Ham Radio - Receiving NOAA weather sats without a local radio.

Using just a browser and a decode program, NOAA-APT, I receive images from a weather satellite as it passes over Europe.
NOAA-APT web page:
noaa-apt.mbernardi.com.ar/
Web SDR page:
websdr.org/
NOAA-19 wiki:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAA-19
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[@radio645]

I struggled with using WXtoimg and never got it to work, by chance I watched this video a few months ago to see how you downloaded the satellite images by using the NOAA-APT application which I hadn't heard of before. I downloaded the app and have been using it ever since, thanks to your informative video I have scanned well over 200 NOAA sat passes with great success. I use an SDR rsp1a with a simple roof mounted V dipole antenna.

[@ianboard544]

I did this at Christmas time last year and it worked out well. Probably the most important thing to get right is the antenna. I made a quadrfilar helix out of 3/8 copper tubing and PVC pipe, paying very careful attention to dimensions. I checked it a year later with a nanoVNA and it was almost spot on - the best return loss was off by about 1 MHz. It is really cool to listen to the satellite coming over the horizon right on schedule - that 'fax machine' sound.

[@Siskiyous6]

Good info as usual Kevin.

[@coltronex]

Superb as usual Kevin!

[@claytonmoore9530]

Great video on NOAA satellites, SDR and decoding! I can’t wait for the next one since I am interested in deciding using my sdr and j-pole.

[@jack002tuber]

Very cool video! I love WEBSDR, I use it a lot. once you get the hang of it you can control those radios well. I make like 100 presets on them. There are other SDRs out there as well as this one. This site is the best collection of them I've ever seen.

[@peters6601]

Thanks Kevin for an excellent update on how to receive the noaas. I used the Timestep receiver in the late 80s connected to an amiga computer. I did get good results but it was, as I remember, a bit of a challenge to get working.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

This is something I never knew about. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheNoCodeTech]

Fascinating stuff man!

[@NJF60]

Amazing presentation, thank you! 📡🛰

[@TheVicar]

Cheers for this info Kevin. Amazingly where I live in the north of England, it isn't covered by cloud!

[@peterfenwick2540]

Nicely presented Kevin, always thought it would interesting to get into this and I think your video has just pushed me. 73 ZS1PF

[@Dihydrousoxide]

5:29 "And If we look at the webSDR page, and I'll scroll down to the bottom of the page" Heres a tip: Press the "End" key on your keyboard and it'll throw you down there. No need to scroll. The top of the page is reserved by welcoming the user, and selecting filters. The map can get updated by these filters.

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

Thanks for this insight, it's whetted my appetite to try it.

[@newtonfigueiredo8707]

Excellent video! Thanks a lot

[@GospodinJean]

Imagine being that employee that forgot to tell anyone about that he removed those dozen bolts.

[@larrybomber83]

Great stuff. Thank You.

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Kevin, That's interesting using the websdr's. I have an RSP1a I could use. Hope it works out with the county. Stay safe. 73 WJ3U

[@duchmol237jean6]

Very good ❤

[@doesstuffoutside]

Yes! Thank you! I have been wondering what in the heck that quadrifilar helix antenna was about for months. One of my neighbors on the route I walk my dog has one, and I had no idea what it was for. It's been eating at me since I started learning about amateur radio last October.

[@walteredwards544]

Thank you so much for this. I've been trying to find a new decoder for a while but gave up. That older one was a bit too cumbersome for a nitwit like me.

[@charlesschindler1971]

Good day to you Sir. 😺

[@loughkb]

Howdy.

[@stridermt2k]

Being out in the desert I'm guessing you grab images like it is nothing using a radio and even a basic antenna. I tried to put up a V dipole I built from a old set "rabbit ears" dipole and 120-degree spacer that was printed for me, but I have too many trees at my QTH so I will need to a little SAT field trip to a larger field. ;) This seems like be a great way to get someone getting their feet wet. Especially if one might not have to throw resources for even inexpensive hardware. (We all started started someplace or even had to rebuild from scratch) This is very cool thank you for sharing it! 73 de N2NLQ

[@loughkb]

Yeah, using the radio and my slim jim I get amazing reception. I'm also up at 3500 feet altitude. The image I showed later in the video was a low pass, only around 12 degrees above the horizon.

[@joeblow8593]

Excellent

[@JxH]

@2m50s: The story was that the tiling was intended. Leaving out the bolts was not intended.

[@loughkb]

Ooops! I wondered.

[@davesthedude]

wxtoimg is outdated and hard to use, but i love the false color images..and other filter layers... awesome video btw... thanks for the info!!!!

[@JReed305]

Funny to hear a gent originally from IN say 42 is cold lol.

[@loughkb]

Now you know how miserable Indiana was for me over the decades. I don't get comfortable until it approaches 80.

[@JReed305]

@@loughkb I am right there with ya. Grew up in SoCal and the Marine Corps sent me to Fort Wayne for recruiting duty. Felt like South Park, always wearing a ton of cloths lol.

[@RESISTAGE]

did I hear ham operator using computer instead of the radio? shame shame shame. 😂😂😂 thanks for the video. that was new to me.

[@jplacido9999]

😂😂😂😂😂😂👍

[@jeffreyeide7363]

Yo Kevin!: Great video as always!! de seeker/Jeff WA7LFP

[@drofnasw]

Would you please append the show notes to include a list of the four- to five stations that share weather satellite signals? I'm especially interested in the station in Pennsylvania. I ask because when I checked the entire list I didn't find a single station sharing wxsat signals. Thanks for your help!

[@stevelee5893]

Kevin : have you tried the Gorizont Linux live disk ? It has an upgraded version of GQRX as well as some other SDR goodies.

[@kirknelson156]

I've been using wxtoimg in combination with HDSDR and virtual audio cable, I like these because HDSDR has both an recording scheduling feature and automatic frequency control that does a nice job of locking on the sat frequency and adjust for Doppler effect. wxtoimg can also be set to record, decode and process sat passes and gives me the upcoming schedule that I use to program HDSDR with. I also am using a DIY 120 degree V pole antenna with a LNA noaa filter. in all works pretty good, I don't have an optimal location as I have a very tall mountain range south of me and i'm on a hillside sloping up to the north. but while I have signal its pretty good. looking forward to this new method to see if I can get sat images from other locations.

[@loughkb]

In the third video in this series, I detail automating capture and doppler shift tracking using Gpredict and GQRX.

[@keithkb7zpb688]

That is awesome I am new to SDR radio's I have two of them and have never played with them a bit of a learning curve for me. I also use linux Gqrx with the dx patrol sdr and I have the DSP SDR standalone radio. I have tried different antennas with no joy. Any help would be awesome peace keith

[@dl8cy]

Nice - installed all the programs and now waiting for the next satellite pass - vy73 de dl8cy

[@jfv65]

Nice. i can easily recognise the Netherlands, smack in the middle of the picture.

[@radiolinux45]

I really enjoyed that video I Linux users

[@batica81]

For extra points, do it with websdr, but realtime with virtual audio cable :) On linux :)

[@loughkb]

On linux you can use the program pulse audio volume control to redirect audio between programs. It should work fine with wxtoimg, which supports real time decode.

[@jasonbrodbeck]

If I start recording when it is still coming into range mess with it with getting some static first? or should I wait for the signal to be 5x5 first?

[@loughkb]

It will still decode, you'll just have graphic static at the top of the image.

[@fiorenzomass827]

good video kevin but I open youtube with Microsoft Edge and I can't find the top black menu bar maybe I have to use another browser? How can I make it appear to open the functions you show in the video?

[@loughkb]

I would recommend any other browser over Edge, for anything you do. Edge is the most attacked browser and the first one to fail at that yearly browser hack contest they do. Chrome or Firefox should work fine.

[@fiorenzomass827]

@@loughkb - thanks kevin i will try

[@rogerp5816]

Kevin, I don't see any of the links you said would be in the description.

[@loughkb]

They are all there, right near the top of the video description. If you're using a phone or tablet, you have to scroll down past the comments to get to the description.

[@IndependentNewsMedia]

Nice Video 👍 Chud M1PUP QTH London

[@jasonbrodbeck]

Really hope the bug gets saved

[@loughkb]

Turns out it's not a bug. Decode and Process are two different functions. The image appears after you hit the process button.

[@nelxonmiranda]

Installing Gpredict seems like a hassle. Is there a better alternative?

[@loughkb]

It's in all the repositories. In synaptic just search for gpredict and check the install box. Or, in a terminal, type: sudo apt install gpredict Or, in your distros software 'store' search for gpredict and check the install box. Pretty easy.

[@tunnelrabbit4293]

A Boafeng UV5R would work, but use an SDR as one can see the signal emerging before one can hear the signal.

[@loughkb]

UV5R, Maybe. I don't think it will let you go to the wide bandwidth filter except when it's tuned to the FM broadcast band. It would probably compress the dynamic range of the audio. Could still produce a usable image though.

[@tunnelrabbit4293]

@@loughkb If not, I've got an old all mode 2 meter built for satellite work. Haven't used it yet tho.

[@Jimwill01]

@@loughkb I have used the UV5R for ISS images. It seemed to work ok.

[@loughkb]

@@Jimwill01 Yeah, but that's a much narrower bandwidth signal.

[@Jimwill01]

@@loughkb That it is! Hope to get the time to try some of what you covered. Thanks!

[@rawexploiterp6951]

Nope. Meteor satellites don't transmit anything on 137.1 MHz anymore.

[@rawexploiterp6951]

Well, meteor m2-3 has been launched. And it does transmit LRPT on 137.1 or 137.9! Still being tested.

[@jansugalski4856]

"administration" not "association" I think?

[@loughkb]

Yeah.

[@NW-dl3bb]

A PLUS for your work...... But you need a hobby