In general, the Garmin GDL51, GDL52, and Sirius SXAR1 XM receivers provide more weather products (such as lightning, cloud tops, storm tracks) with greater coverage than the Sentry or other ADS-B receivers, while also avoiding issues like coverage gaps and minimum reception altitudes. The Sentry, however, does not require a weather subscription. Below is a table with a full comparison of weather products.
| DATA |
ADS-B WEATHER Sentry |
SIRIUSXM WEATHER Garmin GDL51/52, or SXAR1 |
NOTES |
| METARs |
Yes Low-altitude stations provide data within 250-500nm. High-altitude stations provide wider coverage |
Yes CONUS, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Central America, northern S. America, the Caribbean, and Hawaii |
|
| TAFs |
Yes Within 250-500nm |
Yes CONUS, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Central America, northern S. America, the Caribbean, and Hawaii |
|
| Winds/Temps Aloft |
Yes Within 500-1,000nm |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, and Puerto Rico |
|
| Graphical Winds Aloft | No |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, and Puerto Rico |
|
| PIREPs |
Yes Within 250-500nm |
Yes CONUS, Alaska, Canada, and PR |
|
|
Composite Radar |
Yes For CONUS and some local U.S. regions elsewhere |
Yes CONUS |
ADS-B NEXRAD is hi-resolution within a 250 nm ring, lower resolution outside of that. |
| Base Reflectivity Radar | No |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, and PR south to Grenada |
|
| NEXRAD Storm Cell Attributes | No |
Yes CONUS and PR south to Grenada |
|
| No |
Yes CONUS |
Requires ForeFlight version 8.3 or newer. | |
|
Yes CONUS |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, N. Mexico |
Requires ForeFlight version 8.3 or newer. | |
| Graphical Turbulence |
Yes CONUS |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, N. Mexico |
|
| Graphical Freezing Level |
Yes CONUS |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, N. Mexico |
|
| Graphical Icing Level | No |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, N. Mexico |
|
| Lightning |
Yes CONUS |
Yes CONUS, Canada, Mexico, Central America, northern S. America, and the Caribbean |
|
| Surface Analysis | No |
Yes CONUS |
|
| Surface Wind | No |
Yes CONUS |
|
| Surface Wind Analysis | No |
Yes CONUS |
|
| TFRs |
Yes Within 100nm |
Yes CONUS, S. Canada, and PR |
|
| NOTAMs |
Yes Within 100nm |
No | |
| AIRMET/SIGMET |
Yes Within 250-500nm |
Yes CONUS |
|
| Special Use Airspace status |
Yes Within 250-500nm |
No | |
| Reception Coverage | See the latest map for enroute coverage | CONUS and S. Canada, ground or airborne (with sky in view). See coverage map | ADS-B is generally available above 2,500' AGL but gaps exist |
| Month Fee | No | Yes | GDL51, GDL52, & SXAR1 require the SiriusXM Pilot For ForeFlight subscription |
| ForeFlight Subscription | Required | Required | ForeFlight plans and pricing |
Notes:
- Distance ranges refer to the distance from transmitting ground stations currently being received.
- ForeFlight Mobile 10.2 or later is required for use with GDL51 or GDL52.
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