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The Download-Sites of EmailBulletins have Extensions,
the certain regions designate:
| Ext. |
left |
top |
right |
bot |
Name |
|
| SER |
15W |
37E |
66N |
30N |
Europe’s coasts |
|
| ACE |
15W |
05E |
60N |
35N |
Atlantic, Channel, UK |
|
| NRS |
00E |
10E |
60N |
50N |
North Sea |
|
| BAL |
09E |
30E |
66N |
53N |
Baltic Sea |
|
| MDW |
06W |
18E |
47N |
30N |
West Mediterranean |
|
| MDE |
10E |
36E |
47N |
30N |
East Mediterranean |
|
| USC |
100W |
56W |
45N |
05N |
USA, Caribic |
|
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Fundamental
With the marinas it is still normal to receive reports with the shortwave radio. Because there are still places where the civilian ships can not receive satellites or other modern communications. Hindered in such a way it was necessary to combine the old shortwave technique with with the newest internet technique. A method was developed to reduce the shortwave problems. A specially prepared data set (MeteoPack) was formulated so that winning back does not such a big consequence as it would normally have. The special thing with this MeteoPack is the winning back high resolution weather data and visualising. A weather fax does not offer the possibilities that we can use today and that with the same technique.
Simple text reports are sent as a Bulletin (for all) or email (for one only) by the coastal stations, that has a connection to the internet, this method we use to send a changed MeteoPack which we call EmailBulletin and is not only meant for one person that receives this but rather for all listeners it is called
Email-Bulletin because actually comes from the internet.
Many radio amateurs send these EmailBulletins daily with forecasts from their regions also the coastal stations for example
KielRadio supply their listeners with he newest weather reports and forecasts.
Technical
Such an EmailBulletin is normally transmitted with 100 Baud SITOR per RadioTelex (RTTY) (and is known as Navtex). With every Navtex receiver that is connected to a computer you can read this EmailBultetin and you can see a lot of letters that may not make any sense for example you can see the following:
ZCZC YE24
200600 UTC SEP
METEOPACK NRS = NORTH SEA FORECAST
20.SEP 06:00+24H
###LOC60N000E50N010E1
###FRC0509200600024NRS
AAAPBPDPFPHPJPJPKPJPJPIPH
AABPHPJPLPMPNPOPOPOPOPNPM
BAAOROSOTOUOWOVNUMVMWNKNS
BABOVOWOXOYOYOZOBNINMNXOQ
...ect...
NNNN
ZCZC= Beginning of a report, NNNN=Ende
YE24 The first letter is the region, the second is for a weather forecast. The number is a message-nr, here is always the hour of the forecast. The Y is fore an invalid letter that means it’s a general station.
200600 UTC SEP is the base time, that is when the forecast was calculated = 20 September UTC 06:00. The rest is general or individual information such as what from where and so on.
###LOC60N000E50N010E1
Location 60N,0E,50N,10E with 1°resulution
###FRC0509200600024NRS
Forecast 2005.Sep.20. 6:00, hour 24, Regionsname NRS
AAA PBPDPFPHPJPJPKPJPJPIPH
The 1. letter is the detail number A-Z A=PRESS aso.
The 2. next letters form a line nr.
In a special combination that is called MP-Code.
A MP-Code is similar to a HEX-Code. With a HEX-number letters and numbers are used. All values larger than 9 letters are used A,B,C,D,E and F. With the MP-Code no numbers are used only letters from A-Z that means 26 possible values. The numbers are not used only letters because the numbers are transmitted with an extra code with radio teletype technique first it will switch into the number level if a letter is transmitted then it will switch back to the letter level. So the if the numbers are not used the transmission time is reduced. 2 letters have the value 26x26=676, the old HEX-Code only has 256 values for 2 letters.
More under Developer-Platform.
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Practical
To make a weather picture out
of an EmaiBulletin you need a program. On these pages it is called MeteoViewer and is from
Bonito. You can download it from
here
for free. This program is started and then you can use
different versions to transform the EmailBulletin into a picture.
1. Converting the MeteoPack-Text into a picture
You must call up the page MeteoPack EmailBulletin and click
onto a link with the wanted MeteoPack a window is opened in which the
textcan be read.
Select the text and insert into the MeteoViever:
In the window side of the text press Strg+A. All characters are now
displayed black now press Strg+c for copy, you can also use the context
menu. This is reached by pressing the right mouse key. Choose select all,
then press the right mouse key again and choose copy. Then go to the program
MeteoViewer and paste the text into the data page this is done with Strg+v
or with shift + insert or use the context menu.
2. Convert Internet MeteoPack- File into a picture
Call up the page MeteoPack EmailBulletin and
download the wanted MeteoPack file with the ending .txt or .zip save this
file somewhere onto your computer. Then with drag and drop into the
MeteoViever.
Drag and Drop:
Choose the File-Explorer (Press the Start-Button at the bottom left with the
right mouse key). Then set the mouse onto the wanted file and pull down to
the MeteoViewer icon now the MeteoViewer window is opened go to the
centre and let the mouse key go. This is called drag and drop.
3. Convert Navtex- or Email- Text to a picture
If you have received a text then you will also know how this text
got onto your screen. Select this text and insert it in the MeteoViewer
window (see 1.).
4. convert an Email mit File-clip into a picture
You can received a file clip with an email collect the clip and insert it into the MeteoViewer window using the drag and drop method.
(see 2. Drag and Drop )
Essentials
Not everybody needs a ship to explain the need or the necessity for weather forecasts. But everybody that reads this has a computer so he does not need anything else. But if you are at sea and need weather data you need a few extras a lot of the time you can use what is already there such as a notebook or your shortwave radio.
You need the following extras:
- A computer with Microsoft windows
- A receiver for shortwave-
or Navtex- Reciever
- and a Meteoviever or similar,
that will make a picture out off the EmailBulletin.
Receive and transmit Emails per Radio
More information can be obtained by KielRadio
Receive weather data per Radio
Read under the rubric 'Produkt Informationen'.
The oldest company that works with this is Bonito. |
