The marine weather drives the weather quite far inland and coastlands in more remote areas of the non-industrialized world often hold a lot of people who are VERY vulnerable to typhoons, tropical storms and tsunamis ( to name the big three). So, to me, the NAVTEX, GRIBS and WEFAX charts and local language alerts : priceless.
Instant weather, and disaster warnings - could give prior warning to low lying communities if equipped with Outernet AND software on the system CHIP computer would post the ALERT in a very noticeable manner.Think : 'Boxing Day Tsunami a few years ago. Tourist centers had satellite EVERYTHING - fishing regions with no tourists, genrally did not. After the impact, it was hams who were usually cruising sailors who were the ONLY information in or out. Imagine how Outernet and solar could have changed in inflowing information, at the very least: locations and timing of relief supplies, how and WHY to treat water differently than before the disaster, received and spread by word of mouth. Storm tracks when infrastructure communications are gone (BT&DT).
This Outernet ‘seed’ could grow into a lovely orchard some day soon.
RadioRay …_ ._
Aboard a cruising sailboat, Outernet draws a LOT less power than a marine SSB for much broader and better information, and ‘spare watts’ are rare while away from the dock.
@RadioRay Are you a sailnet member? Or do you you use winlink for grib updates?
I understand the low power down link need. That is why I suggested a basic gimble weighted tracker with just a AZ servo to do the antenna pointing. It should work on any boat that can supply a heading on the network, or add a basic 3 axis magnetometer chip to point it. I hear your request, but I am only a user as well and still learning. That is why I am working on understanding SNR/RSSI logging right now.
The need is obvious, the solution is what needs more work. A 3d print and a couple of skateboard berrrings can do the gimble, So we need to come up with a waterproof AZ drive that can do the N/S tracking for pointing.
But we are still thinking about good antenna’s at the moment. Step at a time.
I used to be; ended-up coastal cruising ‘sail bum’ a little over 6 years, but now eyes have faded and my knees are gone. Even the surgeon told me that I ‘have no business on a blue water boat, or even a day sail in anything more than a flat sea anymore’.
I ran PIII aboard for weather on demand and personal comms, both Ham and SailMail (for business). My GRIBs I fed into OpenCPN(?) for better use of the data and having it overlaid on e-charts (free ). When near shore, there were MOST always McMansions with LOUD wifi I could pyrate (Haaar! and thanks for showing me THAT bag of tricks, Marcinko!) . Even sent/received marine Morse traffic through KSM Bolinas , Ca. the last U.S. coastal station using Morse - to this day , but Saturdays only. ( I could never send 20 meg/day of traffic though ha ha )
Now, I’m back in N. Idaho and enjoying and the only boat I own, is our wooden dinghy I turned into a book shelf
Sorry - TMI, but great memories, even for a ‘just coastal boat’.
RadioRay …_ ._
Ps. I had friends in that Boxing Day disaster. WINLINK kept us in touch as I fed them parsed news, status of other cruisers, ports and etc. they could not get locally.
I only have a little boat, so can’t even be a sail bum. It’s an 18’ deep hull that I use just along the coastline for a bit of sport fishing. Mainly rock fish and the occasional California Halibut, still fun stuff.
I just got back from spending about 2 years in Montana, I am not missing the cold so much.
I’ve been poking through the forums, not quite finding out what I need here. Been running Outernet successfully for a almost 18 hours, see the occasional weather file successfully complete. Then… the globe opens, but says no data files are available. Is there info on exactly how the weather app/files should behave? Just wanting to know what to expect and not really finding the references. Am I missing info that’s been shared?
Hello,
There are multiple weather files needed. It takes some time for them all to come down. Once they do there will be folders for each day. Once you get all the .json files you will be able to view the data for “today” and then go back in time and forward in time.
Yes, a full globe 72kb X 3 would be very nice. It would be very easy to add this to the down lod content. also a Kp Index from NASA/NOAA would be great!
a little over 6 years, but now eyes have faded and my knees are gone. Even the surgeon told me that I ‘have no business on a blue water boat, or even a day sail in anything more than a flat sea anymore’. 
