Getting Sirius

With satellite-delivered high-resolution composite radar and cloud-to-cloud/cloud-to-ground lightning, along with weather products such as METARs, Echo Tops, and Storm Tracks, SiriusXM helps pilots fly confidently. The main advantages of satellite-delivered weather and audio are the continuously updated content and the extensive coverage area. Satellite service is available throughout the contiguous United States and southern Canada as shown below.

SiriusXM Aviation data service elements are updated at multiple rates. Dynamic elements like radar and lightning are updated every 2.5 minutes (twice as fast as ADS-B), while other more stable data elements are updated every 60-plus minutes. Two variables are at work with the SiriusXM broadcast weather service: data update rates and transmit intervals. While a product source may be updated every 30 minutes, the same data may be transmitted every 5 minutes to ensure your display is up to date. SiriusXM worked with its avionics partners to arrive at the optimal cadence of updated data and transmit intervals to ensure customers receive critical information in a timely manner.

The differences between SiriusXM Aviation and ADS-B weather are extensive. First, ADS-B weather is ground-based, so it has inherent limitations and fewer features. A ground-based system may not be accessible while on the ground or above certain altitudes. Additionally, ground-based service is limited to the proximity to the towers and by obstructions like mountains that can block the signal. Because the SiriusXM Aviation Weather service is satellite-based, SiriusXM provides complete coast-to-coast coverage with no altitude limitations or line-of-sight restrictions, so there is full access to the service on the ground and in flight.

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