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Old November 10th 05, 02:27 PM
Dave Butler
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Default Garmin 396 Glitch - major update

Jonathan Goodish wrote:
NWS and various private weather
companies, such as Baron, have their own algorithms and processes for
weather data. The results, even on a NEXRAD reflectivity display, can
be drastically different.


For the kind of weather avoidance I need, I'm not convinced the differences are
significant. I'm going to treat any kind of weather radar return pretty much the
same, and assume there are errors in the presentation.

What is "just about everything?" Personally, I would pay the $50 per
month if the product is better and more reliable. At this point, the XM
service is well known and is used both inside and outside of aviation.
I have yet to actually hear a first-hand detailed account of ADS-B
weather products.


I have a 396, and I've taken a demo ride in an ADS-B equipped airplane. To my
eyes, the weather presentation is about equivalent. Maybe I'm not as
discriminating as you are. NCDOT is sponsoring some ADS-B equipped private
aircraft, and the price of admission is that you have to put on some seminars
and give people demonstration rides. Check the NCDOT web site for announcements
of seminars and demos.

Where are the receivers? As far as I can tell, the system is still in
the experimental stage for all practical purposes.


http://www.garmin.com/products/gdl90/

A GDL90 and an MX20 display is all you need. About $15K. Available today on the
east coast. No subscription fees.

Traffic information will be nice, but I never thought that TIS was worth
the investment because there were areas which simply weren't covered.
Products like SkyWatch are independent of any ground-based facility, so
are much more effective, but require a substatial up-front investment.


Mode-S TIS was a chimera. TIS-B (the traffic component of ADS-B) is available
wherever ADS-B is available. Nobody knows where that will be or what the rollout
schedule will be.


The bottom line is that the system is still a pipe dream for all
practical purposes. The reality is that manufacturers aren't going to
develop and mass-market receivers until the deployment is substantial
and there is a demand for them. The time between substantial deployment
and mass demand is going to be more than 2-3 years... I highly doubt the
deployment will be done in 2-3 years, especially given the fact that it
is a government project.


Agreed.

The other issue that concerns me is that there is no free lunch. ADS-B
and every other government service requires funding. That funding is
going to have to come from somewhere, whether it's a user fee,
subscription fee, fuel tax, etc. One way or the other, YOU will be
paying for it even if you don't use it. It will not be "free."


Agreed.