Like much general-interest journalism that deals with science and technology, sometimes the important details can get a bit fuzzy as the journalist tries to put the facts in “language readers can understand.”
According to this particular story, some improperly-installed in-vehicle satellite radio receivers can transmit whatever programming their owners are listening to via the vehicle’s antenna. Some satellite receivers work by rebroadcasting the satellite feed using an onboard ultra-low power FM transmitter, which typically can’t be heard more than a few dozen feet away in optimal conditions. Drivers then simply tune their radio to whatever frequency the satellite receiver is broadcasting on to listen.
Reportedly, extreme cases of botched installations somehow amplify these signals, which can then be heard “a quarter-mile or more.” As many of these satellite receivers are automatically tuned to broadcast somewhere on the lower-end of the FM dial, potential interference concerns crop up among two niches in particular: religious and public broadcasters.
Reference is made to Howard Stern listeners inadvertently blotting out godcaster-stations owned by Salem Communications, the Christian Clear Channel. Kinda makes the errant microbroadcast relays of late sound somewhat tame.
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