xm weather

[rarhomes]

I am considering xm weather but don't know much about it. Is it compatable with furano navnet or do you have it get a garmin gps? Why don't the fisherman package come with fish bites? Do you even need fish bites? If you had a choice would you get xm weather or Roffers?

Any advice or comments.

[dirtyj]

The xm is compatable with Furuno and is a great system except for the water temp feature - the Sirius option is much better but Sirius is shutting down soon to merge with XM so their service will no longer be available. Hopefully XM will commandeer the SSt feature and apply it.

Roffers is a subjective opinion - he can be helpful especially if you have a sat phone but sometimes he is guessing just like us.

[rarhomes]

Thanks dirtyj,

But does that mean all the Raymarine users with Sirius are going to have to now go to xw weather? Is Raymarine compatable? Maybe I should wait.

thanks,

Capt. Rick

[ocnslr]

We've had a small Garmin GPSMap 376C since July of last year. We have the Master Mariner package of XM WX. The unit is the second chartplotter on board.

XM WX is not a substitute for SST shots, whether free Rutgers or costly Roffers.

It is a highly-effective way to know what is happening when you are out there. We have used it to avoid large, strong thunderstorms because we knew where they were 50nm away, where they were headed, and how fast they were going.

Avoiding one nasty T-boomer is worth the $50/month for the service.

Brian

[rarhomes]

OK, you have a seprate unit just for xm weather? How good is the fish bites and surface temps. features ?

Oh ya 50.00 to avoid a t-storm - I'm with ya brother.

Thanks,

Capt. Rick

[dirtyj]

I can only assume that the merger will give you the option to switch to XM but I haven't heard definitively. I am not sure about the compatability since I have only used the Furuno.


The fish forecast option is a wasted feature - it looks like they hired some 11 yr old kid to draw fish up and down the edge with no rhyme or reason. Last week, we were fishing 1000 fathoms and the fish forecast told us we had a shot at cobia and reef donkeys out there.

[ocnslr]

OK, you have a seprate unit just for xm weather? How good is the fish bites and surface temps. features ?

Oh ya 50.00 to avoid a t-storm - I'm with ya brother.

Thanks,

Capt. Rick

I didn't buy it to find fish. SST on the XM is very general - never find a break that way. Still do all my "pre-trip due dilligence" to figure where to go.

Bought the $800 unit and pay the $50/month to have real time NEXRAD weather, storm cells + intensity + track, buoy reports, wind and sea conditions, etc. Also a back-up chartplotter, but still primarily for weather.

Brian

[loliver]

The xm is compatable with Furuno and is a great system except for the water temp feature - the Sirius option is much better but Sirius is shutting down soon to merge with XM so their service will no longer be available. Hopefully XM will commandeer the SSt feature and apply it.

Roffers is a subjective opinion - he can be helpful especially if you have a sat phone but sometimes he is guessing just like us.

Do you know this for a fact? I have Sirius and like it. I don't see them abandoning the current users. I would think there are at least as many Ray users as there a Furuno users. Also the total subscribers for XM and Sirius is nearly equal now, with Sirius growng at a faster rate than XM.

[dirtyj]

A very reputable installer told me this so I believe it is fact. That is all I can tell you.

[Banshee]

The merger between XM and Sirius still has not recieved any formal blessing from our government. From what I have read, there services will be the same and you will have the option to have both..
Who knows!!!!!
JW