Eyesore Antennas. Oh Goodie....

In my recent coverage of FM modulators, I mentioned that both Sirius and XM have recently incurred the FCC's ire for shipping satellite radio receivers containing excessively strong FM transmitters. Engadget's got the scoop on how the companies hope to make amends with the all-powerful spectrum regulatory body. Unfortunately the solution involves a strip broadcast antenna running along one edge of the windshield, adjacent to the automobile's existing FM reception antenna.

Followup: this Slashdot post discusses another under-investigation potential satellite radio FCC snafu; unlicensed and too-powerful terrestrial repeaters. Such repeaters, necessary to provide broadcast signal redundancy in areas where line-of-sight access to satellites isn't feasible, are unpalatable to satellite radio's competitors because they theoretically would also allow for region-specific programming (such as local news).