Sat Phone: Weather Forecasts

[estarzinger]

just fyi the above weather fax (in gif format) is 83kb in size while a single time period* of the same area grib with wind pressure and rain is 19kb with .5 degree grid and 2kb with 2 degree grid.

* note: I usually get gribs files with 10 time periods (every 12 hrs x 5 days) so I can see how things are developing. If expecting truly bad and/or confused weather I often change that to 8 periods (every 3 hrs x 3 days). The forecast accuracy declines rapidly with time and is about zero after 5 days.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by seagasm

how do I receive satelite images and on what frequency

Also, what HF frequency can I receive UTC time Signals in the south pacific?

If you want to get sat images at sea you have three options:

(1) you can do it by weather fax (you will need a simple audio cable from your icom to your laptop). The worldwide weather fax schedule is at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf. That will tell you the time and frequency for whichever specific pic you want. That's free (since you already have the radio and presumably a laptop))

(2) you can get a system called skyeye. The volvo boats used to use this system to get real time sat pictures, but are now using much more expensive high bandwidth imarsat systems. The system is relatively inexpensive and the pictures are then free.

(3) you can sign up with ocens which provides compressed sat pictures (and other stuff) over a sat phone connection (or possibly your ssb/pactor but it will be very slow and will chew into your sailmail weekly limit). But you have to pay for each picture you want from ocens and then pay for the phone connection time.

Sailmail is too slow and the data limit is too low to get sat pictures direct from noaa (or any other non-compressed way).

Time signals you can get from WWV and WWVH usually best on 10 and 15mhz

[seagasm]

Thank you for your reply, isn't it possible to receive satelite weather images through the HF weather fax program such as JVCom32 or the Air Mail Fax program?

[knotnow]

Originally Posted by seagasm

Thank you for your reply, isn't it possible to receive satelite weather images through the HF weather fax program such as JVCom32 or the Air Mail Fax program?

Oh you bet ya.

As long as the SSB equipment is capable of receiving reliable communications and you have the tools. It just doesn’t get much better than that.

Agreed Auspicious?

[beau]

Thank you guys for your help and support.

I will be buying a sat phone, Thuraya or Iridium.
I only want the sat phone to download weather and as an emergency phone

However I am not really keen on signing up for a subscription for a weather or compression program.
That I will only use occasionally (when out of range of shore based mobile systems)
I would prefer a pay as you use it type, system.
Is there anything else out there like Buoyweather or Weathernet that I can use.
With the sat phone.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by beau

Is there anything else out there like Buoyweather or Weathernet that I can use.
With the sat phone.

Saildocs. but the e-mails will be 30% bigger than if you use a compression/stripper service.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by seagasm

Thank you for your reply, isn't it possible to receive satelite weather images through the HF weather fax program such as JVCom32 or the Air Mail Fax program?

Yes, that's what I meant by my option #1 - ssb radio (tuned to the apporpriate time/frequency) via audio cable to laptop running a fax program. I think Airmail is setup to completely automate this process if you want to get the same fax each day.

[beau]

Thank you guys for your help and support.

I am going to Indonesia and the Phillipines

I will be buying a sat phone, Thuraya or Iridium.
I only want the sat phone to download weather and/or as an emergency phone

However I am not really keen on signing up for a subscription for a weather or compression program.
That I will only use occasionally (when out of range of shore based mobile systems)
Is there anything else out there like Buoyweather or Weathernet that I can use.
With the sat phone.

[Factor]

Beau - make sure you check this out if you havenet already
Aust Govt Sat Phone Subsidy

[idpnd]

Inmarsat has launched a very competitive handset (500 usd), data service was just launched recently

Inmarsat The mobile satellite company the first global handheld from Inmarsat