XM weather service

[beemerFROG]

Just wondering if anyone has this service and what your thoughts are about it. I know that it has not been out for a long time and so hopefully the price will go down ($99.00/ month!!!!) It is very cool to have the ability to have up-to-date weather information overlaid on the road map, but not at that price. Is there another system out there that allows you to have doplar type weather service on your bike? Thanks in advance.

 

PS. The sad part is I don't really need this I just can't get away from wanting gadgets! I don't think I will happy until my bike looks like the inside of the space shuttle... or at least has the ability to track it!

[ronest]

I have a Garmin 2730 with the navtraffic subscription, this gives me weather and traffic information (traffic only in certain cities). It's not as detailed as the weather subscription you are talking about. I have used it NM,CO, WY, NB, and SD and has given me a weather report in these areas.

 

Hope this helps,

RD

[tallman]

Me too.

Add radar on your phone for @$3-5/month and voila.

Weather alerts, images, forecasts/current conditions and doppler for under $10/month combined.

[beemerFROG]

Me too.

Add radar on your phone for @$3-5/month and voila.

Weather alerts, images, forecasts/current conditions and doppler for under $10/month combined.

 

WHAT WHAT WHAT?

 

I have not heard of this. With what carrier? Do you need to log on to the internet from your phone for this? Do you need to have a "smart phone". (hate that phrase by the way!) Is it actual radar with the sweep thing and all or is it just basic text stuff? Does it show approachiing enemy aircraft? (ie. mini-van-moms on the phone, stock-broker-boy on the phone, hip-hop-punk with the BOOM-BOOM crank'in, no-fear-dodge-dude looking to cut everyone off.)

 

What weather information does the nav-traffic give you? Does it show images, just alerts, just text? Does it bring it up automatically on your map screen or do you have to go search for it?

 

Sorry for all the questions, I am saving my pennies for a Zumo 550 (almost there!) and I just like to get every possible bit of info I can before making my decision.

 

Thanks guys.

[jakfrost]

Doug, not sure where you are getting your prices on the XM WX subscription but I had it for 6 months last summer and it was 29.95 per month for the 'Fisherman' from XM. There is a more expensive package 'Marirer' for I think 49.95 but the 29.95 gives you everything except 'weather mosiac' which is the cloud cover sweep. I found the 'WX Radar' to be worth the price of admission...particularly when traveling to Daytona for bike week and back. It was snowing in the hills of Virginia, which I could see on my Garmin 376 display, and so cut east to 95 and avoided the whole mess. Tracking rain cells is the best weather avoidance system out there.

The 30.00 a month plus 7.00 for XM tunes was part of my riding season budget, as it will be again this year.

 

Jim

[SageRider]

Jim,

Thank you for the information. It had not occurred to me to obtain a marine subscription vs. the ground subscription. The marine packages are more in line cost-wise with what I can justify spending.

[DavidEBSmith]

There's this article talking about a new version of XM Weather to be coming out this summer for $3.99 a month. What you get, what receivers it works with, anything other than what is in the article, I know not.

[beemerFROG]

Doug, not sure where you are getting your prices on the XM WX subscription but I had it for 6 months last summer and it was 29.95 per month for the 'Fisherman' from XM. There is a more expensive package 'Marirer' for I think 49.95 but the 29.95 gives you everything except 'weather mosiac' which is the cloud cover sweep. I found the 'WX Radar' to be worth the price of admission...particularly when traveling to Daytona for bike week and back. It was snowing in the hills of Virginia, which I could see on my Garmin 376 display, and so cut east to 95 and avoided the whole mess. Tracking rain cells is the best weather avoidance system out there.

The 30.00 a month plus 7.00 for XM tunes was part of my riding season budget, as it will be again this year.

 

Jim

 

Jim, here is where I got my information. If I am reading this wrong than all I can say is "I am only male!" At the top left of the PDF it states that there is a one time set-up fee of $100.00 and a monthly charge of $99.99 for the Ground package. The $6.99 fee to the right of it is for each additional subscriber on the family plan. Am I reading this wrong, I sure hope so.

 

www.xmradio.com/pdf/existing/weather/grd_subscription_pkg.pdf

[SageRider]

Doug,

Try http://www.xmradio.com/pdf/existing/weather/ma_subscription_pkg.pdf

 

(Marine, not ground)

[jakfrost]

Doug, just dug up this link to have a look at ...I use the 'Fisherman' since it has most of what I want and of course since it is a 'marine' package, some stuff I don't want...

I tried the Master Mariner for a month but it wasn't worth it for just the 'surface mosaic' which would be really nice to have but not for an extra 20.00 per month.

 

http://www.xmwxweather.com/weather/ma_service_pricing.xmc

 

Not sure which unit you are trying to hook up with a weather subscription but not all units have the firmware to receive all possible subscriptions.

 

For example I tried to get an aviation package to display in my Garmin 376 but no luck. Only the 'aviation' units like the '396' would receive it. Lot more money for the 396...like $2,500.00 I think.

 

 

Jim

[beemerFROG]

Thank you so much for the info. To the best of my brain power the Zumo does not have what it takes for this. Has anyone heard anything about it being offered in the future? As I do like the 376/ 378, I believe the Zumo has been advanced beyond them in many respects. I would hate to get a GPS that has one unique feature but is dated in many other (sensitivity, etc.). Now that the Zumo is out, I wonder if they will be updating the 376/ 378 appropriatley? Anyways, thanks again.

[tallman]

Eebie,

nice link.

 

My phone is a basic cell phone.

Your provider should have extras available, mine is through the Axcess shop.

I have a selection of several weather services (weather channel, my weather.com) that provide the local info and radar for where you are. I think it's real time.

You download the program to your phone and that's it.

Enter zip code or name and get display.

Travelling to Nova Scotia this past summer I used a combination of looking skyward , the 2730's weather features (part of the traffic and basic weather from XM) that dow alerts on the screen, will give current conditions and forecasts for where you are, places near to that location, and anywhere you enter for a search. That data can be diplayed on the GPS map w/symbols and numbers.

I would then check w/my phone radar to see the extent of raincover, direction of travel, etc...

We have multiple XM subscriptions so I'm paying less than $14/month (w/out taxes) combined to XM and my cell provider for XM satellite broadcast, XM traffic (with alerts), XM weather (with alerts) and Doppler radar.

Worked well travelling, no real surprises.

I'm not a real GPS afficianado. I got the 2730 to minimize cockpit clutter, It has worked well in all weather conditions, the radio is super. Bright daylight isn't great, but I'm riding using audio cues anyhoo. In most conditions the screen is fine.

Best wishes.

[ronest]

+1 on the 2730 setup, less clutter