SW HF and SSB Radio

[Daverw]

Don’t forget that the HF frequencies are very condition dependant especially upper atmosphere, sun spots, solar winds etc this is part of the fun or the challenge. They call this opening up and can be for hours or minutes or not at all, nothing like VHF with predictability. with HF signals you are bouncing them of ionosphere and back down, this is also why you can not year anything within 100 miles but can from over 2000 miles away or more

 

[Ship'sCat]

You could get a HF HAM radio, not plug the mic in so not transmit and use it as a receiver only, you then get all the functions you would need

noted - thanks.

 

[Ship'sCat]

Don’t forget that the HF frequencies are very condition dependant especially upper atmosphere, sun spots, solar winds etc this is part of the fun or the challenge. They call this opening up and can be for hours or minutes or not at all, nothing like VHF with predictability. with HF signals you are bouncing them of ionosphere and back down, this is also why you can not year anything within 100 miles but can from over 2000 miles away or more

it is some three weeks since I acquired the set and typically across the whole SW spectrum I receive just about three broadcasting stations each night from places in Spain, France, Portugal and sometimes a language I can't identify sounding like Arabic, and maybe an Eastern European one. In other words, the broadcasts received are quite few and far between in SW even before I flip the SSB switch. Maybe it is to do also with where I live - will go into the countryside with a wire antenna soon methinks.

 

[Daverw]

doing it in the evening may be part of the problem, try in the morning, dont forget you are listening and it’s their conditions and time zone that matters as well. HAMs follow the sun set and sun rise times for areas they want to contact, can lead to some very late nights or early mornings.

 

[Bilgediver]

Have you tried tuning to 4608 USB . If nothing is heard then leave it there for at least 20 minutes. This is the frequency for Northwood weather fax. I can pick it up most of the daytime here but maybe if you are down in the home counties it could be difficult. This can be resolved on a computer using the Seatty Software in as mentioned and linked in the first of my mails here in page 1 of the thread. For further information on weather fax stations then the USA published frequency list for ships is as below.

If you load Seatty into your computer you may need help to get started however a PM to myself or post here should bring help.
The UK fax station times are on the last page of the publication but many more to try for.

Don't give up if all you get is a black page.. Well soon have you receiving something. I have run Seatty on everything from Win 3.1 to windows 10

Noaa Fax Directory.

https://www.weather.gov/media/marine/rfax.pdf

 

[Ship'sCat]

Have you tried tuning to 4608 USB . If nothing is heard then leave it there for at least 20 minutes. This is the frequency for Northwood weather fax. I can pick it up most of the daytime here but maybe if you are down in the home counties it could be difficult. This can be resolved on a computer using the Seatty Software in as mentioned and linked in the first of my mails here in page 1 of the thread. For further information on weather fax stations then the USA published frequency list for ships is as below.

If you load Seatty into your computer you may need help to get started however a PM to myself or post here should bring help.
The UK fax station times are on the last page of the publication but many more to try for.

Don't give up if all you get is a black page.. Well soon have you receiving something. I have run Seatty on everything from Win 3.1 to windows 10

Noaa Fax Directory.

https://www.weather.gov/media/marine/rfax.pdf

Thanks for this and I will try that frequency when I can get away from my home which seems to produce interference. Incidentally, as I mentioned above, my set doesn't have a particular marked as USB. It just has SSB - I hope this doesn't make any difference.

I haven't even reached the stage of reading anything on my computer or phone yet, as I am haven't managed to pick up any bleeps and warbling anywhere on my set. So far the best I have managed is some morse code, again today, at 10115. This is all terribly interesting, though.

 

[Daverw]

This is all terribly interesting, though.

O dear, you are getting close to the slippery slope to HAM radio, this is how many start, I know I did, talking to others is the easy bit
morse code gets through most stuff which is why people still use it, the digital stuff is very good and the microwave stuff is still cutting edge, read up on moon bouncing if you really want to see the lengths some are going to

 

[Bilgediver]

Thanks for this and I will try that frequency when I can get away from my home which seems to produce interference. Incidentally, as I mentioned above, my set doesn't have a particular marked as USB. It just has SSB - I hope this doesn't make any difference.

I haven't even reached the stage of reading anything on my computer or phone yet, as I am haven't managed to pick up any bleeps and warbling anywhere on my set. So far the best I have managed is some morse code, again today, at 10115. This is all terribly interesting, though.

If your radio has SSB and no apparent choice between USB and LSB then it is most likely it is USB which is what is used by most commercial stations as the main users of LSB are hams on frequencies of 7MHZ and lower.

Could you confirm what radio you are using.

 

[Ship'sCat]

I can confirm that the radio is a Roberts R 9914 portable. I saw a youtube video of a similar portable set with a mobile phone adjacent with a weather fax taking shape on its screen and got interested. At about 2.30pm today I got very clear weather fax type signals at 7880 (which I believe is Hamburg) and 10100 (origin of which I am not sure of). Nothing as yet at 4608. This after I left my house and went away from buildings. When the weather clears I am taking my new 15m wire antenna into the garden.

At the back of my mind is the prospect of raising the mast on my 23 foot yacht in the Spring in which case I need to take a view on whether I should incorporate idolaters in the backstay for future HF use, thinking that I may venture further out sometime. I am interested to hear that some people manage by raising a thin wire up their signal halyard as a possible alternative..

 

[GHA]

How someone else is doing it >
RTTY-HF-RTL-SDR

 

[Roberto]

For reception, no need to insert insulators at all, keep your backstay in one piece and raise a piece of wire with a spare halyard, or attach/wound it on a fishing rod a few meters long.
Just for info, for *transmission* (a different thing altogether), one of the antennas I have is a length of electrical wire inserted in the inside of a three strand rope, which is then hoisted tight and provides the mechanical strength.

I need to take a view on whether I should incorporate idolaters in the backstay for future HF use, thinking that I may venture further out sometime. I am interested to hear that some people manage by raising a thin wire up their signal halyard as a possible alternative..

 

[GHA]

Maybe one to have a go at listening to on wedsdr---
Eastern Caribbean Basin: SSB Coconut Telegraph to Resume November 9 | Noonsite

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I can confirm that the radio is a Roberts R 9914 portable. I saw a youtube video of a similar portable set with a mobile phone adjacent with a weather fax taking shape on its screen and got interested. At about 2.30pm today I got very clear weather fax type signals at 7880 (which I believe is Hamburg) and 10100 (origin of which I am not sure of). Nothing as yet at 4608. This after I left my house and went away from buildings. When the weather clears I am taking my new 15m wire antenna into the garden.

At the back of my mind is the prospect of raising the mast on my 23 foot yacht in the Spring in which case I need to take a view on whether I should incorporate idolaters in the backstay for future HF use, thinking that I may venture further out sometime. I am interested to hear that some people manage by raising a thin wire up their signal halyard as a possible alternative..

We used a wire up the signal halyard on our way to the Azores. Just found our video of how to do it, watch at your own risk, we were very very tired! ?

 

[Bilgediver]

I can confirm that the radio is a Roberts R 9914 portable. I saw a youtube video of a similar portable set with a mobile phone adjacent with a weather fax taking shape on its screen and got interested. At about 2.30pm today I got very clear weather fax type signals at 7880 (which I believe is Hamburg) and 10100 (origin of which I am not sure of). Nothing as yet at 4608. This after I left my house and went away from buildings. When the weather clears I am taking my new 15m wire antenna into the garden.

There are good Android etc programs around however there could be a lot of standing around waiting for the next correct fax.
Unfortunately it appears that Northwood is transmitting to a schedule that bears no resemblance to those on various web sites. I tried to download the current schedule that used to be transmitted at 13:00 Hours.. I didn t see it come in however as ever Northwood could have been running late. I left the rig on with PC so will troll back through the faxes in archive to see if it arrived. Northwood transmits faxes aimed at various users and many are of little interest to sailors. This is where software like Seatty is quite good as you can leave it running and then search the automatically saved faxes.

 

[dolabriform]

There are good Android etc programs around however there could be a lot of standing around waiting for the next correct fax.
Unfortunately it appears that Northwood is transmitting to a schedule that bears no resemblance to those on various web sites. I tried to download the current schedule that used to be transmitted at 13:00 Hours.. I didn t see it come in however as ever Northwood could have been running late. I left the rig on with PC so will troll back through the faxes in archive to see if it arrived. Northwood transmits faxes aimed at various users and many are of little interest to sailors. This is where software like Seatty is quite good as you can leave it running and then search the automatically saved faxes.

Thanks for the update re Northwood. Seems I've been wasting a lot of time

 

[Bilgediver]

Thanks for the update re Northwood. Seems I've been wasting a lot of time

Yes can waste hours waiting for the right fax... Just checked the archive and for a period before and after 13:00 there are numerous faxes but no schedule. Will set things running tomorrow as waiting in for a parcel

Incidentally Seatty also decodes Navtex however I don't think you can make it selective and it only does the channel you tune to. It is fine for the likes of the inshore forecast. You do need a radio that will tune 499 KHZ USB,

 

[Ship'sCat]

Yes can waste hours waiting for the right fax... Just checked the archive and for a period before and after 13:00 there are numerous faxes but no schedule. Will set things running tomorrow as waiting in for a parcel

Incidentally Seatty also decodes Navtex however I don't think you can make it selective and it only does the channel you tune to. It is fine for the likes of the inshore forecast. You do need a radio that will tune 499 KHZ USB,

Do yotties tend to just download the charts with isobars or do they go for other items on the the Northwood menu, which from what I have seen advertised is pretty varied?
The other thing is that if Northwood is a UK government entity its schedule should be obtainable from somewhere and if its not clear then presumably one may write to ones MP (another lockdown hobby!)

 

[PilotWolf]

Isn’t Navtex on 512kHz?

W.
Nav has

Yes can waste hours waiting for the right fax... Just checked the archive and for a period before and after 13:00 there are numerous faxes but no schedule. Will set things running tomorrow as waiting in for a parcel

Incidentally Seatty also decodes Navtex however I don't think you can make it selective and it only does the channel you tune to. It is fine for the likes of the inshore forecast. You do need a radio that will tune 499 KHZ USB,

 

[GHA]

Do yotties tend to just download the charts with isobars or do they go for other items on the the Northwood menu, which from what I have seen advertised is pretty varied?
The other thing is that if Northwood is a UK government entity its schedule should be obtainable from somewhere and if its not clear then presumably one may write to ones MP (another lockdown hobby!)

From memory these were the one's I'd look at getting in the altantic after Azores. From Carib there was good images first from New Oreans, then Boston then DWD.
Northwood can't be relied on, military so they do what they want.

 

[Roberto]

Isn’t Navtex on 512kHz?

W.
Nav has

There are two Navtex frequencies (theoretically three but the third in HF is not used), 518 and 490kHz, the first is "international" in English, the second in local languages, though in the UK it is used for Inshore Waters.
FWIW, I would not waste time trying to decode Navtex with a portable general receiver, apart from wishing to experiment: the transmissions are very short, one has barely the time to adjust settings and it's already over, all the radio/pc stuff should be left "ON" the whole day... imho one of those situations where a dedicated receiver is way way better.