XM vs. ADSB/Foreflight Stratus Weather

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Arrow115

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Chris
So, I am looking at the renewal notice for my XM weather subscription that feeds weather to my Garmin 396. I have the aviator lite package so I dont get lightning, winds aloft or other goodies that you currently get with the deluxe version. Anyways, I have been considering getting a stratus for weather and canceling the XM. To those that have done this, does the stratus/ADSB weather make a good replacement to the XM weather? I have heard about choppyness of radar pictures and you can only get METARs so far out. Is that still an issue?

I realize that the stratus brings other capabilities to the table such as traffic and synthetic vision which could justify the cost in itself, but I am mostly interested in opinions on the weather that it presents in Foreflight.
 
Going from an Aera 510 w XM to Foreflight with Stratus, FF with stratus is superior.

The radar pic is slightly less resolution.. but everything else is better.

In FL I was getting METARS and TAF's for NC airports, so no issues with range there. ADSB a lower res national radar picture, but the local high res picture is good and extends several hundred miles
 
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I can't compare as I don't have much experience with XM however I have the stratus II with my iPad and wouldn't go without it. Large screen, wealth of readily available weather info. I leave the stratus on charge in the hangar and almost always have the ipad with me so having 2 devices isn't too tough to manage. Oh and I don't pay any monthly fees. :)
 
I went from Anywhere map with XM weather to Garmin 696 with XM weather to Garmin 696 with ADS-B. XM is available on the ground everywhere and I don't think the ADS-B is. I like the traffic and no paying the $40/month. I did hold out until most of the country was covered. If you fly internationally you might want to get a temporary XM as I don't think ADS-B has the coverage of XM.
 
I have put my faith in the FF with the stratus 2. No complaints so far,like the constant updates on meters while flying. Gives you plenty of time to pick an alternate,while in flight.
 
Five years with XM (first Anywhere Map and then Garmin Pilot with Baron Mobile Link). I switched because the Mobile Link was blowing fuses all the time and the sheer complexity of powering all those devices. I liked the pretty NEXRAD maps with XM, along with the ability to get distant METARS. However, these don't make any difference when it comes to operational flight decisionmaking. Also, saving $40/month is good and the traffic data, limited as it is without ADS-B Out, is valuable.

XM is better weather, but not enough to justify the cost and complexity.
 
bburnett said:
XM is available on the ground everywhere and I don't think the ADS-B is.
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True, but if you have 3G service on your iGadget you can get the data on the ground most places anyway.

The one time XM was really an advantage was when I took my XM-equipped Sport Cub on a group camping trip at an airstrip deep in a canyon in the Idaho backcountry. No phone, no internet, no other way to get weather data beyond what you could see over the next ridge. For three days my Sport Cub was the only weather source for the whole group.

Otherwise, ADS-B, though not perfect, is a better overall value.
 
I haven't used Stratus, but with ADS-B you're only able to get METARs so far out?
 
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