Weatherfax question?

[PaulJ]

I have just started playing with the demo version of JVComm32. It seems to work pretty well, I have had excellent charts from London and Hamburg and a slightly fuzzy but quite usable chart from Halifax. However I have been unable to receive anything at all from Boston or New Orleans on any of their frequencies, even though I was listening at what I believe were the correct times.

Was I just unlucky that the "conditions" were not right and I should just keep trying or would you not normally expect to receive those stations from the UK?

Also, I do have a separate Navtex but just for the sake of it I tried to receive Navtex with the SSB/JVComm setup, again with no success. What "mode" does Navtex use, AM, RTTY or SSB and if so, should I be using an "offset" frequency?

Many thanks for any help.

Paul.

 

[mdrifter]

Seatty is also very good and less complex imho than jv. For NavTex on Upper Side Band (USB) tune in to c.1.5kHz below 518kHz or 490kHz, i.e. 516.5 or 488.5, might be slightly different but not much...NavTex is SITOR/FEC usually marine frequencies are USB (SSB) - the WxFax from Boston may just have been too weak - but pretty good to hear Halifax!

 

[HenryB]

Paul,
One thing that I have found is that, to receive Navtex, I have to bypass my ATU - i.e. plug the antenna straight into the SSB - because the frequency is lower than the range that my ATU can handle.

Regards,

 

[PaulJ]

Thanks both for responding. Henry, I will note the point you make about bypassing the ATU though in fact I have not yet tried 518/490 KHz. I was trying on the "other" Navtex freq. of 4209.5 KHz. but noting what mdrifter said, perhaps I should be trying on 4208 KHz USB.

'Must get back out there now as it is nearly 1400 and I want to try Boston again!

Thanks again,

Paul

 

[TigaWave]

We found that we often couldn't get anything in marinas or close to shore with lots of interferance but once we were 10miles offhsore the pictures were really clear.
This was with a Target and a bit of wire for an aerial and feeding a laptop microphone input.,

 

[PaulJ]

'Still haven't been able to receive Boston or New Orleans so perhaps I could put it another way......

Has anybody ever received charts from these stations from the UK? If so, what frequency did you use and at what time of day?

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Oldhand]

I occasioanlly get usable faxes from Boston when moored in the UK South Coast in the first half of the evening on 9110kHz and 6340.5kHz (the former early then the latter, actual times depend on time of year).

That said I have just checked and I'm getting pretty good reception on 12750kHz right now (19:57 UTC) here at home in a noisy RF environment! Must look more often in future.

 

[Sailorbuoy]

Paulj, Navtex works fine:- some pointers.
Correct frequency on dial, 516.1 kHz
Baud =100
Shift =170, Offset=1900
These are all different to RTTY.

Have a look at <font color="blue"> www.walterreed.co.uk </font> for some help & Skeds.

 

[mithril]

Re: Weatherfax question - try SeaTTY

As mdrifter says try SeaTTY its very good and cheaper, assuming you decide to licence it which I did cos its such a good package.

I've used it now for 18 months and got loads of guys using it when we traveled in the Baltic last year. Eutopia then of course, we only listened to Hamburg and Bracknel; not exactly DX eh?

What freuencies does Halifax use? I tried Boston last night and, other than the fact I cold just detect it was a weather fax I was getting so much interference the result was unusable.

When tuning to something new I listen to the tones coming in if its TTY and the characteristic clicking of a fax and I watch the spectrum analyser to see the 2 audio peaks. Aligning them with the guide marks on SeaTTY means tuning is a doddle even if the signal is poor. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Oldhand]

Re: Weatherfax question - try SeaTTY

Halifax frequncies are:
4271kHz
6496.4kHz
10536kHz
13510kHz

If you want real ease of use then Bonito RadioCom 5.2 is by far the best application for weather fax, SYNOP and Navtex reception. If you have a receiver that can be tuned by a PC via a serial port, i.e ICOM PCR1000, then you just click on the station frequency you want to try and the receiver is automatically set up to the correct frequency and parameters for that station. RadioCom can also be programmed to only process pre-selected transmissions, so if reception is good, its virtually hands free.

I received very usable faxes from Boston last Saturday evening (19 Feb) with above suggested equipment/software, even though my home environment is very RF unfriendly. My antenna is just a bit of wire strung through the house roof-space. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif