WX Channels on Short Wave - Help!

[sloopdavidb]

I've decided to go now even though it means doing with out some things I always thought I'ed have. Like an ssb radio. Any way I'll be leaving Hawaii in a couple of weeks for the Marshall Islands and beyound. I purchased a good sony portable radio that will recieve short wave and have a grundig as a back up. Can any one please tell me actual utc times and frequency for recieving weather reports for the central Pacific, Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia. Hope to share an atoll with all of you some day, Till then keep the dream alive. David B.

[GordMay]

Check out this ‘older’ thread
➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...dules-408.html

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha David,

I'll be looking for you in the South Pacific Paradise someday. You'll be missed around here. Your boat is a beauty and will take you anywhere you want to go.

John

[ka4wja]

David,
I answered a question very similar to yours just last month on the SSCA boards......and I'll paste that entire answer here for you, along with a few brief specifics......

Just to clarify things, you will need a "shortwave receiver" which can receive SSB (single-side-band) radio transmissions, such as marine and ham radio, on HF ('shortwave") frequencies...... and I assume that your Sony and Grundig radios are capable of that, but just wanted to be sure......

Also of importance is using the radios now, while you still in port, to get used to how they work, how the tune, and how the weather forecats will sound.......(you'll be able to get a very strong signal from USCG, NMO, in Hawaii, before you leave....and you should also be able to hear NRV, Guam, fairly well........)
If you can't get decent weather info / forecasts from those stations with your radios/antennas now, then you need to get that sorted out before you leave.....
(please note that marinas, etc. are very "noisy" areas for radio reception, which can cause you problems when trying to receive some of these signals......if that is the case, move away from the marina, city, etc. and anchor out, and give it another try.....)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's most of that answer, from last month:

{Please accept that a weather chart, via HF WeFax, etc.....is usually considered the preferable offshore/hi-seas forecast mode.....and I'd advise using them......but going with what you have and what you asked about....here's the scoop....}

1) Yes, there are HF Voice Weather broadcasts, in English, that cover the Pacific Ocean and Asia.....
But, I cannot think of one website that lists all of that data, although the NWS/NOAA Marine Weather main page ( National Weather Service Marine Forecasts ) has a LOT of info and links....so I'll try to give you what I can here, from my own recollections....and hopefully a few links if I can find them...

2) USCG NMO, Hawaii and USCG NRV, Guam broadcast Pacific Hi-Seas Forecasts.......check their schedules at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/hfvoice.htm
(Generally covering the South Pacific, Central Pacific and Eastern Pacific........coverage to 160 East, and from 25 South to past 60 North....)

(USCG, NMC, Pt. Reyes, CA also broadcasts some Pacific Hi-Seas weather....)

3) Also, WWVH does broadcast Pacific Hi-Seas forecasts, from their transmitters in Hawaii at 48 - 51 minutes past each hour, at 2.5, 5, 10, and 15mhz.....
These are NOT detailed forecasts, but typical of wide area coverage Hi-Seas forecasts, with mainly significant weather, significant systems, and any warnings mentioned......

(WWV, in Ft. Collins, CO also broadcasts a Pacific Hi-Seas warnings at 10 minutes past each hour on 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20mhz....)

4) Listening to (and speaking with) amateur radio Maritime Mobile Nets will give you a great deal of info, weather forecasts and otherwise......
In addition to the MMSN ~12 hours a day on 14.300mhz......check out the Pacific Seafarers Net (14.300 at 0300z) and the Manana Net (14.340mhz) and the Pac MM Net (21.402mhz)....


You may also wish to check out Don Anderson, N6HG's schedule (see Pac Sea Net's website), since he can provide weather info for both Atlantic and Pacific (out about 7000 miles from CA), on both HF Maritime Freq (via WPXU557) and/or amateur radio......

5) Late at night and Early Morning, here in Florida I still hear Australian Weather on 8mhz Marine / Aviation Freqs.......heard them just last month...... so they have GREAT coverage.....and, I know that they're on other freqs as well (4, 6, 8, 12, and 16mhz bands depending on time of day)......

VMC, Queensland, AUS and VMW, Western, AUS provide HF Voice weather broadcasts......
Have a look at the Australian Marine Weather page, and follow the links for coverage areas, times, and freqs....
http://www.bom.gov.au/marine/
Weather Services via Voice


6) Brunei Bay Radio (V8V2222) also provides Marine HF Voice Weather Broadcasts......
I think you'll find their website informative....
http://www.bruneibay.net/bbradio/index.html


7) New Zealand also has a decent Marine HF station(s)......Taupo Radio.....
And their Metservice has excellent weather forecasts of the South Pacific, south of 25 degrees South.....
I know that their HF WeFax broadcasts are still on-the-air, but not sure of their HF Voice broadcasts.....if you require these very southern Pac forecasts, do a search for NZ HF Marine Voice Weather broadcats......

8 ) VIG in Port Moresby, Papua, supposedly also has HF Voice Weather broadcasts......




So, to sum up......there are HF Marine Voice Weather Broadcasts, in English, for the Pacific and Asia.......
If Pacific coverage from US to 160 degrees East will suffice, the the USCG Voice broadcasts are good.....
If you wish better coverage of SE Asia, Brunei Bay Radio is good....
You can also use Australian and/or New Zealnad HF stations...and Amateur Radio for even more info and weather forecasts...
And, if all else fails, you can at least hear Pacific Warnings and Sig Wx via WWVH.....

(Oh, and if you want current weather in MANY areas, there's always the HF Aviation VOLMET stations....)

(The entire ssca thread is here SSCA Discussion Board • View topic - shortwave marine weather forecasts in english? )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David, in brief, check out the USCG Hi-Seas Pacific forecasts from Hawaii and Guam (times and freqs here.... USCG HF Voice ) as well as those from Aus ( details here http://www.bom.gov/au/marine/ and times /freqs here Weather Services via Voice )
And that should get you the weather data / forecasts you require....

Also, not knowing what other equipment you have aboard (laptop computer, etc.) it is impossible to be complete in any advice......but, if you wnat to use one of your SW rec headphone output to your computers sound card (line in preferrable), you can use low cost software to decode Weather Charts (WeFax).......
Follow links on the nws/noaa marine weather main page for more info on WeFax, including links to a BIG pdf file with worldwide HF WeFax stations freqs and schedules, if you do wish to add that to your weather forecast sources.....


I hope this helps.....

John

[ka4wja]

David,
You posted your question 10 days ago, stating that you're leavig in a coiuple of weeks.....

Originally Posted by sloopdavidb

Any way I'll be leaving Hawaii in a couple of weeks for the Marshall Islands and beyound.

And, I DO know how much there is to do before setting out on a long voyage.....but I'm just wondring if you read the info I responded with and if you found it adequate????

Please let us know how it's going.....

Good luck and Fair Winds!!!!

John

[sloopdavidb]

John your post was very helpfull. I'm getting some results on the middle band, not much on ssb. I'll keep working on it. Just about ready to go. I'm going to clean the hull tomarrow and sea trial the Aries linked to the autohelm on Monday. Still have a little storage so I think I'll shop for some gifts for the kids along the way. I'll wait till the last to load the fridg. and hope to clear the break water as the sun comes up on the longest day.
Thanks Again, David. S/V Asylum.