docjackson1

for a fee (about $50/month), if you have a suitable receiver, xm broadcasts country wide doppler radar that is refreshed about every 3-4 minutes. as it is never more than a few minutes old, it is very useful for flying on days where there is weather-i wouldn't use it to pick my way around t storms while i am in cloud, as it still can be a few minutes old, and you can wind up flying into some bad stuff, but it gives you an excellent idea where the weather is and how to keep away from it. you also don't need any talent to interpret it, as you would with on board radar, and obviously, attenuation isn't an issue. i have a garmin 1000 set up (2 tv screens on the panel, that have all my instuments on it, like a jet) amd the doppler radar appears on my moving map.

jcnesq

The one reason apart from "radio" to have XM is that you can get live traffic data displayed on the NAV system (and I assume the radar service is something similar).

docjackson1

that is correct

OldGuy

SO Doc you get radar readouts like on weather.com? relevant radar to where youre at? and it shows up as a moving map on your XM screen?

docjackson1

there is no xm screen. there is a moving map, and your airplane is situated on it, along with the doppler radar. so it shows where you are in relation to the weather and your grographic location. it also gives you lots of other info, like present weather conditions at other locations (metars) along with forcasts, winds aloft, iceing, pireps, arrows that show you which way the weather is moving-it is a very good product,

Cowhorn

I read something in Off Topic a couple weeks ago about the struggles XM/Sirius is having. What is the latest on the viability of XM/Sirius radio? Are they going to file or make it?

docjackson1

that is a good question-from what i read, most likely, someone with more capital might buy it, but the say that the medium's uniqueness will help it to survive.

cole328

Gorgeous car I have the porsche I have the basalt now, ALL i need is the turbo!!