THE WEATHER -- BY FAX MACHINE 

If you haven't been caught up in the fax phenomenon you must have been out of this world for the past few years. There are an estimated five million facsimile machines operating in North America. What has caused this popularity? And, what, in turn, are these machines creating?

New forms of businesses, that's what. Businesses operating with minimal overhead, producing products and services that create strong demand, usually without much advertising. These businesses also have a delivery system that beats everything else for cost, convenience and minimal capital investment.

A recent column covered "VoiceFax", the start of something big. Similar systems, with new methods of accessing information and receiving it in new forms, have hit the electronic newsstands and are moving fast.

Several years ago I was amazed to see people in a Tokyo office faxing written Japanese copy not across the world, or the country or the city or even upstairs in the same building but across the office! At that early date they had realized that faxing was more efficient than getting up, going to the photostat machine and delivering the copy to a colleague in the same office.

Today both private and commercial pilots can get all-important pretake-off weather briefings via fax -- and carry print-outs of upto-the-minute weather conditions into the cockpit. An option unavailable in the past. On Japan Air Lines passengers or pilots can now operate phone, fax or computers while aboard. Their signals go direct to a satellite and down to destination. No terrestrial enroute ground-links involved. Pilots, everywhere now can even take a fax machine with them. Weight or cost is not a factor as some weigh as little as eight pounds and retail for less than $500.

Pilots can also get weather information from any fax machine. Fax machines are now in many hotels, shopping malls, airports and bus and train stations. Obtaining weather information usually takes less than a minute and the briefing printout on a fax starts in less than 20 seconds.

The excellent graphic reproduction in the "fine" mode of fax machines provides crisp and clear weather charts. Available in and of, both Canada and the United States, including such offshore areas such as Hawaii. Weather charts are continuously updated and contain such information as surface observations, terminal forecasts, winds aloft, NOTAMS and chart-based information. Radar summaries and weather depiction charts are available in both graphic and text forms.

With any touch-tone phone using the 800 WeatherFax number, you can request an immediate printout by any Group 3 fax machine. The 800 number eliminates phone charges when ordering.

The annual registration fee for the service is US$125, plus $1.67 for each chart ordered. No minimum. Visa or Mastercharge accepted. The annual fee is currently being tossed in with the purchase of a Murata M900 fax machine now for US$549.

Pilots and weather buffs love it.

More information: Weather Fax, Inc., P.O. Box 602, 3 Powdermill Road, Maynard, MA 01754-0602. Phone: 800/FLY-4242 or 508/897-1660 or Fax: 508/897-1788.

* * *

< previous | chapter index | next >
back to Main Chapter Listing
back to Home Page