Webcasts/SSB Radio Voice Nets

Vessel-specific weather forecast & routing advice via SSB Voice Radio or simultaneous Internet Webcast. Nets are conducted 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday, and twice each day (morning and evening). See below for the Schedule.

At the beginning of each Net (Radio Broadcast), we pass emergency traffic to & from vessels. Then, we move on to weather with a broadcast of current conditions and weather forecast for the target geographical area. Then, the Net is opened up to subscribing vessels. Subscribing vessels wishing to receive a weather forecast say their boat's name on the SSB radio. When we hear your vessel's name, we will call your vessel name for traffic. You should respond by telling us:

1. Where you are (a common place name or a Latitude/Longitude). If giving Lat/Lon, please give in the form: Degrees-Minutes of Latitude, followed by Degrees-Minutes of Longitude. If I have trouble copying you, PLEASE give me just the Degrees of Latitude & Longitude (NO Minutes!).
2. Wind speed & direction, and weather-related observations you feel are important to convey.
3. Your weather-related question. PLEASE BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE. General questions take a long time to answer and do not serve anyone's purpose. We can answer your SPECIFIC question in a brief time, and you'll have a more-useful answer.
1. Typically, you will tell us WHERE you are planning to go AND WHEN.
2. If your question is more-specific, please say something like "I just want to know if I might see W wind at Cat Island Thursday night?"
4. Anything else we should know about before giving you a forecast (such as equipment problems, hard deadline schedules, the need for particularly-mild weather, etc).

After we give you a forecast, you are encouraged to ask questions. If you have a question, many others probably have a similar question.

Anywhere you can hear me on the SSB – typically throughout the entire Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Coast of C America, Bahamas, entire US E Coast, Bermuda, and Atlantic waters N of the Equator in the area W of about 50W Longitude.

Webcasts:

Whether you're at home in Colorado, or on your boat in an urban area, you may be unable to hear us on the SSB Nets. It is at just these times when you're likely to have a decent Internet connection, and our simultaneous Webcasts of SSB Voice Nets are the perfect solution! Webcasts run during each SSB Net.

SSB Receive-only or difficulty hearing us (or being heard by us)?

1. Try Webcasts (info above).
2. Feel free to ask for a relay. You may want to line-up a relay ahead of time, but either party may call for a relay during a Net if we are unable to communicate directly.
3. which Net you'll be listening on, and we'll broadcast a forecast for you on that Net. Unfortunately, we won't have a 2-way conversation/discussion, but at least you will receive a vessel-specific forecast.
4. We work with vessels with varying/limited ability to communicate (just a handheld SSB receiver). At the very least, provide the information including where you are, where you're going, and which Net you'll listen on. We can broadcast your weather forecast daily until you contact us to do otherwise. If you have ANY means to provide updates while underway (such as SPOT, test message via sat phone, hail another boat on the VHF & ask them to get info to me) – any updates help.