Do I need Wx on the 396 or....

[Darren S]

can I get by with an App for the Ipod touch ?

I am building my panel and am using a MGL Voyager and a Garmin 296 for backup.

I was thinking of upgrading to a Garmin 396 so I can utilize the Weather feature but since I will be using an Ipod Touch for music, I was wondering if I can utilize the Itouch for weather and keep my old reliable 296 ?

Do the apps give a visual picture of the Weather like the 396 does ? I've never seen any apps in action.

Thanks,

Darren

[Vern]

My opinion only: The portable GPS's with weather are probably the greatest aviation device since the jet engine. They add more capability and safety than most anything I know of.

However, they are not 100% reliable.If it is your only means of navigation, then you need a spare. The can and will let you down at the worst possible moment.

I also have an iPhone (and am a Mac-head) and it does not compare to a 396/496 for flying. Panel mount the 396/496 in a dock and use the 296 mounted just below the panel in front of the stick as a spare and you will be good to go.

Do consider the 496 since it has a much faster processor. If money allows, the 696 is even better!

[L.Adamson]

Originally Posted by Vern

Do consider the 496 since it has a much faster processor. If money allows, the 696 is even better!

Certainly is better! I've had the 296,496,696. Wouldn't want to go back to the smaller screen. I'm now using a Lowance 600c as backup & it doesn't even begin to compare.

[Darren S]

My primary Navigation will come from the MGL Voyager which has it's own GPS signal. My 296 was going to be panel mounted with one of the Air Gizmo mounts and was intended to be a backup in case of primary failure.

Is the Wx subscription for the 396/496 $30 per month ?

I gather from the replies to my post that the idea of using the Ipod touch as a device to navigate around weather isn't a bright idea ?

Thanks for the replies,

Darren

[Ironflight]

I was under the impression that XM weather didn't have a lot of Canadian coverage - maybe that has changed, and I am behind the times, but if true, that might color how much you want to put into it.

I get weather on my iPhone when on the ground,but in-flight, getting a connection is a very rare thing - hanging on to it (coverage) is even tougher at RV speeds).

Paul

[boom3]

You would have to have Wifi for the Itouch to update. The Iphone on the other hand has a cellular connection most of the time, but probably not at altitude. (Like Paul said)

[Darren S]

I didn't realize that the Itouch would need to acquire and hang on to a Wifi signal to give inflight weather updates. It makes sense.

Also, I need to check into the depth of Wx coverage up here in Canada.

I still don't know if I want to be tied into a $30/month plan. I really need to look at my flying style and see how useful such a feature would be.

Thanks for the help so far. Maybe I stick with old reliable 296 (as a backup) for now.

Darren

[Bevan]

for Canada when I called last week was around $50/month and 3 month minimum which is really the US weather package with Canada as an add-on. You cannot get just Canada weather. and i didn't think to ask if it was all of Canada or not. I called them to ask why the Canada only package was basically the same price as the US/Canada package. They didn't have an answer. I did tell them that I would be more inclined to pay for Canada only WX if it was similarily priced to US only WX. Otherwise it was too much. Perhaps if they got more requests, they might take notice.

The $75 initiation fee is a one time fee, not a "everytime you restart your subscription" fee. So that's good.

Bevan