Pilot My-Cast

I am considering the my-cast service. Those of you that use it--what are
the pros and cons?
Is it reasonable to use it enroute or is it strictly a ground based tool?
Thanks for any relevant input.
Sierra Man

I am considering the my-cast service. Those of you that use it--what are
the pros and cons?
Is it reasonable to use it enroute or is it strictly a ground based tool?
Thanks for any relevant input.

We've used Pilot MyCast since Sun N Fun 2004, and love it.

It's not something we use every flight, or even every week, nor can it
be used in flight -- but, wow, when you need to know the weather, it's
really, REALLY nice to have.

For example, if you've ever landed at a tiny, weather-computer-less
airport for lunch/gas, and have wondered what the weather was ahead,
you had two choices:

1. Call Flight Service and try to visualize what they were telling you.
(Especially difficult on a long x-country, in unfamiliar territory.)
*or*
2. Take off into the unknown, hoping for the best.

With Pilot MyCast, you can watch live weather radar, or get up-to-date
METARs and TAFs. A picture is often worth a thousand words, especially
when it comes to weather, and we've used it on many flights to make
sure that the weather ahead was good.

It's especially handy when you're laying in your tent at Oshkosh,
wondering when the hell the downpour is going to stop... :-)

It's not as good as a Garmin 396, but it's a WHOLE lot more affordable!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I've used Pilot MyCast on a Treo 650 since I started my primary
training in March '05. The primary benefit to me is as an on-the-spot
device to update me on the weather. A number of times, while I was
pre-flighting, my instructor (a NAFI Master CFI) asked to see it to
consult the radar picture. I particularly like the fact that it loops
radar and satellite pictures to give you a better idea of what's going
on instead of just a static picture. In addition to the functions Jay
mentions, it will allow you to enter a route and give you weather along
it, does a lightning map, a weather map, and visible and infrared
satellite pictures.

Unfortunately, their website doesn't do a good job of displaying all
the functions, and is light on hard information, IMHO. Also, the
installation instructions for my Treo were not quite right, but their
tech support helped me straighten it out.

I understand the FCC prohibits using cell phones in flight, so it
should be used as a ground-based tool only. Moreover, I've been told
that some cell phone companies, in order to manage the load on their
system, detect when a user is rapidly switching cells as when flying,
and will not establish a network connection. Some folks I know who
have tried their cellphones in flight get a signal, others don't (note
to FCC - I'm not naming any names :-).

I may reconsider my decision on MyCast if I get a Garmin GPSMap 396,
which gets XM weather, but for right now I am planning to renew my
subscription. I think it cost me something like $150 per year (they
advertise something like $129 but it's apparently higher on the Treo
platform. It's a good tool.

Wiz

In a previous article, "Wiz" said:
I've used Pilot MyCast on a Treo 650 since I started my primary
training in March '05. The primary benefit to me is as an on-the-spot

What's the point of using a paid service on a Treo? On my Treo I can
reach all sorts of free radar pictures, free metars and tafs and area
forecasts, etc.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Heaven has all the lusers, a generous supply of larts -
and no PHBs anywhere in sight.
-- The BOFH Heaven, according to Suresh

Fair question -- convenience, mostly. it's a combination of things.
Primarily the display -- the radar and satellite pictures are
full-screen and animated. Another factor is convenience -- it's all in
one place, and you can, for instance, easily page through wind,
conditions, temperature/dewpoint maps, etc. Also, you can specify a
route and it will give you maps, radar, lightning, METAR/TAF data, etc.
along the route.

Wiz

But not nearly as conveniently as a Garmin 396.

KG


"Wiz" wrote in message
oups.com...
Fair question -- convenience, mostly. it's a combination of things.
Primarily the display -- the radar and satellite pictures are
full-screen and animated. Another factor is convenience -- it's all in
one place, and you can, for instance, easily page through wind,
conditions, temperature/dewpoint maps, etc. Also, you can specify a
route and it will give you maps, radar, lightning, METAR/TAF data, etc.
along the route.

Wiz

Wiz wrote:
Fair question -- convenience, mostly. it's a combination of things.
Primarily the display -- the radar and satellite pictures are
full-screen and animated.

As are web based pics on the Treo. If they aren't then you need to get
into your browser settings and change it.


Another factor is convenience -- it's all in
one place,

So are mine. They are bookmarks on the Treo. There is also a much
faster way to get METAR's and TAF's. Send a text message to either
or If you want more than one report
separate your stations with a space. Remeber the limits of text
messaging. You can also send an email to the same addresses and get an
unlimited amount of data.

KG wrote:

But not nearly as conveniently as a Garmin 396.

KG

True, as I said, I will probably cancel my subscription when I pony up
the major $ to get a 396 (or the next gen, if it does traffic alerts..)
Until then...

Yeah, but I establish a route once and get all products relating to it.
It's a time-saver. I'm sure to some extent it's a matter of personal
preference.

Cheers,
Wiz

Newps wrote:

So are mine. They are bookmarks on the Treo. There is also a much
faster way to get METAR's and TAF's. Send a text message to either
or If you want more than one
report
separate your stations with a space. Remeber the limits of text
messaging. You can also send an email to the same addresses and get an
unlimited amount of data.

Hi,

Just a quick FYI: WingX for the Pocket PC now has (free) weather built-in.
Color-coded METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, temperatures aloft, and 6 hour trend
graphics (very cool to watch the temperature and dewpoint getting closer
together).

Some screen shots can be found at:
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com/WingXBrowser.html (This functionality is now
part of the WingX product)

We plan on adding graphics shortly. You don't need a wireless connection
(or phone) - simply have an Internet connection via phone, wireless,
BlueTooth, 802.11b/g, or even just cradled to your PC, download all the US
weather and take it with you.

Sorry for the somewhat spammy post, but it is another option, free, and
being used by many pilots.

Thanks,

Hilton