- Local News for Southern Sailors - May 2002 Next Story
Caribbean SSB weather nets
By Jack Tyler
Weather nets are simply an agreed upon frequency and time during which one or more designated "reporters" or forecasters present a variety of weather information. Some of it is predictive while other pieces consist of current conditions. Quite often sailors listening in on the net have an opportunity to pose specific questions about weather on a given route and/or at a subsequent time. The nets operate on both the Marine single sideband (SSB) frequencies and the amateur radio (ham) bands.
The "why" of nets If you intend to directly copy SSB offshore voice forecasts (e.g. NMN), you'll find them conveniently scheduled during your last REM sleep pattern, while you're ashore visiting the places you worked hard to reach, or at cocktail time when you're visiting another boat. The same dilemma applies to HF weather fax (WeFax) transmissions. They're very helpful if propagation is good, if you don't get too many static crashes and, most important, if you stand with finger poised at exactly the right moment for the Big Beep.
In short, planning the day's schedule (are cruisers even supposed to have a schedule?) around copying weather seems to be the first promise broken on many cruising boats. I can just FEEL the smug factor from those ham operators who use Winlink and get to sleep-in AND get the forecast. Well, just hang on for a moment.
A further challenge is evaluating the forecast you've received for what it means. The first clue this isn't easy is when you read, for example, the National Weather Service's (NWS) Southwest North Atlantic forecast for your area, and then compare it with your area of NWS Wind and Sea charts — two different products produced by two independent NWS forecasters but, one would assume, in agreement since they draw on the same data. Oops...they may not BE the same! Now what?
Readers and forecasters At this point it's also worth mentioning that these nets host two different breeds of cat. Folks like David Jones (call sign MISSTINE), Herb Hilgenberg (call sign SOUTHBOUND II) and Eric Mackie (9Z4CP in Port of Spain, Trinidad) are employed as and/or consider themselves forecasters. And to the extent you use their services and follow their advice, you are considering them forecasters, too.
Other net operators like Alex (call sign ALBATROSS) and George (KP2G) believe it's helpful to collect and read a selection of forecast information prepared by others, but at a more convenient time and in a more efficient format. You can probe for interpretation of the info they provide all you want, but you're talking to the messenger.
Given all the above, here's why multiple weather nets can be quite helpful:
1. Timing: Most of these nets operate during a more conventional morning period, or it's possible to schedule that all-important sundowner around them.
2. More is better: Digesting multiple forecasts may introduce more uncertainty, but after all, we ARE talking about the weather, right? Getting multiple forecasts and fairing the curve doesn't provide a guarantee, but it's likely to reduce one's potential for surprise and disappointment...there's nothing quite like "surprise and disappointment" when 12 hours out to sea on an extended passage, is there?
3. And this is for the smug Winlink users among us. Sometimes you can collect a lot of weather data quickly because the net operator has done all the work for you. Put another way, the operator and shoreside computer work faster than a 900 baud (maybe) TNC that hams use to download their weather data. For example, from the Dominican Republic eastward, one can receive a full synoptic review, the NWS Eastern Caribbean and Offshore Puerto Rico forecasts AND the wind and wave charts for all Caribbean areas for 12/24/48/72 hour periods, all in about 20 minutes and with little battery expense since you aren't transmitting. Heck, we even get the sunspot number thrown in for free.
Rather than putting this info in a tabular format, I'll offer it descriptively with minor editorial comment. And as a final thought, keep in mind that most of the value in using these nets comes from listening to them carefully, so it's irrelevant if you have an amateur radio license or not when tuning in a ham net. But wouldn't you like to ask them that nagging question YOU have about YOUR route? Yeah, it's more than worth it — get the ham ticket.
1030 UTC 7.163 LSB Caribbean Emergency Weather Net This controlled ham net is run from numerous island nations in the Eastern Caribbean. A controlled net is simply one that a single operator coordinates or controls and that all stations work through versus the free-for-all so common on the yachtie SSB hailing frequencies. Although the primary goal of this net is to pass significant weather information throughout the islands during severe weather periods, the net meets daily. While official weather forecasts are read, the featured player here is Eric (9Z4CP), who also forecasts weather on a Port of Spain TV channel. He digests weather data from a variety of Internet sources and forecasts weather for the Eastern Caribbean chain. He is also quite gracious about assisting maritime mobiles at sea throughout the eastern half of the Caribbean. |
1115 UTC 7.241 LSB Caribbean Maritime Mobile Net Begins at 1100 UTC and the usual controller is Lou (KB4JC). This controlled ham net's featured player is George (KP2G), based on St. Johns, USVI, a favorite of ham and non-ham sailors and someone my wife has a crush on due to his soft-spoken and responsive style. George offers a synoptic overview, a clouds-in-motion description of satellite pics throughout the Caribbean and up to the States, and reads the 0600 UTC NWS text forecasts for multiple areas of the Caribbean plus the Puerto Rico forecast. After this he switches to 7.086 LSB. 1130 UTC (approx.) 7.086 LSB
Continuing on, George will summarize the 0600 UTC wind and sea charts, three days out, for the entire Caribbean (but in such an elegant, efficient manner that he gets the whole thing done in 10-12 minutes). Following that, a WeFax is transmitted for the well-rested among us. While he stays in transmit mode in the first segment up on 7.241, he graciously receives calls from maritime mobiles when he begins on this frequency in case boats on passage have special forecasting needs.
1130 UTC 8.155 USB Alex's Net This controlled net (call sign ALBATROSS) is now operated ashore at Marina Juan in Porlamar, Margarita, Venezuela, as Alex has sold his boat. He provides an Internet-based synoptic description of the Caribbean along with a multi-day description of the winds, seas and significant weather features based on text forecasts. Boats check in throughout the southern and eastern Caribbean with local conditions.
1230 UTC 8.104 USB (Moves to 12362 USB at approx. 1300 UTC for W. Caribbean and Bahamas)
Caribbean Weather Center's Daily SSB Weather Net. David Jones (call sign MISSTINE) provides a synoptic overview for all listeners but primarily intends to offer a subscriber service for sponsoring vessels. For $125 per year, he is available most days to offer multi-day forecasts for boats throughout the Caribbean and southwest North Atlantic. Just listening in, both to David and subscriber boats checking in, can provide one with a pretty thorough picture of what's going on, weather-wise. You may call during the net to request subscription information. Jones also provides other forecasting services out of Tortola, BVI. 1330 UTC 8.107 USB
Eastern Panama Net for the southwest Caribbean; we have not used it
1400 UTC 8.188 USB Northwest Caribbean Net operated by various boats in the western Caribbean This controlled net begins with check-ins from boats under way to log in their positions and also report their weather, after which a comprehensive marine weather report based on NWS forecasts is offered for the Gulf of Mexico (the origin of much of the NW Caribbean's weather) as well as throughout the Caribbean. This includes wind and sea charts for three days out. Boats not under way then offer their positions and weather reports by region. Message traffic is held and passed on this net between boats as well as announcements relevant to cruising boats in the Western Caribbean. 2000 UTC 12.359 USB
(Call-ins begin at 1930 UTC) Herb Hilgenberg (call sign SOUTHBOUND II). Herb is considered both an institution and a forecaster par excellence by many cruising yachtsmen, BUT he intends his services exclusively for vessels about to begin or on extended passage versus boats on coastal hops or remaining in port. Herb works from his home near Toronto, Canada, and you'll find listening in for a spell on multiple days will give you a feel for the way his net works. An occasional modest donation seems like the least we could do if using Herb's service.
2030 UTC 7.086 LSB Caribbean Weather and Cocktail Net, hosted by George (KP2G) Monday thru Saturday. Check-ins from throughout the Caribbean with local weather conditions, followed by an updated synoptic overview and the other weather info described above (see 1115 UTC). 2230 UTC 3.815 USB Caribbean Emergency Weather Net This is an updated report, usually featuring the Barbados forecast only (see 1030 UTC above). Jack Tyler, N3FYP, is cruising aboard his vessel WHOOSH, homeported in St. Petersburg, FL. His net report was filed from Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman, but in early April was on the Rio Dulce at Fronteras, Guatemala, and reported finding a copy of Southwinds at one of the local marinas. |