Association Forum - weather faxes

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

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.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

weather faxes

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

77Gypsy
Captain

Member Avatar

USA
356 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/13/2003 : 15:54:40

how can you suscribe to receive weather faxes? when you do, do they send them to you all the time? or just when you need them?
can youreceive them on a regualr land fax machine?

Steve
78 C25 SR/FK - Gypsy

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2003 : 16:01:30

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
how can you suscribe to receive weather faxes? when you do, do they send them to you all the time? or just when you need them?
can youreceive them on a regualr land fax machine?

Steve
78 C25 SR/FK - Gypsy
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

Not sure about a regular fax machine. In the bahamas it was a regulare fax machine, but I don't know the origin. Some guy could have copied one from an actual machine and just faxed it.

Check out this link I found

http://www.blackcatsystems.com/radio/fax.html

....Unless your seriously going to be doing some big time sailing I would stick to the weather channel, your local weather-casters and these couple of websites....

I wish I had your budget - didn't you just buy a new sail?

http://www.noaa.gov/
www.weather.com
www.intellicast.com

or you might be able to find area specific stuff like this

http://superior.eng.ohio-state.edu/forecast/erie/noframes/all.html

D. Wolff - "The Flying Wasp" #401 sr/sk
Chief Measurer C-25/250 National Assn.
<img src="http://www.flags.com/dreamimages/Flags/measurer.jpg" border=0>

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2003 : 16:32:22

The real weatherfax that cruisers use is broadcast free of charge on Marine Single Sideband radio (SSB). I have a $250 Radio Shack DX-398 receiver which works fine for voice and data plus gets all the ham channels and shortwave, AM/FM, etc.

You connect the data port on your radio to a serial port on your computer. Weatherfax software then is used to receive the fax. You can not use your built in fax software, you need a demodulator. You can get the whole thing for about $90 (plus the receiver - make sure it has a data port). Faxes are transmitted several times per day and are available on several different SSB frequencies. The best software will pick the best frequency for the time of day.

In my opinion, you don't really need any of this. At home, all the information is available from the National Weather Service web pages. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ Click around until you find your area.

At sea, if you are out of range of your VHF weather (unlikely in a C25) then simply use your Marine SSB receiver and tune into the NWS offshore weather forecasts. Unlike VHF, which plays continually in a loop, the Offshore Marine SSB plays at certain times of the day. Reeds Nautical Alminac will list the time and frequencies for your area.

You need to listen to this broadcast very carefully, I used earphones with a chart and a acetate overlay or notepad plus pen in hand. They will say something like this:

"North of 33, West of 119 seas 6 to 8 and SE winds over 35 building to 9 to 12 and NE winds 35 to 40" All those kinds of statements can go by real fast. You have to develop a shorthand for recording the relevant info for your area.

In my year long cruise, I always had the offshore weather, and most people called us on the VHF or came by for a report since I was up at 6:30 listening (while they were sleeping). Many people with weatherfax never got them to work, or they worked intermitently.

In the Bahamas, on most Cays, someone broadcasts the VHF weather from Miami or Nassau once or twice a day on Channel 16. When you are cruising, your VHF is on 16 all the time (it is your phone). They'll say something like "eather for Highborne Cay on (VHF) 12 in 5 minutes". You switch over and listen to a local person repeat the national forecast.

Indiscipline 1978 FK #398

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2003 : 08:07:51

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>In the Bahamas, on most Cays, someone broadcasts the VHF weather from Miami or Nassau once or twice a day on Channel 16. When you are cruising, your VHF is on 16 all the time (it is your phone). <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

What I thought was amazing in the Bahamas was channel 16 was your telephone, your email service, your weather...some advertising, your fishing report, the amber alert and the news all rolled into one.

Jimmy Jones, you have an email that you can pick up at the Conch Inn in Marsh Harbor. Tommy Hawk, you have a package at the local diner.

etc. etc. etc.

D. Wolff - "The Flying Wasp" #401 sr/sk
Chief Measurer C-25/250 National Assn.
<img src="http://www.flags.com/dreamimages/Flags/measurer.jpg" border=0>

Edited by - on

77Gypsy
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
356 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2003 : 13:45:31

i actually can't affored most things i mention on this forum, i was just dat dreaming about the "some day" when i can do som real blue water sailing

Steve
78 C25 SR/FK - Gypsy

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

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.