Ware Weather Fax Decoder
- This modem is able to receive and transmit HF-Fax images, traditionally used for weather reports. More technical information is available on the wikipedia article Radiofax. Two modes are implemented IOC=576 or 288. The focus is made on black-and-white images, color mode is still experimental.
- HF Radio Weather Faxes The plugin has a builtin database (WeatherFaxSchedules.xml) for HF Radio Weather Service Fax transmissions, which when used properly can automatically alert the user and begin decoding these faxes. Retrieve RF Radio Schedule Menu on the Filter Tab. Retrieve RF Radio Schedule Menu on the 1 minute Alarm Tab.
The Advanced Fax Decoder is useful for reception of orbiting weather satellites (WEFAX) and HF fax. Received images are decoded and displayed in real time. The Decoder employs advanced decoding and image processing techniques to display received images with maximum clarity. This modem is able to receive and transmit HF-Fax images, traditionally used for weather reports. More technical information is available on the wikipedia article Radiofax. Two modes are implemented IOC=576 or 288. The focus is made on black-and-white images, color mode is still experimental. WXtoImg is a fully automated APT and WEFAX weather satellite (WXsat) decoder. The software supports recording, decoding, editing, and viewing on most versions of Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. WXtoImg supports real-time decoding, map overlays, advanced colour enhancements, 3-D images, animations, multi-pass images, projection transformation (e.g. Mercator), text overlays, automated web page.
If you have spent time listening to HF you may have noticed the distinctive sound of HF Fax, something I thought had disappeared 20 years ago.
FAX seems like a very old technology now, although before the days of email the FAX machine was the only way to send near real-time images between people. HF Fax uses the same principle, but instead of squirting the tones down a phone line we modulate them onto an HF carrier.
It’s still very slow, but if you are on a yacht in the middle of the Atlantic its a very low-cost alternative to using a Sat phone and data. The charts are still transmitted from a number of locations around the world, using very high power 5 to 20 KW HF stations, so reception is easy even with a modest antenna.
You can use one of the online KiwiSDR to display the maps, this allows you to select the FAX overlay option in the top right-hand box, then region and download the image.
FLdigi can also be used to display the images on your screen. Using the schedule of transmissions tune your HF radio to 4608.1 KHz USB and set up FLdigi to your sound card. You will need to set the OP Mode to WEFAX then WEFAX-IOC576,
If you miss the start of a transmission don’t worry, just leave the receiver and program running and it will sync and start decoding on the next image. The transmission schedule is quite extensive, so you never have to wait long to resolve an image.
Here is an example from 4608 KHz decoded at 12:58 Hrs on 1/1/18
The transmitted images change based on a schedule, one typical example is included below.
Schedule:
Ware Weather Fax Decoder Number
APT Weather Satellite Reception - Decoding and Display Software
Overview
/edirol-ua-25-driver-mac-os-x-yosemite.html. Although expensive dedicated interfaces with accompanying software areavailable from commercial suppliers of weather satellite hardware, mostenthusiasts these days decode the APT data from the NOAA satellites using theirpersonal computer and its associatedsoundcard.
A number of dedicated amateur programmers have produced software packages thatcan be obtained either free, or for a very modest charge, and produce veryhigh-quality images indeed.
Ware Weather Fax Decoder Tool
| Program | Author | Details |
| Wxsat | Christian Bock | Wxsat is probably the simplest entry-level soundcard program. Wxsat can decode images in real-time. The program can simultaneously save the image as a bitmap and store the raw data as a WAV file for future decoding and manipulation as the signal is being received. Wxsat is freeware. A full tutorial on using this software is here. |
| JVcomm32 | Eberhard Backeshoff | JVcomm32 is a multi mode program which can receive and decode weather charts, weather reports, NAVTEX and SYNOP messages, weather satellites, ham radio SSTV and FAX. NOAA weather satellite (FAX) transmissions are decoded into images in real time, and the images saved as bitmaps. A demo version is available, but JVcomm32 must be registered to create usable images. |
| WXtoImg | Craig Anderson | WXtoImg is a feature-laden program that decodes NOAA data in real-time, saving the raw data as WAV files. The program can be made to process these WAV files into images in a variety of projections, and can create colour composites of numerous types. This is the most complex of the programs listed. To release its full power, registration is required, although the freeware version has more than sufficient features for the beginner. |
| APT Decoder | Patrik Tast | APT Decoder is a another feature-laden program that decodes NOAA data in real-time, saving the raw data as WAV files and processing them both monochrome and colour composite images. The particular advantage of this software is that it is completely free. The link to Patrik's site no longer works. I have tried to contact him via Facebook. Until I hear from him the link 'APT Decoder' will directly download an archive copy. Additionally, Les Hamilton has a page on using APT Decoder here. |
| SatSignal | David Taylor | Satsignal differs from the above programs in that it does not actually demodulate NOAA data transmissions. Satsignal has been designed specifically to create high-quality images from pre-existing WAV files created by programs like Wxsat and Wxtoimg. Satsignal boasts an impressive array of image enhancement tools (gamma, histogram, creating colour composites, sharpening, illumination adjustment, cropping noisy lines etc.) The basic version of Satsignal is free to use, but registration is required to unlock its full range of image processing tools. |
| SatScape | Scott Hather | Satscape is primarily a fantastic satellite tracking program with a beautifully crafter interface. But it also has a facility that enables it to record NOAA raw data as WAV files. Satscape can combine its tracking powers to automatically 'switch on' WAV file recording when a satellite comes within range. These can subsequently be processed into images using Wxsat and Satsignal. |
Ware Weather Fax Decoder Software
Displaying Your Images
The NOAA APT images you create can, of course, be displayed by the abovedecoding software packages. However, if you wish to scan through a library ofarchived images, a dedicated image viewing program is preferable.
Ware Weather Fax Decoder Download
One of the best such programs is IrvanView, created byIrfan Skiljan. IrfanView is completely free, and is one of the most popularpieces of software of its type. It can view all the common (and many uncommon)image formats and has an impressive 'slideshow' feature.
Click this link for more details, and to download IrfanView.