Weatherfax - Make Your Own

First off, there is no tin can involved. I started calling it “tin-can” because it was so simple it reminded me of two tin-cans on a string, but you will need neither the cans nor the string. What you will need are a computer, a piece of software (free to try), a shortwave radio with SSB, and a cable to connect the radio to the computer.

NOTE: It's important to point out that, upon returning to civilization, I ran my design past several HAM's, and almost every one said something like “Pfft! Well of course! EVERYBODY knows that!” This is because, in comparison, radio geeks make computer geeks seem socially adept. So, don't expect to impress your radio friends with the information I'm about to bestow, unless you want to hear a three-hour diatribe on adapting old cell phones to make lunar landers or something “really interesting.”

The computer needs to have a microphone or line-in jack. Don't worry, nearly all do. On most notebook/laptops, it's right next to – and looks exactly like – the headphone jack. In fact, you probably have plugged your headphones into this jack accidentally once or twice. On most desktops (if you want to try this at home) and built-in marine computers, the microphone or line-in jacks are on the back of the main box, and occasionally on the monitor. Sorry, but we're only covering Windows PC's here. If you have a MAC, call Steve Jobs for advice. If you have Linux, you're on your own – but then you're used to being on your own.

The software needed is available online for a variety of prices, from shareware you can try for free, to brand-name stuff for hundreds of dollars. The shareware version I've used here, SeaTTY (download from here) works great, is free to try, and is well worth the registration if you intend to use it regularly. The software is designed for marine use, and can decipher weather information and other signals from NOAA and other providers. The downside is that, while this isn't rocket science, there are several settings you may have to tweak a bit. Let me put it this way: If you can't set the clock on your microwave, you may want to call the neighbor's kid over to help you with this one.

The radio can be any of a number of shortwave receivers or transceivers capable of receiving SSB. In the interest of keeping this a budget operation, we'll use a Grundig Yacht Boy (YB 400PE). It's a good and widely available radio that can be used to tune-in the local baseball game, the BBC, or a cruiser's net. It also comes with a decent roll-up antenna that is much better than the regular telescoping antenna for this kind of thing. There are many other manufacturers, and many good products can be bought for well under $200 new (under $50 used). It pays to shop around.

The cable can be made or bought. We geeks call it “the cable” instead of “the wire” in much the same way we sailors call it “a line” instead of “a rope” – mostly just to feel superior. What you want is a 1/8” mono male (or “plug” if you are prone to blushing) to 1/8” mono male (plug), with enough cord to run from your computer microphone jack to your radio headphone jack. If your radio has a 1/4” (big, not ipod) headphone jack, you'll need that size plug, or an adapter. Walk into the Shack with $10, and you'll walk out with everything you need plus enough left over for a nice mocha latte.

Since we're cruisers, we're going to make the cable ourselves, because you just never have a Radio Shack around when you're 1,000 miles out and really need one – plus it's a tiny bit cheaper. Originally, I used two pairs of headphones. This time, we'll use just one headphone and a store-bought plug, so you can see both methods at once.

To start, we're going to snip off the headphones, leaving as much wire on the plug end as possible. Note that you should consult your computer manufacturer, doctor, priest/rabbi/guru, Homeland Security and a panel of experts before doing anything, ever, and that you assume all responsibility now and forever for anything you do, and hold no one else liable for your actions, including the author, the publisher, or anyone else, real or imaginary. If you're about to destroy your Brother-in-Law's Bang & Olufsen headphones to save a trip to the Shack, it's all on you!

Photo 1. Snip!

We need a MONO and not STEREO connection. Headphones, however, are stereo. What to do? We will join the right and left channel wires together. These headphones use tiny coax cables, so we'll just twist the like pairs to make two connections.

Photo 2. Twist!

Now, we'll connect the MONO plug. You can/should solder this if you want it to last, but in an emergency, you really can just jury-rig it (by twisting the connections) and it'll work fine.

Photo 3. Done!

OK, let's see if it works. Plug the cable into the headphone jack on your radio and the microphone (or line-in) jack on your computer, and see if you can hear the radio through the computer. You may need to adjust the radio's volume and the microphone input level in Windows Volume Control (right mouse-click the little speaker icon in the lower-right corner of your screen [system tray]). Hear it? Good! (Note: Even if you can't hear the radio, it still may be working. Just proceed and see what happens)

Next, you'll need to tune to the correct frequency. NOAA and other weather agencies publish their schedules and frequencies on the Web. Here in the bay, we'll try to pick up Pt. Reyes station at a frequency of 8682 kHz. We'll want the radio switched to SSB, and by playing with the fine tuning, we should start to hear some “chirping” noises. That's the weatherfax broadcast.

Now, let's light this candle! Install your software and follow the instructions. For SeaTTY, we just open it up, choose the HF-FAX mode, and that's about it! If there's a good signal, SeaTTY will start automatically, or we can start it manually by hitting the “Start” button (tricky!). There are a lot of options for getting the best picture, and you may need to make a few adjustments. Refer to the help file that comes with the software (there are now specific tips for just this type of set-up). On the other hand, if you have a few hours to kill and rock-solid self-esteem, you could ask a HAM for help.

What you'll see, when you get it right, is something like this:

Photo 4. Presto!

And that's it! Even if you have an SSB or HAM rig, and all kinds of software and equipment with nifty blinking lights, it's never a bad idea to have backups at hand, especially on long-distance cruises. The prudent cruiser will carry at least two of these “tin-can” cables. The first to use in an emergency, and the second to trade for things like rum, fresh vegetables, chocolate, headphones, sardine butter...

Author: Brad H. (Salty Dog)

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Photo: Dog on sailboat