SSB now what software for the wx email?

[trouville]

Now all the posts about adding a ssb to the invenerary, what can we do with one once installed??
What soft ware is there to veiw sat images for weather? And to decoad RTTY for hamburg transmissions? also CW send receive soft ware???
What about soft ware to do away with pactor for email??? dose it exist yet?

What soft ware is available to go with an SBB radio and dedicated laptop?? In my case i want to use my old compaq with wim98 and 500meg prossesor.Other wise it wont get used.

Whats out there???

 

[npf1]

have a look at www.ocens.com. I've got their Weatherstation product and am considering the OcensMail service too. Pretty impressed with the Weatherstation as it seems more advanced and professioanl than others that I've seen.

 

[davidbains]

That's an interesting site nfp1.
What are the charges like once you've paid for the software.
I've also got an old Toshiba with Win98 dicarded by my family.
Might as well be on the boat!
David.

 

[npf1]

if just using the Weatherstation product, there are no other charges to get weatherfax via SSB or to get satellite pictures etc over the internet. They have another service that provides a whole host of different weather info on a pay per use - I'm not considering this but their email compression software service could be useful/cost effective to use with the sat phone for while doing the planned atlantic crossing.

 

[brett01]

Goto www.globalmarinenet.net - they are GRIB file service we have been using for a few years and find it very accurate - we do not use their software but the free software viewfax and unzip available from www.ssca.org.
RTTY and weatherfax via HF is available everywhere and there are lots of free programmes available - we use one that utilises the sound card of the taptop. Most incorporate Navtex as well in the package.

We used the GRIB files successfully and accuratelyin the med, north sea, baltic and now across the Atalantic. Friends who last year crossed the pacific were not as enthusiastic for the southern parts.

 

[Benbow]

For the poor benighted souls struggling with windows-based systems, the 3 most commonly used for weather fax, RTTY, navtex etc, and the 3 I have played with are seaTTY, jvcomm and meteoscan
I liked seaTTY for its simplcity and ease of use - (I had to set up a system for others to use and this was by far the easiest to explain!), JVComm was nice for most things, I hated meteoscan.

All much cheaper than the ocems system and demo versions readily available.

If you had a mac you could use MultiMode which is very nice.

 

[Robin]

Agree entirely. We have all 3, SeaTTY, JVComms32 and Meteoscan all are available to download free as demo versions, but we use and have registered SeaTTY which is simple, clear, very effective and cheap. Meteoscan are so determined you should not use the demo version they obliterate most of the picture and blank out lines of text in RTTY, stupid IMO becaue it meant I couldn't test it and just went for the other two. JVComms is also good and is useable in demo form, it prints 2 strips of 'demo' text either side of the fax page and it doesn't drop or blank out text in RTTY. But SeaTTY is superb and is used by us for 1st choice, though sometimes I run JVComms simultaneously to see if one is doing better than the other in making less errors in text.

 

[trouville]

Ive just downloaded seatty mmtty and a free cw download and will copy the jfax when i can find a better (faster connection) I havent tried them yet but they seem to be just waiting for a signal!

One INTERESTING POINT: to look at them i downloaded them to my fast new laptop then i tried copying the files to a hard disc memory stick id just formated, i then pluged it in to my old compaq hopeing to simply transfer the files and save a download again---to my amazement not only could i do that but the programs work from the memory stick!!!That means they can be passed on offline and used on any machine!!!
Hope this helps someone unconected out there

 

[Robin]

When you try the first weatherfax you will need to calibrate the software to match your computer, otherwise the pic is slanted either a bit or completely skewed so it looks like an old TV with the horizontal hold gone! The instructions are there in the help files but it isn't blindingly obvious if you have a really bad pic, once you have done it once it seems easy. I had a lot of trouble initially until some kind soul on here gave me their settings to try as a start point, after which it was easy. If you have a problem, in the configuration panel on JVComms there is a figure for 'Data Rate', this is changed by the 'slant' adjustment I talked about above. Ours when corrected reads 11101.770 so if you have a problem, try this as a start point to get the fax comng through then fine adjust as instructed by JVComms (it's a click/drag thing). Once adjusted for JVComms it worked straight away for SeaTTY.

Have fun and remember to tune the SSB to -1.8 below the freq quoted for the station.

 

[Sea Devil]

once you have your ssb with a pactor 3 modem you just join SAILMAIL - that solves the email problem and part of the deal is you can select weather charts for any area of your choosing - you put in the lat and long and out come the grip file weather charts - I still think it is a great deal for the $250 pa charge and no extra for how ever many emails you send or receive or charts you download..

 

[trouville]

I just spent the afternoon trying to set up seatty and tried mmtty and jvfax. I tried 10100 for the rtty WX and other rtty transmissions, i tried as well CW nothing! Then i took seatty tries 493? and 10100 again and again nothing, then i got out my DSP filter system cleared the signal nothing??
Next i got my coroded MFJ Data reader out last used in 1996!! It took a bit to remember how to set it up, but there weather from hamburg via RTTY, change the feed to my laptop nothing just garbage???
How do i set it up?? i printed out the instructions but dosent help, what should i do to have it working??
If i dident have an ssb and other bits and pieces it would be far cheeper and more effective to buy a sat phone. Last night and this morning again i looked for a qso there really was noone there, that is beyond exchanging a signal report and moveing on. Amature radio has not only become boreing, a desert, but more controled than ever, at least these days if i dont give a call im asked for one, used to be that well into a chat someone may remember to ask for a call,and make a call every quarter hour or less, now its a call at the start and end of every over!!!

How do i set up seatty anyone??please

 

[Stingo]

I know it's been slagged off here but I am a MeteoScan fan. I tried JVComm and couldn't get it working.

Anyway, there are a few things you must get right.
- Tune the SSB 1.9Khz below the published frequency. Look on page 6 of this Weather Fax Schedule for an explaination (paragraph 3).
- Try all the different published frequencies. That evil science called propagation takes its toll on different frequencies at different times of the day.
- You need to sort the "Slant Correction" out. This takes time and can be frustating and varies from PC to PC.
- Depending on your input (try using your PC sound card and a lead from the SSB headphone socket to the microphone plug on your PC) you need to get the volume set is such a way that it is not so loud that it distorts but loud enough for you to hear the signal.

If you're still having problems, send me a PM

 

[trouville]

Pm on route but just now i just want to say that i was reading the CQ CQ CQ and transmition from Hamburg, with my MFJ date reader, so i had the transmition but when i tranfered the output to my laptop i only got rubbish?? i then when i gave up went back to the data reader where the rtty transmition once again was read.
Its just a problem of which vertual button to press i think?
I have i go breifly out to get another wi-fi card--so im once again rushing!! otherwise i can PM you either later or tomorrow? if thats ok?
I will try weather fax as well then though i dont really need it rtty and Radio France do nicly still fun to find a use for my laptop!!!

 

[Robin]

Oh dear I think I hear the sounds of frustration like I had when getting it going!

It is difficult to diagnose what is wrttong without being there to see the results but points to note/try:-

Firstly tune the frquency to the one quoted for the station minus 1.8.

Connect the SSB ext speaker to the mic input on the laptop via a mono lead.

On JVComm there is a configuration form to complete to tell it how you are connected to the laptop. (in the file menu)

Can you hear the radio output OK over the laptop speaker, you should be able to.

You need to adjust the mic volume on the laptop so you can hear it but so it is also not too loud and distorts, from memory JVComms has an audio display which helps you to adjust the volume, but SeaTTY seems less fussy.

OK when the signal starts you will hear a tone and see that on the software oscilliscope type display screen. With SeaTTY you can move (drag) the freq band guides to put the peak dead centre. With SeaTTY set the squelch on to stop interference giving rubbish text and 'clear the buffer' under file menu to get rid of any existing rubbish. Once transmission starts it should print OK. If no transmissions at the expected time try the other frequencies.

In fax mode the same applies, you should be able to hear the radio through the laptop speakers and you again tune 1.8 below the quoted freq. Fax transmission will start once the start signal is recd from the transmitter or you can tell it to start manually. The difference with Fax is you have to adjust the 'slant' to correct the recd pic, and if that is really way out it may not be obvious there is even a pic there! Hence the fig for data rate I gave you to enter as a start point, it may be wrong for your computer but that works on mine and was very close to one given me by someone else when I was getting desperate!

Good luck.

 

[jerryat]

Hi Trouville!

Sounds like you're having the same problems most have setting up the software initially. I use JVComm32 and get superb pictures/RTTY even using my little Sangean tranny. If it's any help, here are the settings I use for JVComm32 (for Wefax):

FAX DATA SETTINGS

JVCOMM 32


Click ‘File’

Click ‘Configuration’

Click ‘Miscellaneous’

Insert in ‘Data Rate: 11077.422


Interface type: Sound card

Port: None

Baud rate: 115200

TX Rate offs: 0.000

Sound card select: Maestro Mixer (or whatever your sound cards name is)

SSTV: Mic

FM/TTY: Mic

AM: Mic

External mixer control: NOT checked

---------------------

As others have said, make sure you tune to circa 1.9khz below the scheduled frequency. You will only have to set up your programme once (once working, record the details in case you change computers etc) and then you can forget it.
Please note that the 'data rate' may differ a bit from the one I show, since this is changes (slightly) from computer to computer. It should, however, get you a readable picture that you can 'fine tune' as clearly detailed in the Fax Help section of the instructions.

Hope this helps, but PM me if you still encoounter problems and I'll see if I can help you sort it out.

Cheers
Jerry