"weather or not" or con?

[hubert]

\"weather or not\" or con?

I have just seen an interesting product review in Yachts and Yachting. The METEO-ON claims to receive detailed weather forecasts and text messages via DCF77 in Germany and HBG in Switzerland.
On the face of it a very desirable product. However I have looked at the websites for DCF77 and HBG and they are only time signal transmitters. There is no suggestion that they transmit weather data. Is this just a con?

Sorry for omission, the product can be found on:-

meteotime.com under products.

 

[crossbones]

Re: \"weather or not\" or con?

According to their literature:-
http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/Personal_Weather_Centres.html

The unit receives four day weather forecast for each of sixty European areas. I think it's a con.
DCF77 transmits on 77.5khz and HBG on 75khz. When I tune them on my radio receiver I can hear the one second time signals but there are no signs of any other data

 

[alan]

Re: \"weather or not\" or con?

DCF77 is certainly a time-code transmitter. We used to use it professionally before the days of GPS. To my knowledge (and I could be wrong) it does not transmit weather data.

Alan.

 

[pvb]

Not a con...

The way the time signal is transmitted was changed last October, and weather info is now also transmitted.

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Re: Not a con...

The time control display is of the cesium atom clocks which is operated by the Physikalischen-Technischen Bundesanstalt, in Brunswick, Germany, and the transmitter is in Mainflingen
near Frankfurt, and has a transmission range of 1500km

 

[pvb]

Re: Not a con...

Quite so, and if you look at this PTB press release, it tells you about the weather info.

 

[davidbains]

Re: \"weather or not\" or con?

AA battery powered and info pretty marginal compared to marine forecasts.
For not a lot more you can have a Nasa Weatherman.