Apparently lots guys get wx info on their tablet / cellphone apps via wireless internet (which uses cell towers).
How's that working, esp away from towns in rural / backcountry areas?
I used this method exclusively the last couple summers. I'm not sure it's better or worse than ADS-B weather, but it sure isn't even a tenth as good as XM Weather.
Two problems:
1. You have to be below about 3000 agl, I'm told, to receive data over the cellular network. That has to do with pinging multiple towers, I'm told. Someone who understands this better can explain, but suffice to say, if you're too high, you lose cellular provided weather.
2. Obviously, you have to have at least one cell tower in "view" to receive any weather. I found that going east from the Rockies, this was pretty easy, and for the most part, all the way to OSH I had coverage. In the mountains, forget it, unless you're within sight of civilization of some sort.
When you're using this system, you're looking at (in my case) Foreflight, so you receive the standard view there, unlike what Kirby is talking about with ADS-B....limited weather data to your vicinity.
XM Weather is still the gold standard, unless you live in the flat lands. And, even there, XM is still king, in my opinion.
As Kirby says, with XM, you can look at ALL the weather, and think strategically about whether it's practical to go around weather or if you'd be better off sitting it out somewhere.
I really miss my old Garmin 396 and it's XM receiver.
MTV
