Though India currently has the INSAT and Kalpana Metsät weather satellites in geo-stationary orbit, the signals from them are in the gigahertz range, Which requires expensive equipment to catch. Further, unlike NOAA, their technical information is not in the public domain. While the MET office’s cliched predictions are mostly wrong, Rajesh Takes pride in his accuracy.
The MET office is usually way off the mark predicting rain and sunshine, but a techie-turned weatherman has devised an ingenious way to Foretell what the heavens have in store for us. His forecast comes as colorful maps on e-mail and updates on SMS. K. Rajesh, a computer techie active in Ham radio, came back to Chennai from the U.S. and turned his hobby into weather-watching dishing out predictions for his extended circle of family and friends.
If he is to be believed, anyone can be a weatherman with just Rs 4.000 and a computer. The cost includes a weather station, an antenna (Rs 150) and a receiver (Rs 1,500), Which can be designed by anyone who knows computers. This set-up helps pull in signals from weather satellites in orbit. The five-watt radio signals received are then decoded, he explains.
Rajesh’s ‘station’ uses the three operational polarorbiting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellites, equipped with visual and infrared equipment. About 300 km high in the sky, they orbit approximately once every one-and-a-half hour. By decoding and Analyzing the voluminous data gathered from signals, an accurate weather map can be produced, explains the techie, an alumnus of the Thiagarajar Engineering College in Madurai.
I need the contact number/e mail address of Mr.K.Rajesh and would like
to avail his services for weather predictions.
awaiting early response.