VHF Weather

[ka4wja]

belizesailor,
Kimden, did mention that it was an old Uniden President LTD 935...and I provided a link to its manual...

Originally Posted by belizesailor

But...if we can find out the make/model then the mystery will be easy to solve. OP??

So, his radio is either defective, or he's not selected below channel 01, to find WX-1 thru WX-0....
Or possibly his antenna/cable is defective...as the NOAA VHF Weather broadcasts are very strong here in Florida....(I get as many as 5-7 all the time, from the boat....and even get 2-3 on a handheld with a rubber duck antenna...)

Fair winds...

John

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by ka4wja

belizesailor,
Kimden, did mention that it was an old Uniden President LTD 935...and I provided a link to its manual...So, his radio is either defective, or he's not selected below channel 01, to find WX-1 thru WX-0....
Or possibly his antenna/cable is defective...as the NOAA VHF Weather broadcasts are very strong here in Florida....(I get as many as 5-7 all the time, from the boat....and even get 2-3 on a handheld with a rubber duck antenna...)

Fair winds...

John

Oops, missed that.

I used to live in FL and had the same experience...lots of broadcasts to choose from...handy when you are moving along the coast.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by ka4wja

Kenomac,
I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but Huh???
My understanding is that in order to have up-to-date info or anything live, you'd have to have cellular/3G/4G/etc. coverage or you'd need internet access (such as via Wi-Fi)??
Yes???

Most cruisers do NOT have internet access when beyond a couple miles offshore at best....and even with the great coverage of Verizon, there are many areas that have none, right off the beach!!
In marinas, yes....no problem....but once you move away from land, you have little (or no) coverage!!

{Right here in populous S. Florida....my sister has a smart phone, on Verizon, and while she has 5 bars of signal most places, including where she parks her car at the beach, but then walks 50-100 yards to the beach, she looses all signal/coverage when she gets onto the sand, and most others have the same problem....yes, there are other areas that have signal....but since the population is on land, the wireless carriers are maximizing their coverage/signals on-land, and are not providing much (or any) coverage beyond the beach..}



So, while I think you mean well, and you are happy with your toys....to say that NOAA Weather Radio is obsolete is, in MY opinion, just wrong...

Oh, and one more thing.....
I've yet to see ANY smart phone / tablet APP that shows you the up-to-date Gulf Stream Position....
The US NWS NOAA Weather Radio VHF Broadcasts do that 24/7/365, updated every couple days!!!
And, it's FREE!!! Available to EVERYONE!....and a couple of the stations that broadcast this are not only easily receivable in their prescribed coverage area (which is for small, inefficient indoor antennas), but also easily received in the Bahamas as well, so whether planning a crossing, a fishing trip, etc. from either direction, as well as when out at sea, this info is there for you 24/7/365, for free!!!

Here's today's info:

Fair winds...

John

Wifi? No you don't need wifi.

Stay in the Stone Age if you like, but why so eager to encourage others to join you?

PocketGrib and accuweater provides accurate forecasts 5-9 days out including forecasts in the immediate vicinity. Cellular data is available 2-4 miles out. Your radio forecasts are only good in the USA,.. Not much good here in the Med or elsewhere, and besides... The last time I checked, VHF only covers 14 miles or so. Good luck receiving a weather forecast beyond the reach of the radio or in a specific area. In Southern California, I found the Weather radio broadcasts to be nearly worthless since they were much too broad and didn't tell me what was going to happen a couple of days in advance.

Sounds to me like you mostly do local coastal cruising where your limited toys work sufficiently.

You're also suggesting the OP purchase a brand new radio with weather Channels, when the OP most likely already has a smart phone or table which can receive 4G cellular data from the apps I've suggested for only $5... The cost of the PocketGrib app.

BTW: stop doing the caps and bold print, it just makes you look like a blowhard.

[MarkSF]

I can get the weather channels with the antenna disconnected, they are that strong! I suspect that the OP's radio can't tune into the weather channels - simple as that. Maybe time for a new one. But I'd definitely test the antenna and cabling. Most problems are actually in the cabling, or to be more precise, the cable terminations.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Wifi? No you don't need wifi.

Stay in the Stone Age if you like, but why so eager to encourage others to join you?

PocketGrib and accuweater provides accurate forecasts 5-9 days out including forecasts in the immediate vicinity. Cellular data is available 5-8 miles out. Your radio forecasts are only good in the USA,.. Not much good here in the Med, and besides... The last time I checked, VHF only covers 14 miles or so. Good luck receiving a weather forecast beyond the reach of the radio.

Sounds to me like you mostly do local coastal cruising where your limited toys work sufficiently.

You're also suggesting the OP purchase a brand new radio with weather Channels, when the OP most likely already has a smart phone or table which can receive 4G cellular data from the apps I've suggested for only $5... The cost of the PocketGrib app.

BTW: stop doing the caps and bold print, it just makes you look like a blowhard.

Receive range should be at least 50 miles, maybe 100, given that the signal is pretty strong, and the transmit antennas are located on high ground. I can get the San Francisco transmitter very clearly here in the South Bay, on my handheld. I'm about 40 miles away. Something to do with the transmitter being 500W, and on top of a mountain.

[Kenomac]

I guess it depends on what one prefers, a 9 day forecast with two hour simulated weather including grib arrows like pictured for a one time purchase price of $5 giving you weather from all around the world,

OR.... A computerized voice telling you what the weather is like 40-100 miles away from your current location via a new VHF radio.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I guess it depends on what one prefers, a 9 day forecast with two hour simulated weather including grib arrows like pictured for a one time purchase price of $5 giving you weather from all around the world,

OR.... A computerized voice telling you what the weather is like 40-100 miles away from your current location via a new VHF radio.

Personally, I prefer all the above plus everything else I can get.

[goat]

Originally Posted by ka4wja

And, for $200 or so, you can have a new, modern, full Class D DSC-VHF radio....
(Icom or Standard Horizon, are the ONLY affordable brands that I recommend!!)
(get yourself a MMSI#, and have GPS data connected to the VHF, or get a VHF with a GPS built-in, and you've got a serious safety asset as well as a modern way to communicate with other vessels and shore stations...as well as a good weather radio!!!)

Might as well pop for AIS receive while you're at it.
Welcome to StandardHorizon.com

goat

[Mirage35]

Originally Posted by kimden5

. I have about an 8' fiberglass(?) antennae.

Eight foot? That's not a VHF antenna.

[Cowboy Sailer]

The Shakespeare 8300 is a 6 db VHF antenna and it is 8' long!

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

Eight foot? That's not a VHF antenna.

At least not as commonly seen on sailboats.

[Cowboy Sailer]

Sailboats generally mount shorter, 3 db antennas, up high on the mast. Higher gain antennas have too narrow beam width and risk uselessly radiating into the sea or out into space when healed. 3 db antennas have wide enough beam width so they work well when healed.

[ka4wja]

Kenomac,
I think you may be confusing me with the original poster, "kimden"???

'Cause I am an offshore sailor / voyager, made many offshore passages, starting in the 1960's, including multiple Atlantic crossings (first one was in the 1970's, and latest was just a couple years ago)....
And, I've made my living in hi-tech electronics / communications for the past 30+ years, and have a rep for being on the cutting edge of sat comm and microwave wireless (cellular, etc.)
(but, quite frankly I'd rather watch the sky, barometer, etc. as well as look at a weather chart prepared by a human, rather than look at a computer-generated model....)


The original poster (kimden), is the one who is a coastal sailor and seems to be unfamiliar with some forms of maritime communications, weather info/sources, etc...


{I'm well aware that the NOAA Weather stations are a US-only system....and while I do wish that NAVTEX had caught on here on this side of the Atlantic, it hasn't...but, since it is unlikely that the original poster is venturing to Europe anytime soon, it seemed prudent to actually address HIS particular issue rather then bring up other ideas....
Although, I personally appreciate being kept up-to-date on others experiences with various APPS, etc. it just seemed to be far off topic for his query...}


As far as being in the "stone age"??
Replacing an old non-DSC vhf radio with a modern Class D VHF-DSC radio is far from the "stone age" in my opinion...

And, specifically to the original poster's query, when you're 30 - 50 miles offshore, in the Gulf Stream, etc. and wanting some up-to-date info / T-storm warnings, etc.(which IS what we get on these NOAA Weather stations), I think most would prefer to use the "stone age" Marine VHF system rather than nothing at all (which is what his smart phone would give him, nothing...)
The NOAA VHF weather stations around here can be picked up clearly from more than 50-60 miles 100% of the time!!! (No special propagation) with even mediocre vhf systems on-board, and many listen to these from 75-100 miles away...
When further offshore / on the high seas / across the Atlantic / etc. we have HF WeFax (from multiple USCG stations, GYA in the UK, as well as from Greece, Germany, etc. and dozens of others)....and of course the HF SafetyNET SITOR broadcasts....and even the HF Voice weather broadcasts...
All of these are easily received from 1000's of miles away, offshore, in any weather, for free....
(and of course are considered the "gold standard" of offshore / hi-seas weather..)

Of course, you also have Sat Comm systems that can do much of the above, for various fees and airtime costs....

Okay, sorry about the digression.....
But, as you can easily start to see, none of that has any real bearing on the original posters query about his VHF radio...
Nor does telling him to scrap the radio and use his smart phone???
(not to mention that the ranges that you state for VHF radio range is seriously inaccurate....please have a look at the designed ranges of the various stations that I posted above, these are based on small handheld VHF weather radios, w/ 2' telescopic antennas indoors ....and take note that many can use these radios effectively in Bimini Bahamas....but when on-board with masthead antennas and good-quality marine VHF radios, the ranges for these NOAA VHF stations is much greater!!! 50-60 miles 100% of the time is typical, and 75+ miles is what I get, 100% of the time!!)

Kenomac, if you wish to get into a contest about sailing, weather info/forecasting, radio comms, etc. I have no interest at all...but, if you wish to read some info on these subjects, there is a plethora of info here on CF and the SSCA disc boards....please have a look...


I hope this helps clear up your confusion.

Fair winds..

John


Btw, I use the caps and bold-type to add emphasis, not to be rude or shout at anyone....not sure why that didn't come off correctly, but please accept my apologies...
If I could go back and remove all my comments to you in this thread I would, as it seems you took my sincere efforts as offense, and I did not mean any...
And, yes....sometimes I am a Blowhard....but I'm usually right with the info/facts...