GPS, weather fax, charting

[Adamhagan]

Some of the other really cool things that are now in the hands of the average people are the new devices that allow sending and recieving text messages via satelite or constant updates on your position using Spot.

I really considered the Spot device but opted for the PLB with the ability to send out a simple message " all ok" on GPS. SPOT also is not on 406mhz and gives no position info on SOS to coast guard.

I recently heard of a family that phoned the coast guard after seeing the yacht's "stalled" progress on SPOT. The coast guard "rescued" him, even though he never sent a emergency and was not in distress. I think if they make the trip and go through the trouble...someone is gettin' rescued!

Cruisers Lealea estimated their passage would take 30 days, and with wind conditions it took over 50. They were well provisioned and never in danger.

Man does this mean I still need to keep employing common sense---never my strong suit.

[joemerchant]

8 miles. Just 8 short miles off. No big deal.

And the only thing that MAY have avoided that accident would have been an active watch on forward sonar and a very alert crew. Neither of which would be expected in the early morning of the accident at least 8 miles from charted reef. Both electronic and paper charts were affected. Nothing beats local knowledge, which is why I really think sites/services like Active Captain or online cruising guides that are updated real time are invaluable.

May you always go aground on a rising tide... And don't forget to share the uncharted shoal with the rest of us once off, please.

[joemerchant]

I really considered the Spot device but opted for the PLB with the ability to send out a simple message " all ok" on GPS. SPOT also is not on 406mhz and gives no position info on SOS to coast guard.

I recently heard of a family that phoned the coast guard after seeing the yacht's "stalled" progress on SPOT. The coast guard "rescued" him, even though he never sent a emergency and was not in distress. I think if they make the trip and go through the trouble...someone is gettin' rescued!

Cruisers Lealea estimated their passage would take 30 days, and with wind conditions it took over 50. They were well provisioned and never in danger.

Man does this mean I still need to keep employing common sense---never my strong suit.

There was an accident during the Newport to Ensenda Race last year where the skipper had setup spot. It was great to determine what happened as they sailed directly into the cliff of a small island. I think I would rather be lost at sea for unknown reasons then let everyone know I sailed smack dab into the side of a well charted small island. More reasons why your idea of PLB that allows outgoing SMS is better.

[Steve Laume]

Steve,

If I understand you correctly you DID hear the fax noises. That means you were tuned to the correct station for weather fax.

Here is a video which shows it in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ad7I87vo6E

I will also ad these sites of interest:

http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software ... e/fax.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Y3Q4wlcLY

This clears up a few things for me. I suppose I was a bit naive in thinking that I could get voice forecasts for such large areas. So now I know what all the noise was about and that I need a computer coupled to the radio to do me any good. I was also not sure how many hours to add or subtract to get the proper broadcast times and how daylight savings time entered in. So for the east coast it seems like I subtract 5 hours from UTC.

The sites you sent are as clear as anything I have seen on this subject and gives me a good basis to learn more. Now I just have to retrieve my little receiver from the boat and get a cord to make the connection to a computer. Then I can play around with the thing, which is how I tend to learn best. It will also be one more reason to get some sort of computer for the boat. I could have bought one for what I spent on cell phone calls with the roaming charges on the last trip.

Getting weather faxes would be great but do you then have a printer to keep a paper copy? There is no end to where this could lead. At least with the fax you would not space out by the time the automated voice gets to the area forecast you really wanted to hear and have to listen through the whole thing again.

Thank you for the information, as this will help a lot, Steve.

[Squid]

Just a thought... For HF weather you can use either your iPhone or iPad with a cheap (apx 150 bucks, amazon) HF receiver.

The radio:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICF-SW7600GR ... iver+radio

Review this site for HF weather
http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software ... e/fax.html

Here is the app
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hf-weat ... 99597?mt=8

Pretty simple for open ocean HF receive only and you get weather input away from internet availability.

Hope this helps.

oooops... Just noticed someone already posted... Well, it must be a good idea then...

As long as I am at it... Some more App info (not inclusive) I have toy issues..

http://theappwhisperer.com/2011/05/03/t ... ling-apps/

http://oceanlines.biz/2010/08/heres-why ... -the-boat/

http://appadvice.com/applists/show/apps-for-sailing

[Shinok]

There is the ability and the service is worth it's weight in gold to utilize XM Radio Recievers hooked up to GPS Chartplotters to get real-time weather and radar plotted directly on your chartplotter including winds and directions.

I'm actually surprised how few people use this on their boats, that I've seen anyway. We don't have it yet, mostly because we don't have a display yet, but when we put one in I plan on getting the XM service. I love having direct access to the radar in particular without having to use a phone or other device.

Be warned though, the radar feed is not real time. There is usually a delay, anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. In some places, that may not be a big deal, but in others that is enough time for a thunderstorm to mature and dissipate without ever showing up. I can't speak to the quality of the other data.

I was curious though, is most of the data inland/coastal or does it extend fairly well offshore?

[Vincent]

There is the ability and the service is worth it's weight in gold to utilize XM Radio Recievers hooked up to GPS Chartplotters to get real-time weather and radar plotted directly on your chartplotter including winds and directions.

I'm actually surprised how few people use this on their boats, that I've seen anyway. We don't have it yet, mostly because we don't have a display yet, but when we put one in I plan on getting the XM service. I love having direct access to the radar in particular without having to use a phone or other device.

Be warned though, the radar feed is not real time. There is usually a delay, anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. In some places, that may not be a big deal, but in others that is enough time for a thunderstorm to mature and dissipate without ever showing up. I can't speak to the quality of the other data.

I was curious though, is most of the data inland/coastal or does it extend fairly well offshore?

Yes, I am also curious about the satellite service like XM. Are they providing coverage just over the continent or is there overlapping service from say, here to Europe?

[bottomscraper]

XM coverage map, basically North America with some spill over: