USCG NMC, Pt. Reyes, Ca 12784.1 WeatherFax
- Thread starter KF0SKV
- Start date
Come in nice o er here at CN85, not as pristine as the past few days though
Couple from Yesterday
KF0SKV
Member
Very nice!
TAC4
Member
That last one is mint 👍 looks like the shift compensation is bang on.
ind224
Member
That is not a radio fax, you printed that!!! LOL
Got some fresh ink for the printer 😀
Some Morning/Afternoon 06/04/2024 #Wefax / #RadioFax
@Airspy_com #HF+Discovery #SDRsharp1920 #Fldigi 12784.1 KHZ
180ft dipole with a @Nooelec 9:1
Trinsmitted out of Pt. Reyes Ca
Received in Woodland wa CN85
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Hi all! I have been decoding pt. reyes wefax images from San Diego, Ca. for years using a RSP1A and a raspberry pi. Recently I’ve been experiencing some inconsistencies with reception. Trying to find the gremlin. Does anyone know of an online software defined radio near pt Reyes that receives wefax frequencies that I can use to help troubleshoot?
You are not alone, the closest to consistency is on 8680.1 & 4344.1
Which isn't the greatest for the afternoon transmission, when it is on 1278.41 is a rockstar
Currently transmitting on 12.7481
I can confirm Pt Reyes is transmitting again as well. I am regularly receiving images on 8682 khz. I still don't know why I was not receiving images on a regular basis in June and July of this year, but I have an idea. See below.
I sent an email to USCG CAMSPAC in Pt. Reyes (COM-DG-CWOWatchstanders@uscg.mil) asking if the transmitters were down and was told they were unaware of any problems. They told me to check this website for status updates: https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?type=view&key=16694640/SFH00000/DailyMemXII.txt. I would check this but never saw any reference to technical issues at the Pt. Reyes wefax station.
BUT..........I also know their current transmissions are regularly containing a new abnormality. I discovered the 06/12/18/21Z GOES IR** Satellite Image, East Pacific* which was historically horizontal, is now vertical. My assumption is the authors/source of this image changed the format.
The version of this received via wefax is vertical as well.....BUT the lower portion of the image is always truncated/chopped. In other words, the source of the image made an adjustment but the team at UCSG which maintains the wefax system didn't make the adjustment on their end.
The assumption I am making is that the USCG knows the wefax technology is old, the transmission equipment is old and difficult to maintain, and that most professional mariners do not rely upon the technology as much. Because of this, less resources are being allocated to maintaining the wefax system. They don't monitor when the transmitter goes down or verify the accuracy of the images being transmitted.
I'll send another email to the address above asking about the status of the transmitter. I would hope wefax lives on but like all things, maybe its time is coming. There was a time USCG monitored the emergency morse code frequency, but that is gone as well -
I sent an email to USCG CAMSPAC in Pt. Reyes (COM-DG-CWOWatchstanders@uscg.mil) asking if the transmitters were down and was told they were unaware of any problems. They told me to check this website for status updates: https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?type=view&key=16694640/SFH00000/DailyMemXII.txt. I would check this but never saw any reference to technical issues at the Pt. Reyes wefax station.
BUT..........I also know their current transmissions are regularly containing a new abnormality. I discovered the 06/12/18/21Z GOES IR** Satellite Image, East Pacific* which was historically horizontal, is now vertical. My assumption is the authors/source of this image changed the format.
The version of this received via wefax is vertical as well.....BUT the lower portion of the image is always truncated/chopped. In other words, the source of the image made an adjustment but the team at UCSG which maintains the wefax system didn't make the adjustment on their end.
The assumption I am making is that the USCG knows the wefax technology is old, the transmission equipment is old and difficult to maintain, and that most professional mariners do not rely upon the technology as much. Because of this, less resources are being allocated to maintaining the wefax system. They don't monitor when the transmitter goes down or verify the accuracy of the images being transmitted.
I'll send another email to the address above asking about the status of the transmitter. I would hope wefax lives on but like all things, maybe its time is coming. There was a time USCG monitored the emergency morse code frequency, but that is gone as well -
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