Weather Overlay Chartplotters

George ( C&C 40 ) · Post by **George ( C&C 40 )** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 9:56 am

Hi All,

I haven't seen anyone talking about this anywhere else on the site and I just saw one in action so I thought I would mention it...

A little while ago Garmin teamed up with XM satellite to build a little black box that became the Garmin GDL30. This little dude allows access to the same analytical weather technology and data that is provided to television meteorologists across the United States. The upshot is that by interfacing the GDL30 with a Garmin color chartplotter you can overlay all sorts of weather data on the electronic chart. Full color NexRad radar, storm cell size, speed and direction, wind speed and direction, wave height, surface air pressure, etc. Essentially everything you see on the screen on your local TV weather is at your fingertips in essentially real time any time you want.

I got to see one of these systems in action a few days ago and it was just too cool. You can zoom in and out and watch weather systems march across the Bay or the whole U.S. Use it to dodge really nasty cells within a storm front. Calculate exactly how much time you have before a front hits or go to where there is more wind. It provides 15 diffeent types of weather data and all of it can be overlayed. Coverage is the entire U.S. and coastal waters to several hundred miles offshore.

At this point the cost for a complete system is just under $3,000 ( $700 for the black box and $2,200 for the chartplotter ) and the subscription to XM satellite sailor weather is $30 a month. Still a bit pricey, but truely amazing that such a thing exists at all.

Maybe you guys have already seen this stuff. But to someone who still uses a chartbook, hand bearing compass, and a Garmin GPS72 it was really cool.

George

heartofgold · Post by **heartofgold** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:42 am

Very neat indeed. I helped someone install one on a Catalina 47 about 3 weeks ago. But I must agree, it is a bit pricy.

tartan30cirrus · Post by **tartan30cirrus** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 9:42 am

Have not seen one yet in person but I plan to wait at least a season before considering the system. As an X-meteorologist who is prepping his Tartan 30 for offshore work, I am particularly interested in the system. If I were staying coastal I wouldn't even bother. It would be overkill for a coastal cruiser -- more of a techy distraction from being in touch with navigation by sight, etc. -- IMHO.

Cheers,
Clint
Tartan 30 Cirrus

George ( C&C 40 ) · Post by **George ( C&C 40 )** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 8:02 pm

Hi Clint,

As an X-meteorologist I would think you would find it a very interesting device. There's a link to some if the information here...

http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/marine/041404b.html#

It's certainly not anything that is absolutly necessary. While I was playing with it, it appeared that all a dedicated cruiser would use it for is to dodge really bad cells within a frontal system. Allowing a sailor to "thread the needle" as it were. It certainly gives a lot more prep time than using the boat's radar to judge cell intensity. The only other use I could see would be to sail to where there is more or less wind. Actually, that would probably be real useful to someone doing a coastal race like the "Annapolis-Newport" race. Certainly a few good uses, but, once again, nothing that you couldn't do without.

The only reason for my original post was that I found the whole thing amazing. To me it's incredible that a private individual on his boat could have essentially real-time access to huge systems of satellites orbiting the planet as well as huge computerized weather systems like NEXRAD and that everything works together to produce useful information for the sailor. Real time GPS, electronic charts, and NEXRAD weather -- It's really worth seeing if you get a chance.

"If I were staying coastal I wouldn't even bother. It would be overkill for a coastal cruiser -- more of a techy distraction from being in touch with navigation by sight, etc. -- IMHO."

It sounds like you've done a fair bit of coastal cruising. What sections of the coast have you done? My wife and I will be doing Annapolis-Newport in 2007 and were planning to do some coastal cruising after we are done and send the rest of the team home. I'm not sure we will make it to Portland but if you have cruised a bit further south I'd love to hear any suggestions of places not to miss.

Good luck with the Tartan 30,

George