Anywhere Map with weather

3958v · Post by **3958v** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:20 pm

I have finally decided to enter the GPS era after years of flying with loran. Was wondering if anyone was using the Anywhere Map
systen with weather downloads. I really wanted a Garmin 430 but since I would have to sell the 170 to afford it I am thinking of purchasing the anywheremap system as it seems to have most of the features of the Garmin 496 for half the cost. Any coments would be appreciated. I am planning a cross country to Dubois WY from the SE Penna area and would love to have the TFR and weather in the cockpit. Bill K

ryan602 · Post by **ryan602** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:01 pm

I just got my Anywhere Map software. I put it on my older Ipaq 2215. I have only used it once but it was fairly tough to see. I'm sure the biggest problem is the older Ipaq and the new ones are much better, I guess. I do like the features for the price. I am looking forward to using it more and learning all of the features.

Ryan

Post by **Bruce Fenstermacher** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:47 pm

Bill

M only comment from a friends experience and no first hand experience of my own would be to not skimp on the ipaq itself. Memory, processing speed and the pixel count of the device are very important.

It is very expensive but I can highly recommend the 496 as I fly with one of these daily at work.

lowNslow · Post by **lowNslow** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 3:36 pm

Keep in mind that to use the XM weather feature in the Garmin 496 the subscription is $30-50 a month + $7 if you also want XM radio. Kind of pricey if it's something you aren't going to use very much.

Post by **Bruce Fenstermacher** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 5:31 pm

Karl this is true. I'm not sure but would be surprised if the subscription to XM weather was any cheaper for any other receiver after all it is the same service from the same company. Till there is more competition from other sources this is unlikely to change.

I'm also under the impression that there is no contracts for the service so one could buy and activate the xm weather service for just the month of a big cross country trip like the annual convention. I could be wrong but this is how I'd do it if or should I say when I buy one for my self.

My employer owns and pays for the xm service for the 496 I use there.

One other word of caution. If you are like me, once you have used the 496 and the weather for a real weather flying situation you will not want to fly any where when weather is involved with out it.

jrenwick · Post by **jrenwick** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 9:04 pm

Bruce,

XM Weather has a $75.00 initiation fee, and they charge you for the first three months at the same time. So it would be very expensive to cancel after just one month. It's priced to be a long-term commitment.

What you get for $30 or $50/month is listed here: http://www.xmradio.com/pdf/existing/wea ... on_pkg.pdf. I bought the $30 option, thinking that most of what they give you for the extra $20 could (should) be checked on the ground before flight, and won't change for quite a while. $30 gives you NEXRAD images, TAFs and METARs, which is about all I ever need once I've taken off. It sure is wonderful to have that stuff on the screen, instead of having to ask FSS or Flight Watch to read it to you and interpret the pictures.

There is a service that will deliver this information to a Treo PDA/Cell Phone (Palm OS only!), but with the added data service fee on your phone bill, I think it ends up being more expensive than XM weather, and less convenient. Of course, a Treo costs a lot less to buy than a 396 or 496, and with that difference you could buy a lot of weather downloads.

Best Regards,

John

theduckhunter · Post by **theduckhunter** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:01 am

Below are a few posts I put on the 180 chat club about the 496. Hope you find it helpful.

Just got my 496 in the mail. Paying the expensive package monthly($50.00) to XM Radio. The power and ability of this little machine is ridiculous. There is no information that you can get from 800-WX-brief that you can't get from the 496 that was just updated 3 mins ago. Forcasts any airport in the country, winds aloft, current conditions, tops, radar. I was very hesitant about paying that much a month at first BUT I am now looking at it like insurance. If I'm flying around isolated T-storms in the summer like I often do, If I can avoid just one cell, it is worth it. Shucks, I pay more for my cell phone a month than this thing. If anybody has any questions I'd be glad to let them see my 496 in action. The difference is so stark between flying with this thing and without it, it is almost like living life with the Lord and living without Him.

Robbie Yeaman
N2980C

theduckhunter · Post by **theduckhunter** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:02 am

The 496 does show cloud layers. You are able to go to a seperate screen that will overlay the cloud information over the map only and not mix in other things to possibly cluttter the screen. From this specific screen you can choose different altitudes and the 496 shows you the cloud coverage at that altitude. This is a great feature but the altitudes you can select are somewhat limited. I think the lowest you can start is cloud coverage at 5000 then 10,000 then 15,000 and so on up to 50,000 ish thousand. In my opinion and excellent tool !!!!!! Also, because there is so much weather data represented on the screen, you can look at any one individual piece of information on the screen one at a time, such as only weather radar, only metars, only winds aloft, only cloud layer, or only area or terminal forcasts, or only whatever.
My father has been flying on a 2 week flying trip in his Bonanza from VA to Wyoming, Colorado and Montana and he has said that if the 496 breaks tomorrow it will be worth the money he paid for it because of the information it has given him and the storms it has helped him avoid in the past 2 weeks. I hope it doesn't break!!!

Robbie Yeaman
N2980C, 54 model

theduckhunter · Post by **theduckhunter** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:02 am

Dennis, all the detail are at xmradio.com but to get the complete story I found I needed to talk with someone on the phone. A few of the details XM didn't tell me until I asked are.
1.There is no contract-you can cancel at any time

2. You can upgrade or downgrade between the $50 and $30 service any month you want-it was this reason that I started wtih the $50 subscription but now that I see what I get I am going to stay with the $50

3.The activation fee is hefty at $75 but you can temporarily shut off your service for several months when you are "not in your normal flying season" and then reactivate it without paying the $75 fee again

The more expensive subscription ($50 monthly) gives you a bunch more stuff but the extra information that it gives you that I find of particular value are the echo tops we chated about earlier, the winds aloft and the satelite mosaic.

Hope this helps Dennis. If you fly around any weather I know in a few months you will wonder how you lived without it. Activating the subscription wtih XM is easy and you are up and running in about 45 mins. Be glad to help you with anything that I can.

Robbie
N2980C

3958v · Post by **3958v** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:08 pm

Thanks for the replies. I decided to give the folks at anywhere map a try and ordered one today. They claim the new ipac is easy to read in the sunlight and the cost of the system is half the cost of the Garmin. $1400 with weather fuel prices street map and terain. I decided to skip the $200 for approach plates since I don't fly IFR. When I return from my trip I will give you guys a report. Flew back from Rhinebeck NY using the line on the chart and finger method on Saturday. Actually kind of fun but not for a 1500 mile cross country. On the way to Rhinebeck we took the Hudson river coridor past Manhatten. That has to be one of the coolest urban flights one can take in this country. Bill K

ryan602 · Post by **ryan602** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 1:28 pm

Let me know how the new ipaq is in the sunlight, I may have to upgrade. I think it will be very comprable to the Garmin in features and better on price.

Good luck,
Ryan

3958v · Post by **3958v** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:53 am

Well I just got back from my trip through the west with my 15 year old daughter. Both of us had a great time in additon to flying we did 3 day pack horse trip into the wilderness Southeast of Yellowstone. Rode horses into the higher elevations of the Rockies and caught lots of nice Brook trout in remote mountain lakes. Also saw lots of elk deer and a few mountain sheep. But I promised to report on the Anywhere map. I sure found it to be handy. The screen was plenty bright and has a setting which you can change and it automaticly dims while operating on its own battery. The FM weather was real handy for looking a head and checking weather and forecasts along your route of flight. Flew around quite a bit of weather enroute and it was nice to be able to look on the other side of what you could see and check out what was behind it. Also nice to look hundreds of miles ahead and see what to expect. Also used it to fly a simulated ILS into Ceadar Rapids (VFR) and it put me right on the runway. Only down sides I saw were three. 1.Weather takes about 15 mn. to download. 2. more stray wires in the cockpit. 3.Not being a computer person I needed to use their tech support to get started but they were very patient and helpful. All in all it seems to have all the features of the Garmin 496 for half the price and works well. I am very happy. Sure was nice to see "fly over country" at 1000ft again. Also never ceases to amaze me how nice some of the FBOs in middle america are. Got a free hangar and use of th apt managers truck in rural SD in Cedar Rapids we got fuel for $4.05 and a free ride to a nice $49 motel. I guess I better stop rambling but the 170 is sure a great way to see this country. Bill K

ryan602 · Post by **ryan602** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:53 pm

Thanks for the update. Sounds like I need to upgrade my IPAQ. Sounds like a great trip.