At the same time, electronic component manufacturers such as Lucent Technologies and STMicroelectronics are developing chip sets for the receivers. Engineers say that the technical challenges behind such systems are tremendous. You've got new technology from end to end. The satellites, broadcast studios, and chip sets are all new. Prime among the technical challenges is the development of receivers and antennae that can receive and unscramble a signal while mounted aboard a moving target.
People trying to reach a satellite television signal are stationary.
Here, you're trying to get 2.3 Gigahertz into a moving vehicle and turn it into a usable signal. Indeed, the complexity is such that engineers said that the chip sets haven't yet been fully completed. The Sirius chip set, however, is expected to be finished soon. A few components, including the RF front end, are said to be finished, while most of the ASICs still exist as emulations. All of the hardware for the Sirius system is expected to be completed within weeks, however.