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 Cheap Laptop WeatherFax System		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts
Initially Posted - 11/11/2006 :  17:29:59  Show Profile
Latts and Atts has a great article in the December issue on a weatherfax system that doesn't require single sideband to receive. All you need is a digital shortwave radio, a line to run from the radio to the laptops mic plug, and decoding software.

Basically, NOAA broadcasts on various frequencies at various times of the day. It soundslike a series of beeps and high pitched sounds. The software decodes the sounds into a picture. http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/marshlatest.shtml

I found a small Grundig at Brookstone for $30, a straight line plug at Radion Shack. Now all I need is the software. Ocens was recommended on the article, www.ocens.com, but they want a hundred bucks for it. Does anyone know of a freeware version?

Sten -'82 SR FK
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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts
Response Posted - 11/11/2006 :  19:44:23  Show Profile
Does the article say how far offshore the broadcasts can be received?
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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts
Response Posted - 11/11/2006 :  20:11:41  Show Profile
The author admits that the major drawback is the difficulty in grounding to a grounding plate, but indicates that you would get a lower quality signal while running the engine or using other stuff like an inverter. I have had shortwave radios for years and I've heard the tones when tuning in some pretty random places all over the world with a portable SW radio, I just never knew what they were. I believe that this system would benefit from an antenna. Radio Shack used to sell a retractable 30 foot antenna on a reel that I run up a halyard. This was offered as a cheap solution for cruisers instead of the $3,000 a SSB would cost.

sten
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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts
Response Posted - 11/11/2006 :  20:17:06  Show Profile
Important! I had to buy a new SW radio, because my old one did not have digital tuning. You have to be able to tune to exactly 1.9 KHz below the frequency on the schedule. I downloaded a demo from http://www.jvcomm.de/index_e.html to decode the data.
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dontluff
Deckhand

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Canada
22 Posts
Response Posted - 11/13/2006 :  19:47:28  Show Profile
yes you can certainly connect via the mic jack on the PC.

Even better is to get a satphone for under $1,200 and a related email account from a service provider like GlobalMarineNet and you will get telephone calling (great for emergencies), free text messaging, email, weatherfax downloads, Internet website browsing (a bit expensive-but available) and grib files for wind, waves, pressure, etc...that can be requetsed via email, and uploaded into your PC nav package.

I bought one for this year's Vic Maui and although we had a SSB on board, trying to get through when you needed another grib file was a hassle (given the majority of other boats trying to connect via SSB) and very slow.

I bought special deals on the call cost and prepaid 500 minutes for $1.35 a minute. For racing offshore, this is worth the cost. For cruising, I would suffer with the SSB but still have the satphone for emergencie with a smaller amount of prepaid minutes.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.