Weather fax

[AlanPound]

Re: Which One do you recommend?

Hi Alan,

I have been trying to follow the thread but cannot see which you set you recommend and what your experience has been.

Brendan

Well (sorry to be so vague...)

If you want something that looks like a regular tranny (got to be careful using that word these days...), and sounds very good for all normal radio use, but which will also do SSB etc - all the usual shortwave frequencies - the the Roberts is good (well, I like it) - it has fine audio quality, but has maybe an 8 hour battery life - ideally you need mains, or run an inverter from the house batteries.

The Sony I mentioned is also real neat, but very much smaller, a rather longer battery life, but has a tiny speaker, so the audio quality is not so great (certainly ok for speech broadcasts), but either unit will get MetFax equally well. I guess there are much cheaper units that may well do an equal job, but I have no first hand knowledge of those...

The Nasa, I do not know personally, although I do know not to get the HF3/M (you don't need it, and it is actually a disadvantage if you want to use any of the quite good Windows software like JVComm) - get the cheaper HF3...

...The correspondent above says it is a good unit (I am pleased to hear that - I want to believe in Nasa)... I would guess that its power consumption is pretty low, as it is designed for the job, and uses 12V directly, not silly little batteries. Also, you would typically panel-mount it, rather than have it stand-alone (so it will look the business).

I guess that the Nasa doesn't receive FM broadcasts like the other two I mentioned, but you probably have the usual automobile stereo for that anyway...

Hope that helps.
Alan

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[mldpt]

Re: Please expand

Hi I have Gprs, Navtex, and a satalite radio for weather but as yet I have not connected my SSB radio to my laptop, can somebody tell me more I assume I need todownload some soft ware and need a cable from Lineout on SSB which connection on my laptop do i use and which wires go to which pins, and then where do I tune my SSB in to
Regards Mike.

<hr width=100% size=1>www.sailingforfun.co.uk

 

[AlanPound]

Re: Please expand

Typically, an ordinary tranny has a stereo headphone output - a 'stereo' (3-pole) 3.5mm jack plug. The PC typically has a 'mono' (2-pole) 3.5mm plug, or a 3-pole plug with only the tip & sleeve connected. Ideally, don't just connect a stereo 3-pole to 3-pole cable between the radio output and the mic input of your PC - it will probably work, but might ground one of the output channels of the radio, which is basically unfriendly to the radio... (Ok, I stand to be corrected on this - but I took the trouble to make up a screened cable for the job...) If your SSB radio has a different type of output plug, then you need something... errr... different.

In any event, sleeve (ground/screen) to sleeve, tip (signal) to tip... (you can usually forget the 'ring'...)

I use JVComm www.jvcomm.de free download for slightly reduced functionality, or pay a few Euros for the full monte... (there are other equally excellent sw/s as well)

Frequencies, start with Northwood - everything you need to know on the fine webpage by Frank Singleton...

http://www.franksingleton.clara.net/radiofaxgyasked.html

... not forgetting that on most radios you will have to tune 1.9kHz low in order to tune into the upper sideband (USB)

I found it a bit of fiddle to get it all working first time--now it is a doddle... When you have the station tuned in, and they are transmitting (there are gaps) you can hear the modulated signal via the speaker. Typically, the program needs to hear the lead-in (sync) signal before it will start drawing - so if it sounds right (or likely). and the tuning and signal level scale looks probable, then just have patience!!! Just wait! (Good luck)

Alan

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[steve_cronin]

This could....

...turn into another classic PBO/IPC/YM/MBY battle of egos. The whole topic and the satisfactory reception of weatherfaxes is subjective.

If you havn't a dedicated PC & SSB receiver already set up by someone who has some experience of the subject, then:- http://home.no.net/naomij/hffax.html is not a bad place to start

OR, even:-

http://www.nasamarine.com/Misc/images/hf3.pdf

Messrs Morgan & Mulley are both experienced (& there is a German site too) and a very good introduction to this valuable facility (if you're out of range of and don't want to spend on mobile phone links.)

Steve Cronin



<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[steve_cronin]

At £310 for a fully automated system this does look very appealing. However, I hope that this fits within the "cost conscious" requirements of the original poster.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion