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SiriusXM unveils portable weather receiver

ForeFlight customers who want in-cockpit satellite weather from engine start to shutdown can now get it through SiriusXM—and they can get it at a special introductory price of $299.

The companies announced a new service that uses a portable weather receiver from SiriusXM ($699 retail; $499 until the end of 2016; $200 rebates available now) to connect to iOS devices running the ForeFlight app. SiriusXM also charges $40 a month for a subscription.

“Our customers have been asking for satellite weather and this is a very clean solution,” said Angela Anderson, a ForeFlight spokeswoman.

Unlike free Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast weather, SiriusXM is available to pilots while they’re on the ground because it comes from satellites and doesn’t require line-of-sight communication with ground-based weather stations. SiriusXM also has broad geographical coverage that reaches into southern Canada, and there are no altitude restrictions.

The SiriusXM weather receiver connects to iOS devices such as iPads and iPhones via Bluetooth. Stratus ADS-B receivers that show traffic do so via Wi-Fi, so both the SiriusXM and Stratus boxes can connect to ForeFlight wirelessly at the same time to provide both weather and traffic.

Dave Hirschman
Dave Hirschman
AOPA Pilot Editor at Large
AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Dave Hirschman joined AOPA in 2008. He has an airline transport pilot certificate and instrument and multiengine flight instructor certificates. Dave flies vintage, historical, and Experimental airplanes and specializes in tailwheel and aerobatic instruction.

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