SSB to laptop lead/cable

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mattonthesea

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I am now the proud owner of a Target SSB receiver. I was delighted to find that I can download weather to my laptop via a cable. Then I realised that I had no idea how! Can anyone enlighten me or point me to a useful website? It looks like it's a 3.5 jack socket.

Questions: what input to the laptop (USB/RS232?)is required; and do I need any software etc.

Thanks

Then I can find out about frequencies and whether the dialithium crystals are in full phase - oh no, that's the Enterprise!
 
Just an uninformed guess, but I would assume the output from the SSB is sound, therefore you should be looking for the audio in socket on your PC.
 
Yakker55 said:
Just an uninformed guess, but I would assume the output from the SSB is sound, therefore you should be looking for the audio in socket on your PC.
Click to expand...

Correct - the jack plug goes into the Line in (or Mic) input into the sound card.

If you have the HF3/W, you should also have the CD with the supplied software. NASA's website states the following

"TARGET HF3/W
The HF3/W is complete with CD software and interface cable for connection to a PC sound card.
The software enables reception of weatherfax pictures, Radiotelex weather forecasts and Navtex.
Simply install the software, plug in the supplied cable to the receiver output and PC sound card to receive weatherfax pictures and forecasts from around the world."

If you haven't got the software, then Google weatherfax and it should throw up a couple of suitable free software packages (MScan Meteo and WeFAX come to mind).
 
I had exactly the same situation. I solved it by purchasing a mono 3mm to 3mm cable for next to nothing from an electronic suppliers. Apparently you can use stereo so long as you connect the left and right channels together. Anyway, I connected the data out (which is in fact audio out) from the receiver to the mic in on my laptop. I downloaded SeaTTY for free (trial period only have now paid for activation code). Result attached:
album.php
 
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Just watching this thread with interest as I am doing the same thing at the moment. I cannot for the life of me source a mono 3.5mm to 3.5mm male to male jackplug wire!! Any advice on sourcing one would be great!!! Does a stereo wire require any modification or can that be used also/instead? Thanks!!
 
robmcg said:
Just watching this thread with interest as I am doing the same thing at the moment. I cannot for the life of me source a mono 3.5mm to 3.5mm male to male jackplug wire!! Any advice on sourcing one would be great!!! Does a stereo wire require any modification or can that be used also/instead? Thanks!!
Click to expand...

I got mine from Electro Trader in Gosport. Otherwise take a stero one, open up the 3 electrical strands and join the LH and RH ones togeter effetively making them one. Keep the central one (common) insluated from the others. Depending on how it is made, you might be able to open up one of the plugs rather than have an ugly join half way along the flex.
 
I am guessing then that a stereo one isn't a goer without modification then. Not too crash hot on electrical bits and pieces!!!!! I will keep looking. I suppose there isn't much call for mono connections these days!
 
re stereo jack plug


as a few 3-pole PC audio sockets actually have a voltage on the middle contact (I measured between 2.5 and 5v on a few pc), if you connect the Right and Left sides together then you have a short, it is normally taken care of by the sound card but still it may be EM noisy; a better solution imho is to simply cut off the middle conductor of the stereo cable, the one bringing current to the middle section of the audio plug, leaving only the two: ground/body and tip conductors
 
Roberto said:
re stereo jack plug


as a few 3-pole PC audio sockets actually have a voltage on the middle contact (I measured between 2.5 and 5v on a few pc), if you connect the Right and Left sides together then you have a short, it is normally taken care of by the sound card but still it may be EM noisy; a better solution imho is to simply cut off the middle conductor of the stereo cable, the one bringing current to the middle section of the audio plug, leaving only the two: ground/body and tip conductors
Click to expand...
Sorry you lost me!!! Can I just use a stereo connector instead?
 
robmcg said:
Sorry you lost me!!! Can I just use a stereo connector instead?
Click to expand...

sorry: yes you usually can, anyway try it and if the image is ok then there is no problem with a stereo cable :smile:



I had one PC where the image was showing a lot of interference and -among other things- I found that cutting the middle conductor improved things, but if your are happy with the image you get then there is no need to modify the stereo cable
 
I will try a stereo cable and see if it is successful. Roberto, if it isn't a success, then is it OK to pick your brains a bit further on surgery to the wire? I haven't a clue what it even looks like when it goes into a Jack plug. In addition, is it wise to use an extension? What I mean is the ssb receiver is flush mounted and audio runs to a separate external speaker. I want to be a ble to switch between the external speaker and the audio lead for downloading weather faxes. Is it wise to use a 3.5mm female connector and if so should that be mono or stereo or does it not matter? I hope I make sense????????
 
In my experience, stereo cables work fine. A good source for all sorts of bits and pieces like this is Maplins - and unlike most shops the sales staff know what they are talking about!
Somebody mentioned Mscan Meteo - this isn't a free program. Another one to look at is Bonito's RadioCom and Meteocom.
Tim
 
robmcg said:
Just watching this thread with interest as I am doing the same thing at the moment. I cannot for the life of me source a mono 3.5mm to 3.5mm male to male jackplug wire!! Any advice on sourcing one would be great!!! Does a stereo wire require any modification or can that be used also/instead? Thanks!!
Click to expand...

http://www.images2.co.uk/Cable_Leads_Connects/Leads.Interconnects-Including_Jack,_Standard_Grade/3.5mm_MONO_JACK_PLUG_to_3.5mm_MONO_JACK_PLUG,_Interconnects_Lead,_1.2_Metres_BC103000.html

http://cpc.farnell.com/bandridge/ba-bal3001/3-5mm-plug-plug-mono-1m/dp/AV17046

Best one I think!
 
+1 for SeaTTY. With a decent signal it sits there quietly auto-starting and auto-stopping and storing the charts away. It will get the five day text forecast from German weather bureau nicely too. It is worth figuring out the power settings on the pooter that will keep it running but shut the display off after, say 30s. That is worth an Amp by my measurements.

Occasionally laptops (and other shipboard kit like instruments) can emit radio frequency noise that will interfere with HF. If this is the case, and you may not have it, it sometimes shows up as broad, irregular light and dark stripes across the image. One way to minimize this is to clamp a ferrite ring over the audio lead, close by the laptop end. Old computer keyboard leads are a good source of such ferrite rings. It is possible that modern - pooter-oriented audio leads already have one molded in: go for such a model if offered.
 
no wire!

if the SSB loudspeaker is left to talk, and the laptop PC is set to MIC input, you may get a weathermap without ANY WIRE, in extremis, might work, though any onboard noises will come out as bands on the piccy!Good for checking the program out?

Good sailing and boating to all!
 
 
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