RobertL18C wrote:
Robert Buck uses 20 miles as an ideal avoiding distance for TS with weather radar (he has different distances depending on OAT and altitude), would you use more with a Stormscope?
One of the issues with the SS is determine the distance to the TS. But from this thread it sound like the distances reported by at least the Wx500 is conservative.
RobertL18C wrote:
Am I correct you also get strikes from high tension pylons/lines?
I have personally not seen this with the Wx500.
This has turned into a Stormscope thread, may be worth splitting?
I have changed the thread title to include stormscopes.
It seems reasonable to do it this way because the only satellite wx system which was discussed was the ADL120 (but actually there are the much older Avidyne MLX770 and the Garmin boxes, etc, and I know a number of pilots who have these installed but for some reason nobody mentioned it) so after the ADL120 was covered, and then we did a bit on the Thuraya (which IMHO is not of interest to most, due to the IT hassles in making it work properly – has anyone described how to stop the Satsleeve downloading your IOS9 updates? 
) and that is about it.
I have personally not seen this with the Wx500.
Nor have I.
My experience has been exactly the same as what NCYANKEE has described and posted. Listen to him. He has actual experience using the unit. My actual 30yr experience using a WX 10A has been the same as his.
I have been using SS way before up loaded WX. When XM weather came I I loved it as another addition to my flying bag of tricks. I think XM light cost $39 a month.
But back to the SS and why I think it was better than uploaded lightening data which I had with my XM weather subscription, it indicates turbulence. You dont want to fly near a developing or mature cell which is also indicated but in a light plane, like the ones 90% of us fly, its the turbulence you want to avoid. Who cares if its raining so hard you can drown as long as its in smooth air? Yes you can go through red precip as indicated on radar as long as it is not producing turbulence. One can really get knocked around were there is no lightening is shown on the WX data but shows up on SS.
As for wt and cost I think its less than 5 lbs and after the initial purchase not costly to maintain. Ive had it in the shop once in 30 years. The question is do you want to buy a unit and have it installed not whether it works. Or do you stay with downloadable lightening which will keep you away from most severe or extreme turbulence but not the lighter stuff that for us light GA types might feel severe.
C210_Flyer wrote:
But back to the SS and why I think it was better than uploaded lightening data which I had with my XM weather subscription,
I do not think anybody is opposing SS vs uploaded spherics. The original question is about the usefulness of SS vs WM weather or similar (wx radar – essentially). I think they complement eachother.
Aviathor, yes they are….Tomjnx in particular…
Ok. On the ranging of the strikes. Fair enough. But we know he has a point. Uploaded spherics have other drawbacks, particularly latency.
just a question to those who know and use Stormscope: Is there a possibility for a black box which does not use panel space and displays e.g. on the GNS430W? If so, what are the experiences?
Sure. I have the WX500 and it displays on the GN430.
Stormscopes with a dedicated display are mostly a thing of the past, when aircraft didn’t have any “displays” really. Nowadays, one has just the “black box” and interfaces it to the EHSI, MFD or navigator display.
That’s what is installed in most SR22s with 430/Avidyne avionics. It displays on the MFD and the 430s.
On the DA40/G1000 and DA42 the Wx500 and the TAS600 are both located in the avionics bay in the rear and display on the PFD/MFD. With a G1000 you normally do not have any additional panel space, so that’s pretty much the only way.
