Listening to weatherfaxes

I have a Yaesu FT-897.

Th eproblem may be local interference, but it seems unlikely to totally silence everything. I don't know anything about your set, but if you are getting the BBC strongly then it is probably OK. Have you tried slinging up a few meters of wire as an antenna?

Can you hear all the ham radio chatter around 14. 150 to 14.250 MHz. I am listening right now to a station in zimbabwe taling to a UK station.
 
Yours is a serious looking bit of kit !. Thanks again. Seems my problem is either interference or aerial inadequacy or both. I have a simple external aerial on order and will have another go with that. Thanks so much for your help. I cant pick up the ham chatter at those frequencies. Mind if we keep in touch ?.
 
When I used weatherfax I had an Icom PCR1000 with a telescopic aerial about 1 metre long. Trying to run it without the weatherfax software I never managed to hear the fax being broadcast. With the software, which controlled the Icom, I never had a problem until I changed computers and operating system.

It seems that what you are trying to do is not easy, but I suspect that your aerial is adequate. I believe that this is quite a strong signal.
 
I very much sympathise with your problem: I too have been frustrated for years, never being able to receive anything! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I tried with the NASA and a couple of different world-band receivers, I tried with external wire-antennas: nothing!!

Now I have an SSB transceiver with a Pactor modem, and I can get all the weatherfaxes I have ever dreamed of (Northwood included, despite the Alps being in the way): even more frustrating!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

A lot of people apparently manage to get a decent reception from low-cost radios, so it can be done. Not by me, that is!

Strongly suspect a good aerial can make a lot of a difference.
 
Interesting point. I have never tried with a 'domestic' type receiver, but I had thought they were often used.

You can get general coverage receivers that are _much_ cheaper than a full blown transceiver and should every bit as good on receive. The one I have successfully used on a boat in the past is the Yeasu FRG-100. This is an old model and I don't know what the modern equivalent is, but you still find them on ebay for under $100.

I hope you succeed CentaurPipeDream, I am watching with interest the palm-based system. Give me a shout if I can be of help.
 
I was told not to buy a yaesu becouse of poor audio quatity?Someone that had had one changed the mike. Also it needs the filters changeing,altogether would make it more expensive than a 706??Thats what i was told

What is your impresion of it so far? How good is the receiver?Do you use it with JVfax?
 
Have used both cheep domestic world recievers and expensive Ham kit both yaesu and icom all will work, however antenna issues are huge. All the domestic systems had to have time spent playing with antenna setups. The Ham systems were te same but I was starting from a different point.

As for yaesu having poor audio I wonder why they are and have been one of the most popular Ham choices for years.
 
I am not sure which set you are talking about. Both the FRG-100 receiver and the FT-897 transceiver have very acceptable audio output. I use an external bhi DSP speaker which helps a lot with very weak signals by cutting down the background. It certainly is not hifi quality and I have not compared it to an icom, but it is not an issue for me.

Or do you mean transmit audio quality? If so, all I can say is I have had no complaints!

I use SeaTTY for fax etc,.

I like the FT-897 very much. But if I was to buy again for use on a boat I would go for the smaller 857. One thing I do like about it is that it seems very immune to external RF noise compared to other sets (although I have not done a side by side comparison). But I have heard that both the DSP and SSB filter options make a big improvement to the 857 and, as you say, they are expensive.
 
I think the problem may be just that the Sangean is not good enough to work in poor situations.
I just managed with a Sony SW55 at sea but you need a lot of patience for wefax. Much easier with a Ham or Marine radio and an external aerial is a must. The SW55 would not pick wefax from it's telescopic aerial, only when connected to a backstay. Trouble is, even when you have your grainy chart, you're not a professional meteorologist, and in the Med at least local effects can be more important. It's hard to beat Navtex and RTTY from dedicated automated receivers.
 
If id had the money i would have done exctly what you did and boughgt the FT 897.At first and even now the FT875 looked the better option and a good £100 less the 897 just looked really good!!Becouse of my financial constraints it would have been the 875 with built in DPS.

It was while i was on air(my kenwood 140s gave up rcently)i asked others what they thought one had the 875 but wasent useing He advised against it!!As did several in a group becouse of the audio output tireing to listen to was said

I found in the mean time an 1com 706 mk1(which drifts) for £100!!For some reason it was sold before i got there?If i dont find anything i will buy the 875 for data as its now legal to use HF to send and receive internet through a third party station.

Im now inscribed with the experiment includeing PC "pactor3" and at the moment its running at 28800bps and we have unlimmeited use but i think im asked to restrict use to 45mins a day?? If that catches on then SSB use will vastly increase in the med??Unless everone is just so well off they rather keep sat phones.

I have a sony SW55 which i used to use for weather and music but they are very fragile!!Mine got a few drops of water from a leak and is broken,£20 paid to send it to sony who said it had got wet and wouldent fix it.only rason it dident go overboard as my Lowe 150 did is becouse it was just as expensive but smaller!

Dose anyone have a current program for PDAs PPCs weather fax/ rtty???
 
[ QUOTE ]
Im now inscribed with the experiment includeing PC "pactor3" and at the moment its running at 28800bps and we have unlimmeited use but i think im asked to restrict use to 45mins a day??

[/ QUOTE ]

Please tell me more. I was aware of people developing systems for pactor2/3 without the stupidly expensive modem. Has it got to the test stage ? It would be absolutely fantastic if it works.
 
I have to read more about the whole thing,at the moment there are stations where the amatare radio rules can change to refect whats wanted by the group and not just a committe as you have in the UK! Now stations have been set up that allow those registered to acsses the internet via a third party (albeit atomaticaly at a hut in a field next to an antenna farm for it)

I use 70.40.5 and14102 at the moment its ment for email i suppose as that can be sent and received by a client and dosent block the transmitters for so long,but you can post hear by going off line then logging in to send and get replys be email as is normal hear

My biggest problem is that i have only a compact boat so the ten tec im useing is to big!!I desperatly need a new small rig!!As for the softwear im told ist pactor 3 PC but it might be something different that checks the packets just as fast as pactor3??

I will have to read more about it!I should know far more other than it works!Im sure pactor3 PC will get to the UK albeit slowly!Anywhere outside the EEC is the place to look for anything radical,inside the EEC is a disaster!As the EEC knows best and legislates on everything or bans it ie Tar banned by an EEC mistake!

As soon as i know where you can get it ill let you know!Otherwise its experimental as it works i suppose it will be released unless theres a danger of copyright or EEC rules?????It may even be that its forbiden in EEC to use a third party to access the internet???

An FT 875 would be nice,i wish i had more money! Also RTTY/weather fax for Palm or PPC would be nice!
 
All HF weatherfax transmissions are on USB which require tuning 2kHz below the centre (carrier) published frequency.

If you PM me with an email address I can send mp3 files of the sound of the start and end of a Northwood weatherfax. However, you are likely to get better reception from Offenbach as they use more powerful transmitters.
 
Ah yes! But that old Hp has another operating system /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I found one on ebay for sale!!I just WISH that dell or HP had adoped that size format with the latest OS and 624 processor and perhaps a small HDD as palmlife has,Laptops are just topower hungry and current PPCs just to small for every use!!

A 7 inch standard dvd wide screen player as a PDA wonderful power freindly intant start 7 inch laptop 19v power hungry and a bit expensive £400 to £600
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top