Stratus or Sirius?

[Scud_072]

So... I am trying to decide between going with the $800 Stratus subscrition free thingy for my ipad and Foreflight or paying the $54 per month for the Sirius subscription for my Garmin 396?

What are the advantages / disadvantages of both / either?

Thanks, Scud

 

[Clark1961]

15*54=810 so it pays out in a year and three months (ignoring tvm)

stratus receives traffic

what else needs said (some folks will go off 'bout blockly radar but obviously they haven't actually used stratus much - regional radar is good but national is blocky - guess what, little airplanes don't fly across the nation in a couple hours)

 

[frcabot]

Sirius. FIS-B NEXRAD is low resolution and blocky. Also keep in mind that unless you have ADS-B out, you would really get a good traffic picture from TIS-B.

 

[rbridges]

a selling point to me for the stratus 2 was the AHRS capability. You can use it to display a backup attitude and heading. A little piece of mind if your vacuum pump takes a crap in IMC.

 

[AdamZ]

15*54=810 so it pays out in a year and three months (ignoring tvm)

Clark I thought the Sirrus was a subscription so your never done paying it off unless of course you cancel the subscription. Is that in correct?

 

[poadeleted20]

SiriusXM:
Advantages:
- You can receive it anywhere you can see the sky.
- More weather products (cloud tops, echo tops, lightning, freezing levels).
Disadvantages:
- Monthly fee
- Weather only

Stratus:
Advantages:
- Free service
- Traffic information
Disadvantages:
- Fewer products
- Not available on ground without on-field ADS-B terminal
- Coverage gaps in flight at lower altitudes (especially in Central/Western US)

 

[0luke1]

I have a G1000 w Sirius and a stratus as backup because I fly in ifr conditions often. The stratus is a fine backup, but the battery is finite, it can overheat (as can the iPad) and I'd hate to think of using the combination as my primary ifr reference in moderate trubulence.

If you take mostly short hops in vfr, then the stratus is probably fine.

I really like having both.

 

[Clark1961]

Clark I thought the Sirrus was a subscription so your never done paying it off unless of course you cancel the subscription. Is that in correct?

Adam you are correct of course, I should have stated it clearly that the Stratus paid out in 15 months compared to paying for Sirius. Sorry that I didn't state it in a clearer manner and thanks for pointing out the pertinent parameters.

 

[happypilot876]

Something else to consider its that the 396 feature set will never change. While ForeFlight (with the Stratus) will likely continue to evolve and bring out new features.

 

[frfly172]

I prefer the stratus,better definition with the I pad.i have a 496 with Sirius. Had them both working yesterday while IFR. Cancelled the Sirius today.

 

[LDJones]

Any slight advantage Sirius has isn't worth the additional monthly costs, in my opinion.

In three years and well over a thousand hours with the iPad it has never failed me, so I don't view the reliability arguments as having much value. Only have a hundred hours or so with ADS-B weather on-board but have grown to value it very highly.

I've used XM on a couple of long x-c trips and loved it....would probably spend the money for it IF ADS-B wasn't available.

 

[Scud_072]

Wow... thanks so much everyone for all your insights.... lots to think about.

 

[Pilawt]

FIS-B NEXRAD is low resolution and blocky.

But adequate, IMHO, for strategic as opposed to tactical use. Both ADS-B and XM diplays have built-in time lags.

Stratus:
Disadvantages:
- Fewer products
- Not available on ground without on-field ADS-B terminal

True, but Foreflight will display it all with a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. You can use the iPad at home, in your hotel, in the FBO, or just sitting in the airplane, for pre-flight planning with Wi-Fi or 3G.

 

[Datadriver]

So... I am trying to decide between going with the $800 Stratus subscrition free thingy for my ipad and Foreflight or paying the $54 per month for the Sirius subscription for my Garmin 396?

What are the advantages / disadvantages of both / either?

Thanks, Scud

I've used both. Sirius is better, but not 600$/year better.

 

[Datadriver]

Good luck canceling your Sirius subscription. You will be on-hold for 45 minutes . The customer service is horrid.