Satellite Radio

From Alhannah

So you're in Qatar. You have been here for two weeks, orientation is now over, your TODO list is only 3 items long, and it dawns on you that you have no idea what is going on in the world. Yeah, yeah, there's CNN, the Web, the English-language papers, but that all takes time. Back home, that hour commute of yours (each way) was when you could catch up with the world: news, commentary, Diane Rehm, those hilarious car guys, music. Aren't you longing for your good old commute? Not that you don't have one now, but it's all in Arabic.

Well, not all is lost. Qatar falls under the coverage area of one satellite radio operator, WorldSpace, which has a number of international channels, such as CNN, NPR, BBC, RFI for news, a dozen or so music channels, plus sports, spiritual, etc. To use this service, you need two things: a receiver and a subscription. You can get them either from WorldSpace web page (cheaper -- I recently paid about $180 including 1 year subscription), or from National Computer Center, a store in the Computer Souq (on Al-Rayyan Rd, behind the Diwan). The receiver comes with an antenna, a remote, a couple of power options, cables, fasteners and even a compass. You can set it up in your car, at home, or even go jogging with it (good luck keeping the antenna aimed at the satellite). Because the satellite is at 45 degres over the horizon in Qatar, the antenna should be perfectly horizontal on the roof of a car, or reception will go in and out (even in the best case, it will occasionally skip a word, or an entire sentence if driving under a bridge or a thick palm tree).

So, your commute is heaven again: you take the long route to catch the last bit of news, and the security guards think you are nuts because you spend 20 minutes every morning giggling alone in your car in the parking lot.