[SVAuspicious]

Weather information is very important. Gribs are not the best source of weather information.

You can use an inexpensive SSB receiver like the Kaito 1103 (lots of options) and a decent antenna, free software like JVCOMM32, a $5 cable from Radio Shack, and a laptop to get synoptic charts. Google rfax.pdf for the schedules worldwide. Easy peasy and way better than gribs.

 

[SVAuspicious]

auspicious I googled this and the first page is nws from noaa...is that the one I should use?

That is it. Feb 2012 is the latest version - these things don't change often.

Very important to read and understand the third paragraph under "About this Publication" that describes tuning frequencies.

Weather fax uses frequency shift keying (FSK). FSK uses a baseband signal (the synoptic chart) to shift the transmission frequency either between two states (black and white) or over a range of frequencies (gray-scale). Most of us use upper single-sideband (USB) to receive weather fax signals. Given standards for filter bandwidth and offset that means to receive a signal transmitted using FSK, conventionally listed by center frequency, with a radio using single side-band, conventionally listed by the (suppressed) carrier frequency you have to subtract 1900 kHz (1.9 MHz) from the frequency listed in rfax.pdf to obtain the dial frequency for your radio.

Tools like Airmail and JVCOMM32 will do the arithmetic for you.