering the whole of the United States in that orbit.

In order to receive satellite transmissions, you will have to use a special antenna on your decoder. This antenna must be capable of receiving L-band transmissions for it to be of use.

These new antennas are a big improvement on the satellite dishes (similar to those used for satellite TV) that one used to have to have in order to take advantage of satellite radio technology

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with Bose radio alarm clocks. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Bose Digital Radio.

November 10, 2010

How To Get Free Radio Advertising – Part 1

Most business owners recognize that advertising is essential to their business. However, in spite of knowing this, most business owners dislike advertising because it is dreadfully expensive. The trouble is that if you do not advertise, only your friends and neighbours will ever get to hear of you.

For instance, in our average sized town of 65,000 inhabitants, there are thirty-eight pages of builders in the Yellow Pages; each page has two columns and each column has forty to fifty names on it.

These small businesses dream of TV and radio advertising the same as the big companies, but it is just too costly or at least they think that it is. Colossal companies such as Coca Cola and MacDonald’s expend hundreds of millions of dollars on radio and TV advertising, but small business have other, smaller opportunities to advertise locally.

One of these cheaper, sometimes even free, methods of advertising on the radio is ‘per inquiry’ or PI Advertising. This is a type of radio advertising that is very advantageous to the advertiser, because advertisers only pay for every inquiry about their advertisement. It is a bit the same as Google’s ‘pay per click’ or ‘PPC’ advertising on web sites.

First of all, you will require a list of all the radio stations in the locale that you are interested in. You can get hold of a list of licensed radio stations at your local library or they can get one in for you.

Then copy out the names of all the stations in your target region. It is usually best to begin with your own region and fan out from there, but if you have a precise target audience, you will have to some investigation first.

Next you should look through your list of radio stations and mark the ones that are of interest. For example, if you are selling skateboards, it is perhaps not worth advertising on a Classical FM music station.

The next step is to get in touch with the manager of the station or maybe the Advertising Director. Explain your plan to that person in detail. it could go something along the lines of:

“I have a product that research has shown will sell well in your broadcast district if it is advertised on your radio. However, I want to do a test run before committing to any long term advertising strategy”.

“I will do all the writing of the commercial and I will do all the book-keeping. I will send the product out and I will handle any issues and returns quickly and efficiently”.

“You will receive xx% of every sale we make. You take the phone numbers of the inquiries, pass them on to me and I will treat every name you give me as a sale for you. The item I want to sell is a xxxxxxxx, which retails at $xx plus $1 postage and packing”.

This concludes ‘How To Get Free Radio Advertising – part 1′, in the second part, we will be looking at how to secure your free, on-air, radio advertising campaign. Please look for part two on this web site.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now concerned with Bose Radioss. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Bose Digital Radio.

November 3, 2010

Jobs In The Music Industry Most People Don’t Know About

If you like music a great deal, you might be hoping of going into some area of the music industry yourself. Undoubtedly, you will have been told that this is notoriously hard and I am not trying to insinuate that it is not, but perhaps most people who are trying to get into the music industry are going for the same jobs.

The list of jobs available in the music industry must include teachers, songwriters, doctors, therapists and many others, not only singers and musicians, so it pays to think laterally if you want to go in this direction, because traffic on the main highway is usually at a stand-still. Anyway, here is a list of other jobs in the music industry and I hope that it is of some help to you.

There are jobs with music and record businesses for staff song-writers, that is, for people who write songs for the artists who are contracted to that label. Find a couple of artists that you respect working for the same label, compose some songs for them and apply.

If you cannot find a solitary label that suits you, you could do the same job as a freelance song-writer. This way you are not restricted and can compose for all the artists that you like.

If you are good with words but not such a great musician, you could become a lyricist. A lyricist might or may not team up with a musician to create a song. Like Gilbert & Sullivan or Rogers & Hammerstein.

Jingle-writers are forever in demand, at least good ones are. Jingles need to be short but catchy. Writing jingles pays good money, but it will perhaps not make you famous outside the music industry.

A music publisher searches the market for freelance songs and buys up the copyright or license to publish those songs or to sell or license them to singers and musicians.

A music editor might work with a composer or song-writer to make sure that the timing and the cues for the musicians and singers are feasible.

Notesetters have to have a good ear for music as their job is to write down in musical form what untrained musicians play for them. There are many, many modern musicians who cannot write a note of music but who can produce very good songs. These songs have to be written down by someone and that someone is a notesetter.

A talent scout in the music industry has the official title of Artist & Repertoire Co-ordinator or A&R Co-ordinator for short. A step up from this position is the A&R Administrator, who co-ordinates the co-ordinators and sets and monitors their budgets – a sort of a musical accountant.

Then there are the jobs in public relations. These people usually work for record labels. They promote the artists who have signed onto a record company’s label. There are quite a few levels of responsibility in this department.

An agent or an relations representative, is aperson who promotes his client and finds him or her work. They check the contracts and give business advice. They are well-|known as ‘Mr. Ten Percent’ although in practice it is usually double this unless you are famous.

Campus representatives advertise records to students and promotional staffers promote wherever they can – radio channels, shops, musical directors.

Music teachers teach music to groups from pre-school through to college level. Their responsibilities vary with the age of the student and the purpose of the class.

A music director has the job of supervising policy in school or college or setting the entertainment for a cruise or a holiday camp, hotel or holiday complex.

Then there are organists in churches all over the country, who often double in other musical careers.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is currently concerned with Bose new wave radios. If you would like to kcurrently more, please go to our website at Bose Digital Radio.

October 30, 2010

Should You Have A Weather Radio?

There are radios that are dedicated to reporting the weather. Not everybody needs one of these specialized devices, although we are all enthralled by the weather. However, the amount of information given out by most radio stations is enough for the majority of us. So what type of people would benefit from a so-called weather radio?

Weather radios are most appropriate for people living in areas where extremes of weather can and do take place on fairly a regular basis. If the region where you live is subject to hurricanes, tornadoes and flash floods or even severe storms, you are a likely candidate for a dedicated weather radio. Particularly if you have to travel away from home while an extreme weather event might happen.

All radio stations give weather news and weather warnings, but not all radio stations will suspend a programme to give ‘stop press’ updates on impending severe weather conditions. It is the same with television stations, not all of them will interrupt the highlight film of the evening to report on an approaching storm. Some of the smaller stations are not even subscribed to these types of weather reporting services.

However, it is not only people who live in areas of possible extreme weather who may benefit from these weather radios. People who carry out specialist activities and specialized jobs need more specialized weather reports too. For example, deep sea fishermen, sailors, farmers, mountaineers, hikers and backwoodsmen need to know if severe weather is on the way.

A lot of weather radios are not only capable of broadcasting news about the weather. Many of them have a built-in AM/FM radio too and some will even act as alarm clocks. Some are mains only, while others are battery powered, wind-up or solar powered.

Some are large, but most are designed to be carried easily in a regular backpack and might have earphones as well so that you can listen to a broadcast during a howling gale.

If you are just sitting at home, you may feel safe enough with the local TV or radio station on, but if you have to venture outside whilst there is a risk of severe weather, a weather radio is very comforting.

There are loads of types and styles of weather radio to suit all has, but a battery or wind up radio are the safest if you are away from a mains power source such as at sea or in the forest.

You will be able to find weather radios in a good number adventure or camping shops and in many chandlers. It is also easy to find these specialized radios on line especially on eBay or Amazon.

Weather radios are not dear to buy, but some models can eat up batteries so always take a couple of extra sets of batteries if you are going off the trodden track.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a range of subjects, but is now involved with Bose Radioss. If you would like to know more, please go to our web site at Bose Digital Radio.

October 26, 2010

Playboy Satellite Radio

Satellite radio has really taken off in some parts of the world, particularly in countries with a large land mass. Places like America, Canada, Europe and Australia, places where it is hard to achieve national coverage with traditional terrestrial radio broadcasting without hundreds of expensive sub-stations to boost the signal.

Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, satellite radio is here to stay for several reasons. First of all, satellite radio is digital and therefore is able to produce sound of very high quality. Terrestrial digital radio can do that too, you might say.

Yes, that is correct, but the footprint of terrestrial digital radio is quite small which means tht if you are driving a long distance, you will have to keep retuning your radio to a different station, whereas with satellite, the footprint can cover thousands of square miles.

A lot of new satellite radio channels are springing up all the time. It appears that everyone wants to get their hands on this new marvel of wide-area coverage at a cheaper price than it used to cost to cover a county. And why not? The advertising potential is quite fantastic compared to the old fashioned local AM or FM radio stations. Radio has now gone countrywide.

Playboy Satellite radio is one of those companies that has realized the potential of satellite radio and established its own channel with a large footprint. It was launched in March 2006 on the Sirius network by Christie Hefner and now has over one million subscribers, which is a truly remarkable figure. There have probably never before been a million opt-in subscribers to any radio network channel ever in history before.

What makes this number of one million subscribers even more striking is that the Playboy satellite radio channel is not part of a package or a bundle of other channels. No, people have to willingly phone up or go to the Playboy website and ask for membership in person, that is to say that it costs time and effort to join up and one million people thought that it was worth it.

Something else that is curious is that the Playboy brand is associated with visual stuff – naked ladies, in fact – and radio is well-known for not being very good at visual representation. It is clear that no radio station is going to make much progress in the market place using nudity as a trump card.

So what is happening here? Well, the fact is that no-one is really quite certain. You have to subscribe, but it is free at the moment. It is also true that the Playboy brand is considered cool and distinctive among a certain echelon of society, but will that be enough to keep people listening in? Only time will tell.

The answer almost certainly lies in the fact that it is free and that it can be listened to over a large area, but they cannot be the only causes. There is probably a curiosity value too and the quality of the shows will have to be high as well.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with Bose alarm clocks. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Bose Digital Radio.

April 11, 2010

The Different Types Of RC Cars And Trucks

Radio controlled cars, remote controlled cars or RC cars and trucks are items, with which to have fun. However, many RC hobbyists take their fun very seriously indeed. They want their RC car or truck to be the most realistic or the fastest by tweaking the basic kit and by tuning up the engine. This is not a new phenomenon at all. Hobbyists have been building and racing model cars since the 1940′s. However, these early cars were hamstrung by technology.

In the early days of the hobby, the models had to be manufactured by hand by hobbyists and radio control was ineffective and too dear for home use. Those early models were controlled remotely by wire. Consequently remote controlled model cars could only run the length of the wire, which meant in effect that the car went round and round the handler. It was not until the 1960′s that radio control was available and this meant proper races around a proper race track. The true hobby-cum-sport of model racing was born.

After the hobby or sport had been opened up by real radio control, it became more exciting and it attracted more hobbyists and with them came improvement and commercial interest. This means that the technology involved in radio controlled cars and trucks has come on in leaps and bounds. One point worth mentioning here is that a big differentiation between model cars used to be whether they were remote controlled or radio controlled. Unfortunately, they are both shortened to RC and so the terms are often used arbitrarily these days.

The most popular RC cars for beginners are the electrically driven model cars and trucks. Electric RC cars have to depend on rechargeable batteries for power. This is their main drawback, but being electrically driven also means that the car is cleaner and more responsive to control. Electrically driven cars tend to be lighter and therefore faster. They are cleaner because there is no exhaust. They are easier to maintain, but also less easy to modify. They accelerate very quickly

The next step for many RC hobbyists is the Nitro car. Nitro cars are driven by miniature engines which run on a mixture of nitromethane and lubricating oil. These cars are very fast with a fast acceleration. They can reach and maintain higher speeds than electric cars, whose batteries are continuously running down which means less power for speed.

Nitro cars and trucks are loud and smelly. They produce the loud whine that people link with model racing, but they also produce exhaust which means that they cannot be used indoors.

More and more replica cars are now using petroleum powered RC cars. These models tend to be the bigger ones. These RC cars and trucks have engines that are more familiar to the non-specialist, but they have all the characteristics of an average car. They produce fumes, noise and are slower to accelerate that the other types. However, petrol driven engines will last longer than nitro engines. Because these models are larger, they can take more fuel on board and so travel longer distances.

All three of the above varieties can then be on-road or off-road. On-road cars will be made for racing only and the tyres will be racing tyres and the engines will be finely tuned to attain top speed quickly and maintain it for the length of the race. On the other hand, off-road RC cars are built for travelling up and down hill over all kinds of geological objects, so the engine has to have more torque and the tyres need to be able to sustain a good grip. These cars are usually slower.

The last distinguishing feature of the different RC cars is size or more precisely the scale. 1:8 was and still is very popular. That scale means that for every eight inches of the real car, the model is one inch long. Other popular sizes are 1:10 and 1:12, but there is a new class of RC cars and trucks gaining popularity, the monster 1:5 cars and trucks, which are petrol driven.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with gas remote control cars. If you have an interest in model RC vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars

categories: rc,radio,kids and teens,family,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other

March 21, 2010

Reviews About RC Cars And Trucks

I have read loads of reviews about remote control cars, because I am a subscriber to a remote control car enthusiasts’ magazine that carries articles about all the different sorts of remote control gas cars on the market. It also suggests the best one to buy depending on whether you are a first time owner or an RC old hand. The magazine is fantastic, and it helps me understand what other RC car owners feel about the different models and brands of RC cars and trucks.

I have to say that people’s views vary quite widely on every subject, which is why it’?s probably always best to do your own studying and get what best suits you, rather than getting what other people say will suit you, when they do not even know you. Having said that, many first time buyers do not actually know what they are looking for, and it is really these people that these reports are written for.

However, these reviews are not meant to be taken too literally, rather they are intended as a guideline so that prospective greenhorn buyers have to think about the aspects of buying a remote control gas car or truck. It also gives experts a run down of the salient facts. Then you need to make up your own mind whether you care, for instance, whether the car’s engine runs on gas or nitro.

All in all, I like this magazine because it considers people from all walks of life, and its writers and editor appreciate that even if you are interested in buying a gas remote control car, you may not have enough money or you might be reading just out of interest in RC cars or trucks.

We all understand that money is hard to come by these days, and consumers are becoming more and more well-informed about the goods they want, which is a good thing in my view. After all, there are other merchants who only desire to get the most money they can for their goods and mark up their RC model car prices to inflated amounts in the hope that they will get a couple of foolish patrons that did not do their groundwork.

And I am sure that they probably do get a few patrons like that, because they do stay in business somehow and I frequently hear awfulness stories about individuals who have paid far too much for their RC gas car or truck.

When you ask them why they did not take the trouble to read the reports in a magazine, they usually say that they did not know about the magazines, or even worse, that they did not have sufficient time. Therefore it appears that they had enough time to work like a dog for the money, but then not enough time to read a short magazine review? I doubt it very much. With a bit of luck, consumers will continue becoming more and more careful about their purchases.

It is such a pity, so, If you happen to be a new RC car enthusiast, or you know someone who is, please make sure you read the remote control car and truck reviews before concluding a purchase. It can literally save you hundreds of your hard earned dollars.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the remote control-gas-car. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars

categories: reviews,rc,radio,kids and teens,remote cotrol,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other

March 19, 2010

Radio Controlled Autos – An Enjoyable Pastime

If someone likes remote controlled hobbies, they almost definitely started with a car. This is because, unlike a boat or a plane, autos will not usually be totally smashed up if the operator makes a big mistake or the engine fails. It is fairly straightforward to make a simple remote controlled vehicle, but as you are doing it, you will realize that there is a vast amount to be learned.

As you gain this knowledge, you can utilize advanced techniques to construct autos that are tougher, faster and more efficient than your previous efforts. You can either piece one together in a few days, or you can spend months creating an astonishing car which has superb speed and handling.

If you are just starting out with remote controlled hobbies, it is almost certainly wise to buy a pre-made, RTR (ready-to-run) radio controlled car. It is possible to purchase these in toy or modeling stores almost anywhere. They may be slow and ungainly and they may not satisfy your technological desires, but they are still a good place to begin. Play with it for a few days, and then take it apart. Look at the way the motors are connected to the wheels, and examine the overall architecture of the car.

After you have understood it all, you will have much better idea when you begin to build your own. You may even be able to use a few parts, such as the body of the vehicle or the radio control apparatus. The motors will almost certainly not be as powerful as you will desire.

When you have acquired this indispensable basic knowledge of the way that radio controlled cars operate, you can start with whatever your next project is going to be. The goal for most people is to build a model car from wood or plastic, put in the electrical workings, paint it, affix stickers, and get it looking as good and performing as well as possible. Others may want to construct an extremely fast remote controlled car in order to show off to friends. But no matter what you want to do, you will only be able to achieve it, if you take it one small step at a time and become skilled at everything there is to be known about remote controlled hobbies.

However, there are many different means that can assist you become an authority in remote controlled hobbies. You will almost certainly spend a lot of time researching all the different details that you require. You can find information and even tutorials on the Internet. For more detailed questions, you could always go to community groups and forums. This is where enthusiasts from all over the world meet together on the Internet to talk about their hobby, support each other, and brag about their latest achievements. These groups welcome newcomers, particularly if you are polite when asking your question.

Remote controlled vehicles can also enter competitions. If you want to put your car up against those of other enthusiasts, there are different races and shows around the world. A quick Internet search will reveal where nearest event is. You could make a weekend trip out of it and it will be worth it to be around others who are as obsessive as you about what you are doing. These events may include races, or they may just be a get-together to share tips and tricks with other radio enthusiasts. You will be amazed at the amount of information that you can acquire from the people who go to these dos.

It may be daunting at first to start a new hobby, since there is probably heaps of stuff that you probably know nothing about. However, the best thing to do is just get started with the fundamentals and learn gradually.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with gas remote control cars. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars

March 8, 2010

Tamiya RC Autos

Tamiya is a company known for producing first-rate miniatures of automobiles. They are famous today for introducing the world to the sport of mini 4WD racing. However, what many people do not know, is that Tamiya also introduced the world to RC (remote controlled or radio controlled) cars. The Tamiya RC car line-up has a lot of models that show the excellence of the company’s ability in model design.

Here are some of the Tamiya RC model cars on the market today:

Nitro Crusher – This RC car boasts of a mighty FS-15S engine that features a large bore slide carburetor to satisfy your need for speed. The engine also has a precise brake system that guarantees practical safety. This Tamiya RC car will also satisfy your desire for muscle because it comes in the form of a huge truck.

You can drive through all sorts of territory as effortlessly as if you were driving on the roadway. This RC car has a variety of points that permit it to cruise through special kinds of terrain. It has extra-large tires that are perfect for dealing with mud, sand and rocks. It also features a frontal impact control system that permits you to enjoy steady running no matter what hazards you encounter.

Mini cooper – If you do not know what a Mini Cooper is, consider Mr. Bean’s much-loved car. This remote controlled car is based on that small-but-awesome car of the 1960′s. The Mini Cooper is renowned for its small size and powerful performance. In point, the Mini Cooper even performed extremely well in competitions such as the World Rally Championships.

This radio controlled car features an M-03 chassis that is specially intended to be as speedy as possible. The double wishbone suspension also ensures the stability and first-rate handling of the car. This model is an electric RC car, which means that the batteries add a lot of weight. However, a hole cut into the chassis guarantees that this RC car can still run very well regardless of its weight.

Subaru Impreza WRC Monte Carlo – This RC car is designed for the latest kind of racing. This Tamiya RC car is intended to drift. The chassis of this RC vehicle, the TT-01D, is built from lightweight materials and has been specifically constructed to have a low center of gravity. This means that this Tamiya RC car will not roll over if you attempt to “drift” it.

What are the advantages of drift racing? Well, in standard bends, there is a penchant for cars to lose velocity. By drifting, the car can preserve the highest speed and precision control. However, there is always the chance of something going wrong, which is the reason for Tamiya’s excellent engineering.

XBG Nitro Force – Capable of mind-boggling high speeds, this car is unquestionably a power to be reckoned with. Powered by a precision FR-S glow engine, this car uses a recoil starter for clean starting every time. This Tamiya RC model also boasts of a strengthened resin frame chassis with a low center of gravity, making it extra stable during fast driving.

This Tamiya RC car also features a very aerodynamic frame, making sure that the airstream will not adversely affect your desire for speed. All in all, if you want a Tamiya RC car that will satisfy your wish for speed and excitement, this is the vehicle that you should be buying.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with 1:5 scale RC cars. If you would like to know more about these monster 1/5 scale rc cars, please click the link to our website now.

categories: rc,radio,kids and teens,family,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other

January 16, 2010

Model RC Sports Cars

Do your interests in model remote control cars lie in high speed, fast acceleration and magnificence of form? If this is exactly what you are looking for in a model vehicle, then a model sports car is probably what you are looking for. Real size sports cars are a $4.5 billion industry with about 55,000 units being sold each year.

Sports cars and their model counterparts are manufactured as high performance machines, which means that they can be driven in ways that normal assembly line cars can not. For example, in the case of a real sports car, it frequently takes no more than five seconds to go from 0 to 100 mph. Likewise in a model high performance gas replica, it often takes no more than two seconds to reach 60 mph from a dead start.

Because it is more tricky to maneuver a speeding automobile, sports cars and model sports cars are specially designed to handle best at high speeds. In deed, the word “sporty” was invented to refer to a sleek but robust design that exudes power. It was later personified to refer to the person behind the wheel or in the modelling world, the person at the remote controls.

The following is a basic glossary of sports car terminology and a basic list of sports car manufacturers (many of which have their counterpart vehicles in the world of model gas remote control cars).

- FF ? front engine, front wheel drive. The FF layout has a moderate capability for high speed handling and is seen in some models such as the Fiat Coup?, and the Lotus Elan M100.

- FR ? front engine, rear wheel drive Considered the ?classic? sports car design, the engine drives the rear wheels but keeps the weight off the back. The FR is good at drifting corners while still maintaining control. Mercedes-Benz is recognized for using this design for its models.

- RR – rear engine, rear wheel drive With the engine at the back driving the rear wheels, weight placement on a RR layout provides outstanding traction for a car. However, without auxiliary driving aids like stability control, handling becomes difficult. These days, the only manufacturer who keeps the RR layout for its cars is Porche.

AWD – all wheel drive An AWD design offers the easiest handling, making it perfect for those who are just starting to race sports cars. Audi started the widespread use of this technique with the Quattro. Japanese makers like Mitsubishi employed this layout to increase handling, making it an excellent rally car.

Because of more stringent regulations in the United States, sports car manufacturers are more prevalent in Europe than in America. Nonetheless, American brands are in equal competition with their European and Asian counterparts. Some recognized manufacturers and models are:

Alfa Romeo; Alpine; Aston Martin; Austin-Healey; BMW; Bugatti; Caterham; Davrian; De Lorean; Ferrari; Fisker; Jaguar; Koenigsegg; Lamborghini; Lotus; McLaren; Maserati; MG; Morgan; Panoz; Porsche; Triumph; TVR; Vector.

If this article has whetted your desire for a sports car, go out and buy one now, if you are well-off. If not, why not do the next best thing and get yourself a 1:8 or even a 1:5 gas-powered, remote-controlled sports car?

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the petrol remote control car. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars

categories: cars,rc,radio,kids and teens,remote control,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other

December 21, 2009

Remote Control Models – The Helicopter

If you like remote controlled models and have lots of space, then you may want to think about purchasing one of the new big remote control helicopters that have recently been introduced by several makes. These helicopters, which can sometimes be as big as ten feet long, rival genuine helicopters in agility. They are expensive and can cost three thousand dollars or more.

As with many fads, some people just have to have one of their own. So, the next time you are walking in the park and you see a helicopter flying in the region, look again closely. At first you will most likely think that it is a real helicopter that is simply further away then you first thought. But look again and you will almost certainly see someone controlling the helicopter with a huge remote control box.

If you see one of these remote controlled helicopters in flight, deem yourself very fortunate. Because it is so expensive to own one of these beautiful models, they are also still pretty rare. However, because I am an ardent collector myself, I have considered buying one of these big remote control helicopters, and I even put a bid on one in Ebay once, but in the end I did not get it and instead decided to wait until the price comes down a bit more.

Just as with any new, trendy item, big remote control helicopters are the latest fad, but in a few years, I am sure there will be a better supply and the price will fall. Then I will be ready and waiting to buy. But until then, I have a very bighearted and rich friend who owns one, and I will rehearse flying his. I have already taken it out once – it is so much more powerful than the normal, small remote control helicopters that you are most likely used to. When you first turn it on, the big remote control helicopter?s rotors spin with such ferociousness, that you may worry that you are going to break something. and then, when it lifts off the ground, you will experience a huge sense of achievement, knowing that you are the one who is controlling it.

And if you are able to make a successful, smooth landing as well, then you can truly call yourself a helicopter pilot, because even those very experienced with small remote control helicopters will be impressed to see someone land a big remote control helicopter, because it really is completely different. So if you happen to be lucky, well-off, or just single-minded enough to purchase one of your own, take pleasure in your time with your giant helicopter.

I assure you that it will be one of the most exhilarating experiences of your life. For me, the entire process was surreal, and when it was all over, I had to call everyone I knew and tell them how I had flown a 10 foot helicopter and landed it smoothly. I bet that?s how pilots feel the first time they fly a real aircraft.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with remote controlled trucks. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars

categories: rc,radio,kids and teens,family,entertainment,sport,models,toys,vehicles,autos and trucks,product reviews,outdoor,other

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