Garmin Weather Radar, What the ??????

[markgoodrich]

Garmin 376c, in the past I've always had to hook my XM puck to the unit to get radar (I just use the puck for radar, not for the XM). Today all of a sudden, puck is not attached, radar is showing on the Garmin.

 

Does this mean Garmin's including radar free now, and I can ditch the $30/mo subscription? And how do they do that, anyway?

[bobbybob]

That's impossible. Only explanation I can think of is you're viewing some cached data in your GPS which will shortly disappear.

 

(unless they found a way to transmit it thru the GPS signal, which is completely separate from the WX Worx, which supplies weather thru Garmin)

 

 

[FlyingFinn]

+1

 

Must be a cashed image.

 

While technically the GPS satellites do transmit data to the receivers, the data rate is so low it's almost wrong to talk about it as "data transmission". The rate is several orders of magnitude lower than what is needed to broadcast the WX radar images of all North America.

 

--

Mikko

[TrickLidz]

You're dreamin'....you'll wake up soon!

[CoarsegoldKid]

 

Does this mean Garmin's including radar free now, and I can ditch the $30/mo subscription?

 

No

Ah, PUCK!

[markgoodrich]

Like I said, "What the????" I called Garmin yesteray, guy said I must have accidentally turned the simulator on. No. Setting was on "Normal."

 

The day of the mystery, radar was showing storms in central Texas. Whip confirms they came through said storms.

 

Next day, radar would only work with puck attached.

 

Puck was three feet away, in the console. The day of Mystery.

 

Pucking weird.

 

 

[NoHeat]

Does this mean Garmin's including radar free now

 

No.

 

Without the puck, you are receiving only transmissions from the U.S. government's GPS satellites. Garmin and XM have nothing to do with what GPS satellites transmit.

 

There's no way that you can be receiving current weather with only the GPS receiver and no puck, but if you think that you are anyway, and you feel that you don't need the puck any longer, I encourage you to send it to me ;-)

[bobbybob]

Like I said, "What the????" I called Garmin yesteray, guy said I must have accidentally turned the simulator on. No. Setting was on "Normal."

 

The day of the mystery, radar was showing storms in central Texas. Whip confirms they came through said storms.

 

Next day, radar would only work with puck attached.

 

Puck was three feet away, in the console. The day of Mystery.

 

Pucking weird.

 

 

Ouray's altitude is affecting your brain.

[EddyQ]

Without the puck, you are receiving only transmissions from the U.S. government's GPS satellites.

 

Does anyone here know what is in that puck? I'd guess it is a antenna and perhaps a pre-amp? Without a puck, if the signal is very high, could it be possibe to recieve it without a puck? Open coax cables are very very poor antenni.

[bobbybob]

Its a complete receiver, including the antenna. Without the puck, the GPS has no radio.