Atlantic Fleet code weather charts

Roberto

Roberto

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 Jul 2001
Messages
5,848
Location
Lorient/Paris
sybrancaleone.blogspot.com
DOes anyone know if there are other *Fleet Code charts* available to download on the internet ?
I have only found this
http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/fs/fsxx21.egrr..txt

which once decoded becomes

IAC2.jpg


In particular, I am interested in the equatorial/tropical Atlantic areas

*Only Fleet code charts please*, I have all I need with radiofax, internet charts etc. :smile:
 
I've just had a quick look for IAC Fleet Code charts.

As far as I can tell, there is only one zone and there are 4 runs a day. You can download the current Surface analysis and a 24hr synoptic forecast using zyGrib software with the files being about 1.25kb in size !!!!!

A quick search for the 2 files...

http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/fs/fsxx21.egrr..txt
ftp://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/raw/fs/fsxx21.egrr..txt

and

http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/as/asxx21.egrr..txt
ftp://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/raw/as/asxx21.egrr..txt

Hope this helps.
 
Not a lot

not a lot more info, but basically they are very small numeric files which can represent weather charts.
They are particularly handy in case of difficulties in receiving HF weather charts, if one has limites bandwidth: they are 1-2-3kb only which is very easy to download through iridium or SSB Pactor/Winmor; even a modest GRIB file is easily 2-3-4 time bigger and far from providing a comparable overall picture

The file can be decoded through Zygrib, or a WIAC Decoder (just google), or PhysPlot (available from Pangolin.co.nz), all free software.
I could not decode the files above with Physplot for some reason.

The two charts for the Atlantic I am aware of are the same as indicated by markdj (just seen the message), surface analysis and 24h forecast, the weather.noaa.gov directories are so huge to be practically unfathomable so if anyone knows of other direct addresses to other parts of the Atlantic...



There is a Fleet code surface + prog chart for the south pacific too, sent by Fiji, which seems to have a vast following; it can be downloaded directly from sailmail/airmail catalogue; the two files above can be requested through saildocs instead.
 
lenseman said:
If you Google "IAC Fleet Code" you will get loads of info. :)
Click to expand...

thanks David,
I have gone through all possible google search flavours during the last two days but could not find any internet address of other atlantic fleet code charts apart from the two mentioned above


oh yes, I have all the south atlantic through Brazil but lack mid- and north tropical atlantic, so if anyone sees a reference...

:smile:
 
Roberto said:
DOes anyone know if there are other *Fleet Code charts* available to download on the internet ?
I have only found this
http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/fs/fsxx21.egrr..txt

which once decoded becomes

IAC2.jpg


In particular, I am interested in the equatorial/tropical Atlantic areas

*Only Fleet code charts please*, I have all I need with radiofax, internet charts etc. :smile:
Click to expand...

Fleet Code dates back to the days when weather messages were broadcast by morse from Portishead. The mssages were prepared by manual coding of a synoptic chart. I do not know who broadcasts then nowadays. Presumably ALRS will tell you. In the depths of my memory bank, I seem to recollect that New Zealand broadcast such charts on HF/SSB.

Nowadays, they will be on some RTTY broadcasts but not DWD. . I think that they are on INMARSAT-C?
 
franksingleton said:
Fleet Code dates back to the days when weather messages were broadcast by morse from Portishead. The mssages were prepared by manual coding of a synoptic chart. I do not know who broadcasts then nowadays. Presumably ALRS will tell you. In the depths of my memory bank, I seem to recollect that New Zealand broadcast such charts on HF/SSB.

Nowadays, they will be on some RTTY broadcasts but not DWD. . I think that they are on INMARSAT-C?
Click to expand...

thanks Frank [btw, you may remember us, the family at Alcoutim, myself sewing the awning on the pontoon under a 40° sun ?]


indeed I am experiencing a lot of difficulties in finding other sources, I have found this for Brazil which is quite nice, with a 3-4kb file one gets this map (24h forecast), plus the official Metarea V offshore text bulletin (with a 48h forecast), plus the various Brazil coastal areas.
Often one finds "Wind NE to SE 4/5 sometimes 6" which is not too useful, but strong wind warnings and swell warnings are usually rather accurate for what we have seen so far.

IACBrasil.jpg


it's a pity there are not other sources, for those with iridium or ssb a 3kb file with all this info is difficult to beat

regards
roberto
 
Of course we remember you and admiring your stamina in the heat, patience and workmanship. We thought that you had got the design wrong - until we saw the finished article.

Best wishes to you all from Anhinga.

Thanks for the information.
 
Roberto said:
I have found this for Brazil which is quite nice, with a 3-4kb file one gets this map (24h forecast), plus the official Metarea V offshore text bulletin (with a 48h forecast), plus the various Brazil coastal areas.
Often one finds "Wind NE to SE 4/5 sometimes 6" which is not too useful, but strong wind warnings and swell warnings are usually rather accurate for what we have seen so far.
Click to expand...

Roberto,

I'd be very grateful for a link to that S Atlantic chart
 
oldvarnish said:
Roberto,

I'd be very grateful for a link to that S Atlantic chart
Click to expand...

one surface analysis chart can be found here
https://www.mar.mil.br/dhn/chm/meteo/prev/cartas/cartas.htm
it is broadcast by weather fax too (see same site for frequencies and schedule) but for what I have experienced (and I have a not too bad radio station on board) the transmitters are positioned in a strange way (and have not too much power too) and depending on your position you may receive the chart or not... they send the surface analysis and also a +36h wind forecast


then there is what they call "meteoromarinha", a text bulletin with situation, 24h and 48h forecast, the text part
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top