Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 19-08-2015, 10:39   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Cape Coral, Fl
Boat: Robalo R245
Posts: 34
VHF Weather

Are the noaa weather broadcasts on the lower channels of the VHF radio continuous or only when there's an alert ? I've tried the lower channels on my radio and get nothing. Transmit and receive are working properly.
kimden5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 11:05   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Rocky's Boat Yard
Boat: Tayana V42 - Passages
Posts: 611
Re: VHF Weather

Which lower channels? Every marine VHF I have seen have separate wx and com channels.

Noaa wx broadcasts are 24x7x365.
__________________
You can make more money but you can't make more time.
jcapo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 11:07   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Boat: Beneteau Oceanis 51.1
Posts: 584
Re: VHF Weather

NOAA weather forecasts and conditions are continuous on their standard channels. Here in San Diego they are always running on a computerized voice loop. You may not be able to pick them up if you're more than 25 miles offshore.

You might want to make sure you're checking the right channels. In most equipment they're designated WX1..WX4 but the actual frequencies are listed here:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/marine/wxradio.htm
mstrebe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 11:32   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
Posts: 13,480
Re: VHF Weather

Quote:
Originally Posted by kimden5 View Post
Are the noaa weather broadcasts on the lower channels of the VHF radio continuous or only when there's an alert ? I've tried the lower channels on my radio and get nothing. Transmit and receive are working properly.
By "lower channels" do you mean "WX" channels? Note that there are low numbered "normal" VHF channels and then receive only weather channels which are designated differently (WX-1, WX-2, WX-3...) and use different frequencies than the normal low number channels. Most radios have a WX button to shift to the WX channels.

NOAA may use different WX channels in different areas. The broadcasts are 24 hours, but not on all channels. You can scan thru the WX channels and easily find which are carrying broadcasts for your area. Broadcasts are only in USA waters.
belizesailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 12:38   #5
cruiser

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Pangaea
Posts: 10,856
Re: VHF Weather

Get the PocketGrib app on your iPad or phone. Along with accuweather, the combination of having the grib files and accuweather makes the VHF weather forecasts obsolete... Plus, you don't have to listen to that long annoying mechanical voice broadcast.
Kenomac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:01   #6
Registered User
 
ka4wja's Avatar

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Florida
Boat: Catalina 470
Posts: 2,583
Re: VHF Weather

Kimden,
As others have written, yes the NOAA Weather broadcasts are continuous 24/7/365....but these channels are separate from the Marine VHF channels....(see list below, as well as LOTS of details and further info for you...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by kimden5 View Post
Are the noaa weather broadcasts on the lower channels of the VHF radio continuous or only when there's an alert ? I've tried the lower channels on my radio and get nothing. Transmit and receive are working properly.
NOAA Weather Radio Frequencies

162.400 MHz (WX2) 162.425 MHz (WX4) 162.450 MHz (WX5) 162.475 MHz (WX3) 162.500 MHz (WX6) 162.525 MHz (WX7) 162.550 MHz (WX1) Channel numbers, e.g. (WX1, WX2) etc. have no special significance but are often designated this way in consumer equipment. Other channel numbering schemes are also prevalent.


I'm assuming you are actually in Cape Coral, FL???

--- And, as such your "local" NOAA Weather broadcast is from Ft. Myers (WXK83) on Weather Channel 3 ("WX-3", or 162.475mhz)...



Depending on how good your VHF system is, you should be able to get multiple NOAA Weather stations simultaneously...(I always get 3-4 stations perfectly clear, and usually 2-3 others somewhat "scratchy"...)

--- So, you should also have NOAA Weather from Naples (WWG92) on Weather Channel ("WX-7", or 162.525mhz)...and also Sarasota (WWG59) on Weather Channel 2 ("WX-2", or 162.400mhz).....
{please take note that "WX-2" is also shared with the Key West station, and sometimes temperature inversions can cause the Key West signal to be so strong that it can interfere with the signal from Sarasota}

{Note that you may also sometimes here NOAA Weather broadcasts from some distance away...such as on WX-5 from the middle Keys, and on WX-1 from Miami, etc...}



Here's where you can find a LOT of detail and info...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARINE PRODUCTS VIA NOAA WEATHER RADIO
NOAA Weather Radio - Florida









Here are the details of your particular stations....

NOAA Weather Radio WXK83




NOAA Weather Radio WWG92


NOAA Weather Radio WWG59




I hope this explains things in enough detail, but not too much!!

Fair winds...

John
__________________
John, KA4WJA
s/v Annie Laurie, WDB6927
MMSI# 366933110
ka4wja is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:13   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Cape Coral, Fl
Boat: Robalo R245
Posts: 34
Smile Re: VHF Weather

Thanx all for your replies. I've determined that my VHF is probably about 12 years old (it came on the boat when I bought it). I guess it tis time for a new one. I just have the regular channels. No separate WX channels or button. I'll get weather alerts or warnings on the lower 4 regular channels, but no 24/7 broadcasts anywhere.
kimden5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:17   #8
Registered User

Join Date: May 2008
Location: daytona beach florida
Boat: csy 37
Posts: 2,976
Images: 1
Re: VHF Weather

Sounds like a really unusual vhf. Wx broadcasts have been around a lot longer than 12 years. Best to get a new one, and if possible, a new antenna as well.
onestepcsy37 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:26   #9
Registered User
 
ka4wja's Avatar

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Florida
Boat: Catalina 470
Posts: 2,583
Re: VHF Weather

Kenomac,
I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but Huh???
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenomac View Post
Get the PocketGrib app on your iPad or phone. Along with accuweather, the combination of having the grib files and accuweather makes the VHF weather forecasts obsolete... Plus, you don't have to listen to that long annoying mechanical voice broadcast.
My understanding is that in order to have up-to-date info or anything live, you'd have to have cellular/3G/4G/etc. coverage or you'd need internet access (such as via Wi-Fi)??
Yes???

Most cruisers do NOT have internet access when beyond a couple miles offshore at best....and even with the great coverage of Verizon, there are many areas that have none, right off the beach!!
In marinas, yes....no problem....but once you move away from land, you have little (or no) coverage!!

{Right here in populous S. Florida....my sister has a smart phone, on Verizon, and while she has 5 bars of signal most places, including where she parks her car at the beach, but then walks 50-100 yards to the beach, she looses all signal/coverage when she gets onto the sand, and most others have the same problem....yes, there are other areas that have signal....but since the population is on land, the wireless carriers are maximizing their coverage/signals on-land, and are not providing much (or any) coverage beyond the beach..}



So, while I think you mean well, and you are happy with your toys....to say that NOAA Weather Radio is obsolete is, in MY opinion, just wrong...

Oh, and one more thing.....
I've yet to see ANY smart phone / tablet APP that shows you the up-to-date Gulf Stream Position....
The US NWS NOAA Weather Radio VHF Broadcasts do that 24/7/365, updated every couple days!!!
And, it's FREE!!! Available to EVERYONE!....and a couple of the stations that broadcast this are not only easily receivable in their prescribed coverage area (which is for small, inefficient indoor antennas), but also easily received in the Bahamas as well, so whether planning a crossing, a fishing trip, etc. from either direction, as well as when out at sea, this info is there for you 24/7/365, for free!!!

Here's today's info:

Quote:
THE APPROXIMATE SHOREWARD EDGE OF THE GULF STREAM AS OF AUGUST 19...
49 NM SOUTH OF DRY TORTUGAS LIGHT...ON LOGGERHEAD KEY.
26 NM SOUTH OF COSGROVE SHOAL LIGHT...OFF THE MARQUESAS KEYS.
20 NM SOUTH OF SAND KEY LIGHT...OFF KEY WEST.
15 NM SOUTH OF LOOE KEY...OFF BIG PINE KEY.
9 NM SOUTH OF SOMBRERO KEY LIGHT...OFF MARATHON.
5 NM SOUTHEAST OF ALLIGATOR REEF LIGHT...OFF ISLAMORADA.
4 NM SOUTHEAST OF MOLASSES REEF LIGHT...OFF KEY LARGO.
2 NM EAST OF CARYSFORT REEF LIGHT...OFF OCEAN REEF.





THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF THE WEST WALL OF THE GULF STREAM AS OF AUG 18, 2015 AT 1200 UTC...

5 NAUTICAL MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF FOWEY ROCKS.
16 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF PORT EVERGLADES.
12 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF LAKE WORTH.
12 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF JUPITER INLET.

9 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF SAINT LUCIE INLET.
15 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF FORT PIERCE INLET.
23 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF SEBASTIAN INLET.
28 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF PORT CANAVERAL.
40 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF PONCE INLET.
Fair winds...

John
__________________
John, KA4WJA
s/v Annie Laurie, WDB6927
MMSI# 366933110
ka4wja is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:29   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
Posts: 13,480
Re: VHF Weather

Quote:
Originally Posted by onestepcsy37 View Post
Sounds like a really unusual vhf. Wx broadcasts have been around a lot longer than 12 years. Best to get a new one, and if possible, a new antenna as well.

It would be unusual for a radio for the USA market not to have a WX capability. What is the make/model of radio?
belizesailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:40   #11
Registered User
 
ka4wja's Avatar

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Florida
Boat: Catalina 470
Posts: 2,583
Re: VHF Weather

kimden,
Please do take my strident words here as somehow being rude!!! 'Cause that is NOT my intention at all!
BUT...

But, please do yourself (and everyone that goes on your boat with you) a big favor.....BUY A NEW VHF RADIO!!!

Sorry about the all CAPS....but, I'd guess your radio is way more than 12 years old...(most marine VHF radios have had separate VHF Weather channels for > 25 years!! some from the 1970's and 1980's, didn't....but, I haven't seen a radio that old, that still works, in a lot of years!!)
Or possibly that it is an Asian or European radio, of indeterminate age??

But, whatever the exact age of your radio, it doesn't matter....as it is certainly NOT A DSC radio....that means it is NOT a Class D VHF-DSC-FM Marine VHF Radio....
And, for $200 or so, you can have a new, modern, full Class D DSC-VHF radio....
(Icom or Standard Horizon, are the ONLY affordable brands that I recommend!!)
(get yourself a MMSI#, and have GPS data connected to the VHF, or get a VHF with a GPS built-in, and you've got a serious safety asset as well as a modern way to communicate with other vessels and shore stations...as well as a good weather radio!!!)

Also, if the radio is this old....my guess is that the antenna and coax is also that old....and who knows, you not actually have any real antenna connection at all, and are just receiving strong local signals....
So, plan on a new antenna and coaxial cable/connectors as well (~ $100 - ~$150)...
(Shakespeare or Digital antennas....but be sure to have a pro install proper connectors on the cable for you, or buy professionally-pre-made coaxial cable assemblies....and use RG-213 coax!)




{BTW, I have a 15 year old VHF radio, here in the kitchen at the house....it was on my boat when I bought her in 2004, and was one of the first things I changed!!! Oh, and it still works...I have an antenna on the roof (about 45' above sea level) and has good coverage, but not nearly as good as my radios on the boat, just 100 yards down the dock...}

I hope this helps...

Fair winds..

John
__________________
John, KA4WJA
s/v Annie Laurie, WDB6927
MMSI# 366933110
ka4wja is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:42   #12
Registered User

Join Date: May 2008
Location: daytona beach florida
Boat: csy 37
Posts: 2,976
Images: 1
Re: VHF Weather

I stand corrected, belizesailor. Being USA-centric it never occurred to me that it might be a "foreign" radio...
onestepcsy37 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 14:42   #13
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Cape Coral, Fl
Boat: Robalo R245
Posts: 34
Re: VHF Weather

It's a Uniden President LTD 935. Like I said, it receives and transmits fine. I get weather alerts and warnings on the lower 4 reg. channels, but no 24/7 broadcast. I have about an 8' fiberglass(?) antennae.
kimden5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 15:08   #14
Registered User
 
ka4wja's Avatar

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Florida
Boat: Catalina 470
Posts: 2,583
Re: VHF Weather

Is it possible that you haven't selected below channel 1, where you'll likely find WX-1, WX-2, WX-3.....etc.??

Or possibly, this old piece ** **** won't show these channels if it is set to "INT" rather "USA"???

Or, it's possible that the radio is just bad/defective???

In any case, kimden, you need to BUY A NEW RADIO!!!
As this is an OLD, non-DSC radio....it is seriously out-of-date, and should've been replaced a long time ago...
{I know you're saying, "that guy really knows how to spend other people's money....can't he read, I said it receives and transmits just fine!"....
But, kimden, the fact is that it does NOT receive fine if you can't get the NOAA Weather broadcasts....and..
And, the fact that this is a old, non-DSC radio, means that it is in-effect obsolete....(remember the DSC system was first implemented in 1992, and became mandatory for commercial vessels and signatory nations in Jan 1999....and you haven't been able to buy one of these old radios, new, in more than a decade now!!!)
So, when I write that you need to BUY A NEW RADIO, I do understand your words....but, I'm not sure you are grasping the reality of your situation...

We can of course, politely disagree....and no worries here...but just wanted you to know what exactly I meant!! }


Fair winds..

John


Edit:
If you want to see the manual, it is available on-line for free...
Here's the first one that popped up...
http://www.hammerwall.com/Download_Manual/96052/
__________________
John, KA4WJA
s/v Annie Laurie, WDB6927
MMSI# 366933110
ka4wja is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2015, 15:31   #15
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
Posts: 13,480
Re: VHF Weather

Quote:
Originally Posted by onestepcsy37 View Post
I stand corrected, belizesailor. Being USA-centric it never occurred to me that it might be a "foreign" radio...
I was agreeing with you that it would be unusual, but yes good old NOAA VHF WX is only boardcast in the USA. Ive never thought to look if radios sold in foreign markets lack a WX capability.

But...if we can find out the make/model then the mystery will be easy to solve. OP??
belizesailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
vhf, weather

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
VHF and AIS Radiowave Propagation and VHF and AIS Radio Range ka4wja Marine Electronics 46 25-10-2023 08:41
Can AIS Share VHF Antenna with Existing VHF Radio ? cool2848 Marine Electronics 18 24-04-2013 08:56
VHF Weather Modes rpoint16 Marine Electronics 2 20-11-2011 09:08
VHF/ weather info mestrezat Marine Electronics 19 24-08-2007 02:13
VHF/ weather info mestrezat Marine Electronics 0 20-08-2007 21:47

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:55.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.