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Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for
amateur radio. Does it pay off if I'd do that to access weather charts etc on a boat - this year in Europe, both on inland waterways in France and in the eastern North sea (between Germany, Denmark and Sweden)? Apart from a transceiver I have a Mac that should decode the signals without any extra hardware with MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html). Or are other options better? TIA Marc -- remove bye and from mercial to get valid e-mail http://www.heusser.com |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
I am based in the UK and often travel in the French inland waterways, the
English Channel and the Northern med. For the sea areas I would recommend NAVTEX you will get weather reports in English wherever you are. You may also with a modern set get some local inland forecasts but they may be in the local language. Sets are not that expensive circa $300. Most if not all Marinas publish a forecast on their notice boards each morning these usually last 2 or 3 days ahead. For the inland waters the local TV or Radio will be best but these are in the local language. Do not forget the local papers. If you want English the internet is best, use a cafe or get Wi Fi and hope for access. In the inland areas we rarely need a forecast. You do need a forecast for the Seine between Rouen and the sea and for some exposed parts of the Rhone if a Mistral is due. Do not worry to much as the rest of the boating community will have plenty of info. If you become a Ham the local French, German and Dutch Hams can mostly speak English and can probably give a local forecast but remember they may not be sailors. If you need weather charts and cannot get the internet then Fax is the way to go, any reasonable receiver and a computer should suffice. Get a free programme from the internet, use Bracknel from the UK or Offenbach from Germany Alec. "Marc Heusser" d wrote in message ... I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for amateur radio. Does it pay off if I'd do that to access weather charts etc on a boat - this year in Europe, both on inland waterways in France and in the eastern North sea (between Germany, Denmark and Sweden)? Apart from a transceiver I have a Mac that should decode the signals without any extra hardware with MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html). Or are other options better? TIA Marc -- remove bye and from mercial to get valid e-mail http://www.heusser.com |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:10:11 +0100, Marc Heusser
d wrote: I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for amateur radio. Does it pay off if I'd do that to access weather charts etc on a boat - this year in Europe, both on inland waterways in France and in the eastern North sea (between Germany, Denmark and Sweden)? Apart from a transceiver I have a Mac that should decode the signals without any extra hardware with MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html). Or are other options better? There are a lot of weather sources on HF/SSB and you don't really need a ham license to access most of them. Weather FAX is very useful, most of the frequencies and schedules are he http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf Voice broadcasts are listed he http://www.docksideradio.com/PDF%20F...0Forecasts.pdf There are also "weather routing" services available such as Herb Hildenberg's broadcasts: http://hometown.aol.com/hehilgen/myh.../vacation.html You can also receive customized Gridded Binary (GRIB) forecast files via Airmail or Sailmail. Airmail requires a ham license, Sailmail does not. Both require a Pactor harware Terminal Node Controller (TNC). For serious communications and reliable fax reception I highly recommend purchase of a Pactor TNC. Paired with the right tranceivers and Airmail/Sailmail software, operation is menu driven from a PC and almost automatic. More info he http://www.docksideradio.com |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Mar 21, 7:36 am, Wayne.B wrote:
You can also receive customized Gridded Binary (GRIB) forecast files via Airmail or Sailmail. Airmail requires a ham license, Sailmail does not. Both require a Pactor harware Terminal Node Controller (TNC). ... Airmail is US $250/yr these days. A ham license is a nice thing in and of itself. The wx and safety features can be good but mostly I enjoy the connections it makes between people. -- Tom. |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:27:41 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote: Airmail is US $250/yr these days. A ham license is a nice thing in and of itself. The wx and safety features can be good but mostly I enjoy the connections it makes between people. Airmail (with a ham license) is still quite free, use it all the time. I believe you are thinking of Sailmail which operates as sort of a co-operative on commercial frequencies. http://www.sailmail.com/ |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Mar 21, 9:41 am, Wayne.B wrote:
Airmail (with a ham license) is still quite free, use it all the time. I believe you are thinking of Sailmail which operates as sort of a co-operative on commercial frequencies. Sorry, you are, of course, correct. The software is free it's Sailmail access that costs. I've used Sailmail and Winlink for years, too. -- Tom. |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:10:11 +0100, Marc Heusser
d wrote: I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for amateur radio. Does it pay off if I'd do that to access weather charts etc on a boat - this year in Europe, both on inland waterways in France and in the eastern North sea (between Germany, Denmark and Sweden)? Apart from a transceiver I have a Mac that should decode the signals without any extra hardware with MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html). Or are other options better? TIA Marc Amateur licenses are worth another look at now. The morse code requirement has been swept away, and there are just three available classes - tech, general and extra. Tests are held regularly in local areas, and an ARRL license Manual will get you there - not to mention the several sites offering practice tests at all three levels. Brian Whatcott Altus OK |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
In article ,
Brian Whatcott wrote: On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:10:11 +0100, Marc Heusser d wrote: I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for amateur radio. .... Amateur licenses are worth another look at now. The morse code requirement has been swept away, and there are just three available classes - tech, general and extra. Tests are held regularly in local areas, and an ARRL license Manual will get you there - not to mention the several sites offering practice tests at all three levels. Thanks for the info - actually in Switzerland it is even easier if you have a degree in electrical engineering: The only part you have to pass is knowing the Radio Rules (20 minutes of multiple choice questions). So it boils down to whether I'll actually use the amateur bands to access the internet via RF (to download GRIB weather files eg), or to receive weather faxes etc. Marc -- remove bye and from mercial to get valid e-mail http://www.heusser.com |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:10:11 +0100, Marc Heusser
d wrote: I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for amateur radio. Does it pay off if I'd do that to access weather charts etc on a boat - this year in Europe, both on inland waterways in France and in the eastern North sea (between Germany, Denmark and Sweden)? Apart from a transceiver I have a Mac that should decode the signals without any extra hardware with MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html). Or are other options better? TIA Marc A friend that does a lot of open ocean passages gets weather reports vis SailMail, if I'm not wrong. I can email him and get more details if you are interested. Bruce-in-Bangkok (correct email address for reply) |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Mar 21, 4:47 pm, Bruce in Bangkok wrote:
A friend that does a lot of open ocean passages gets weather reports vis SailMail, if I'm not wrong. I can email him and get more details if you are interested. It's trivial to get GFS or NOGAPS GRIB files and there is plenty of other stuff. You might want to send an email to with a line that says info or a line that says help. You can get lots of info delivered to any e-mail address for free. -- Tom. |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
Brian Whatcott wrote in
: On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:10:11 +0100, Marc Heusser d wrote: I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for amateur radio. Does it pay off if I'd do that to access weather charts etc on a boat - this year in Europe, both on inland waterways in France and in the eastern North sea (between Germany, Denmark and Sweden)? Apart from a transceiver I have a Mac that should decode the signals without any extra hardware with MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html). Or are other options better? TIA Marc Amateur licenses are worth another look at now. The morse code requirement has been swept away, and there are just three available classes - tech, general and extra. Tests are held regularly in local areas, and an ARRL license Manual will get you there - not to mention the several sites offering practice tests at all three levels. Brian Whatcott Altus OK Just remember that you need at least a general license (which requires code)to utilize AirMail. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:38:46 -0500, Geoff Schultz
wrote: Just remember that you need at least a general license (which requires code)to utilize AirMail. The original poster is in Switzerland however which may have different license requirements. |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
The code tests went away last March so it is fairly easy to get a General
now. With all the alternatives available these days the main reasons to get a license is the camaraderie of the several nets working on the amateur bands and the use of Airmail. -- 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 "Geoff Schultz" wrote Just remember that you need at least a general license (which requires code)to utilize AirMail. |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in
: The code tests went away last March so it is fairly easy to get a General now. With all the alternatives available these days the main reasons to get a license is the camaraderie of the several nets working on the amateur bands and the use of Airmail. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the General class still requires the code test and a Tech class (which does't require code) isn't sufficient for AirMail. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
Geoff Schultz wrote in
: Just remember that you need at least a general license (which requires code)to utilize AirMail. There is no more code testing in the USA...or most other countries on the planet, in spite of the American Radio Relay League doing its best to try to prevent code testing's demise. ALL amateur radio licenses, and there are only 3 classes any more, are CODE TEST FREE. |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
Geoff Schultz wrote:
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in : The code tests went away last March so it is fairly easy to get a General now. With all the alternatives available these days the main reasons to get a license is the camaraderie of the several nets working on the amateur bands and the use of Airmail. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the General class still requires the code test and a Tech class (which does't require code) isn't sufficient for AirMail. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org Wrong. I studied for two weeks and took both tests the same day and passed both, No code required. Gordon |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
In article ,
Wayne.B wrote: On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:38:46 -0500, Geoff Schultz wrote: Just remember that you need at least a general license (which requires code)to utilize AirMail. The original poster is in Switzerland however which may have different license requirements. Yes: We get a full CEPT license without morse code nowadays, and as an electrical engineer it is just the radio rules I have to pass, no technical tests at all. Thank you all for the information - very useful. How do you access internet as a ham? (low bandwidth) ie where do you find gateways (or which are the protocols, nets etc to look for)? The other options are like INMARSAT, Iridium and GSM networks, all of them quite costly. (from 1 USD/minute upwards) TIA Marc -- remove bye and from mercial to get valid e-mail http://www.heusser.com |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Mar 22, 12:38 am, Geoff Schultz wrote:
... Just remember that you need at least a general license (which requires code)to utilize AirMail. Just to be pedantic (and because I've been corrected on this), you can use Airmail (the software) w/o even having a radio (it can use an internet connection). If you use it with an HF radio you will need access to the bands. For Sailmail (a service provider) that means a ships station license and individual license for those bands valid in the waters you are traveling. For Winlink (a collective of volunteers who provide service) that means a general or extra ham ticket. -- Tom. |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:36:13 +0100, Marc Heusser
d wrote: How do you access internet as a ham? (low bandwidth) ie where do you find gateways (or which are the protocols, nets etc to look for)? There is no true internet access via ham frequencies that I'm aware of, however you can send and receive EMAIL via Airmail and Winlink as long as it is non-commercial in nature. The gateways and frequencies can be downloaded using Airmail software and a telnet connection. The protocols are Pactor 1, 2 and 3 (3 being the fastest), and are defined by the Pactor TNC device. There are ways of retrieving web pages via EMAIL which is sometimes useful. I use it for getting stock quotes and news when I'm offshore. The Pactor protocol has excellent error detection and retransmission capability. It also dynamically adjusts transmission rates to optimize for changing signal strength and interference. More information he http://www.airmail2000.com/ http://www.winlink.org/ http://www.sailmail.com/ (non-ham commercial service although reasonably priced using same basic hardware and software) |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
With Multimode for a macintosh you can also download SitorB to receive
Navtex, Other modes will receive TTY (Good for Atlantic Canada) and direct download of weather satellite date (you do the interpretation). |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:38:46 -0500, Geoff Schultz
wrote: Brian Whatcott wrote in : On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:10:11 +0100, Marc Heusser d wrote: I am an electrical engineer and could quite easily get a licence for amateur radio. Does it pay off if I'd do that to access weather charts etc on a boat - this year in Europe, both on inland waterways in France and in the eastern North sea (between Germany, Denmark and Sweden)? Apart from a transceiver I have a Mac that should decode the signals without any extra hardware with MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimode.html). Or are other options better? TIA Marc Amateur licenses are worth another look at now. The morse code requirement has been swept away, and there are just three available classes - tech, general and extra. ... Brian Whatcott Altus OK Just remember that you need at least a general license (which requires code)to utilize AirMail. -- Geoff I say again: it is not now necessary to demonstrate Morse in order to obtain a Technician, General or Extra License Brian Whatcott Altus OK, |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:00:27 -0500, Geoff Schultz
wrote: "Glenn Ashmore" wrote in : The code tests went away last March so it is fairly easy to get a General now. With all the alternatives available these days the main reasons to get a license is the camaraderie of the several nets working on the amateur bands and the use of Airmail. == Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the General class still requires the code test and a Tech class (which does't require code) isn't sufficient for AirMail. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org It would probably be better for you to google with ham test general than to continue correcting people with out of date info. Brian W |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
Brian Whatcott wrote in
: On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:00:27 -0500, Geoff Schultz wrote: "Glenn Ashmore" wrote in : The code tests went away last March so it is fairly easy to get a General now. With all the alternatives available these days the main reasons to get a license is the camaraderie of the several nets working on the amateur bands and the use of Airmail. == Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the General class still requires the code test and a Tech class (which does't require code) isn't sufficient for AirMail. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org It would probably be better for you to google with ham test general than to continue correcting people with out of date info. Brian W Perhaps you should have read the rest of the replies correcting my reply before providing the same answer 2 times. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:05:22 -0500, Geoff Schultz
wrote: It would probably be better for you to google with ham test general than to continue correcting people with out of date info. Brian W Perhaps you should have read the rest of the replies correcting my reply before providing the same answer 2 times. -- Geoff Hehe....if you had listened the first time instead of contradicting, you wouldn't be on the defensive now? :-) Brian W |
Amateur Radio - to get weather info, access mail etc?
Brian Whatcott wrote in
: On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:05:22 -0500, Geoff Schultz wrote: It would probably be better for you to google with ham test general than to continue correcting people with out of date info. Brian W Perhaps you should have read the rest of the replies correcting my reply before providing the same answer 2 times. -- Geoff Hehe....if you had listened the first time instead of contradicting, you wouldn't be on the defensive now? :-) Brian W Hey, you're the one who's jumping down my throat for asking someone to correct me. When someone says "Please correct me if I'm wrong", that should imply that they're open to correction and that one shouldn't take the statement as fact. You seem to imply that one should research questions before posting them. I had researched this a while back and things appear to have changed since then. The fact that I haven't kept up with all of the regulation changes in the ham world shouldn't be a major offense in a boating/cruising forum. -- Geoff www.GeoffSchultz.org |
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