HAVE radio & mac; WANT weather fax

[JoeRuncer]

My goal is to get weather faxes without a SSB using my MAC laptop.

I want to know if anybody is successful at this and what gear and software you are using.

Radio
SDRplay RSP2 – SDRplay or
Yupiteru MVT-9000 scanner
Decoder
Computer Mac book pro

Ideally I would like to hook the two together and let them run so I don't have to listen to the squeaks a squables as a fax comes through for 10 min.

[dialdan]

Hi Joe
Not sure if suitable for Mac, but you can try JV-Com32 works for me

Al

[Suijin]

Black Cat Multimode Software for Macintosh

I've used their iPad app with excellent results coupled to a decent SW radio receiver.

You'll probably also need a USB audio input if you don't already have one:

https://griffintechnology.com/us/imic

[JoeRuncer]

Originally Posted by dialdan

Hi Joe
Not sure if suitable for Mac, but you can try JV-Com32 works for me

Al

Thanks for the input but JV-Com32 is for windows

The FAX, RTTY / SYNOP / NAVTEX and SSTV programs for Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT 4.0, XP, Vista and Windows 7

[seandepagnier]

please try and compare the weatherfax plugin opencpn which you can easily select scheduled faxes.

With rtlsdr I now have automatic tuning, faxes automatically are added and overlaid on the chart as they are received

[El Pinguino]

I use a variety of radios to get fax into a macbook pro.

In you are starting from scratch I would walk away from the two radios you have suggested and buy either a Tecsun 680 TECSUN PL680 PLL FM/Stereo MW LW SW SSB AIR Band ENGLISH VERSION | eBay or 880 TECSUN PL-880 PLL Multi Conversion AM/FM/LW/SW SSB Radio BLACK - MATTE | eBay.... if I had to choose between the two I would go for the 880 even though more $$$$ ....
Anon-co is very good to deal with.

If you already have the radios you mention and they work ignore the above bit.

With the Macbook pro get yourself Cocoamodem.... cocoaModem
Now... is free is good ... however it is no longer supported and I believe the transmit side ( for RTTY and PSK etc ) no longer works properly under El Capitan onwards but that is not an issue with any of its receive functions.... so is good to go with fax

It now gets interesting.... my previous Macbook Pro ( 2011ish?) would take 'sound in' through the 'sound out' plughole... just needed to sort it out in preferences.
My new MB Pro .. early 2015 retina... doesn't do that.. is 'out' only.

You could spend $$$$ and buy the Griffin product ( I have one ) or you could buy one of these for about $15 Sabrent Aluminum USB External Stereo Sound Adapter for Mac CM108-Chipset AU-EMAC | eBay
I have one of those as well and it is what I use all the time these days.

Good luck
Ping

[JoeRuncer]

Thank you "El Pinguino" for the cocoaModem advice. I have everything up and running, I just need to wait for a good fax signal to test this out.
Joe

[JoeRuncer]

Marginal success this morning, proof of concept works but the signals where I sit are not the best. Currently near Edmonton, Alberta trying to test this out.
Thank you for the help!

fax 2017-01-27 1456.pdf

[sailormed]

Looks like you need to invert the signal.

[El Pinguino]

And also, in Cocoamodem, just click on that 'side bar' while receiving the fax and the whole pic will re-align itself.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by JoeRuncer

Marginal success this morning, proof of concept works but the signals where I sit are not the best. Currently near Edmonton, Alberta trying to test this out.
Thank you for the help!

Attachment 140247

Looks like you are using Lower Side Band ... all fax tx is on U(pper)SB even when on lower frequencies.

This is what I managed to do a few mins ago... Charleville on 11.028.1 USB.... then I switched to LSB and went up to 11.031.9.... and then I went back to USB /11.028.1

Ping

[JoeRuncer]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

This is what I managed to do

Ping

Now that is a good looking fax, such clarity! The screenshot was very helpful!!

Thank you for the advice, I checked and I am using USB, signal is just noisy. I read the docs describing how to tune so that the audio comes at 1500 and 2300 which are the black and white signals respectively. A slightly better result this morning. In the past I was just grabbing the listed frequencies -1.9khz USB and using that. I now believe additional tuning is required. Any other advice is also much appreciated. Joe

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

...With the Macbook [pro] get yourself Cocoamodem....
Ping

I followed this advice (it was this or spend $80 on black cat systems) - results look good with just the computer held in front of the SSB speaker so I've ordered the external speaker cable and external sound card for the Macbook Air. (Sabrent was too pricey here but the Ugreen was really cheap and comes a close second in some reviews.)

My question - what's the explanation for wfaxes being unreadable when we tune to the advertised frequency but coming out clear when we tune 1.9 - 2.0 kHz lower on the dial? Just curious. I've tried google but no explanation forthcoming.

Do pre-programmed marine radios come with the wfax stations tuned 1.9 kHz below the nominal frequency or must they be re-tuned every time? (All my stations have to be programmed in anyway, so I'll adjust all the wfax stations downwards in their memory slots.)

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

......
Do pre-programmed marine radios come with the wfax stations tuned 1.9 kHz below the nominal frequency or must they be re-tuned every time? (All my stations have to be programmed in anyway, so I'll adjust all the wfax stations downwards in their memory slots.)

From the NOAA website...
'See tables below for abbreviated versions of radiofax broadcast schedules. Assigned frequencies shown, for carrier frequency subtract 1.9 kHz. Typically dedicated radiofax receivers use assigned frequencies, while receivers or transceivers, connected to external recorders or PC's, are operated in the upper sideband (USB) mode using carrier frequencies. '

Its just the way it is....

Good to hear it is working for you

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by JoeRuncer

Now that is a good looking fax, such clarity! The screenshot was very helpful!!

Thank you for the advice, I checked and I am using USB, signal is just noisy. I read the docs describing how to tune so that the audio comes at 1500 and 2300 which are the black and white signals respectively. A slightly better result this morning. In the past I was just grabbing the listed frequencies -1.9khz USB and using that. I now believe additional tuning is required. Any other advice is also much appreciated. Joe

More than a few days late and a dollar short... sorry Joe, just noticed your post...

Noise on your fax....start by shuting down chargers inverters and the like on your boat... including the charger for your mac...
If still noisy change your location.... marinas are shockers for inverter noise.... try and find somewhere electrically quiet...