WxWorx or Anywhere Wx

You are correct. Garmin claims that with some upcoming changes the full
functionality of the data downlink will become available. Of course, we've
been waiting for WAAS and terrain for over two years now, with no firm
delivery in sight.

For me being a piston driver, base reflectivity is good enough. I also have
Stormscope and on board radar, and in combination feel comfortable with the
information provided. They each provide unique data, and when put together
give a good idea of the weather picture.

The downlink systems are really in their infancy, and it is obvious that the
manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the technology, particularly
with the ponderous bureaucratic certification process imposed by the FAA.
There is no "best" established technology.

I just don't care for a rat's nest of wires and cables in the cockpit from a
portable system (I'm looking forward to the bluetooth headsets as well), and
I enjoy the XM radio as well. So far, Garmin has always come through with
their products, although painfully slowly and well behind schedule.

Hopefully there will be an evolution to one standard that will be
inexpensive and readily available to all.

In article ,
"Jim N." wrote:
The downlink systems are really in their infancy, and it is obvious that the
manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the technology, particularly
with the ponderous bureaucratic certification process imposed by the FAA.
There is no "best" established technology.

Weather uplink has been around for a little while, but the certification
process undoubtedly adds quite a bit of delay and, obviously, quite a
bit of cost. That's why the non-certified portable systems (whether
from Garmin, WxWorx, or a PDA software vendor) have eclipsed the
certified systems when it comes to weather uplink.

The "rat's nest of wires" really isn't the case so much anymore with the
portable systems. With some simple cable management for power, I can
get pretty close to no visible wires. Obviously not as clean as having
everything tucked into the panel, but far from a "rat's nest," and a
heck of a lot less expensive for the exact same information, which is
probably the single largest reason why I invested in a portable system
(it never leaves the airplane).


JKG

Jim N. wrote:

You are correct. Garmin claims that with some upcoming changes the full
functionality of the data downlink will become available. Of course, we've
been waiting for WAAS and terrain for over two years now, with no firm
delivery in sight.


I was told a number of months back that this is included in the WAAS
upgrade. That was while the upgrade was still scheduled for...well...right
about now.

- Andrew