pilot weather on your cell phone

Build9A · #1 02-21-2006, 06:10 PM

Has anyone tried any of the cell phone pilot weather products? What's your evaluation concerning the use and capabilities? (for those of us not $ ready for XM, Garmin, etc.) thanks

sprucemoose · #2 02-21-2006, 06:25 PM

I've been using Wxserver for about 2 years now. I really like it. It's fairly easy to use, has a lot of features, and the cost is pretty reasonable, at $60/ year. They have a 10 day free subscription you can play with.

http://www.avwx.net/home.php

joeboisselle · #3 02-21-2006, 08:37 PM

I bought a one month subscription to the same service Jeff has I think. You send a text messege with the airport indentifier and the type of report you want and it responds back with the latest data. I found it usefull plenty of times, but half the time it wouldn't respond untill you'd quiried it a dozen times, or sometimes not at all.

~Joe

dan · #4 02-21-2006, 08:43 PM

Or just hit "rvproject.com" on any web enabled phone. The cost? ZERO. (Ok, it costs whatever your carrier bills you for web time.) It has metars & tafs (both raw and decoded), and N-number lookups.

If you have a fancy modern phone that tries to do "real web" and you get my full web site when you hit that URL, then go directly to "rvproject.com/wapindex.wml" instead.

There's also a "PDA" version of my wx site that is a slimmed-down version of the full web dealie: http://www.rvproject.com/wx/pda/

Enjoy!

Build9A · #5 02-21-2006, 08:57 PM

Dans sight is one of my weather stops before each flight and flight service of course. Although they don't give me any better weather, but I do get TFRs and all that other stuff. I really like Dans decoded METARS and TAFS, and the headwind/tailwind at various altitudes. I think I even sent a donation. or maybe that was for the online logbook. Thanks Dan for both. However, I was thinking of the cellphone weather graphics like radar loops, etc. Nothing will replace rvproject.com/wx

Jack

sprucemoose · #6 02-21-2006, 09:36 PM

WXserver does have good radar maps, satelite pics, winds aloft charts, depiction charts, etc. It also provides text weather (through a cell browser, not a text message) and, very helpful, an airport directory with airport and FBO info.

Deuskid · #7 02-22-2006, 05:57 AM

non-flying wanna be asking:

is the use of cell phones in a/c allowed? [obviously it much function].

thanks,

John

N130WN · #8 02-22-2006, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dan

Or just hit "rvproject.com" on any web enabled phone. The cost? ZERO. (Ok, it costs whatever your carrier bills you for web time.) It has metars & tafs (both raw and decoded), and N-number lookups.

Enjoy!

Dan -

Do you still have the metars and tafs via a reply to an sms message? ie metar@checkoway.com?

kevinh · #9 02-22-2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deuskid

is the use of cell phones in a/c allowed? [obviously it much function].

The FAA says its up to the pilot.
The FCC says no.

I always obey the FAA.

dan · #10 02-22-2006, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N130WN

Dan -

Do you still have the metars and tafs via a reply to an sms message? ie metar@checkoway.com?

No. I took the email services down because they were under attack, being abused.

My feeling is -- any device that lets you send email will also let you do either WAP or true web, so I'm phasing out the email stuff.