GRIB on an Iridium satphone

[Biscayan]

I am looking the easiest way to download GRIB files on a satphone (not an Iridium Go!). Can anyone provide advice?

I read about the Redport using PredictWind, but I do not know how well this system will work. Any user?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sumara of Weymouth]

Yes, this is possible. If you use Mailasail as your email provider they will give you all the instructions for receiving Grib files for your specific areas. If you need ice charts this is a bit more tricky as someone will need to reduce the chart to a Giff file of 50 kb or lower. There is an instruction sheet of how to achieve this here.
Be aware that Windows 10 will try to automatically update your laptop over the sat phone, which is not a good idea! There is a "Redbox" available to avoid this (again Mailasail) or you can use an ancient laptop operating Windows XP which doesn't suffer the same problem.

 

[lustyd]

Windows doesn’t auto update on connections marked as metered and in fact it automatically marks connections as metered if they are slow or meet various other criteria. You can manually mark them as metered and it’ll go as far as stopping Outlook trying to download email until you tell it to go ahead.
Windows is pretty clever these days. Don’t use unsupported versions like XP, the virus you get will consume all the bandwidth.

 

[Martin_J]

You mentioned in a previous thread that you might have a laptop connected.

One way to reduce traffic (and prevent it dialing out unnecessarily) is to use Windows firewall and only allow the one mail program out.

Have two firewall profiles (rulesets)... one for when Internet connected and the other for when offshore and on Iridium. Swap them manually in windows. I might find better instructions for this another day.

Have an email account that doesn't get junk mail (and a spare account in reserve).

To receive a grib for a specific area, with specific resolution it is possible just by sending one brief email. Half a minute later you will receive the grib file by mail. You can set to be received on a schedule but if you don't download for a few days, you'll have more email building up.

Try sending an email with blank subject line to gmngrib at globalmarinenet dot net

You will receive an email with instructions.

I have used this method offshore and with a quick dial, email send... wait a minute.. then a minute later and you'll have a small grib file in your inbox.

There may be better methods but rather than spending money on services, compression hardware etc we found that hardly any data/airtime was used each time.

You receive an email like this



Oh and you need to be able to extract the bz2 file but your laptop should be able to do that.

 

[Martin_J]

It looks like I used the Binisoft firewall to ensure nothing else on the boat computer dialled out.. Then changed profiles when back near land.

A few more instructions on this thread..

Satphone choices...

And it looks like the windows firewall control was done using this one.. (and Binisoft is now part of MalwareBytes)

Windows Firewall Control

 

[Laser310]

For years i used an iridium handset - the 9505 and 9555- to download grib and other forecasts.

you can also get surface analyses and forecasts with the handset.

i used email - typically Xgate, not mail a sail, but they are pretty similar.

i don't use exgate email anymore - they got bought out - but i use ocens now instead.

the hardest part of the whole thing is installing the handset as a modem on your laptop - the xgate and ocens software make this easy, and i assume mail a sail does as well.

I never had a problem with other programs or windows update finding the connection and using it. I even bought an optimizer with firewall to guard against this, but in the end decided i didn't need it, as i didn't see any difference, and stopped using it.

the connection is only open while you are doing your download, and it's very slow.

I wouldn't worry about it.

However, with "broadband" connections like inmarsat and vsat.., it's more important to guard against other programs using the bandwidth.

 

[lustyd]

With the exception of Starlink, of course, which is proper broadband and unlimited near shore or $2/GB offshore so not an issue at all.