[Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

[N5XL .]

Clint,

I just posted my experiences about receiving WEFAX images from the NWS
on my blog.  I've never received WEFAX images before today, so I am a
complete novice to it.  I used FLDIGI and a direct audio connection
between my KX3 and computer.  Pictures of WEFAX reception I copied are
from NWS Point Reyes, California (NMC) are posted on the blog to view. 

>From a complete novice perspective and by the virtue of not needing any
additional hardware for an interface, I dont think it gets any easier
than using FLDIGI.

http://n5xlhamradio.blogspot.com/

73,
Dave N5XL
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Re: [Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

[Fred Jensen]

Ummm ... NAVTEX is transmitted on a rotating schedule covering several 
dozen "regions" world-wide from a variety of stations, all on 518 KHz. 
Each station has a time slot -- 5 mins or so -- and the traffic varies 
and is highly repetitive.  There is some WX, but it's mainly Notice to 
Mariners about various conditions and situations such as hazards, 
objects falling from the sky without warning [aka military exercises], 
lights and buoy's out of service, and the like.


With the new synthesizer, I can copy NAVTEX [or at least could, haven't 
tried since we moved to N. NV] very well on my K3.  If I recall right, 
connect the antenna to the auxiliary  RX ANT jack.  There are a number 
of decoders, I use YAND [Yet Another NAVTEX Decoder] which is free and 
findable using the usual methods.


The transmission is SITOR-B, using the CCIR-476 character code and I 
think is unreadable using a normal 5-unit RTTY decoder, although I've 
never tried it.  I think AMTOR FEC mode will decode it, although I've 
never tried that either.


Any vessel sailing in the open ocean should have NAVTEX receive, but for 
general weather, it is probably not adequate.  The WEFAX transmissions 
include visible and IR satellite photography, what appear to be 
hand-drawn forecast summaries [those of the Bering Sea will have the 
edge of the ice pack marked], wave height charts, schedules, and 
synopses.  They are way bigger than what our printers will handle, you 
need to wait until it gets to the area you're interested in before 
starting to save the image to a file for printing.


On 4/11/2016 5:07 AM, a45wg wrote:

Clint, Your brother will find it easier to revise the 518 Khz NavText
messages - which are transmitted every 6 hours (if memory serves me
correct). They are a simply RTTY format. I tried for long time to get
HF WeFAX to work - but the number of stations transmitting it are
extremely few and far between. They are more local +/- 1500 kms (more
than enough for coastal use). There are some small black boxes
available which do this - for < $200 - which may be worth looking
at.

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Re: [Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

[w4grj]

I receive wefax all the time using fldigi software via soundcard.
There is an extensive amount of wefax transmissions around the globe.
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf

North America I use 
New Orleans http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/gulf.shtml
Boston http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/marsh.shtml

Good Luck,
Jack
W4GRJ




-Original Message-
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of a45wg
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2016 8:08 AM
To: Clint
Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

Clint,
   Your brother will find it easier to revise the 518 Khz NavText
messages - which are transmitted every 6 hours (if memory serves me
correct). They are a simply RTTY format. I tried for long time to get HF
WeFAX to work - but the number of stations transmitting it are extremely few
and far between. They are more local +/- 1500 kms (more than enough for
coastal use). There are some small black boxes available which do this - for
< $200 - which may be worth looking at.

Should you want a more high-tech solution then I would recommend a Pactor 3
Modem (alas not cheap), an HF Radio and a small laptop (or Raspberry Pi) -
and connect to a mail server using SailMail - and receive a GRIB file -
which allows you to do much better weather modelling than some nasty Fax
every did. It takes less than 90 seconds to receive the GRIB files (assuming
you are not taking masses of data like wave height etc).

Fair winds & 73s

   Tim - A45WG

> On 11 Apr 2016, at 01:28, Clint <clint.st...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> I am looking for a simple Windows 7, 8, 10 program that can decode 
> NOAA HF weather faxes using a laptop soundcard. I am helping my bro 
> set-up his boat and a Marine SSB/Ham radio.
> 
> Most programs I see are older, run Lunix or are to complex, we need 
> something simple. Any ideas?
> 
> 
> 
> Clint
> 
> KI6SSN
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
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Re: [Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

[a45wg]

Clint,
   Your brother will find it easier to revise the 518 Khz NavText messages 
- which are transmitted every 6 hours (if memory serves me correct). They are a 
simply RTTY format. I tried for long time to get HF WeFAX to work - but the 
number of stations transmitting it are extremely few and far between. They are 
more local +/- 1500 kms (more than enough for coastal use). There are some 
small black boxes available which do this - for < $200 - which may be worth 
looking at.

Should you want a more high-tech solution then I would recommend a Pactor 3 
Modem (alas not cheap), an HF Radio and a small laptop (or Raspberry Pi) - and 
connect to a mail server using SailMail - and receive a GRIB file - which 
allows you to do much better weather modelling than some nasty Fax every did. 
It takes less than 90 seconds to receive the GRIB files (assuming you are not 
taking masses of data like wave height etc).

Fair winds & 73s

   Tim - A45WG

> On 11 Apr 2016, at 01:28, Clint  wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> I am looking for a simple Windows 7, 8, 10 program that can decode NOAA HF
> weather faxes using a laptop soundcard. I am helping my bro set-up his boat
> and a Marine SSB/Ham radio.
> 
> Most programs I see are older, run Lunix or are to complex, we need
> something simple. Any ideas?
> 
> 
> 
> Clint
> 
> KI6SSN
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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> Message delivered to a4...@sy-edm.com

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Re: [Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

[Dave Cole]

Hi Fred,

I also use MixW for all digital modes, save JT modes...  I find that
for me it is far better than any other program out there.  I have it
connected to my K3 as well, and it does a good job on the Weather FAX,
as well as all other digital modes.  If you have a list of freqs, can
you send them to me off list...

I moderate the yahoo support group for MixW, (around 4000 users still
yet, so lots of support there), if you don't have the updated macros,
and manual for MixW, do visit the group.  

There is a Russian fellow there who has written a pile of DLLs for
contests, beyond the ones the Mixw site has, and a fellow that has
totally rewritten the help files as well!  All down-loadable and all
free...  

See the link at the bottom of my note here...  The one for MixW
support.

-- 
73's, and thanks,
Dave (NK7Z)

For software/hardware reviews see:
http://www.nk7z.net

For MixW support see:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mixw/info

For SSTV help see:
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MM-SSTV/info


On Sun, 2016-04-10 at 16:35 -0700, Fred Jensen wrote:
> I copy Pacific WEFAX from NMC using my K3 and MIXW, on Windoze 10
> now, 
> but I've done it on 98, XP, and 7 too.  MIXW is fairly old, but
> really 
> works well.  Also copies a variety of other dig modes [no JT's] and 
> SSTV, should you like to have noisy images of scantily clad women on 
> your computer. :-))
> 
> The WEFAX from NMC are really big, as in E-size drawings or maybe 
> bigger.  I watch them until they get to the area of the Pacific I
> care 
> about and then start the save-to-file.  They're at 120 LPM, you can
> get 
> the program to sync automatically, I usually just set the line rate
> to 
> 119 and watch the sync bar until it's over on the right or left edge.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the Cal QSO Party 1-2 Oct 2016
> - www.cqp.org
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

[Fred Jensen]

I copy Pacific WEFAX from NMC using my K3 and MIXW, on Windoze 10 now, 
but I've done it on 98, XP, and 7 too.  MIXW is fairly old, but really 
works well.  Also copies a variety of other dig modes [no JT's] and 
SSTV, should you like to have noisy images of scantily clad women on 
your computer. :-))


The WEFAX from NMC are really big, as in E-size drawings or maybe 
bigger.  I watch them until they get to the area of the Pacific I care 
about and then start the save-to-file.  They're at 120 LPM, you can get 
the program to sync automatically, I usually just set the line rate to 
119 and watch the sync bar until it's over on the right or left edge.


73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the Cal QSO Party 1-2 Oct 2016
- www.cqp.org

On 4/10/2016 2:28 PM, Clint wrote:


I am looking for a simple Windows 7, 8, 10 program that can decode NOAA HF
weather faxes using a laptop soundcard. I am helping my bro set-up his boat
and a Marine SSB/Ham radio.

Most programs I see are older, run Lunix or are to complex, we need
something simple. Any ideas?



Clint
KI6SSN


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[Elecraft] OT: HF weather fax

[Clint]

 

I am looking for a simple Windows 7, 8, 10 program that can decode NOAA HF
weather faxes using a laptop soundcard. I am helping my bro set-up his boat
and a Marine SSB/Ham radio.

Most programs I see are older, run Lunix or are to complex, we need
something simple. Any ideas?

 

Clint

KI6SSN

 

 

 

 

 

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