Weather Fax on SSB

[nwdiver]

Put a small mike in front of the speaker and plug it into the laptop, test that you are not capturing to much sound (adjust as needed) as it can overpower the laptop's sound card, see if you can capture the fax info, had to do it this way for 3 weeks when I fried a setup at sea, worked ok.......... I actually started by putting and extension speaker on the laptops keyboard and used the built in mike, then used a small extension mike over to the speaker of the receiver.

[GeoPowers]

Originally Posted by westsailwill

Interesting problem. Perhaps someone can help me out. I have never done this, or seen it done before, so I have no idea what to see or expect.

I have an Icom 710 and an HP Envy 17-3D laptop with Microsoft 7. I have downloaded JVComm 32. I have connected a mono cable from the 710 to the HP headphone jack. I have tuned the 710 to the Time/Signal station. I have set to Fax reception, set fax type to geostationary, set drum speed to 60. Then I hit the green button on the bottom right hand corner of the screen.(start reception button?) Computer screen then shows a herringbone pattern with Demo Icons appearing as it slowly scrolls up the page.

I am in Miami, so I have tried setting frequencies for New Orleans broadcasts at 4317.9, 8503.9, and 12789.9 during listed times. Always the same results.

One other thing. The only sounds being transmitted are coming from the Icom 710 speaker. The HP computer remains silent. Sound card is working before mono cable is plugged in, and the computer speakers are not on Mute.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Will, you mention the freqs above and also mention that the transmissions are faint/weak. The carrier frequency for NWS Weather Fax is 1.9 kHz below the assigned frequency. In other words, if you want to listen to the 4.3179 MHz channel, you actually need to tune your SSB to 4.316 MHz. Same for 8.5039 MHz, which will actually be 8.502 MHz, etc.

Other observations:

You won't hear anything if you plug the output speaker jack of the SSB to the mic jack of the laptop. At least not for my laptop.

I've noticed that occasionally the auto receive feature on JVComm occasionally won't start, so I need to click the green or yellow buttons to get it started. Also, the type transmission should be HF-Fax, not geostationary.

What do you mean by drum speed of 60?

Frank

[sailorchic34]

On the computer, your want to open windows/control panel/hardware and sound, go to manage audio devices, Click on microphone, verify its enabled, then check under level and that the microphone volume is up. Mine is at 100 %.

BTW I get a far better image running the computer on battery only. That is not plugged in charging. Any bit of electrical noise can disrupt the image download. Even the fridge compressor or inverter / solar charger can hash the image.

Besides that, as per GP above, always set the frequency 1.9 khz down from the listed frequency and it should work.

Sometimes with all the electrical noise at dock its hard to receive an image.

[El Rubio]

I have used soundcard modes in my amateur radio hobby for years and can say with certainty, you will get much better performance from a direct coupling of the radio audio out to the computer mic or line in. A basic coupler isolates the two devices electrically and produces a uniform audio level that isn't affected by ambient noises. Here's a link to the cheapest basic coupler that I know of. It's effective and suitable for receive only applications. Other couplers, like Rig Blaster, are $100+ and offer similar coupling on both in and out, line level adjustments, & automatic switching of the transmitter if using two way modes.

[austinrick]

Once again there is so much info here on a subject I have no background in, that I almost forget what my question was.

What are the possibilities with a Sony SW-7600GR radio in SSB mode, to a Dell Latitude D630 running Windows 7, connected with the 6' mono shielded cable from Radio Shack (shown near the start of this thread)? My area is up and down the Atlantic coast and out to the Out Islands.

I've seen reference to free programs to display weather charts on this sort of setup, but no links to them and no 1-2-3, step-by-step procedure for setting it up.

Can anyone supply that simple procedure for my hardware?

-thanks

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by austinrick

Once again there is so much info here on a subject I have no background in, that I almost forget what my question was.

What are the possibilities with a Sony SW-7600GR radio in SSB mode, to a Dell Latitude D630 running Windows 7, connected with the 6' mono shielded cable from Radio Shack (shown near the start of this thread)? My area is up and down the Atlantic coast and out to the Out Islands.

I've seen reference to free programs to display weather charts on this sort of setup, but no links to them and no 1-2-3, step-by-step procedure for setting it up.

Can anyone supply that simple procedure for my hardware?

-thanks

Go here JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX program
Follow the instructions ( just use demo mode)
Connect line out on your sony to line or sound in on your PC
Tune on a fax frequency.... you should be able to find one here that suits your location.. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf

...and away you go

[El Pinguino]

While checking that W7 was supported by JVComm I tuned up Charleville.... this is what I just received.... this was using XP on the darkside of my Mac but your results should be the same.... just remember you may have to adjust your frequency a bit ... haven't used my Sony for a while so not sure about that...frinstance this frequency is listed as 11030 but the radio I have just used, a kenwood, is tuned to 11028.1...1.9 below the listed one... just use the little spectrum monitor and tune the radio to put the white and black tones in the right spot....

[Nicholson58]

GREAT THREAD!

I am new to the thread. I have read and copied most of it to a document for later access. We have been floating about on the Great Lakes for 5 years since we bought our boat. No need for anything but VHS here. The boat came with an ICOM IC-738 ham/SSB and SGC-230 auto antenna tuner. This equipment is a black box to us but I know we will need it and a new laptop. I would like to arrange time at the local HAM club and have someone hammer some basics in.

I did not find my SSB or the tuner noted. Is my stuff suitable?

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

GREAT THREAD!

I am new to the thread. I have read and copied most of it to a document for later access. We have been floating about on the Great Lakes for 5 years since we bought our boat. No need for anything but VHS here. The boat came with an ICOM IC-738 ham/SSB and SGC-230 auto antenna tuner. This equipment is a black box to us but I know we will need it and a new laptop. I would like to arrange time at the local HAM club and have someone hammer some basics in.

I did not find my SSB or the tuner noted. Is my stuff suitable?

Yes, just select 'USB', spin the dial until you find yourself a fax transmission using the NOAA link I posted... and hook up your radio 'phones' connection to the 'sound in' on your PC. Thats all you need to do.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Go here JVComm32 - FAX SSTV RTTY SYNOP NAVTEX program
Follow the instructions ( just use demo mode)
Connect line out on your sony to line or sound in on your PC
Tune on a fax frequency.... you should be able to find one here that suits your location.. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf

I'm a fan of JVCOMM32. Good product.

rfax.pdf is the bible for weather fax products and schedules from transmitters worldwide. For the cruising grounds you described you'll be interested in Boston.

The most common problem have is getting audio from the radio to the computer. It's easy.

For a marine or ham SSB radio the audio out will be mono which is great. For the smaller, portable shortwave receivers like your Sony, most of which receive broadcast FM, the headphone jack is usually stereo.

Until recently laptops had an independent mono microphone input. If yours does, the easiest setup is a 1/8" mono to 1/8" mono cord with one end plugged into the laptop mic jack and the other into a 1/8" stereo male to 1/8" mono female adapter plugged into the Sony.

If your Dell has one of the new combi jacks (one jack that has stereo output and mono input) you will have to do more work. The combi jacks use the same four-conductor plugs that smartphones use. There simply isn't much out there already made up. You can get the four-conductor plug from DigiKey; there are a few choices on Amazon. Here is the magic code: the tip and first ring are left and right audio output, the second ring is ground, and the shield is microphone.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

No need for anything but VHS here.

I always preferred Betamax.

[austinrick]

Thanks Auspicious, I have downloaded JVComm32 and just need the cable to bring SSB and Dell together.

The laptop has two seemingly identical jacks on the side; mic and headphone. From that I'd guess it is not the combijack setup you describe, but looking down in them with a magnifying glass, they look identical. IOW, if the headphone jack is stereo, the mic jack looks the same, but that down not compute. I'll just have to get the cable and mono>stereo adapter from RS and try it. Thanks again.



El Pinguino, thanks to you for the lead! I was looking at GRIB.us also and may try that as a option in addition to JVComm. There are so many programs out there! Too much information!

I get your comment about frequencies being a bit off. It could be that the published frequency is carrier signal frequency (which is suppressed), and, depending on whether the side frequency carrying the data is USB or LSB, that is where you actually find the sweet spot....a few kHz away from 'center.' Just a thought. Best regards!

Rick
KM4-DLC

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by austinrick

I get your comment about frequencies being a bit off. It could be that the published frequency is carrier signal frequency (which is suppressed), and, depending on whether the side frequency carrying the data is USB or LSB, that is where you actually find the sweet spot....a few kHz away from 'center.' Just a thought. Best regards!

Rick
KM4-DLC

Correct, 1.9 kHz below in the case of wefax which is always USB.
Cheers,
Ping

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by austinrick

I get your comment about frequencies being a bit off. It could be that the published frequency is carrier signal frequency (which is suppressed), and, depending on whether the side frequency carrying the data is USB or LSB, that is where you actually find the sweet spot....a few kHz away from 'center.' Just a thought.

Almost but not quite.

The published frequency is the center frequency for the frequency shift keyed (FSK) signal used for weather fax. The dial frequency you select on your radio is indeed the suppressed carrier frequency of the equivalent USB SSB reception you are using, thus the 1.9 kHz offset. See page 4 of rfax.pdf.

[roberto11]

I'm connecting an Asus netbook to an Icom 706 to download weather fax.

The asus has the combo jack and the Icom I believe is stereo.
I believe so because the radio came with a little bag that have two stereo (1/8 and 1/4) jacks inside.

I looked to buy something already done but I didn't find anything.
So I demounted a headphone with mic for an old phone.
As Auspicious said starting from the tip 1 is the + left speaker, 2 + right speaker, 3 common - , 4 + mic.
How should I solder them on the Icom side that has 3 electrical connection ??

The mic wire to both tip and ring and the negative to the sleeve??
It will work???

Thank you
R.