Weather satellite images recorded at Chigwell, United Kingdom.

Latitude: 51.500, Longitude: -0.170

Receiver: RX2

Click on any image below for a full sized image. Times are shown in UTC.

Next Scheduled Satellite Passes over Chigwell, United Kingdom

Satellite Name	Start of Pass		Time Available		Direction	Maximum Elevation Degrees (East or West)	Frequency MHz
Satellite Name	UTC	Local Time*	UTC	Local Time*	Direction	Maximum Elevation Degrees (East or West)	Frequency MHz
NOAA 17	22 Nov 19:07	22 Nov 19:07	22 Nov 19:18	22 Nov 19:18			137.62
NOAA 17	22 Nov 20:46	22 Nov 20:46	22 Nov 20:58	22 Nov 20:58			137.62
NOAA 18	23 Nov 02:09	23 Nov 02:09	23 Nov 02:22	23 Nov 02:22			137.9125
NOAA 19	23 Nov 02:29	23 Nov 02:29	23 Nov 02:43	23 Nov 02:43			137.10
NOAA 18	23 Nov 03:50	23 Nov 03:50	23 Nov 04:02	23 Nov 04:02			137.9125
NOAA 15	23 Nov 04:57	23 Nov 04:57	23 Nov 05:10	23 Nov 05:10			137.50
NOAA 15	23 Nov 06:37	23 Nov 06:37	23 Nov 06:48	23 Nov 06:48			137.50
NOAA 17	23 Nov 08:56	23 Nov 08:56	23 Nov 09:08	23 Nov 09:08			137.62

* local time is GMT Standard Time.

Weather has always been a fascinating subject to the English and can sometimes seem to be the sole topic of conversation.

Aside from operating your own weather station (which I don't) there is still a lot of interesting data available, including APT images transmitted by the NOAA Polar Orbiting Satellites. Receiving and producing these images is relatively inexpensive by using a. RIGsat receiver which is available in kit form. This, in conjunction with a special aerial, allows reception of the NOAA satellite passes, which occur several times each day. Chigwell is indicated on the images by the yellow cross.

How is it done? The RX2 receiver is under the control of a PC program called WXTOIMAGE. This program calculates when the satellites will go past and then selects the appropriate satellite channel on the RX2. Audible radio signals from the RX2 are sent to the PC's soundcard which WXTOIMAGE then decodes into an image. The technology behind this is very similar to a normal FAX machine, which builds images line by line. Simple but very effective.

If you came here looking for satellite images of Essex then it sounds like you should consider Google Earth. Click on the globe to go to Google Earth home page. If you already have Google Earth, try this link to locate Chigwell.