HFFAX (WEFAX) Degradation

[bill352]

Just saw this on the NOAA website:

"Subject: Degraded HFFAX Transmissions Effective Immediately

The U.S. Coast Guard is currently experiencing degradation in
image quality of all HFFAX (WEFAX) products. The NWS and Coast
Guard representatives are troubleshooting the problem.
We apologize for the inconvenience."

Do many/any sailors use this service?

[Auspicious]

I use weatherfax. Mostly Boston and New Orleans, sometimes Northwood.

This is bad news for the very best weather information afloat.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

I've used it and hope to more in the future after my refit.

[Sailmonkey]

Yes, of course I use it!

[Bleemus]

Love me my wefax. NMF baby!

[wsmurdoch]

We use New Orleans and sometime Boston when we are in the Bahamas and don't have internet access to get the Gulf and Tropical Weather Briefing Gulf and Tropical Atlantic WX Briefing Package . It is our backup source for weather maps.

[felicityloncar]

Hi, returning to cruising after 12years and want to use SSB and laptop to receive weatherfax. Used HFFAX in the past. Is this the best or does anyone have better recent experience? is HFFAX up and running again properly?
NZ to Pacific is the cruising area. Love to hear from you. Felicity, SY EXCEL

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by felicityloncar

Hi, returning to cruising after 12years and want to use SSB and laptop to receive weatherfax. Used HFFAX in the past. Is this the best or does anyone have better recent experience? is HFFAX up and running again properly?
NZ to Pacific is the cruising area. Love to hear from you. Felicity, SY EXCEL

Do you have an email connection such as Sailmail or Winmor? If so the Fiji Fleet codes are good for this area. Also Gulf Harbour Radio. Personally I prefer to download a GRIB offshore rather then spend the time to catch a WeFax.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by felicityloncar

Hi, returning to cruising after 12years and want to use SSB and laptop to receive weatherfax. Used HFFAX in the past. Is this the best or does anyone have better recent experience? is HFFAX up and running again properly?
NZ to Pacific is the cruising area. Love to hear from you. Felicity, SY EXCEL

Both NZ and Oz produce and broadcast as WEFAX a variety of weather products. These are more applicable to the region than any US produced info IMO, and we routinely use them w hen internet data is not available. We also use various grib sources via Winlink (or Sailmail if you are not a ham) for predictive info.

Jim

[felicityloncar]

Thank you, We don't have email set up. just looking for a software to buy and install on the laptop with windows to receive Grib files and weather charts via SSB.
What is a good software? Im not a ham user unfortunately.
Cheers

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by felicityloncar

Thank you, We don't have email set up. just looking for a software to buy and install on the laptop with windows to receive Grib files and weather charts via SSB.
What is a good software? Im not a ham user unfortunately.
Cheers

If you aren't a Ham and don't want to get the license then Sailmail and a Pactor modem is what you need for SSB. Alternately look at the Satellite comms based options. There are reasonable choices available now.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by felicityloncar

Thank you, We don't have email set up. just looking for a software to buy and install on the laptop with windows to receive Grib files and weather charts via SSB.
What is a good software? Im not a ham user unfortunately.
Cheers

For the weather charts by HF, it is just receive, so you don't need a license of any type and it is all free. I have used several software programs on a PC to decode the HF radio audio's squeaks and squawks either by a cable to the PC's sound card, or with an external sound card (SignaLink) with cable to the radio and to the PC, or by just letting the PC listen to the sound with its microphone. I happen to like SeaTTY which I use for both HFfax and NAVTEX weather. Others like other brands of software. To each his own.