Weather Fax on SSB

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Is there a program which you can set up to tune an SSB tranceiver according to a schedule to receive Weatherfax and Navtex broadcasts? For those radios which can be tuned by a computer, like the M802 and some other Icoms.

JVcomm32 is the best one I have found.

http://www.jvcomm.de/index_e.html

Also, Sail Mail tunes radios and receives faxes.

Both JVcomm32 and Sail Mail work with Pactor modems so you can use the same setup for fax and email without rewiring.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

GetFax can tune some radios. There is a schedule file you can edit that tunes the radio to a particular frequency at a particular time, and sets up the program to capture FAX or text broadcasts. The GetFax installation includes a sample schedule file.

That sounds like the ticket!!

I guess you have to remember to leave the radio and computer switched on, but if it's not done automatically, I'm sure I will miss it most times.

An alternative would be to buy a dedicated weatherfax receiver like the lovely ICS ones (I've already got a dedicated navtex receiver), but it's more money and more and more gear with more and more power connections, antenna connections, etc., etc. I think it might be more elegant to do it with software and the one HF radio.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

JVcomm32 is the best one I have found.

JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX program

Also, Sail Mail tunes radios and receives faxes.

Both JVcomm32 and Sail Mail work with Pactor modems so you can use the same setup for fax and email without rewiring.

Sailmail gives you access to weatherfax charts via saildocs, right?

There's another function for directly receiving weatherfax charts? I guess I'll have to dig through the manuals again.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Sailmail gives you access to weatherfax charts via saildocs, right?

There's another function for directly receiving weatherfax charts? I guess I'll have to dig through the manuals again.

Sailmail gives access to short emails. I think weatherfax charts are possible but you should check the attachment size. Gribs can be relatively small in size and are also available via Sailmail on SSB.

Sailmail does not have a functional scheduler for weatherfax but JVcomm32 does have a scheduler. In the end a scheduler isn't too valuable IMHO because you still have to turn on all the equipment before hand anyway. Full synoptic charts for North Atlantic, GOM and Carib take a few hours via SSB off-air fax. If you begin receiving around dawn or sunset then the automatic scheduler feature of JVcomm32 can help by switching frequency as the sun rises/sets.

I have had problems with Sailmail receiving full sets of synoptic charts. I usually cannot get a full set before the comms with the Pactor modem freezes. No such problem with JVcomm32 so I am still looking for the root cause. YMMV.

[the_alpine]

As to the original question: wefax without a pactor modem... Do you have an ipad? HFweatherfax is a great app that demodulates the signals on your idevice. Works great and also has a built in schedule for the world.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by the_alpine

As to the original question: wefax without a pactor modem... Do you have an ipad? HFweatherfax is a great app that demodulates the signals on your idevice. Works great and also has a built in schedule for the world.

Yes, I have an IPad, but my main on-board computer is a PC which is interfaced with my Pactor modem and with my N2K network.

I have a few ways to manually get weatherfax (or navtex) by remembering what time the broadcast will be, tuning the radio, and capturing the transmission either with the Pactor modem or sound card.

I was hoping for a program which would automatically remember what time the broadcasts are, and which will then itself tune the radio and capture the transmission, so that I don't have to be at the nav table all the time (I do like to sail now and then ).

[Albro359]

IF... and I know most of you don't like parting with money.... you subscribe to sailmail.com and download the airmail programmme .. you get ALL the world wide fax schedules / frequencies and acess to the sailmail email system.... brilliant .... but YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT !!

[Dockhead]

This looks like it might do the trick!

Mscan Meteo — SCS

[conachair]

If your considering heading up towards the Baltc then the RTTY text service from the German DWD is well worth receiving.

http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/generator/DWD...le_rtty_01.pdf

I get it easily even surrounded by buildings in London, fades at night though. This is from this morning on JVcom.

Jvcom looks like it could possibly fully automate but you might have to find or write the scripts yourself. I don't have the power to leave a computer on all the time so haven't played with it.

JVcom is handy for DWD though, it automatically decodes the coded ship reports so you get actualy data from various places round NE atlantic.

FAEROES (60.4N 5.6W) SST: 9 C
JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.
TH 7. 12Z: SE-S 2-3 3 M //
TH 7. 18Z: S-SW 4-5 2.5 M RAIN //
FR 8. 00Z: NW 5-6 7 3 M SH //
FR 8. 06Z: NW 5-6 7-8 4 M //
FR 8. 12Z: NW 2-3 3.5 M //
FR 8. 18Z: SW 3 3 M RAIN //
SA 9. 00Z: SES 4-5 3 M RAIN //
JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.

PENTLAPD FIRTH (59.7N QW) SST: 8 C
TH 7. 12Z: N 3 3 M //
TH 7. 18Z: W-NW 2-3 2.5 M RAIN //
FR 8. 00Z: S-SW 3-4 2 M AIN //
FR 8. 06Z: NW-N 5-6 7 3 M SH //
FR 8. 12Z: N 4-5 3.5 M SH //
JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.
FR 8. 18Z: NW 2-3 3 M //
SA 9. 00Z:
I
WAE E M RAIN //9

HEBRIDES (57.9N 8.1W) SST: 9 C
TH 7. 12Z: S-SW 4 2.5 M RAIN //
JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.
TH 7. 18Z: NW 6 8 3.5 M SH //
FR 8. 00Z: NW-N 5-6 8 4 M //
FR 8. 06Z: NW 5 6-7 4 M //
FR 8. 12Z: W 3-4 3.5 M RAIN //
FR 8. 18Z: W-NW 4-5 7 3.5 M SH //
SA 9. 00Z: W 4 3 M RAIN //

JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.
SHETLANDS (60.9N 1.6W) SST: 8 C
TH 7. 12Z: N 3-4 3 M //
TH 7. 18Z: NW 2-3 2.5 M //
FR 8. 00Z: SW 2-3 2 M RAIN //
FR 8. 06Z: S-SW 3 2 M RAIN //
FR 8. 12Z: NW-N 4-5 3 M SH //
FR 8. 18Z: NW-N 3 3 M SH //
JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.
SA 9. 00Z: W 0-2 3 M //

BAY OF BOTHNIA (65.0N 23.5E) SST: ? C
TH 7. 12Z: N-NE 2-3 0 M FOG //
TH 7. 18Z: N-NE 2-3 0 M FOG //
FR 8. 00Z: N 0-2 0 0 M FOG //
FR 8. 06Z: N-NE 0-2 0 M FOG //
JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.
FR 8. 12Z: N 0-2 0 M FOG //
FR 8. 18Z: NE-E 2-3 0 M FOG //
SA 9. 00Z: NE 2-3 0 M FOG //

QUARK (63.5N 21.0E) SST: ? C
TH 7. 12Z: NE 4 0 M //
TH 7. 18Z: NE 3-4 0 M //
JVComm32 demo. See JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX Programm -+- or help file for info on how to register.
FR 8. 00Z: NE 3 0 M FOG //
FR 8. 06Z: NE 3 0 M //
FR 8. 12Z: N-NE 3 0 M FOG //
FR 8. 18Z: NE 3-4 0 M //
SA 5. 00Z: N-NE 4 0 M //

[Dockhead]

Also, it looks like Airmail can give you gribs, navtex, and weatherfax automatically -- I wonder if this is through Saildocs?


http://www.scs-ptc.com/downloads/airmail

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Also, it looks like Airmail can give you gribs, navtex, and weatherfax automatically -- I wonder if this is through Saildocs?


http://www.scs-ptc.com/downloads/airmail

once you can use email, you can actually directly correspond with the NoAA server, via simple email commands. Saildocs is just repackaging most of that facility.

Dave

[conachair]

Originally Posted by conachair

JVcom is handy for DWD though, it automatically decodes the coded ship reports so you get actualy data from various places round NE atlantic.

Sorry for slight thread hijack but for anyone interested in fleet weather codes transmitted by DWD..
Stuff like this comes in from the radio....

04221 45984 11510 11072 21148 39962 40001 52017
333 81/70 91129 91223=
04228 46/// /1009 11039 21087 39979 49993=

and jvcomm automatically decodes it into something like this..

06060 FLYVESTATION KARUP ( ), DENMARK AND FAROE ISLANDS / DANEMARK ET ILES FEROE, Pos: 56 18N, 09 07E

Visibility: 25 km
Wind: 360°, 7 kts (measured)
Temperature: 0.3 °C, dew point: -2.9 °C
Pressure: 1001.6 hPa (station), 1008.3 hPa (MSL)
Press. tendency: +1.1 hPa, increasing steadily
Precipitation: 0.2 mm / 3 hour

Clouds
------
Total coverage: 3/8, base of lowest: 300 to 600 m
Low/middle layer: 7/8
Low clouds: stratocumulus
Middle clouds: no middle clouds
High clouds: no high clouds
Cloud layer 1: 1/8, stratocumulus (Sc), 360 m
Cloud layer 2: 6/8, stratocumulus (Sc), 750 m

I might have a play around with jvcom later, see if i can get the schedule thing working. - anyone tried it?

thread hijack over

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Is there a program which you can set up to tune an SSB tranceiver according to a schedule to receive Weatherfax and Navtex broadcasts? For those radios which can be tuned by a computer, like the M802 and some other Icoms.

Got jvcomm working

In configuration|frequency control click ASCII control then (for my ic7000 attached to com 1 )
port - com1, baud = 19200, type - icom. addr/vfo - $70.

Then make a new schedule and fill in the fax time/freq etc in the file|open scheduler.

And off it goes, very cool.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by Albro359

IF... and I know most of you don't like parting with money.... you subscribe to sailmail.com and download the airmail programmme .. you get ALL the world wide fax schedules / frequencies and acess to the sailmail email system.... brilliant .... but YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT !!

I found this a couple years ago that can be helpful (it was also posted on the first page of this thread):
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf

I've used this file to find frequencies and received images from them and works pretty good.

[Talbot]

I have been thinking about the power advantages of changing my nav computer over to Ubunto. However it appears that jvcomm and the others are for the windowed community. Is there a weather fax programme that can also schedule the radio and runs on ubunto?