How to receive weather satellite images with an SDR

To receive weather satellite images directly, you need a software-defined radio (SDR), an antenna suited to the satellite’s frequency, decoding software, and a clear view of the sky. For a portable setup, start with Meteor LRPT reception around 137 MHz. For a permanent station within the Americas’ GOES coverage, consider GOES HRIT/EMWIN.

The most useful upgrade is often better preparation: knowing which satellite is transmitting, when it will pass your location, and whether your antenna has an unobstructed view of its path.

This guide walks through that process, including how to use Fieldset Pro Sat Tracker to plan your reception. Sat Tracker requires a Fieldset Pro account; your SDR and decoder handle the actual image capture.

Which weather satellites should you receive?

Choose the type of reception that fits how you intend to use the equipment.

Meteor-M N2-3 and N2-4 are the relevant LRPT targets in SatDump contributor Jacopo Cassinis’s reception guide. Their operating frequency and mode can change, so check recent status information before each session. Treat 137.900 MHz and 137.100 MHz as frequencies to verify rather than permanent assignments to individual satellites. 1

What happened to NOAA APT weather satellites?

Older tutorials commonly recommend NOAA-15, NOAA-18, or NOAA-19 for analog Automatic Picture Transmission, or APT. NOAA retired these satellites in 2025: NOAA-18 on June 6, NOAA-19 on August 13, and NOAA-15 on August 19.

NOAA’s final retirement announcement describes passivation as including transmitter shutdown. These satellites should therefore be treated as historical APT targets, rather than the basis of a new reception setup. An orbit prediction can still show a retired satellite overhead; it does not prove that the satellite is transmitting. 2

What equipment do you need for weather satellite reception?

For a first Meteor LRPT attempt, assemble a small kit:

• A compatible SDR: An RTL-SDR or compatible Nooelec receiver that covers 137 MHz.
• A 137 MHz antenna: A V-dipole is a practical portable starting point. A properly designed QFH or turnstile is another option.
• A computer: Use a supported SatDump installation and confirm that it detects your receiver before leaving home.
• Coax and adapters: Check that every connection fits securely and that the cable is undamaged.
• Decoding software: SatDump can receive from supported SDR hardware and process satellite data.
• Pass predictions: You need predictions for your actual position, with current orbital elements.

The Fieldset Pro reception guide groups equipment by the signal you want to receive. A receiver’s tuning range alone is not enough: its sample rate, antenna, filtering, and software support also have to fit the task. 3[4]

A handheld voice radio that tunes to 137 MHz is not automatically a substitute for an SDR. Meteor LRPT needs a wider digital signal path than ordinary narrowband voice reception.

Choose and position your 137 MHz antenna

For a simple V-dipole starting geometry, Fieldset Pro’s catalog uses two approximately 52 cm elements separated by a 120-degree angle. Measure each element from the feed point to its tip. These are starting dimensions for a purpose-built antenna, not a universal cutting length for every existing whip or loaded antenna. 3

For a first capture, choose an open location and a high pass. Then adjust one variable at a time: antenna orientation, height, or receiver gain. Keep notes so the next attempt starts from what you learned.

A QFH or turnstile can suit a fixed installation, but the antenna’s construction and tuning matter. Avoid assuming that any antenna advertised as “satellite” will perform equally well.

Cassinis’s Meteor guide emphasizes clear line of sight and low interference, recommends a V-dipole for beginners, and discusses QFH antennas for permanent installations. 1

Plan a weather satellite pass with Sat Tracker

Use Sat Tracker before you start configuring the decoder. The module provides location-based predictions, satellite look angles, ground tracks, frequency references, and reception guidance. 3

1. Set your receiving location

Enter your latitude, longitude, and altitude in Settings, or use the device location option when your browser permits it. A prediction for your home is not necessarily useful when you are receiving from a campsite several hours away.

2. Refresh the orbital elements

Orbital elements, often called TLEs, describe the orbit used to calculate a satellite’s position. Sat Tracker can fetch updated elements or accept pasted TLE data. Check their age before trusting a pass prediction.

3. Choose a pass with useful elevation

Elevation measures the angle above the horizon: 0 degrees is the horizon and 90 degrees is directly overhead. Sat Tracker lets you filter passes by minimum elevation.

For a first attempt, a practical target is a pass reaching at least 40 degrees, with an open path across your sky. This is a starting recommendation, not a guarantee of reception. Trees, buildings, terrain, interference, and antenna performance still affect the result.

4. Check the whole path

Look at the expected direction of travel as well as the maximum elevation. A pass that starts behind a building and ends behind trees may provide much less usable recording time than the predicted window suggests.

5. Prepare before the satellite rises

Connect the receiver, select your output folder, confirm the intended frequency and mode, and start watching the waterfall before the predicted arrival. Keep a short log of the satellite, pass time, antenna, and settings. 3

Decode Meteor LRPT images with SatDump

SatDump’s interface varies by version. Its current documentation describes adding a recorder through Add → Recorder, while older versions use a Recorder tab. Follow the documentation for your installed build. 4

Use this starting checklist alongside Fieldset Pro’s reception recipe:

The 72k and 80k labels refer to symbol rates, not image resolution. SatDump documents separate pipelines for them. A mismatch can prevent decoding even when a signal is visible. 1[3][5]

Start the SDR and look for the satellite signal on the waterfall. Then start the matching processing pipeline. Keep recording through the useful portion of the pass and allow final image processing to finish afterward.

For later processing, select the correct input level and file format. IQ/baseband, soft symbols, and decoded frames are different inputs. The sample rate and format must match the recording. Ordinary demodulated FM audio is not a substitute for Meteor IQ data. 3[4]

How to get better weather satellite images

Use each attempt to answer a specific question about the station.

First, establish whether the signal is present. Watch for a signal appearing and disappearing around the predicted pass. A visible signal helps separate reception problems from decoder problems.

Next, improve the usable recording window. Compare passes from the same open location before changing hardware. Record where obstructions interrupt the signal and whether changing antenna orientation helps.

Then, adjust gain and filtering. More amplification is not always useful. Strong local signals can overload a receiver. If you add a powered amplifier, check its frequency range, power requirements, and the receiver’s bias-tee capability.

Finally, preserve the evidence. Keep the raw recording and a settings log. You can retry processing with another appropriate pipeline instead of waiting for another pass. 3

Troubleshooting common reception problems

SatDump includes an option to fill some missing image lines. Keep the original image too: filled lines are a processing result, not additional observations received from the satellite. 3[5]

When does GOES reception make more sense?

GOES HRIT/EMWIN suits a fixed station that needs recurring imagery and weather information within its coverage area. NOAA identifies GOES-19 as GOES-East and GOES-18 as GOES-West, with HRIT/EMWIN centered on 1694.1 MHz. 6

Plan for a suitable dish or grid antenna, filtered low-noise amplifier, compatible receiver, and clear line of sight. NOAA specifies a nominal minimum antenna size of 1 meter at elevations of 10 degrees or more, increasing to 1.2 meters at 5 degrees. Actual installation requirements depend on location. 6

Sat Tracker’s geostationary view provides pointing information from your position. SatDump supports GOES-R HRIT processing, including image and EMWIN output. 3[5]

A continuously available radio link does not mean every image product updates continuously. NOAA’s published HRIT schedule includes selected full-disk images twice per hour. Choose the service according to the products and update rates you need. 6

Frequently asked questions

Can you receive weather satellite images without internet?

Direct reception can work without internet once the receiver, decoder, and supporting files are ready. Prepare current orbital data and test your complete setup beforehand. Sat Tracker stores settings and elements locally; test your saved tracker page on the intended device before depending on it offline. 3

Does Sat Tracker receive or decode the images?

Sat Tracker helps you plan reception and choose settings. Your SDR captures the radio signal, and software such as SatDump processes it into images. 3[4]

Why can I see a satellite overhead but receive nothing?

An orbital prediction only describes where the object should be. It does not confirm an active transmitter, a correct frequency, or a clear path to your antenna. 3

Can a NOAA APT recording be processed today?

SatDump still documents NOAA APT processing. That is useful for compatible archived recordings, even though NOAA retired the older APT satellites in 2025. 2[5]

What should I do before my first pass?

Confirm that SatDump detects your SDR, check current satellite status, refresh the orbital data, choose an open location, and prepare a recording folder. Then use Fieldset Pro Sat Tracker to plan your pass and have the receiver running before it begins.

Sources and further reading

1. Meteor-M reception guide by SatDump contributor Jacopo Cassinis.
2. NOAA: A Legacy in Orbit—Decommissioning the POES Constellation.
3. Fieldset Pro Sat Tracker source and built-in reception guidance. Product descriptions and setup references were checked against this revision; final NOAA retirement notices take precedence over its older APT catalog entries.
4. SatDump documentation: live reception and recorded-data processing.
5. SatDump satellite processing pipelines.
6. NOAA OSPO: HRIT/EMWIN overview, specifications, and broadcast schedule.