purple_stars wrote:
anyone getting weather information directly from satellite ? i've seen
a number of stationary satellite antennas for sailboats so someone must
be using them. how do you do that, are you using your laptop to
receive and convert the data into weather maps or do you have some kind
of a dedicated satellite weather device for doing it ?

by the way, great article warrenj, thanks for sharing.

agree wayne, pactor modem and radio look like a terrific solution for
email. i don't like that the code for the mail program is so closed,
that is, that there's only a windows version of it and the protocol
doesn't seem to be published, but otherwise it great stuff.

Wayne.B wrote:

On 15 May 2006 13:56:19 -0700, "
wrote:

A few people have emailed asking how, on our budget, we can afford to
pull down weather faxes while on passage.
The system is detailed in this little article:

http://www.micoverde.com/articles/articles_wx.html

That's all true but if you are cruising offshore you should really
have 2 way SSB capability, and with the addition of a PACTOR modem you
get EMAIL, GRIB files, and error free transmissions of the fax data
via EMAIL attachments. There are really significant quality benefits,
and for far less cost than satellite internet.


I receive the Polar Orbiting satellites. I use a Hamtronics R139
receiver which outputs the decoded signal to the sound card input on the
laptop. There are several software packages, but the best I have found
is WXtoimg. An circular polarized egg beater antenna works best but I
found the my 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna mounted on a stainless plate on my
arch works almost as good. I to get a few fade lines occasionally.
Currently NOAA 15,17,and 18 have operational VHF downlinks. See
http://www.oso.noaa.gov/poes for information.
krj

I have been using the R139 for several years and it is a good receiver.
Traded it to Skip for use on Flying Pig so I am without right now. Found a
highly recommended version built by a guy in the Czech Republic named
Miroslav Gola. For $100 it looks like an excellent deal so I am going to
try it with my new stainless QFH antenna.

I am on my 4th generation of homebrew antennas now and think it is
outrageous what they charge for "marine" QFHs. I can build one in under 4
hours for about $50 and they want $500+. You just have to be very careful
with the measurements. At 137MHZ a millimeter or two makes a huge
difference in frequency response. Shape has a lot to do with it too. I
have the tuning down very good. Now I am working on the proportions so I
can get horizon to horizon with no dead spots. Right now I can get from
Hudson Bay to the Mona Passage from Macon but I think I can make it all the
way to the Virgins with a little tweeking.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"krj" wrote

I receive the Polar Orbiting satellites. I use a Hamtronics R139 receiver
which outputs the decoded signal to the sound card input on the laptop.
There are several software packages, but the best I have found is WXtoimg.
An circular polarized egg beater antenna works best but I found the my 5/8
wave 2 meter antenna mounted on a stainless plate on my arch works almost
as good. I to get a few fade lines occasionally. Currently NOAA 15,17,and
18 have operational VHF downlinks. See http://www.oso.noaa.gov/poes for
information.
krj