How to download OPC surface analysis forecast w/ Iridium Go?

[jimp1234]

I have the PredictWind/Iridium Go package and so far with coastal passages it's worked pretty well. The one thing I'm not happy with is PredictWind's grib viewer, however I'm been playing with Luckgrib and it looks pretty good. And you can download GFS grib files with the Iridium Go. However, in the harbor on a high speed connection I like to look at the surface analysis and 500 Mb analysis (particularly 48hr & 72hr) at the Ocean Prediction Center. Is there anyway to download these forecasts with an Iridium Go? TIA

-Jim

https://ocean.weather.gov/Pac_tab.php

[WA116]

the best way to get these and other noaa graphics is by email request from Saildocs. They will return them to you in compressed form as attachments to an email.


The Saildocs service has many features - too many to list here.., but you can learn about them by going to saildocs.com, and sending the info, index, and other emails they tell you about.



Saildocs is free and you do not need an account.


Instead of requesting the OPC analyses.., you will need to request the NOAA Radiofax images - they are more or less the same - just produced for the NOAA weatherfax radio broadcast service.


For example, if you send an email to query@saildocs.com, with "Send PYAA02.tif" in the body of the email.., and no subject, you will get back the 0Z W Atlantic surface analysis. It's 16kb, so easily downloaded with Iridium.


NOAA has four radiofax broadcast offices - Boston - for N Atlantic, New Orleans for Tropical Atlantic, and Pt Reyes for E Pacific, and I think Honolulu for W Pacific - google them.., Saildocs has nearly all the images on those sites available by return email. The saildocs images are usually compressed to about 50% of the original size. Note that you must request the TIF, not the GIF versions.

[jimp1234]

Thanks.

[SV Coronado]

WA116 is spot on! I also download the text forecast with the chart. Many times the forecaster will call out things in the forecast that my untrained eye doesn’t see.