Reception of Weather Images » History » Version 8

« Previous - Version 8/9 (diff) - Next » - Current version
AGUT SANZ, Sergio, 03/24/2015 12:05 AM


8. Reception of Weather Images

Once the receiving antenna was finished, the receptor and the soundboard were added to the system.
To send the signal from the antenna to the receptor a coaxial cable with a male PL259 connector was used with the same characteristics (50 Ohm).

The transmitted signal from the satellite is a frequency modulated signal (FM), whereas the WXtoImg program needs to process the signal in amplitude modulation (AM) form; so the receptor used is able to convert the signal. Once it is done, the receptor was connected to the computer using a jack connection. Finally, all connections of the system were completed.


Figure 8.1: Schema of the global system

The last step before being ready to receive the weather images is the software. It is needed to collect and process the data. The two following programs, were selected: WXtoImg and WXtrack.

  • The first one is capable of recording and processing the AM signal, obtaining the desired image from the NOAA satellites. Before reception, the program has been set up with the correct set of parameters. (See Appendix A).
  • The second program was used for tracking the real time position of the satellites . Therefore, it provides extra background information to ensure the WXtolmg program is executed at the correct moment in order to get the complete and desirable weather image.

Lastly, the receiving station is ready to collect, process, decode and draw the signal. :)