Weather Satellite Imagery

[Mark Pentler]

Before I bang on about it in any further detail, I just wondered if there was anyone here doing weather satellite reception? I was surprised to see no hits for it on the forums, but am aware it's more a radio-focused hobby.

APT, LRPT, HRPT direct broadcast reception. Receiving images like this in your own back garden (just one instrument of many on some sats): 

HRPT Satellite Captures - Google Photos

PHOTOS.GOOGLE.COM

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118 new items · Album by Mark Pentler

I'd love to see if anyone here does it as I try and learn more about meteorology and attempt to actually predict weather from the data I capture. This is my first post here, so hopefully it'll go well and maybe some folk want to actually get into this kinda thing. The initial outlay isn't too expensive.

[Dorsetbred]

On 16/01/2024 at 12:15, Mark Pentler said:

Before I bang on about it in any further detail, I just wondered if there was anyone here doing weather satellite reception? I was surprised to see no hits for it on the forums, but am aware it's more a radio-focused hobby.

APT, LRPT, HRPT direct broadcast reception. Receiving images like this in your own back garden (just one instrument of many on some sats): 

HRPT Satellite Captures - Google Photos

PHOTOS.GOOGLE.COM

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118 new items · Album by Mark Pentler

I'd love to see if anyone here does it as I try and learn more about meteorology and attempt to actually predict weather from the data I capture. This is my first post here, so hopefully it'll go well and maybe some folk want to actually get into this kinda thing. The initial outlay isn't too expensive.

Did considering doing it many years ago, bought the equipment  to build my own setup, but time got the better of me as did the Internet, providing most of what I was looking for. Now of course the Raspberry Pi seems a good core for such a project, unfortunately it was a passing interest, now satiated by the availability online of images from Global satellites.

[pontiend]

Just spotted this post I often scan NOAA 15,18 and 19.The only equipment required is a computer WXSAT and SDr Sharp software and an antenna.I made a Quadrifilla antenna with cunifer brake pipe.NOAA 15 has problems now.

Two scans today NOAA 18 and 19.

. The red cross is my location.

 

 

Edited March 7 by pontiend

[Mark Pentler]

 pontiend nice! I've been doing VHF for years but usually with a Yagi. Have you done Meteor LRPT yet?

Any plans to move to 1.7 GHz? Not as hard as you think, I promise  

PS: you really need to try SatDump... ditch these older app for something in active development: www.satdump.org

[Mark Pentler]

 Dorsetbred Well, that's a totally fair comment. If you're not interested in the radio or tech side of these things then it may not hold your attention for long.

But when something comes in with an antenna you made yourself it feels very good.

[pontiend]

My main interest is satellite scanning.Wxsat scanning is one of the projects on the satellite forum that I am a member of.Mrs Ponti and I are also keen weather watchers.My weather station is a Technoline 2816.MY site is on WOW RC Barnsley.

Below is the 9.35 pm NOAA 18 scan

 

Edited March 7 by pontiend

[Mark Pentler]

Looks like that uses WxtoImg which isn't in active development anymore, but I still prefer its overlay features to be honest. 
 

Anyway, fantastic and good to see an image!

[Dark Star]

Hi guys new member here. Ive just started playing with the satdump software - although its got a very steep learning curve the results from Meteor M2-4 are impressive straight from the software. This image is direct from the software & no post processing apart from using the windows snipping tool to crop it to a jpg as the original file is a 50+meg png

[pontiend]

 Mark Pentler

Most odd.2 hours ago a post on Sats uk is about running satdump.If I can get the last three brain neurons that I possess firing at the same time I may have a go at it.
 

[Dark Star]

UK is covered in cloud so have a look at sunny Scandinavia instead (~75% of full image size)

 

 

[Mark Pentler]

I've actually got a very small amount of code in SatDump so I'm technically a dev, but my contribution was so infinitesimally small it seems ridiculous to have my name in the About tab.

I can help with anyone's software queries, anyway. Good thing about SatDump: tracking, recording, processing, viewing, all in one app. Supports most SDRs and is very cross-platform.
 

 Dark Star - fantastic M2-4 image! I've been pointing my Yagi at it for a few days and the signals are much stronger than 3 with the broken antenna. I'm yet to give it a proper go on 1.7 GHz yet but will do this weekend.

Edited March 7 by Mark Pentler
Add info on SatDump

[Dark Star]

Kudos  Mark Pentler  Thats one serious bit of software. Ive only been playing with it a few days & the computer Im running it on atm is rather underpowered until I find a better one but Im very very impressed with satdump. I tried doing LRTP in the past but the various bits of software that needed to interact together were so flaky I quickly gave up.

I may have a few questions about the s/w if you dont mind

[Mark Pentler]

As an aside, there are people doing this on X-Band (8 GHz ish) as well with 2M+ dishes and getting incredibly detailed captures. These folk are the real maniacs, because it is very difficult to get a stable setup at this high a frequency. But the results are worth it.
 

X BAND Weather SATELLITE RECEPTION | Michael Margaras SV1CAL – Amateur Radio and Electronics

SV1CAL.COM

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I got inspired by reading an excellent GEO-Quarterly article describing Jean-Luc Milette's pioneering work on X band weather satellite reception. Then came across Alan's @Aaang254 extraordinary for every...

L-Band can be done for about 60-70 pounds including preamp and feed, but a 3D printer helps to print the helical antenna frame. This is the best guide: 

Beginner's guide to HRPT reception

SGCDEREK.GITHUB.IO

 

VHF? two bits of wire and a cheap SDR will do it

 Dark Star Hit me up with Qs here. I am in the SatDump discord as well.

[Dark Star]

Another nice pass from M2-4 1430ish this afternoon. North Africa to the polar regions

 

 

[Mark Pentler]

Fantastic!

Tomorrow morning I have all to myself! So, the plan is to test a newly-made up lead which has much more solid connections and should lower my noise floor.

I will primarily do 1.7 GHz HRPT, but for lower elevations the signal doesn't go through buildings. Luckily 137 MHz is a bit more reliable so I'll be doing APT and LRPT for the lower passes.

I shall make some wide projections, maybe even some animations too.

[Dark Star]

I shall be investigating some of the post pass processing options within SD tomorrow   The weather forecast isnt great so it'll be a day for indoor projects. And lots of mugs of tea.

 

 

Now a quick SD question. Im looking at this screen How do I zoom into the frequency spectrum to inspect it more closely please?

 

 

[Mark Pentler]

The above is an image from an ESA Metop satellite @ 1.7 GHz. The best thing about Metop is that it has error correction! The downside of this is that the signal is 5 MHz wide! I use an RSP1a to do my captures and a Nooelec GOES Sawbird+ LNA powered off a USB battery as a preamp.

The quantity of data is ridiculous. MetOp has 10 instruments in the package, all doing different things with different sensors.

Here is a Meteor HRPT shot. Same resolution as LRPT Dark Star, but much less compression.

With more channels sent down you can do lots of fun composites, like this Meteor M2-3 Microphysics view:

 Dark Star not entirely sure if you can but it will be in FFT options, I wanna say second panel. 
 

Edited March 8 by Mark Pentler

[Dark Star]

Noaa19 08/03/24 avhrr 3 rgb mcir rain uncalibrated 1948uk time

 

 

[Mark Pentler]

Here's a page you may both like, it taught me a lot about interpretation of images and what the other instruments than just the main imager does: 

Weather predictions from satellite data | Jacopo's Lair

WWW.A-CENTAURI.COM

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A tutorial on how to make your weather predictions, weather science and more using data you received from satellites yourself.

 

[Dark Star]

Noaa19 1000uk a huge pass covering Svalbard to Algeria!

 

Avhrr 3 rgb mcir

 

 

[Mark Pentler]

Just to be aware some of those composites use a pre-made map and separate the clouds out! MSA and MCIR definitely - SatDump should tell you if you click the info symbol next to the dropdown box.

I did some captures this morning, here's NOAA 15, still trucking along on VHF despite a poorly scanning motor, 45 ish deg handtracked with a yagi, but I had issues tripping over the lead mid-pass so a bit noisy:

And on the dish side I tested out a new coax lead this morning with just SMAs on the ends - no BNC to SMA adapters needed anymore. I had a much more stable noise floor with the 1.7 GHz signal. Here's two captures, firstly NOAA 19, channels 124 composite and then the NOAA Natural Color composite:

And here is ESA's Metop-C satellite, with the Day Microphysics composite highlighting different cloud layers in stunning fashion:

To give you a taste of the other instruments available on L-Band, here's a few other things. Some of these sensors have less resolution, but more precision than the AVHRR. From left to right here we have the Microwave Humidity Sounder showing an Airmass view, the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit showing a false colour image of various temperature returns, the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer showing Low Level Water Vapour (good for seeing where clouds will form along with temperature gradients at various altitudes), and there are sensors doing radiation and surface wind changes that are a bit too dull to post. All of this along with 5 or 6 channels (depending on satellite) vs the 2 on APT or 3 on LRPT - usually 2 or 3 visible and 2 or 3 in IR.

Some of these extra instruments look good when overlaid on top of an AVHRR image, and SatDump can do this with projections in various forms to make some fantastic images. Here is a projection of the above NOAA 15 and Metop C shots in Cloud Isolated mode, along with the snow cover composite from the MHS overlaid on the top:

All in all a great morning!

Edited March 9 by Mark Pentler

[Dark Star]

The weather forecast for much  of Europe today is rain.....

NOAA19 0930

[Dark Star]

Meteor M2-3 behaved itself this morning for a nice pass at 0943

[Dark Star]

North Atlantic Meteor M2-3 1125uk showing Svalbard in the far north, Greenland over in the west & Iceland, plus the day/night terminator over Greenland.

[Dark Star]

A great image from Greenland showing the mountains this afternoon. 1240uk pass Meteor M2-3