| ZED_NIVEL |
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| 11/05/2008 07:46 |
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Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Hi I am looking for a solution to get weather info and also just voice call when onto deep blue waters. Talking only Satellite Phones now and no i am not intending to surf the net more then just downloading these new good GRIB weather files. I had just hoped for a a good hand held phone even if a fixed aerial must be considered.
The Iridium Satellite System - is it as said a complete coverage of the Earth - anyone using their phones and systems who can give me some info - i plan to cross the Atlantics next year, have only GSM and VHF communication on board and aim for AIS and more built in functions with a computer dry and safe with some usbs reachable at the chartboard, rugged screen, all givers possible connected to the computer eg GPS, AIS, log, wind, echo all log-processed.
is this realistic?
I am totally thankful for any tip!
| Captainslarty |
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| 11/05/2008 09:00 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Rather expensive way and complicated too.
Buy a sangean ats909 or lowe hf150 ssb reciever for around 150 squids.. get a copy of mscan meteo and download free synoptic charts.. grib are only synoptics with a few added wind lines that a three year old Siamese acrobat could visual themselves
..incorporating everything onto a pc is usually a recipe for failure at some point. same as having everything hooked up to a chart plotter inc radar.
I have the raymarine E120 display, but wouldnt dream of adding a rm radar dome to it due to the single point failure - will still use my perfectly acceptable JRC 1000 radar on its own.
| Lemain |
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| 11/05/2008 13:15 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Quote:Yikes! No, what people call "the grib files" is the output of the Global Forecasting System which is also avaliable via any number of public service internet sources such as Buoyweater, UGrib, USGrib, etc. The GFS gives a forecast that goes way beyond a synoptic. Have a look at Frank Singleton's website - I can't give you the (rather complicated) address right now but if you google on singleton weather you will find it on clara net.
grib are only synoptics with a few added wind lines that a three year old Siamese acrobat could visual themselves
To the OP - I have only a very limited bandwidth Internet service via GPRS at the moment and cannot give a proper answer to your question as I would want to do some research first in case things have changed since I last investigated it. If I get decent Internet back in the next day or so I will try to help.
| whipper_snapper |
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| 11/05/2008 13:46 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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And synoptics via HF are not available for large parts of globe, while gribs are worldwide.
| Jonny_H |
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| 11/05/2008 14:20 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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You can gets Gribs via HF - got some today myself!
| jonic |
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| 11/05/2008 14:58 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Quote:
You can gets Gribs via HF - got some today myself!
Hey....I take it the tuner is working now
| ZED_NIVEL |
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| 11/05/2008 15:07 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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oh i am an absolute ignorant on this field - you are talking abt a short wave radio (sangean) but i dont know more how to use that for getting a grip info and i have absolutely no idea what you mean with a 3 year korean (is that your radio?)
well - of course i am more interested - so how do i get a grib print done from this radio transfer?
| Captainslarty |
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| 11/05/2008 15:10 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Buy a printer >> ? or is that too obvious >>>
| whipper_snapper |
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| 11/05/2008 15:53 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Quote:
You can gets Gribs via HF - got some today myself!
Yes, you can request gribs for specific areas by HF and Pactor with a transciever, that is what I do. Or via email and satphone.
But it was suggested that you didn't need gribs or 2-way comms because you can get all the weather information from the weather faxes and a simple HF receiver. The point is that to get weather for many areas you need some way of 2 way comms, either voice, satellite or HF.
But I would love to be shown that I am wrong!
| ZED_NIVEL |
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| 11/05/2008 15:58 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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surely baby i understand that a printer can print - but how is all connected - do you suggest its possible to connect to the sangean and prompt the printing from that unit ( hehe well you see - i need better help than a hint of a printer)
All the best friend!
| Talbot |
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| 11/05/2008 21:41 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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I recommend that you go to http://www.franksingleton.clara.net/ which provides 90% of the answers to the questions you are asking.
| whipper_snapper |
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| 12/05/2008 07:44 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Quote:
do you suggest its possible to connect to the sangean and prompt the printing from that unit
Yes, that is possible with appropriate (free/cheap) software and a PC.
But all this is taking you a long way from your satphone request and I suggest you think carefully before being swayed by the radio hams around here!
Satphones are simpler and far more reliable means of communication than HF radio. They are probably also cheaper because although they cost per minute of use, they are much quicker and simpler to install and use.
I suspect that many, me included, look on HF radio mainly as fun to play with!
| Captainslarty |
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| 12/05/2008 07:56 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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There are over 1000 wefax stations in 80 countries around the world. why do you think that you cant get detail for your area ? no worries. - even in mid ocean. no two way system needed.
add navtex for coastal regions too.
The other point is that interpreting synoptic charts IS childs play.. it doesnt take long to master it. HF Fax listings and info
| whipper_snapper |
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| 12/05/2008 08:00 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Sorry, but that is simply not true. For example, the schedules suggest wonderful coverage of the Indian Ocean, but I have listened for them literally 100's of times and never heard the Kenyan station and the SA stations are very rarely audible and never stick to schedule.
I can get great wx fax from germany, UK, Canada and USA but its no use to me at all!
| webcraft |
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| 12/05/2008 18:56 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Iridium Motorola 9505 is fine. Get a fixed external aerial - much less hassle - and away you go. Check it out before you leave though - we had problems with the USB to serial cable at first and had to get another one.
Downloading a five day GRIB for a 600 mile radius will take 2-3 min (these are the wind only GRIBs, no isobars or precip, but you don't need them). Get them from GLOBALMARINENET . We used the WINDPLOT software available as a download from the same site. The demo bversion worked fine for us, so we never actually purchased it.
Easy and reliable - Iridium phones seem to be fairly bombproof, but I would take a spare laptop as a backup.
For voice, the more minutes you buy up front the cheaper it is. There are loads of suppliers of airtime, so check them all out.
- W
| Troutbridge |
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| 13/05/2008 08:48 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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Zed, I have an Iridium system on board. My service provider is Sailamail and the system seems to work just fine. I prefer it to the system I used to have because I can get weather on demand with an email request. I also have an SSB transceiver which is handy for 'social purposes' and could be used to get weather info.
If you're not a 'radio enthusiast' I'd suggest the satphone route is the way to go. As far as interpreting synoptic charts are concerned, if you download wind information it's fairly self-explanatory. Anything else(pressure gradients, frontal systems etc) is a bit of a black art. For those who think differently all I can say is when I had to pass a met exam for my commercial pilots license (many years ago, I've just retired) the ground school syllabus devoted about 30 hours of lectures to weather systems. On the other hand maybe all airline pilots are thickos & radio enthusiasts are bordering on the genius level.
| Lemain |
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| 13/05/2008 13:11 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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I have sat phone (Mini M), amateur HF/MF, marine HF/MF, and a Pactor 3 modem. I use the HF radio (via Winlink or Sailmail) to get my gribs and other docs including single page html files as text-only via saildocs and other weather via email from Buoyweather. I always manage to get through on either Winlink or Sailmail so I save money and never use the Mini M for data. I seldom bother with synoptics in the Med as they are almost impossible for to base a forecast on unlike Atlantic weather.
I agree with your general advice for non-techy people and would add that a SSB transceiver is not cheap, neither is Pactor nor the $250 annual sub to sailmail! You can make quite few satphone connects with the money you will have saved.
Whichever way you do it, the ability to send and receive emails at sea or secluded anchorages is very useful as you can get weather 24/24. Another benefit is being able to send faxes via Interfax, with just one email. I often book a marina berth with a fax sent by the radio as they tend to ignore emails but put faxes on the top of the pile.
Definitely check out Frank Singleton's site. If you don't understand anything, email him, he is very helpful and as a professional forecaster and long-term cruising yachtsman, he knows what he's talking about.
| ZED_NIVEL |
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| 13/05/2008 18:28 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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To Trouthbridge: ohoy that was a good debate. Thanks all for this analyze and to WhipperSnapper who have been monitoring my project from another Forum as well + Troutbridge: I go for your advices; why should i become a radio amateur at my age (57)having no time for all that incl not only comptence but also formal certificate? and yes - i think also you are both correct and also very emphatic to my situation! Maybe not the money has so much infludence for me as the simplicity and knowing that the right Sat system ( either 2 sat phones on the low orbit system or 1 Iridium) - i think i start to understand this and also what you already pointed out:
Also WhipperSnapper: You use it all and have the experience obviously + gives clear and friendly info: Yes its sound to get the adequate for the NOW. Even if I some time even go around the world - upgrade for that IF IF and IF that ever happens, ( probably it will be the system covering almost the whole trip from Africa to Carribean)
| ZED_NIVEL |
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| 13/05/2008 18:31 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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To WhipperSnapper: ohoy that was a good debate. Thanks all for this analyze and to you who have been monitoring my project from another Forum as well I go for your advices; why should i become a radio amateur at my age (57)having no time for all that incl not only competence but also formal certificate? and yes - i think also you are correct and also very emphatic to my situation! Maybe not the money has so much influence for me as the simplicity and knowing that the right Sat system ( either 2 sat phones on the low orbit system or 1 Iridium) - i think i start to understand this and also what you already pointed out:
You use it all and have the experience obviously + gives clear and friendly info: Yes its sound to get the adequate for the NOW. Even if I some time even go around the world - upgrade for that IF IF and IF that ever happens, ( probably it will be the system covering almost the whole trip from Africa to and in the Carribean)
| demonboy |
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| 17/05/2008 10:22 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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We dloaded a grib file using UGrib, which we used for a delivery from Turkey to Malta. We arrived in Malta last night and I have to say the grib file was pretty much spot on for the three or so days we were at sea.
| ZED_NIVEL |
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| 19/05/2008 07:31 |
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Re: Satellite Internet, Grib Weather and more?
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yes! GRIB SEEMS TO BE IT when its up to fast access. but but -- what abt the isobars -- they are missing arent they -- are we not missing a substantial piece of information here about what is going to happen with this or that high/low -pressure ?
Hey do you use SSB hein? Its too complicated for me as it requires so much for the antenna/arial. I am into one or two of those low orb tel satellite systems