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Weatherfax software opinion sought
Below is a crib from the Island Packet mailing list I monitor, and my
response: WeatherFAX basics by Mike Trautman, K9MLT I've been exploring the WeatherFax system because I would like to get these valuable weather graphics and photos while far from shore on my sailboat, Island Princess. We sailors can't do anything about the weather, but knowing what is coming and having some indication how bad it is, and how long it will last can make a sailing voyage much more pleasant for captian and crew. Hams and Marine SSB users have radios that work well with this system, but it's also possilbe to utilize this great resource with an inexpensive Single Side Band receiver and a laptop computer's sound card input! Some of the graphics availabe include: Surface analysis, Wind/Wave forcasts, Cyclone/Storm, High Wind/Waves, Wave period/direction, and Photographic satelite images. You can view currwnr examples of these graphics on the Internet at the New Orleans site: http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/gulf.shtml Here's the main NOAA URL for WeatherFax, also called WeFax or RadioFax http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/radiofax.htm The frequencies of the U.S. stations broadcasting WeatherFax are listed toward the bottom of the URL. Scroll down to see them. I've been dialing in to broadcasts from Boston and New Orleans. Example: New Orleans - New Orleans (NMG) 4317.9, 8503.9, 12789.9, 17146.4(12,18Z) kHz IMPORTANT! - The frequency is for USB and the actual tuning on my reciever is the listed frequency minus 1.9 Hz, Therefore New Orlean's 4317.9 comes in on 4316.0 USB. From Central Illinois, I've been getting good reception on 17m and 20m during the day and mediocre reception on 40m and 80m at night. The schedule starts at 00:00/12:00 for New Orleans (CST) and 01:00/13:00 for Boston (CST). It can take 30 minutes for the larger files to transmit. The software I've been using is SeaTTY. It's a free download at: http://www.dxsoft.com/seatty.htm They ask for a $35 registration fee if you like the software. Which I plan on doing. There are other sources for software (and hardware) listed on the main NOAA site. I use a 1/8" male/male stereo plug, from the earphone jack of my Yeasu FD857d transceiver directly to the Mic jack on my laptop. So far I haven't seen any particular effect from changing the record volume in Windows. It took me some experimentation to realize I did not need my TNC in the loop at all. The manufacturers do not make this option clear while describing their product. I think you could use any receiver that can receive Single Side Band broadcasts. A fancy Ham rig is not needed. Note: for about $250 you can buy a dedicated "WeatherFax" receiver that will connect to your computer, or even direct to a printer and eliminate some hardware. For non Hams and boaters who don't have Marine SSB aboard, a "YachtBoy" SSB portable receiver, with a good external antenna would probably do the job, . Tip: The software allows you to fine "tune" the frequency even when AFC is turned on. You can move the red vertical lines so one lines up with the peak in the spectrum display and improve the resulting graphic's sharpness a bit. I'm NEW to this technology, so don't take my word as gospel. But do check out the technology if you would like your own weather information out where the Weather Channel doesn't reach! Happy Sailing! Mike Trautman, K9MLT s/v Island Princess, Island Packet, 27/9 Sarasota, FL Listees, this is very timely for me, as we're just about to get our HF radio gear, going with the Icom M-802 and the MMSI antenna. We already have a satellite picture capture hardware setup - which allows us to see ~1/hour 45* downlook picture from a satellite overhead. That, of course, will give us a very good representation of what's around us, covering lots of ground. However, there's no intelligence along with that - just a great ability to (if we record them) make a visual track of what any particular weather system is doing. For intelligence, our supplier, Steve Bowden, of Sea Tech Systems, has recommended Xaxero WeatherFax 2000 - USB, a dedicated program. No doubt there are lots of bells and whistles in this $199 program - but not having used any, let alone this and the referred one, I can't speak to the merits of either. Is there anyone here who's used the Xax, and can give me a reason to spend that vs the shareware Mike recommends? Thanks. L8R Skip Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig KI4MPC http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain |
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