Apple IPad Mini review

[hilltop170]

I have used the XM on my Garmin 396 handheld for many years but I fly a lot and it pays for itself just about every month, especially during thunderstorm season. It actually saves money when using it eliminates an extra night enroute or when it shows the shortest way thru or around the weather.

Even with XM, I will not penetrate a line of weather unless I can see a clear and wide path thru it. Hail, strong winds, and severe turbulence can persist miles from the actual storm. A lot of times, green and even yellow NEXRAD returns are not an issue because the precip is light or at higher altitudes than I am flying and little if anything is at my altitude. Stay well away from orange, red, and obviously purple returns.

Sometimes it might look like there is a good path thru the storm but it will close up at the last minute. That is what happened flying to the 2013 TIC170A convention in Bardstown, KY. There was a nice gap that closed up forcing a detour around the combined storm instead of between two separate storms as planned. With the XM we watched it happen in almost-real-time and diverted from our intended fuel stop in Pine Bluff to Little Rock.

p.s. My mom was an English teacher for 33 years and I was continually corrected when I mis-used the language, either written or spoken. She also made me grade 6th grade homework and tests starting when I was in the 3rd grade. So I deliberately sometimes used incorrect English around her just because I know it bugged her.

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[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Justin it's not a hijack but maybe thread drift. But that is OK as it is all related.

For the last several trips I wanted to make over the years I've had XM weather. I want it but I don't want to pay for it year round when I will only use it a few months. I've been lucky as i was always able to borrow a XM GPS with the service for the trips. I understand you can know get a month or quarter year service which is something to look into. But then one must buy an XM receiver, either one to use with the IPad or a GPS.

Back to this years convention trip. I had no weather capability lined up for the trip and I was OK with that. Then FLASH right in front of my eyes was and ad at an aviation news letter I get for a ADS-B receiver showing a WX picture. I'd just worked a lot of OT and was feeling rich and BAM, impulse buy time. Well almost impulse buy time as I did take about 10 minutes to research it on the web and then BLAM I clicked to purchase a Dual XGPS170 which is a GPS with ADS-B receiver. It was $700 at Sporty's. What could go wrong, it had 170 in the name after all. I had to be happy.

Sporty's true to their word delivered the unit in time and with FREE delivery for the trip. I spent about 15 minutes looking it over and linking the blue tooth to my IPad but not much else could be done till in the air because as you point out the ADS-B is a ground base system and you have to be in line of sight tot the ground base transmitters. No real testing can be done on the ground less you can see a transmitter.

So convention travel day came and off we went with the IPad, my IPhone two software programs, Wing X and Garmin Pilot and the Dual XGPS170. Well funny thing is the caption didn't tell me to put my gismos in airplane mode and so I didn't and for most of the trip I had some sort of cell coverage to include lots of 4G coverage for data from 5000 to 10000ft. I had plenty of WX for the day but I never received any of it from ADS-B. it wasn't until the return trip that I realized the ADS-B receiver was defective and not working. So much for my impulse buy.

Once at home Sporty's sent me a replacement but I'd already had buyer's remorse. You see it will be another year till I need to have WX info number one. Number two, one thing I figured out on the trip is I really pretty much like using my IPhone to navigate and only pull out my IPad Mini if or when I want to see something bigger. I didn't use my IPad Mini at all on the way home over 5.5 hrs. I also figured out that, specially on the IPhone I don't so much like navigating over a image of a sectional. It is just to cluttered. And that lead me to use the Garmin Pilot software with all the maps turned off, BUT showing the airports and airspace which then looks remarkably like a good old GPS we are use to. BTW Wing X doesn't do this as nicely as the Garmin Pilot software because Wing X only shows the name of the airport while the Garmin Pilot software shows the airport symbol in color like we are use to.

So to be honest while it doesn't have some of the features I'd like it to have I'd like to buy and use the Garmin software. So what is the problem. The Garmin software only works with the Garmin GDL-39 GPS ADS-B receiver but I bought a Dual.

So now I'm stuck buying two software subscriptions, Wing X or another competitor that will work with the Dual XGPS170 and the Garmin software for my iPhone which I will use most of the time.

Moral. Before you buy hardware to work with the software, be sure you like the software. Then buy the hardware that works with it.

But if you are really smart you will BORROW the hardware to work with the software you like from someone who made an impulse buy.

[juredd1]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the input.

Justin

[sourish55]

now apple ipad mini second version announce, let us know what is the major difference between apple ipad mini or apple ipad mini 2

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

now apple ipad mini second version announce, let us know what is the major difference between apple ipad mini or apple ipad mini 2

Well sourish55 the major differences are the new mini has a retina display that has 4 times the pixals at the first. I t also has a faster processor and the WIFI has dual antenna and has faster capability. The old mini works fine, the new mini is better and a natural progression in equipment.

BTW sourish55, as a forum administrator I suspect you are a spammer from Pakistan and so I've deactivated your account. If I'm mistaken contact the webmaster and prove you have an interest in the Cessna 170 and we will reactivate your account.