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XM WX vs SiriusXM Aviation Weather?

NovaBandit

NovaBandit

Well Known Member
So one company (SiriusXM) offers two different aviation weather services. One is the legacy XM WX aviation weather, and the other is SiriusXM Aviation. Both have three levels at $34.99, $54.99, and $99.99 per month. However, it looks like the SiriusXM flavor includes more data points in the lower tier packages. I haven't done a one-for-one comparison, but it appears as if the SiriusXM $34.99 tier includes most if not all of the XM WX $54.99 tier features.

Does anyone know the requirements to get the SiriusXM data feeds? Will newer "xm" receivers like the ones built into the G3X touch be compatible with SiriusXM?

Huge Image below, comparing the two services (sorry if you have a smaller monitor!):

WBfKT85.jpg
 
XM versus SXM aviation weather

Hello Ed,

A G3X Touch system with a GDU 455 (7") or GDU 465 (10.6") display with built-in SXM weather/radio receiver may use any of the SXM weather packages, but not the older XM weather packages.

A G3X system with GDU 375 display with built-in XM weather/radio receiver may only use the XM weather packages.

An aera 510/560, aera 796, or GPSMAP 696 with a GXM40 receiver will use XM weather packages, while those with a newer GXM42 receiver will use the SXM weather packages.

Thanks,
Steve
 
There are a few reasons.

You may be flying in areas outside of ADSB coverage, like the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada... or the fact that you get better radar resolution, and that higher resolution is for the entire US, unlike ADSB. It also has products that I don't believe are currently included in the ADSB datastream, like echo tops, freezing levels, and storm tracks (although my screens will display looping radar).

You can also get this on the ground, even if you're in the middle of nowhere with no cellular data to check with Foreflight before departing.

That said, I currently have ADSB weather, and it's fantastic. I do think that I'll probably purchase an SXM subscription for when I know be traveling a lot... if it can be purchased month to month.
 
g3xpert said:
Hello Ed,

A G3X Touch system with a GDU 455 (7") or GDU 465 (10.6") display with built-in SXM weather/radio receiver may use any of the SXM weather packages, but not the older XM weather packages.

A G3X system with GDU 375 display with built-in XM weather/radio receiver may only use the XM weather packages.

An aera 510/560, aera 796, or GPSMAP 696 with a GXM40 receiver will use XM weather packages, while those with a newer GXM42 receiver will use the SXM weather packages.

Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks, Steve! That's what I wanted to hear!
 
NovaBandit said:
There are a few reasons.

You may be flying in areas outside of ADSB coverage, like the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada... or the fact that you get better radar resolution, and that higher resolution is for the entire US, unlike ADSB. It also has products that I don't believe are currently included in the ADSB datastream, like echo tops, freezing levels, and storm tracks (although my screens will display looping radar).

You can also get this on the ground, even if you're in the middle of nowhere with no cellular data to check with Foreflight before departing.

That said, I currently have ADSB weather, and it's fantastic. I do think that I'll probably purchase an SXM subscription for when I know be traveling a lot... if it can be purchased month to month.
Click to expand...

OK. I guess I'm spoiled as we get such great coverage here in the southeast.
I'm off to the Bahamas in May, so I'll see what kind of coverage I get out there in the outer islands.
 
NovaBandit said:
There are a few reasons.

or the fact that you get better radar resolution, and that higher resolution is for the entire US, unlike ADSB.
th.
Click to expand...

That 'higher resolution' looks pretty, but it's an illusion. XM has the same latency (delay) issues as ADSB, and what you see at high resolution is not what you get. Similarly, the radar data hundreds of miles away will change before you get there. High resolution is of little real use when it's not real time.
 
roadrunner20 said:
Maybe I'm missing something here, but why would anyone buy these services when ADS-B is free?
Click to expand...

Ed covered the reasons pretty well, but I'll add (for a Florida guy) that out here in the mountains, getting weaetrh from ADS-B can be hit or miss, especially when you need it the most - when you are in a valley trying to determine what is going on down the way and you don't have any coverage. It gets really remote out here!

Satellite works great in this case, so we have both in our airplane's for now. I am more impressed with ADS-B as we use it more, but it's hard to beat overhead coverage!
 
NovaBandit said:
There are a few reasons.

You may be flying in areas outside of ADSB coverage, like the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada.
Click to expand...

I hate to burst your bubble but having flown extensively through the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America I can testify you will not get XM signal while flying in those areas. Sure, when you are over the US you will see the WX from those areas but once you get about 50miles from the US border you are outside the XM satellite "footprint" and you get nothing. Remember, if you can't receive a signal you can't get any information. Now, when flying within about 25miles of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean you will get ADS-B because there are three ADS-B stations there, but still no XM.

:(
 
GalinHdz said:
I hate to burst your bubble but having flown extensively through the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America I can testify you will not get XM signal while flying in those areas. Sure, when you are over the US you will see the WX from those areas but once you get about 50miles from the US border you are outside the XM satellite "footprint" and you get nothing. Remember, if you can't receive a signal you can't get any information. Now, when flying within about 25miles of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean you will get ADS-B because there are three ADS-B stations there, but still no XM.

:(
Click to expand...

Yeah. I think you're right. I haven't been able to find a good coverage map. So that point is iffy at best.

I did find a comparison chart of ADS-B vs the "new" SiriusXM Aviation Weather. It's from the SXM website, so it's not totally unbiased... so make of it what you will. It does note that there is data in ADSB that isn't in SXM, including NOTAMs and Special Use Airspace.


R3ZFkqK.jpg
 
Xm coverage

I've flown to the Bahamas with XM (the old WxWorx box not the Sirius XM) and had coverage in Staniel Cay and down to the Exumas and that's well beyond 50 miles off shore.

Here's a footprint map of some of the XM channels:

http://www.satbeams.com/footprints?beam=6406


After installing my G3i ignition I've had some kind of interference and went through several boxes and antennas and i couldn't not get reception in flight no matter what. Interestingly I had good reception on the ground, but not in the air.
Turns out that XM has several very high powered ground based antennas, some of them are transmitting at 6000 Watts, if i remember correctly, (i feel sorry for the guy whose million dollar condo on the beach is right below one of those antennas).
The ground signals are way more powerful so I receive those but not the sat signal. I think that's something to look into if you get crappy reception offshore. Foreflight displays the signal strength for both ground and sat channels.

I have both XM and Adsb and there's a huge difference in the nexrad images. It has something to do with how each company composites the radar images.
One thing that I like about Xm weather is that it gives you Satellite images. Lots of delay in the data but it still comes in handy sometimes.

ADSB cuts out sometimes so it's much riskier to navigate around storms, which we often have to do in summer afternoons down here in Florida.

Lenny
 
XM Antenna

Can you use the antennas that came with the Garmin portables to pickup the SiriusXM Aviation Weather signal?
 
Lenny Iszak said:
I've flown to the Bahamas with XM (the old WxWorx box not the Sirius XM) and had coverage in Staniel Cay and down to the Exumas and that's well beyond 50 miles off shore.
Click to expand...

Like I said "Actual reception depends heavily on which receiver you use..." And it also depends on altitude. Airborne at 10,000ft is one thing, on the ground is another. If you can get it on the ground you can get it in the air. If you can't get it in the air, you won't get it on the ground. Then there is that in between area. On the many times I flew to the Eastern Caribbean (Puerto Rico, USVI and points further East) with a Garmin 496 it would loose reception around Exuma with nothing at all after about the Long Island area.

Again: YMMV

:cool:
 
Last edited:
n38139 said:
Can you use the antennas that came with the Garmin portables to pickup the SiriusXM Aviation Weather signal?
Click to expand...

Hello Steve,

An aera 510/560, aera 796, or GPSMAP 696 with a GXM40 receiver will use XM weather packages, while those with a newer GXM42 receiver will use the SXM weather packages.

Thanks,
Steve
 
How far north?

FYI,

I don't recall exactly where, but on my Alaska trip the XM reception became difficult to receive. I think this started to become a problem in the Yukon territory. I remember if I held and tilted the puck toward the equator that it would work but spotty. This was on a portable with the garmin XM antenna puck.

If your antenna is permanent mounted I might expect trouble.

Maybe the Alaska guys can report more recent info on this as it has been several years ago and was definitely XM, not Sirius.

Jim
 
No, I haven't gone past the Exhumas. I'm using a Comant external antenna, combo XM and VHF, that will probably get much better reception than the built-in one.

Lenny

GalinHdz said:
Like I said "Actual reception depends heavily on which receiver you use..." And it also depends on altitude. Airborne at 10,000ft is one thing, on the ground is another. If you can get it on the ground you can get it in the air. If you can't get it in the air, you won't get it on the ground. Then there is that in between area. On the many times I flew to the Eastern Caribbean (Puerto Rico, USVI and points further East) with a Garmin 496 it would loose reception around Exuma with nothing at all after about the Long Island area.

Again: YMMV

:cool:
Click to expand...
 
re-initalize

Anyone else have this problem? Weatherworxs xm receiver (but it also happened in my car with a different brand receiver) won't give out data, says it needs to be re-initalized. A visit to the xm web site fixed the problem within minutes. But once it happened at a gas stop in the middle of nowhere, no internet, no cell phone, service. And it happened to be when it really would have been useful. I bought an ADSB-in box, saved tbe $35/month, and haven't regretted it. Yes, xm is nice on the ground. But if there is cell phone service I can get wx on the iPad. And if there's no cell service, I lost faith that the xm would work.
 
roadrunner20 said:
Maybe I'm missing something here, but why would anyone buy these services when ADS-B is free?
Click to expand...

roadrunner20 said:
OK. I guess I'm spoiled as we get such great coverage here in the southeast.
I'm off to the Bahamas in May, so I'll see what kind of coverage I get out there in the outer islands.
Click to expand...

I have both in my airplane and constantly compare, the ADS-B is always lacking in comparison, in radar resolution, data stream speeds, updates, everything is drastically slower and noticeable.....i only use ADS-B if the XM is not working, so far, that's only been once, and it was a subscription issue on THEIR end
 
So Am I to understand that with the SXM package we can turn off the subscription for up to six months (winter) without penalty and then return to service without an activation fee? Also I could not find (on Sirius site) what the activation fees were. Any help determining Sirius charges would be greatly appreciated as I finally got around to mounting my GXM42 today.
 
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