cheapest way to get weather files offshore?

[nuru05]

Is there a reliable way to download weather offshore? I have starlink but was hoping to use an iridium as my emergency communication device in addition to my EPIRB. Mainly because the cheapest plan is only like $11/month compared to $65 for an iridium. I'd like a way to get weather that is redundant to the stalink (mostly because I dont' fully trust it offshore yet) but would like to avoid paying $65/month for a service I rarely use. Are there any options to download good weather files (ideally predict wind) through the inreach?

[Franziska]

Afaik you can not receive weather files like Grib via Inreach. The Inreach is purely text based.



Having said that, I was wondering if a clever programmer could not find a way to convert Grib data into a text format and then decode it into a Grib via another piece of software.

I have no idea how much text such a recorded Grib file would be though.



Still there are alternative forecasts on the Inreach :
https://wx2inreach.weebly.com/about.html
Inreach itself also supplies marine weather.

Still, both are not Grib files.



For those you would need an IridiumGo or HF radio with modem.

[RonaldL]

Saildocs is an email-based document-retrieval system for the delivery of text-based Internet documents either on request or by subscription.
By email.
Including gribs (as text file)

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by RonaldL

Saildocs is an email-based document-retrieval system for the delivery of text-based Internet documents either on request or by subscription.
By email.
Including gribs (as text file)

That's interesting. I know it's used with HF radio.
Never seen it used with Inreach though.

How much text is a typical Grib file?

The Inreach can receive text email content.

Afaik it's limited to SMS size though and splits longer messages up.

So if it's a lot of text it would not be practical. How do you turn the text then back into a usable Grib?

[Franziska]

Interesting, just found this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sailing/com..._files_over_a/


Reading through it weather fax via a short wave receiver seems your best bet to get weather charts, but not Gribs.

[apoc]

Running something like cyberchef (https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/), you could always just base64 encode the data from the source, split it into chunks, send it via whatever means, and and rebuild on the other side. This requires a bit of technical knowledge and a way to manipulate the data.

[Pete7]

This is worth an evening delving into:

https://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Home

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Interesting, just found this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sailing/com..._files_over_a/


Reading through it weather fax via a short wave receiver seems your best bet to get weather charts, but not Gribs.

This by far the cheapest way to get weather fax and reports but NOT gribs. There are published times for broadcasts depending on what part of the world you are in. You can pick up a dedicated NASA HF3W SSB receiver for about $300 new.



To pick up gribs over SSB you need to be a licenced HAM using Winlink (free) or subscribe to sailmail ($275/year). Both methods use Airmail program that is free to download and use and can be used as an email request builder that works over the internet or very slow sat links (Iridium & Inmarsat).



Unless you have a good cheap "internet" connection receiving gribs can be tedious which limits the area covered. A good weather fax gives more information for a larger area.



FWIW OpenCPN as well as having a grib displace also allows overlays of weather fax files.

[barnakiel]

No gribs, but good wx data, and not expensive, comes from InReach. Here a feature written very well back in 2016 by Panbo. The service is probably even better today : https://panbo.com/delorme-inreach-ge...-goes-to-cuba/


Non-grib, but useful info, can be had via ssb and radiofax. Text and wx charts come free and cover most important cruising areas of the Atlantic, Pacific North, and some areas in Pacific South. Waters round Australia too (way out to NZ and to CC on the opposite side) NOAA and AUS BOM are your wx friends.



Now for GRIBS I would use any sat com 2 way device that you have that can get data. Many people use various incarnations of Iridiium, and many people are happy with these. E.g. IridiumGo and its versions. Also Inmarsat can get you data well and at a reasonable price. And now SpaceX seems to have gained big following too. And then you use any grib requester you like. I use QtVlm quite often as it is simple, reliable and works over any data /wifi/Ethernet link.


Your last option, but again no grib, is to get a 2 way communicator (based on Iridiium, like InReach, or on Inmarsat, (NOT Globalstar -Spot etc), or SpaceX. Then send a wx request to your wx router (a human). And your router collects the data, processes it and filters out the noise. What you get back onboard is what is relevant and useful to you - given your boat, destination, location and you name it. At times, it is nice to know there is a another human out there somewhere. One that listens and responds.


Have fun sailing and avoid storms.


barnakiel (a human weather router - when not sailing)

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

No gribs, but good wx data, and not expensive, comes from InReach. Here a feature written very well back in 2016 by Panbo. The service is probably even better today : https://panbo.com/delorme-inreach-ge...-goes-to-cuba/


Non-grib, but useful info, can be had via ssb and radiofax. Text and wx charts come free and cover most important cruising areas of the Atlantic, Pacific North, and some areas in Pacific South. Waters round Australia too (way out to NZ and to CC on the opposite side) NOAA and AUS BOM are your wx friends.



Now for GRIBS I would use any sat com 2 way device that you have that can get data. Many people use various incarnations of Iridiium, and many people are happy with these. E.g. IridiumGo and its versions. Also Inmarsat can get you data well and at a reasonable price. And now SpaceX seems to have gained big following too. And then you use any grib requester you like. I use QtVlm quite often as it is simple, reliable and works over any data /wifi/Ethernet link.


Your last option, but again no grib, is to get a 2 way communicator (based on Iridiium, like InReach, or on Inmarsat, (NOT Globalstar -Spot etc), or SpaceX. Then send a wx request to your wx router (a human). And your router collects the data, processes it and filters out the noise. What you get back onboard is what is relevant and useful to you - given your boat, destination, location and you name it. At times, it is nice to know there is a another human out there somewhere. One that listens and responds.

A note that ZOLEO satellite communicator (uses Iridium) allows text messages of 900+ characters when communicating app-to-app (app is free users without zoleo device). This allows much longer messages (compared to Inreach) to be sent by your "weather router".


https://support.zoleo.com/hc/en-us/a...age-with-ZOLEO


Otherwise, cheapest method would be weatherfax via portable radio with HF SSB.

[RonaldL]

Originally Posted by Franziska

That's interesting. I know it's used with HF radio.
Never seen it used with Inreach though.

How much text is a typical Grib file?

The Inreach can receive text email content.

Afaik it's limited to SMS size though and splits longer messages up.

So if it's a lot of text it would not be practical. How do you turn the text then back into a usable Grib?

A typical grib file is around 2k bytes.
A normal navigation programm would display the file.
And some apps as Zygrib etc.

I used this 8 years ago during my trip around the globe using a satellite tracker system which also had a sms like communication possibility.

It's free.....
The only costs are the inreach data costs.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Afaik you can not receive weather files like Grib via Inreach. The Inreach is purely text based.



Having said that, I was wondering if a clever programmer could not find a way to convert Grib data into a text format and then decode it into a Grib via another piece of software.

I have no idea how much text such a recorded Grib file would be though.



Still there are alternative forecasts on the Inreach :
https://wx2inreach.weebly.com/about.html
Inreach itself also supplies marine weather.

Still, both are not Grib files.



For those you would need an IridiumGo or HF radio with modem.

Grib files are already text files, just much too large for an inReach.

I might consider an Iridium Go! That is what I used on my circumnavigation, and with recent changes to Starlink pricing, it might soon be that the Go! is the more economical choice.

For backup, either an inreach to text shoreside support that has predictwind, or a cheap HF radio with WXFAX reception.

[JPA Cate]

What Tupaia described above is how we got gribs for years.

Some friends had Satphone, and received the cyclone warning the night before we would have learned of it. Their set up had the phone alarm for cyclone warnings, and man overboard warnings.

Ann

[barnakiel]

re file size - I found files 5k and upwards quite useful


download over Go about 15 seconds, but charged for full minute by Iridium


b.

[SV Jabberwock]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

A note that ZOLEO satellite communicator (uses Iridium) allows text messages of 900+ characters when communicating app-to-app (app is free users without zoleo device). This allows much longer messages (compared to Inreach) to be sent by your "weather router".


https://support.zoleo.com/hc/en-us/a...age-with-ZOLEO


Otherwise, cheapest method would be weatherfax via portable radio with HF SSB.

Important to note that the 900 character messages are only a UI thing. Meaning you have the convenience of not having to split your message into several parts. But it still counts as 4 messages against your allowance.


I use a process similar to the inReach Reddit post linked above to get some weather via Zoleo while on passage. Usually takes between 4 and 10 messages for a wind chart depending on size of the selected area and resolution. Plus one message to request the data.
Of course that's no comparison to proper gribs, but beats the single point "marine" weather that inReach and Zoleo offer themselves.