Which grib software for tablet in Queensland?

[Dave_S]

Hi

I have been using sailgrib but broke my tablet and with it the software. The forecast was wrong more often than right.

I'd like finer detail with some calculation based on the local geography. If it had some storm warning for dummies that would be in my demographic. Oh and it should be more often right or at least some relevance to what is actually happening.

Thanks
Dave

[Jim Cate]

Dave, in NSW and Tasmania we have found the BOM's "Met Eye" service to be pretty good, and it meets most of your criteria. Haven't used it enough in Qld to know for sure,but I'd suspect that it is good here as well.

Jim

[deepthought]

Been happy with pocketgrib on ios and android.

[SF Bay Dude]

I like Luckgrib.

[Smourt]

Most of these Grib apps all provide the same data from NOAA and since there is no human analysis it theoretically should all be the same. There could be some variance based on 1 degree or 0.5 degree selection.

Personally I always select a larger area and spend time comparing the real world wind direction to what the GRIB files say and by doing this I am able to determine where the system is and what it is doing relative to my position. This approach helped me dodge a hurricane crossing the equator to Brasil in late October

[wrwakefield]

Dave,

Is Predict Wind worthwhile in your area? [Based in NZ last I knew...]

I know a few other cruisers who really like their service [including routing] and ability to compare different data sets.

Best wishes finding your new replacement.

Cheers! Bill

[Emouchet]

On iPad, there is nothing better than Weather4D 2.0 app.

Learning curve is a bit steep, but well rewarding.

It allows downloading and display GRIB files with tones of options, from email, internet or sat phone.

It includes routing based on your boat's polar.

Multiple GRIB source are supported: GFS, NAM, GEm and a couple of european model too, like Arome, as well as current and wave model.

It includes a full navigation module that can link to your boat instruments via NMEA over wifi.

It supports and display also raster navigation charts that you can download in advance and cash.

Beware to select Weather4D 2.0 rather than the older version Weather 4D Pro that has more limited features.

[BobFord]

Have been using Met Eye in remote FNQ and NT. Brilliant and virtually 'real time'.

[bvander]

need to find multiple sources from multiple models.
Recently tried Windytv and liked it, appears to leverage GFS and Euro model, allowing you to click between the two.

[knockabout]

team insatiable are on the right track / met eye aren't too far off the mark with moving 4 day prediction charts and weather radar coverage you can be knowledgably beaten up by the weather / we are learning to use https://earth.nullschool.net/ world wind software and finding it to be up to the minute accuracy and no delay when things change and still relying on 8176 hf from Charleville and Wiluna / coverage starts from eastern side of gulf of Carpentaria to danger point nsw / at 0730am and in approximately 4 hour intervals / mackay weather station doesn't broadcast anymore due to cost cutting measures but the weather radar link comes up on met eye / most vmr and coast guard broadcast weather in their daily sked and don't mind weather report on request / you can log on at danger point and change station coverage all the way up // if you are leaving soon there is a bass strait bomb in the southern ocean heading towards sa / image below was sent to a friend in cycsa last night

[Jim Cate]

As I understand it, most, maybe all of the various internet wx sites that provide grib presentations are simply passing on the outputs from one or more global wx models. This is raw data, straight from the computer.

The Australian BOM "Met Eye" service takes the various models and then has them interpreted by a real live human Meteorologist, one who knows about fronts (not included in the raw model output), local geographical effects and diurnal land/sea breeze issues... all things ignored by the global models, and which definitely influence the conditions in coastal cruising... a lot!

The Met Eye forecasts go out 7 days. Obviously, the further out you look, the less accurate the f/c will be. They update them fairly often, but I'm not sure about the actual timing of the updates... perhaps varies from day to day, according to conditions.

As I said earlier, we've had some experience with them in NSW and Tasmania, and have found them surprisingly good. Not perfect, but expecting perfection in a chaotic world is optimistic! I imagine that they are equally good in Queensland, but don't have personal data to share.

http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye/?ref=ftr

Jim

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Dave, in NSW and Tasmania we have found the BOM's "Met Eye" service to be pretty good, and it meets most of your criteria. Haven't used it enough in Qld to know for sure,but I'd suspect that it is good here as well.

Jim

I have been using it between the Great Sandy Straits and Cairns for a while now and have found it pretty good. Because it tends to reflect local conditions more accurately it is better than the HF broadcast forecasts which tend to cover fairly long sections of coast. Cardwell to Bowen is a couple of hundred miles as is Bowen to St Lawrence and St Lawrence to Burnet Heads. In addition it gives a seven day rather than three day forecast.