SiriusXM is running a free two month trial of XM Weather and Radio right now. You can read about it here:
http://aopa.org/about/aopa-partners/siriusxm
I think the angle is that they want people to see the difference between ADS-B and XM weather products. I think a lot of folks are maybe like me, where they have an XM receiver in the plane (my G3X GDU375) but I've never activated the subscription because of the monthly cost and the expectation that eventually I'll ADS-B in/out equip my plane and not need it.
So, I have a ~3200 mile round trip coming up in a couple weeks as I launch to Oshkosh for my first-time flying in. I'll have XM Weather on-board, which will be nice. Now whether or not I decide that that Aviator LT package at $35/month is worth the investment (less likely), or if I equip my plane for ADS-B in/out (more likely/must do by 2020) we shall see. But in any case, for the cost of a phone call I'll have XM weather for the next two months, and the longest cross country trip I've ever flown.
I have a GTX-330, so getting ADS-B legal is a $1200 investment in the ES upgrade. Most of the clean in/out solutions look to be ~$3500-$4k. That is a lot of $35/month subscription fees, so maybe it isn't so unreasonable. I guess I'll be stopping in at the SteinAir booth during the show to talk over my options. I'll be the guy in line with the other 100,000 pilots asking the same question.
http://aopa.org/about/aopa-partners/siriusxm
I think the angle is that they want people to see the difference between ADS-B and XM weather products. I think a lot of folks are maybe like me, where they have an XM receiver in the plane (my G3X GDU375) but I've never activated the subscription because of the monthly cost and the expectation that eventually I'll ADS-B in/out equip my plane and not need it.
So, I have a ~3200 mile round trip coming up in a couple weeks as I launch to Oshkosh for my first-time flying in. I'll have XM Weather on-board, which will be nice. Now whether or not I decide that that Aviator LT package at $35/month is worth the investment (less likely), or if I equip my plane for ADS-B in/out (more likely/must do by 2020) we shall see. But in any case, for the cost of a phone call I'll have XM weather for the next two months, and the longest cross country trip I've ever flown.
I have a GTX-330, so getting ADS-B legal is a $1200 investment in the ES upgrade. Most of the clean in/out solutions look to be ~$3500-$4k. That is a lot of $35/month subscription fees, so maybe it isn't so unreasonable. I guess I'll be stopping in at the SteinAir booth during the show to talk over my options. I'll be the guy in line with the other 100,000 pilots asking the same question.
Last edited: