Live doppler radar?

[rukusjeep]

Would it be possible to have that in our Jeeps? I mean if rumor has it the new Jeeps will have WiFi? So would having live doppler radar be a stretch. For those of us who like hiking, off-roading and taking those long road trips I think that having such technologies combined with My Gig would be quite beneficial.
I went into the GARMIN store here in Chicago off Michigan Ave. and asked if they could install or would it be even possible to convert their equipment for aviation and marine and apply it to a Jeep. The sale person wasn't too sure. Hm.I figure if boats and planes have them or something similar why couldn't we have in the Jeeps. I am sure it would cost a lot just to "shrink" that kind of technology into a smaller application. But it was a thought.

 

[jnaut]

y'know, I was wondering about Radar on a car, but I'm not sure what you'd really get out of it. I would think that your signal would be really noisy. Radar works well in open or flat spaces with few interfering objects. Therefore the few objects that are there show up clearly. Most radar is pointed at the sky (for airborn objects) or on wide open expanses like water. Gonna have to do some reading on this.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I think he means the ability to download radar weather maps. Installing an actual radar on your Jeep would be very expensive and not very practical.

If so, the technology already exists. Anyone with an internet connection can access the most recent weather data for their area. Many aftermarket GPS units have radar downloads through your existing cellular network or satellite radio connection for a monthly fee. Not sure about dash-mounted units, but it wouldn't surprise me if they could download weather too. It's not quite "live" but it will give you the most recent map available, usually within the past 15 minutes.

 

[M&P40]

you can have it all you need to do is use your cell phone and go to weather.com and i will give you the radar pic you are looking for

 

[jnaut]

I think he means the ability to download radar weather maps. Installing an actual radar on your Jeep would be very expensive and not very practical.

Yeah, if that's what he means, then it's not an issue of 'doppler' radar, it's an issue of getting access to data. Believe it or not, there are some old-school apps that will direct-download satellite weather maps, no internet connection required.

With a little patience, it looks like you can do it for about $40 (not including cost of the laptop-- of course). Check this out:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/2940-hf-receiver-laptop-software-weather-maps.html

Now, I've had a certain amount of success homebrewing some apps which responded to text messaging. In a nutshell:

• Have home computer attached to internet with script which pulls doppler images at a given interval.
  
• From Cell phone, text an email address that your home computer is polling.
  
• When home computer receives email, send latest doppler image to cell phone as picture attachment.
  
• Enjoy

I've never done this specific thing, but I did do an app where I would send a text message to an email address with my latitude and longitude. When my home computer received the text message, it generated a google maps coordinate page and uploaded it to an existing webpage. From there, friends and family could watch my updated location semi-live. We did it for a multi-day kayaking trip. I'd send a text message out approximately every hour.

Unfortunately, all of these homebrew solutions require some coding and computing skills, so they're not for everyone. But the possibilities are endless.

 

[rukusjeep]

Thanks guys. Rumor has it that Chrysler will have updated My Gig units that would have the ability of WiFi, not too sure how it would work but at least the possibility of accurate weather forcasts might be a reality. Sure I can retrieve weather data from my cell or a laptop but you would have to have those things on you (cell is by default) I'm saying how cool would it be to not only have the My Gig unit but have it access the internet and weather, actually having live doppler radar in your car would be cool but it wouldn't be practical and expensive I imagine. For me I not need to hear it but to see it as well ( I'm a very visual person).

 

[Gimme Liberty]

Thanks guys. Rumor has it that Chrysler will have updated My Gig units that would have the ability of WiFi, not too sure how it would work but at least the possibility of accurate weather forcasts might be a reality. Sure I can retrieve weather data from my cell or a laptop but you would have to have those things on you (cell is by default) I'm saying how cool would it be to not only have the My Gig unit but have it access the internet and weather, actually having live doppler radar in your car would be cool but it wouldn't be practical and expensive I imagine. For me I not need to hear it but to see it as well ( I'm a very visual person).

I agree - it'd be very cool! But I'd be happy just to be able to watch video in motion. Without having to pay $200 for a Lockpick that is.

The last thing the roads need are people emailing via their MyGig!

 

[rukusjeep]

Good point. It's hard enough driving with people on their cell phones.

 

[sevenhelmet]

That day is already here, gents... what do you call a Blackberry?