Getting weather forecast in Biscay

[Blue Drifter]

I’m going to be crossing Biscay in Jun and would like to be able to get offshore weather forecasts. I have a good modern laptop and a SSB radio (XHDATA D-808 Portable Digital Radio FM stereo/SW/MW/LW SSB RDS Air Band Multi Band Radio). Can anyone recommend a source of offshore weather forecasts that I can obtain using SSB? Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Roberto]

There are several daily voice bulletins on Long/Medium waves: UK shipping forecast (198kHz), France bulletin large (1650 and 2677kHz), Spain alta mar (1677, 1707, 1698, 1764kHz from Coruña and Bilbao), check times of broadcasts as those i have are a bit dated.
With radio + pc you can also decode data and receive weather fax charts and radiotelex bulletins (the latter being a nice way of receiving grib-like forecasts for the area without a transceiver).
The area is very well covered with a number of different forecasts from different sources.

 

[geem]

I’m going to be crossing Biscay in Jun and would like to be able to get offshore weather forecasts. I have a good modern laptop and a SSB radio (XHDATA D-808 Portable Digital Radio FM stereo/SW/MW/LW SSB RDS Air Band Multi Band Radio). Can anyone recommend a source of offshore weather forecasts that I can obtain using SSB? Thanks in anticipation.

In my experience the crossing is about three days. Varies slightly depending on where you leave from. Weather forecasts are pretty reliable three days out. If you leave on a good three day window and the forecast changes half way or two days out, having the latest forecast is unlikely to change what you do. You are unlikely to turn back when so close to Spain. A forecast might provide some comfort or not but little else when actually out there doing it