franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Has anyone used this recently? The Saildocs system works for texts of forecasts but I get no reply to a GRIB request. I have written to their help address but no reply. Very odd.
Saildocs GRIB email service
- Thread starter franksingleton
- Start date
GHA
Well-Known Member
Use it every day, automated to send the request every 6 hours to query@saildocs.com then save the email attachment grib file to dropbox so the latest grib file is always available, haven't noticed any errors.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Thank you. I seem to have a problem with one of my email accounts.
[70521]
Well-Known Member
I use the email service to get the UK shipping forecast, just need to work out how I get that and the inshore one to the same email account.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Sandy, I assume that you are using the Saildocs texts retrieval Ie you send an email with message "send URL"
Go to the Met O Mobile https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/mobile page, hit the sandwich, top LHS, fhsn marine, the URL you need is https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/mobile/marine/inshore-waters. Although the IW forecast is on another page, for some obscure reason that page cannot be used by the Saildocs facility.
GHA
Well-Known Member
This works >>
To: query@saildocs.com
Subject: (anything)
(In body of message)
send https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/marine/print/inshore-waters-forecast
-------------------
Replies within a second or so sending an email with the inshore forecast in the body of the message (not an attachement)
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/marine/print/high-seas-forecast for high seas forecast.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
OK. Having seen GHA's post, I now see that the Met O has changed its mind on letting forecast pages be used by Saildocs. The Mobile versions simply give a tidier version. I now await Meteo France following suit as their Navimail service no longer works.
GHA
Well-Known Member
Very much agree with your previous efforts to get GMDSS related data to be available via fixed IP addresses, they seem to chop and change sometimes, both MET office & NOAA. Bit of a pain. I've used some python code running online on pythonanywhere before to copy the latest ice images from a site then save them lower resolution with a fixed address for easier download, but bit of a faff and not really the sort of thing yer average sailor will be doing pre long offshore passage.
[70521]
Well-Known Member
Thanks both. I am trying to get both forecasts using the same email address, for some reason it does not work for me. I suspect the server has a one to one relationship with the address.
An option is I set up two email addresses and each one requests a diffrent forecast.
An option is I set up two email addresses and each one requests a diffrent forecast.
GHA
Well-Known Member
Just tried 3 different gmail addresses with no problems, either in thunderbird or via the web. Separate email sent for each page you want to get emailed back.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
I can use the Saildocs service for GRIB and text retrieval with my mailasail and iCloud email addresses successfully. For some reason my gmail address does not work. But I will check again about the latter.
Martin_J
Well-Known Member
I came across troubles a few years ago requesting GRIB files via email to the boat gmail account but it was whilst out sailing and using gmail via Iridium. Turns out it was the gmail part that was the issue since it had changed to https/secure type connection and I needed to check (or un-check) some security box within the Iridium dialer. (But that's all vague memories and I've not had Iridium airtime through which to test since).
Back to this question - Is it specifically Saildocs that you have to use or would you be open to retrieving GRIB via gmail email from elsewhere?
If the latter then how about from
free-grib-files-provided-by-global-marine-networks
An email with your request in the subject line still seems to get a response with an attached GRIB file within seconds.
Back to this question - Is it specifically Saildocs that you have to use or would you be open to retrieving GRIB via gmail email from elsewhere?
If the latter then how about from
free-grib-files-provided-by-global-marine-networks
An email with your request in the subject line still seems to get a response with an attached GRIB file within seconds.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that, you have updated my knowledge of GMN. My acquaintance with GMN goes right back to the early 2000s when they started up using WW3 winds. They claimed these were superior and more efficient than GFS because WW3 only calculated surface weather and did not calculate its model right throughout the atmosphere. I had to put them right on that nonsensical description. They also used a GRIB viewer that rounded wind speeds down to the nearest 5 knots; 9.5 knots appeared as 5 knots on wind vectors.
I used to include GMN on my http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Grib-Files-Getting-And-Using pages. But, for a while, access to their GRIB service seemed, to me at least, to become difficult for anyone not a contributor to their no doubt good marine communications services. I dropped them.
They now seem to have tried to make their loss leader service more user friendly. Undoubtedly, they must have some good points. For example see http://www.globalmarinenet.com/free-grib-file-downloads/ where you can get a pre-selected area forecast by instant download. These open in my XyGrib viewer. On the other hand, their custom area email request system seems rather complex. I realise that it does depend on how much and how often you use the system. To me it seems far more complex when I compare GMN instructions with my http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Saildocs-Free-Grib-Files but, of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder. An alternative to both Saildocs and GMN is to use the MailASail GRIB responder, http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Mailasail-Grib-Responder. It is very much a personal matter of which you prefer.
The GMN service seems only to provide WW3 winds on a 1 x 1.25 degree grid and GFS data on a 1 x 1 degree grid. That is fine for ocean sailing where large-scale patterns are more useful than finer detail. However, the GFS runs on a 0.125 grid and provides data on a 0.25 degree grid. For coastal, cross Channel, North Sea, Biscay, Baltic, Mediterranean type forecasting I really want the finer detail.
If I am wanting even finer detail, I can go down to finer resolutions using COAMPS by email from Saildocs or such as ICON EU for Europe using a direct download.
Perhaps a final general point about GRIB services, I see that GMN charges for some GRIB output as do several other suppliers. Whether you can use direct download or email there is no point whatsoever in paying for any GRIB service. You will not get any better meteorological advice than what is freely available. In fact, I would say that free services are often more useful than the commercial ones. Some users may find that the commercial delivery systems are easier to use. Other users will differ.
I used to include GMN on my http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Grib-Files-Getting-And-Using pages. But, for a while, access to their GRIB service seemed, to me at least, to become difficult for anyone not a contributor to their no doubt good marine communications services. I dropped them.
They now seem to have tried to make their loss leader service more user friendly. Undoubtedly, they must have some good points. For example see http://www.globalmarinenet.com/free-grib-file-downloads/ where you can get a pre-selected area forecast by instant download. These open in my XyGrib viewer. On the other hand, their custom area email request system seems rather complex. I realise that it does depend on how much and how often you use the system. To me it seems far more complex when I compare GMN instructions with my http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Saildocs-Free-Grib-Files but, of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder. An alternative to both Saildocs and GMN is to use the MailASail GRIB responder, http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Mailasail-Grib-Responder. It is very much a personal matter of which you prefer.
The GMN service seems only to provide WW3 winds on a 1 x 1.25 degree grid and GFS data on a 1 x 1 degree grid. That is fine for ocean sailing where large-scale patterns are more useful than finer detail. However, the GFS runs on a 0.125 grid and provides data on a 0.25 degree grid. For coastal, cross Channel, North Sea, Biscay, Baltic, Mediterranean type forecasting I really want the finer detail.
If I am wanting even finer detail, I can go down to finer resolutions using COAMPS by email from Saildocs or such as ICON EU for Europe using a direct download.
Perhaps a final general point about GRIB services, I see that GMN charges for some GRIB output as do several other suppliers. Whether you can use direct download or email there is no point whatsoever in paying for any GRIB service. You will not get any better meteorological advice than what is freely available. In fact, I would say that free services are often more useful than the commercial ones. Some users may find that the commercial delivery systems are easier to use. Other users will differ.
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