Is XM weather worthwhile?

[Ron Garret]

My SR22 partners want to install XM weather to the tune of about $10k.
I'm not convinced it's worthwhile. The plane is based in Southern
California where we don't tend to get the kind of squirrelly weather
they get east of the Mississippi. In the summer we'll get isolated
thunderstorms over the desert, but the plane already has a stormscope.
We get marine layer fog, but XM doesn't help with that. The only
situation, it seems to me, where you'd get any use out of it at all is
if you're flying in a winter storm, which I something I never intend to
do (and they're pretty easy to avoid because they sweep in off the
Pacific and can be reliably predicted days, sometimes weeks, in advance).

Does anyone out there think XM weather is worthwhile in SoCal? If so,
why?

Thanks,
rg

[Jack Allison]

> Does anyone out there think XM weather is worthwhile in SoCal? If so,
> why?

Can't comment specifically on XM or SoCal...but, for long x-c flying, we
flew a newer C-182 with the ground based weather uplink system (can't
recall the name at the moment) and it was very helpful in avoiding some
weather enroute. If I was mostly flying VFR in a localized area, I'd
have a hard time coughing up $10K for XM weather...but if I was flying a
significant amount of x-c time, IMHO, it's worth it.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, IA Student, Student Arrow Buyer

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[Dan Luke]

"Ron Garret" wrote:
> Does anyone out there think XM weather is worthwhile in SoCal? If so,
> why?

An SR-22 is a nice traveling machine--seems a waste if you never go far in
it. But if no one ever flies anywhere but So. Cal., I'd say no, even though
WxWorx also gives you METARs and TAFs which would be useful.

And waddya mean "the kind of squirrelly weather they get east of the
Mississippi?" Tornado Alley is *west* of the Mississippi, remember. The
weather can get mighty squirrely between the Rockies and the Mississippi. If
you ever take a long trip east, you will be mighty glad you've got satellite
weather.
--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

[Stan Prevost]

"Ron Garret" > wrote in message
...
> My SR22 partners want to install XM weather to the tune of about $10k.
> I'm not convinced it's worthwhile. The plane is based in Southern
> California where we don't tend to get the kind of squirrelly weather
> they get east of the Mississippi. In the summer we'll get isolated
> thunderstorms over the desert, but the plane already has a stormscope.
> We get marine layer fog, but XM doesn't help with that. The only
> situation, it seems to me, where you'd get any use out of it at all is
> if you're flying in a winter storm, which I something I never intend to
> do (and they're pretty easy to avoid because they sweep in off the
> Pacific and can be reliably predicted days, sometimes weeks, in advance).
>
> Does anyone out there think XM weather is worthwhile in SoCal? If so,
> why?
>

Can't speak to SoCal, but we are based in Alabama and fly from Texas to
Maine, Florida to Wisconsin, and think it is worthwhile. The $10K is a bit
breathtaking, you must be considering a much higher-end installation than we
have. We display on an iPAQ 4700 PDA, using AnyWhereMap software with XM
weather.

Stan

[Victor J. Osborne, Jr.]

I don't like being w/o it. Have had it for a year. Lots of startup
problems w/ support (the 800 phone clone people don;t know from aviation.
"Yes, we have lots of channels") They kept refreshing my 'radio' as a
standard car unit, not aviation.

Having 'said' that, I have it on a EFB and I like the other functions that
having it on an uplink would not allow.

--

Thx, {|;-)

Victor J. (Jim) Osborne, Jr.



take off my shoes to reply

[Blueskies]

"Jack Allison" > wrote in message ...
>> Does anyone out there think XM weather is worthwhile in SoCal? If so, why?
>
> Can't comment specifically on XM or SoCal...but, for long x-c flying, we flew a newer C-182 with the ground based
> weather uplink system (can't recall the name at the moment) and it was very helpful in avoiding some weather enroute.
> If I was mostly flying VFR in a localized area, I'd have a hard time coughing up $10K for XM weather...but if I was
> flying a significant amount of x-c time, IMHO, it's worth it.
>
> --
> Jack Allison
> PP-ASEL, IA Student, Student Arrow Buyer
>

Make that long XC flights across the midwest then yes, but for trips up to SFO or similar no way...

[Nathan Young]

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 09:07:48 -0800, Ron Garret >
wrote:

>My SR22 partners want to install XM weather to the tune of about $10k.
>I'm not convinced it's worthwhile. The plane is based in Southern
>California where we don't tend to get the kind of squirrelly weather
>they get east of the Mississippi. In the summer we'll get isolated
>thunderstorms over the desert, but the plane already has a stormscope.
>We get marine layer fog, but XM doesn't help with that. The only
>situation, it seems to me, where you'd get any use out of it at all is
>if you're flying in a winter storm, which I something I never intend to
>do (and they're pretty easy to avoid because they sweep in off the
>Pacific and can be reliably predicted days, sometimes weeks, in advance).

XM Weather is great. I use a portable version in my Cherokee.

Cost: $2000 tablet PC (which obviously has uses outside the aircraft)
WxWorx portable receiver: ~$800
Monthly svc fee $50

It is really a question of how much you want to pay to have the
integrated hardware vs portable. In a Cherokee, that decision was
easy. The answer is probably different in a $250k plane.

-Nathan

[[email protected]]

As others have said, it depends on how and where you fly. In the
midwest, I have found that when the weather gets bad it can be hard to
find a FSS that has time to talk - "Arrow 27D, you're no. 4 for
weather" so the metars and nexrad become indispensable if you don't
have a stormscope. Around the great lakes, a stormscope won't show
snow showers. AnywhereMap (control vision) has a $2200 PDA system for
which you can get TAF, METAR, and NEXRAD for $30/mo from XM radio.

[Morgans]

> wrote

AnywhereMap (control vision) has a $2200 PDA system for
> which you can get TAF, METAR, and NEXRAD for $30/mo from XM radio.
>

Check on that $2200 price. :-)
--
Jim in NC

[John W. Galvin]

"Nathan Young" > wrote in message
...
> XM Weather is great. I use a portable version in my Cherokee.
>
> Cost: $2000 tablet PC (which obviously has uses outside the aircraft)
> WxWorx portable receiver: ~$800
> Monthly svc fee $50
>
> -Nathan

We have XM Weather on a Tablet PC similar to that mentioned above in our
SR22. Extremely worthwhile for an IFR pilot. Also use JeppView FliteDeck
for approach charts. Personally, I would be hard put to justify the $7,500
Cirrus XM Weather Option and/or the $3,600 Cirrus CMAX Approach Plates
Option and/or the $11,500 Cirrus Terrain Awareness Option when the same or
_better_ functionality can be had with a Tablet PC based option (WxWorx XM
Weather, Jeppesen JeppView FliteDeck, and PCAvionics MountainScope) for
_far_less money.

--Galvin

[Fred Wolf]

Isn't there too much clutter and wires hanging all over in the cockpit...
where do you mount the tablet/ display

fred
"John W. Galvin" > wrote in message
...
> "Nathan Young" > wrote in message
> ...
>> XM Weather is great. I use a portable version in my Cherokee.
>>
>> Cost: $2000 tablet PC (which obviously has uses outside the aircraft)
>> WxWorx portable receiver: ~$800
>> Monthly svc fee $50
>>
>> -Nathan
>
> We have XM Weather on a Tablet PC similar to that mentioned above in our
> SR22. Extremely worthwhile for an IFR pilot. Also use JeppView FliteDeck
> for approach charts. Personally, I would be hard put to justify the
> $7,500
> Cirrus XM Weather Option and/or the $3,600 Cirrus CMAX Approach Plates
> Option and/or the $11,500 Cirrus Terrain Awareness Option when the same or
> _better_ functionality can be had with a Tablet PC based option (WxWorx XM
> Weather, Jeppesen JeppView FliteDeck, and PCAvionics MountainScope) for
> _far_less money.
>
> --Galvin
>
>

[Victor J. Osborne, Jr.]

Using a laptop or PDA w/ all of the attendant power cords was a pain. I
used a laptop (PDA display too small for me) to drive my T-Pad800 (8.4"
touch screen) for about a year. Now I have their EFB computer and the
display is the same as a knee board. I can also leave it on the right seat
(or held someone there.)

I can use WxWorks software or AirNav (which adds other features)

Victor J. (Jim) Osborne, Jr.

[John W. Galvin]

"Fred Wolf" > wrote in message
...
> Isn't there too much clutter and wires hanging all over in the cockpit...
> where do you mount the tablet/ display
>
> fred

Not if you take the time to do some cable management. I basically made a
wiring harness to connect the various devices. I used spiral cable wrap and
worked things out so that there is only one cable bundle going to each
device. I routed the cable bundles so that they are out of the way, under
seats, etc. The bundles are velcroed to the carpet where appropriate. The
only cable bundle that comes into the working space of the cockpit is the
one that goes to the tablet. The tablet sits in my lap and has replaced my
kneeboard.

--Galvin