wrote in news:1120687094.746136.17990
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

(snipped)
I wonder, though, will it really be able to download from the
satellites with the little antenna? I currently own a 196 and with the
built-in antenna it often has a hard time getting a lock on the GPS. I
might guess that the requirements to download the weather data (which
is a lot more data than GPS) would be higher.

(snipped)


Dave,

The signal from the two XM satellites is quite strong. I have a small
external antenna on my van and rarely lose signal at all (I have even
picked it up in the basement of the Nashville Convention Center, although
they may have a repeater installed).I suspect that reception would be even
better when airborne, since you would have no physical obstructions between
you and the two satellites and you would also be closer to the signal
source.

I notice on the pdf spec sheet available on the Garmin website that they
list the GXM-30 smart antenna under "Standard Accessories". The webpage for
the product also states that the antenna is "roughly three inches in
diameter", which leads me to believe that this is an external antenna that
is separate from the small antenna built into the unit.

This looks like a very comprehensive package in a handheld. There's even an
output jack for XM Radio (audio).

Steve DeMoss