On 2007-04-26 7JaYh.14405$vD4.4973@bigfe9 said:
Weather Forecasts may soon end
On Apr 26, 4:38?pm, krj wrote:
Yes, you are correct.
---Looks like this only affects HF radio, not VHF. Am I correct?
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
roups.com...
On Apr 26, 4:10?am, wrote:
Federal Register: April 26, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 80)]
[Notices]
[Page 20863-20865]From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26ap07-72]

--------------------------------------------------------------------
--- DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[USCG-2007-27656]
High Frequency (HF) Radio Broadcasts of Marine Weather
Forecasts and Warnings
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice; request for public comments.
Yes, but try getting weather on the VHF 100 miles from shore.-
Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
Like most coastal cruising stink potters, that wouldn't be an issue
for me.
However, for sailors and some LRC folks it would present a problem.
YOu got that right, including shrimpers and others who make
their living, and otherwise would have no reason to
subscribe to the pay for play satellite services etc.

wHat gets me is the part about the equipment being obsolete
and hard to repair/replace. I don't know what these folks
are smoking, but you can run rtty and generate fax with a
garden variety computer. Hell they don't even need to go
with the digital equipment synthesizers for speech anymore,
unlike some of us blind folks who use those for screen
access.

Believe it or not, I utilize these brodcasts myself and i"m
a landlubber. wHy do I use them? SO that when my internut
connection is broken and I can't get the latest data I can
tune in, take shorthand dictation from the synthesized
speech and have the info for those who need it when I
operate as net control for the Maritime mobile service net,
14.300 mhz.

IF having that data saves some poor sap from having to be
fished out of the drink by the cg at $150 k a pop it pays
for itself pretty quickly.

73 de nf5b



Richard Webb, amateur radio station nf5b
Active on the Maritime MObile SErvice net, 14.300 mhz
replace anything before the @ symbol with elspider to email


Any IC protected by a fast acting fuse will protect the
fuse by blowing first.

Regular NAVTEX (518 kHz) won't be affected, and won't terminate. Too many
people use it.

HF Navtex, using frequencies 4 MHz and above, would be affected. Don't know
how many people use that, but suspect its a lot fewer than those that listen
to weather on their single sideband radio, or print out WEFax charts.

Hopefully those that do use it will send responses in.



"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:42:44 -0500, Maynard G. Krebbs
wrote:

This is going to affect the ocean boater using an SSB reciever for
voice weather. Not sure how many are still doing that but I was
planning on getting my weather that way.

Not just voice, WeFAX and NAVTEX also, both of which are very useful
if you're going offshore, even to the Bahamas and other near shore
destinations.

If they drop it, a lot of people will be forced into satellite
internet for serious weather reporting.

Actually, its the 10 kW Collins HF80 transmitters, including the tubes that
amplify the RF, that's becoming difficult to repair. Replacements cost
roughly $120,000 or so, plus another $80,000 to install them. The Coast
Guard uses about 23 of these transmitters to make these broadcasts.

---
YOu got that right, including shrimpers and others who make
their living, and otherwise would have no reason to
subscribe to the pay for play satellite services etc.

wHat gets me is the part about the equipment being obsolete
and hard to repair/replace. I don't know what these folks
are smoking, but you can run rtty and generate fax with a
garden variety computer. Hell they don't even need to go
with the digital equipment synthesizers for speech anymore,
unlike some of us blind folks who use those for screen
access.

Believe it or not, I utilize these brodcasts myself and i"m
a landlubber. wHy do I use them? SO that when my internut
connection is broken and I can't get the latest data I can
tune in, take shorthand dictation from the synthesized
speech and have the info for those who need it when I
operate as net control for the Maritime mobile service net,
14.300 mhz.

IF having that data saves some poor sap from having to be
fished out of the drink by the cg at $150 k a pop it pays
for itself pretty quickly.

73 de nf5b

..

hank wrote:

Try MMSN (14300 KHZ) Net control operators gladly provide high seas
forecasts.


this is true. we also provide any other info as needed, as well as
phone patches, etc....

regards

WF3H

On 28 Apr 2007 20:04:47 -0700, wf3h wrote:


hank wrote:

Try MMSN (14300 KHZ) Net control operators gladly provide high seas
forecasts.


this is true. we also provide any other info as needed, as well as
phone patches, etc....

Is the MMSN still around? And why?

Hell, is Kilo Victor 4 Fox Zulu still around? :)

Wow, it's been a while since I've been on that end of 20 meters.

On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:00:35 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On 28 Apr 2007 20:04:47 -0700, wf3h wrote:


hank wrote:

Try MMSN (14300 KHZ) Net control operators gladly provide high seas
forecasts.


this is true. we also provide any other info as needed, as well as
phone patches, etc....

Is the MMSN still around? And why?

Hell, is Kilo Victor 4 Fox Zulu still around? :)

Wow, it's been a while since I've been on that end of 20 meters.

Pretty damn dead now - turned the house around, still nothing. Almost
like FM - DFQ at 0713 EDT (1113 GMT).

Hmmmm - need to check the beam again. And the wire - still quiet.

Is that German cruising group still using 14.313 (or.300) for daily
check ins? I know I used to listen to them early in the morning.

On 2007-04-28 said:
Actually, its the 10 kW Collins HF80 transmitters, including the
tubes that amplify the RF, that's becoming difficult to repair.
Replacements cost roughly $120,000 or so, plus another $80,000 to
install them. The Coast Guard uses about 23 of these transmitters
to make these broadcasts.
True enough, the eastern bloc is the last source for quite a
few vacuum tubes I understand.

Even at $120k a pop, that's one rescue mission they might
not have to go on if some cruiser or small operator such as
a shrimper hears the wx broadcast and takes appropriate
action.


73 de nf5b



Richard Webb, amateur radio station nf5b
Active on the Maritime MObile SErvice net, 14.300 mhz
replace anything before the @ symbol with elspider to email


THe only people who listen to both sides of an
argument are the neighbors.

wf3h wrote:
Try MMSN (14300 KHZ) Net control operators gladly provide high
seas forecasts.
this is true. we also provide any other info as needed, as well as
phone patches, etc....
That we do, and though we're frequency agile we can't move
to 40 meters with you while running the net if propagation
doesn't work on 20.

For an example take the leisure cruiser without all the
satellite internet gizmotrons aboard, he's left the
MIssissippi gulf coast heading for MExico. CHances are good
unless it's our man in Maine or the fellow in western Ny. or
the fellow in Toronto he's not going to hear the net control
with the weather for a good few days the way the
propagations has been lately.
If I"ve got it handy and a cruiser needs it I"ll call one or
two others without internet access and ask them to put me on
their phone patch so I can get him the wx info though.
sTill that doesn't compete with a few kw on 4 6 and 8 mhz
where they might be herd directly. After all, my contact
with the willingness to put me on his patch might not be
home. then what do we do for this guy?

Btw if you're a ham and you find your sat phone isn't
working and you're in international waters or anyplace that
it's legal I'll be glad to provide phone patch, anywhere
within Continental U.s.
I'm not a powerhouse, but the audio's clean and listenable
on both ends of the connection.
One morning last winter I ended up calling TOw USA for some
boaters with anchor winch troubles and putting them together
on the patch. THe poor dispatcher at TOw usa kept
forgetting to say "over" but finally he caught on when we
were almost finished.


73 de nf5b



Richard Webb, amateur radio station nf5b
Active on the Maritime MObile SErvice net, 14.300 mhz
replace anything before the @ symbol with elspider to email

wrote:
On 2007-04-26 7JaYh.14405$vD4.4973@bigfe9 said:
Weather Forecasts may soon end
On Apr 26, 4:38?pm, krj wrote:
Yes, you are correct.
---Looks like this only affects HF radio, not VHF. Am I correct?
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
roups.com...
On Apr 26, 4:10?am, wrote:
Federal Register: April 26, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 80)]
[Notices]
[Page 20863-20865]From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26ap07-72]

--------------------------------------------------------------------
--- DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[USCG-2007-27656]
High Frequency (HF) Radio Broadcasts of Marine Weather
Forecasts and Warnings
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice; request for public comments.
Yes, but try getting weather on the VHF 100 miles from shore.-
Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
Like most coastal cruising stink potters, that wouldn't be an issue
for me.
However, for sailors and some LRC folks it would present a problem.
YOu got that right, including shrimpers and others who make
their living, and otherwise would have no reason to
subscribe to the pay for play satellite services etc.

wHat gets me is the part about the equipment being obsolete
and hard to repair/replace. I don't know what these folks
are smoking, but you can run rtty and generate fax with a
garden variety computer. Hell they don't even need to go
with the digital equipment synthesizers for speech anymore,
unlike some of us blind folks who use those for screen
access.

Believe it or not, I utilize these brodcasts myself and i"m
a landlubber. wHy do I use them? SO that when my internut
connection is broken and I can't get the latest data I can
tune in, take shorthand dictation from the synthesized
speech and have the info for those who need it when I
operate as net control for the Maritime mobile service net,
14.300 mhz.

IF having that data saves some poor sap from having to be
fished out of the drink by the cg at $150 k a pop it pays
for itself pretty quickly.

73 de nf5b



Richard Webb, amateur radio station nf5b
Active on the Maritime MObile SErvice net, 14.300 mhz
replace anything before the @ symbol with elspider to email


Any IC protected by a fast acting fuse will protect the
fuse by blowing first.



As a coastie I count the number of techs in the guard that can actually
still repair something as maybe 12. Today's coast guard has something
called the XB program where defective equipment goes back to Baltimore
to be repaired, or is repaired by tech support civilians. It is black
box trouble shooting at its best. It works out well with modern gear
that can be swapped out as a unit. It works out poorly with something
such as an HF-80 that is vintage.

You would think why not buy some new gear, well the procurement process
is very convoluted. There are a lot of senior enlisted and officers
whos job it is to ensure nothing gets changed w/o their personal stamp
of approval. There is absolutely no reward for being able to fix a
piece of gear that others have forgotten about. There is a great deal
of award for having lots of people skills. We shine in the areas of
diplomacy and public image. Just don't ask us to fix a radio or build a
boat.


-Regards