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Want to spot that storm before it comes over the horizon, just by looking at your chartplotter? Find out how high the waves are, without leaving the dock? Sirius/XM weather service has got you covered!
Listening to the weatherman usually involves a certain amount of trust—or distrust—but with satellite radio’s real-time weather that’s a thing of the past. Buoy data, wind direction and speed, visibility, forecasts, NEXRAD precipitation radar, lightning strike info, storm cell and hurricane tracking can be graphically overlaid on current model chartplotters from the likes of Furuno, Garmin, Humminbird, Lowrance, Northstar, Raymarine, and Simrad.
I’ve tested the system on a 3006C color Garmin chartplotter and a Furuno Navnet system; a few button pushes place a network of yellow lines over the area, each of which are tagged with a number and batches of arrows, telling you the exact wave height and direction for the specific area. As well as wind and precipitation, fishing info like surface temperatures, salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll charts are all available. Remember how you used to look at yesterday’s charts, and guess how the water had moved over the past 24 hours? No more—now your info comes in real-time. And, do you remember how unnerving it was to overnight at the canyons, when summer squalls could blow through during the night? Not any more, now you’ll see them coming from miles away, and you’ll be able to see their track and speed at a glance. I love this stuff; it lets me end the guess work… and ignore the damn weatherman!
Price: $30/month subscription plus variable equipment costs. (Plan on spending at least $200 to get started if you already have a compatible chartplotter, much more if you don’t.)
The Highs: Get real-time weather info, boosting safety, comfort, and fishability.
The Lows: Numerous plans and systems means de-coding the real-world price will be tough. Doesn’t work on some dated chartplotters.
Who Wants It: Anyone who goes beyond the sight of land.
Contact: www.sirius.com/marineweather
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