On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:43:16 -0700, "Paul" wrote:


"Bob" wrote in message
oups.com...

SInce our SSB WFAX service may be droped in a efort to keep big
govenment smaller, off our back, and out of our pockets I think I
better consider Iridium. So how long does it take to download a WFAX
map from the Ocean Prediction Center?

Bob,

I don't have the exact time at hand, but last summer I was downloading my
weather info via Iridium email, using Global Marine Network's (GMN,
www.globalmarinenet.net ) Xnet service. My daily wx files we

Grib, about 12Kbytes
East Pacific surface chart, 36Kbyte
24, 48, 96 hour EPAC surface prediction charts, 85Kbytes total
24 hour EPAC wind-wave forecast, 25Kbytes

These, plus any occasional email took about ten minutes of connect time. I
occasionally had a connection drop before the download was complete, but the
Xnet system is pretty good about picking up where it left off once I could
reconnect. GMN also has a specific weather service that is supposed to be
more efficient then what I was doing -- I haven't tried it though. I got
the grib files from Saildocs (see www.saildocs.com), and I had a unix
cronfile running on my ISP's server that would grab the daily WX charts I
wanted, and email them to my satphone email account.

On the other hand, I doubt that the HF WFAX service will really be dropped,
in spite of the call for comments. Just my guess, but I could be wrong.

Good luck,
-Paul S/V VALIS

you know, we hams regularly read the NWS forecasts on the air on the
maritime net. I wonder if sailors would be interested if we downloaded
the wefax pix from the NWS site and sent them over the air 'to other
hams' (we aren't allowed to broadcast)....the fact that boaters would,
coincidentally copy them as well would be just fine....

all boaters would need is a computer, radio and some simple software