Satphone email and weather.

[oldvarnish]

@GHA - I wonder if you can share any secrets of the SSB world - having carried out a bit of research and following you post here, I bought a Sony SW7600GR (used twice and good price) from eBay as a backup to my Iridium and although the set picks up loads of radio broadcasts on AM I can't find any of the Northwood transmissions at the times they are supposed to be there

Make sure you are listening on USB (upper side band) - there's a switch on the side of the set.

 

[GrahamM376]

I can't find any of the Northwood transmissions at the times they are supposed to be there

IIRC there was a recent post saying Northwood transmissions have stopped.

 

[GHA]

IIRC there was a recent post saying Northwood transmissions have stopped.

Back on again.

 

[Delfini]

I have the Upper SB switch set to ON and twiddling the ATTenuation and moving the set and the antenna - result a bit fat nothing - other than radio 5 etc

I would really like to know (prove) if the radio is OK or not over the next few days - nothing on 10.1Mhz from bedroom - is there anywhere I can try that is SSB text or fax based or can I assume if it picks up radio 5 on AM all is OK and its me or my set up ?

Again apologies for diverting this post but it seemed sensible to stick with it

 

[franksingleton]

If I can separate out the forecasts about which I know a fair amount from the delivery system about which I am far more limited - some comments.

Text of forecasts can be obtained by email in several ways. If you know the URL of a forecast, send an email to query@saildocs.com. Example of text to be sent to be “send http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/mobile/marine/shipping-forecast “ You can send several requests in one email.

This does not work for most French forecasts. For them use Navimail. See http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Mf-Navimail. More complex than the Saildocs version and less robust.

Alternatively you can use the Mailasail Text Responder. This is a free service. No need to be a Mailasail customer. See http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Forecasts-In-Text-Using-Mailasail or click weather@mailasail.com?subject=help-text send the email and details will arrive. This is not a totally comprehensive service.

For charts by email, there is another free Mailasail service. See http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Weather-Charts-From-Mailasail or click on weather@mailasail.com?subject=help-graphic to get details. Charts can come in compressed form ~20 k for one Atlantic chart

Of course there are GRIBs. I would argues that these, especially for a longer look ahead are every bit as good as synoptic charts. For example,

can be received as 6 charts from T=0 to 120 for 50k.

 

[Roberto]

I would really like to know (prove) if the radio is OK or not over the next few days

Try listening to the German DWD trasmitter on Radiotelex, a very strong station: frequencies in kHz 11039, 14467.3, 4583, 7646, 10100.8, it has a lot of activity throughout the 24 hours

they have a very distinctive noise: dit-dit-dit-dit bllbbblllblllblllblbl; if you can't hear it, it is likely your setup need some improvement

 

[Delfini]

Thanks Roberto - nothing on any of those frequencies in my UK south coast home office (except a bit of music on 11039) but will try outside later on - are you in France ?

 

[Roberto]

Thanks Roberto - nothing on any of those frequencies in my UK south coast home office (except a bit of music on 11039) but will try outside later on - are you in France ?

Yes in France; given your location, mine, and that of the transmitter in Germany, you should definitely hear it too.
Depending on the radio, it might be difficult from inside an office or home (lots of interference), or even a town, the best would be to try from an anchorage say at some distance from dense living areas, (or the middle of the countryside if you do not have access to the boat).

 

[franksingleton]

I used to use RTTY when first in the Med in the early 2000s. However, even with low bandwidth systems you can do far better using

• GFS GRIBs via email, zyGrib or UGrib

• Texts of GMDSS forecasts via Saildocs, Navimail (when it works for French forecasts, or the Mailasail text responder

• Compressed synoptic charts via Mailasail chart responder.

 

[Roberto]

I used to use RTTY when first in the Med in the early 2000s. However, even with low bandwidth systems you can do far better using

• GFS GRIBs via email, zyGrib or UGrib

• Texts of GMDSS forecasts via Saildocs, Navimail (when it works for French forecasts, or the Mailasail text responder

• Compressed synoptic charts via Mailasail chart responder.

Hello Frank,

I answered to the poster who was asking how he could test if its portable HF radio receiver was in working order or not, I made the rtty suggestion purely under the portable radio technical *reception* point of view: on long distance all around most of maritime europe, if a portable radio cannot receive the german rtty I doubt it would receive anything else (apart from big HF commercial stations).

all the best
roberto

 

[franksingleton]

Hello Frank,

I answered to the poster who was asking how he could test if its portable HF radio receiver was in working order or not, I made the rtty suggestion purely under the portable radio technical *reception* point of view: on long distance all around most of maritime europe, if a portable radio cannot receive the german rtty I doubt it would receive anything else (apart from big HF commercial stations).

all the best
roberto

Hi, Roberto.

Yes, I realised that was the case. However, I am always aware that sailors are all too often trying to use systems that were sttate of the art 50 years ago. I still see people wanting to use the UK shipping forecast to draw mini-synoptic charts - I wrote a book about that in the 1970s. Times have moved on. Some sailors seem not to know that.

Where are you based? We would like to meet up again. We hope to be cruising W France yet again this year.

Best wishees

 

[GHA]

Hi, Roberto.

Yes, I realised that was the case. However, I am always aware that sailors are all too often trying to use systems that were sttate of the art 50 years ago. I still see people wanting to use the UK shipping forecast to draw mini-synoptic charts - I wrote a book about that in the 1970s. Times have moved on. Some sailors seem not to know that.

I think there's definitely still room for both, DWD rtty on 10.1Mhz can give useful detailed localised forecasts when on passage in the Baltic/North sea and out of range of mobile phone. And wfax is an excellent resource to have well off shore, very useful "big picture" synoptics without eating away at the sat phone data or running the ssb/ham radio more than is needed for some small file size local area gribs, plus being recieve only you're in with a chance of getting something readable if propagation is so bad that Hf radio struggles or the sat phone is having an off day. Having options is a good thing
And not exactly going to break the bank either..

 

[oldvarnish]

I used to use RTTY when first in the Med in the early 2000s. However, even with low bandwidth systems you can do far better using

• GFS GRIBs via email, zyGrib or UGrib

• Texts of GMDSS forecasts via Saildocs, Navimail (when it works for French forecasts, or the Mailasail text responder

• Compressed synoptic charts via Mailasail chart responder.

All agreed, Frank. But the issue arises when out of internet range. Satellite time is v expensive, HF is free.

 

[franksingleton]

GHA and Old Varnish

Obviously, I accept what you say. However, I would point out that email is possible over HF. I know that it involves paying a shore station but many blue water sailors use Sailmail at relatively low cost. That means that GRIBs are readily and cheaply available, as are text messages and compressed synoptic charts.

I have shown this image before

The T=0 plus 5 charts out to T=120 hours can be received for about 50 k.

In the longer term, satellite phone use will come down in price but, as you say, not yet. Given the increasing use of new technology one problem is the reluctance of bodies such as IMO and national weather service’s to accept the fact and modify their thinking and practices accordingly. I wrote in Navigation News about this some while ago – see http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Gmdss-What-Is-The-Future.

 

[GHA]

With reference to the OP "what for you use", I don't think it's an either/or question. On a bluewater boat with the low cost of an SSB reciever the choice is more like SSB reciever or ssb reciever *and* Hf radio/satphone. Then you have the choice of saving power /data costs offshore recieving weather faxes. (or rtty, navtex)

 

[Delfini]

Exactly so - as per above I have a satphone and plan to get grib files and emails and such over the Iridium network from sailmail or xgate or iNavx or whoever but as I am planning a trans Atlantic later this year I wanted a backup - an ssb portable receiver seemed a good option - perhaps with an iPad app from BlackCat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ad7I87vo6E

Hopefully it will all work out fine just as soon as I can get a decent signal

 

[GHA]

Keep at it, it's always better afloat with nothing much nearby. This is through a ham radio but a little reciever can do just as well ignore the frequency, it's actually 8038MHZ usb

 

[Allan]

Keep at it, it's always better afloat with nothing much nearby. This is through a ham radio but a little reciever can do just as well ignore the frequency, it's actually 8038MHZ usb

Many thanks for that, I've just had a look on Youtube and I will probably give my HF radio another try. Is there an idiots guide with antenna requirements, frequencies, coverage areas etc?
Allan

 

[GHA]

Many thanks for that, I've just had a look on Youtube and I will probably give my HF radio another try. Is there an idiots guide with antenna requirements, frequencies, coverage areas etc?
Allan

If it's just a reciever then the antenna is whatever works really, on a grp boat a shroud could work as well as anything, more just a wire on a halyard. Google rfax.pdf for worldwide weatherfax frequencies.

 

[Delfini]

Thanks to all and to conclude my involvement - I am now happy that the HF Radio Fax technique will work as a weather backup (even though I have not seen (or heard) first hand evidence just yet) and having received an email from Northwood yesterday confirming their transmissions are still being broadcast I am taking the Sony radio down to the boat to give it a try using shrouds or backstay as an aerial

Northwood suggest sending them an email just before our passage to check transmissions are still being broadcast, which suggests the service might not be guaranteed forever - but there are plenty of alternatives