As for getting either XM or Sirius now, that should be no problem. You shouldn't have much trouble finding a Canadian audio store that will fix you up in about two hours. You have to have a U.S. address to get around the technicalities, but many of the Canadian stereo stores have set up U.S. mail drops to take care of that.
If you go for XM radio right now, you probably won't have any trouble getting a signal as long as you stay near the US border, as I did. The farther you go from that, the less likely you'll be able to get a signal.
If you drive in the US a lot, you should pretty much be covered everywhere you go, though there are momentary fades under heavy tree cover and inside concrete canyons. However, any signal that comes through the atmosphere is prone to moments like that, so it's nothing new.
When XM and Sirius are officially approved by the CRTC, we can expect the companies to erect extra transmitters to ensure a better signal. To start out with, they'll probably concentrate on the major cities, with further expansion to come. This of course would make the value of satellite radio less compelling for people in non-urban areas.
If you do live in an area where the signal reaches, satellite radio will absolutely change your mind about radio.
If you go for XM radio right now, you probably won't have any trouble getting a signal as long as you stay near the US border, as I did. The farther you go from that, the less likely you'll be able to get a signal.
If you drive in the US a lot, you should pretty much be covered everywhere you go, though there are momentary fades under heavy tree cover and inside concrete canyons. However, any signal that comes through the atmosphere is prone to moments like that, so it's nothing new.
When XM and Sirius are officially approved by the CRTC, we can expect the companies to erect extra transmitters to ensure a better signal. To start out with, they'll probably concentrate on the major cities, with further expansion to come. This of course would make the value of satellite radio less compelling for people in non-urban areas.
If you do live in an area where the signal reaches, satellite radio will absolutely change your mind about radio.