It's my understanding there is not a app out there that will pull local radar directly from a satellite when cell service is not available. Least I can't find one. Anyone know if there's one out there?

One would think given the technology is there to turn a smart phone into a GPS it's there to get radar directly from satellite as well. Dang sure a heck of a market for it.

I've often wondered this as well

Radar from satellites? To track what, space objects?

Rain, storms and such. Popping ground radar up to satellites, then smartphones getting it similar to GPS. Don't satellites have that capability? Heck I'd figure there are some that track storms , rain, weather themselves without having to use ground radar.

simple answer is NO

I think he is hoping to pull data from a satellite feed to overcome his lack of cellular connectivity. The data would enable a weather application to display the current radar picture. Problem is that most run of the mill phones aren't built to connect with a satellite necessarily. The antenna would pose a problem if nothing else.

As far as getting the radar picture, yes this is possible. I don't know about your need or funding, but I'd guess it might be more than you want to pay.

https://www.iridium.com/

Probably an extreme solution but it would work. We use it for communications when basically nothing else exists. There are a few other options but this one is an oldy but goody.

Iridium Sat Phone.
But its not in the average man's budget.
We used them in the desert. I would love to have one of my own.

Your phone communicates with the cell tower. How can it pull data from a satellite or TV tower?

It does have an FM tuner built in, but turned off.

With OnX premium it will communicate with a GPS satellite. You download the area to your phone. Then when you get to the area you pull it up and it pulls off a satellite. It'll track your movements just like a GPS , it even shows property lines and owners names. I figured if it will communicate with a GPS sat, it might with others.

GPS birds aren't mean to transmit much more than locational data. Pulling weather information isn't their thing.

I know a barometer isn't as visual as a radar map, but it'll do wonders for weather information combined with a few other factors.

You can download topo maps and such so that you can view them when you are offline, and also when you are offline your GPS that is built into your phone can still receive the signal and the time from each of the 4 satellites that it needs to calculate your position accurately. (It can calculate your position with just 3, but it needs the 4th to get an accurate calculation of the time in order to calculate your position accurately if you are at anything besides sea level.)

Doppler Radar on the other hand is a ground based radar, and even though those composite images are transmitted up to the satellites for purposed of dissemination they are not satellite based and are rather large. So, unless there's some new technology that I don't know about, as already mentioned, you would actually need a satellite enabled phone, which might be cost prohibitive depending on your income level.