Satellite Weather

An option that has been available for many boaters over the past few years is Satellite weather overlaid on a marine chart plotter. XM and Sirius, though one company now, still offer different product options that only display on certain brands of chart plotters. For example, Raymarine chart plotter owners can only install and subscribe to Sirius Satellite Weather products at this time and Garmin chart plotters only accept XM WX Weather equipment and subscription.

It is important to note that your hardware selection could limit weather subscription options. In our case, we tested the Bushnell Onix 400; a handheld GPS that though intended for inland use, had potential for near coastal use. We found out that it was only capable of displaying the XM Weather “Skywatch” subscription ($9.95/month + activation fee) which seemed to limit the radar image to within 10 miles of the coast.

As you would expect, the most expensive product we reviewed - the Raymarine SR50 Sirius Receiver installed with the C120 Multifunction Navigation Display (MSRP $3,135.00) provided for some of the best weather detail. Big buttons and a big screen made navigation through the various features easy. Weather warning and local marine weather forecast displays in text boxes. Move the cursor over a NOAA weather buoy to get current weather data. Radar image chart overlay along with other data fields such as lightning overlay can be turned on and off. This became a necessity when a large weather system moved over our area and we could not see the chart details that would be needed for navigation. The Sirius receiver used in conjunction with fishfinder sounder and radar radome truly make this a multifunction marine electronic.

As the data provider for XM Weather, WxWorx provides yet another way to access weather. A computer laptop or other marine display connected to portable receiver and any number of XM antennas will get you full XM weather for as little as $918 for the hardware. Three monthly subscription options are available from $29.99 to $49.99 for boaters and an online trial version is available to test the features.