The main NOAA weather-image downlinks still available are GOES HRIT/EMWIN at 1694.1 MHz, GOES Rebroadcast (GRB) at 1686.6 MHz, and JPSS High-Rate Data (HRD) at 7812 MHz. NOAA’s old POES constellation is retired, so its familiar 137 MHz APT broadcasts are no longer a reception option. [1] [2] [3] [4]
As of November 2, 2026, the operational choices are GOES-19 for GOES-East, GOES-18 for GOES-West, and NOAA-20/NOAA-21 for polar-orbiting reception. [5] [6]
S-NPP is a time-sensitive exception: NOAA’s October 30 final notice schedules the end of its science-data delivery and the disabling of HRD direct broadcast for November 2, 2026, at 15:40 UTC. Use that deadline rather than older notices showing 13:00 UTC, and do not plan a new station around S-NPP. [7]
Table of Contents
Which NOAA signals can you receive now?
The table covers the main weather-image broadcasts and two related GOES relay services, not every telemetry or command link carried by NOAA spacecraft.
| Signal or service | Status on November 2, 2026 | Reception approach |
|---|---|---|
| POES APT, around 137 MHz | Ended; NOAA-15, NOAA-18, and NOAA-19 are retired. [1] | Do not build a new NOAA APT station. |
| POES HRPT, L-band | Ended with the same retired spacecraft. [1] | Old NOAA HRPT presets are not a route to JPSS HRD. |
| GOES HRIT/EMWIN, 1694.1 MHz | Available service; 400 kbps. [2] | Fixed L-band dish within the GOES-East or GOES-West footprint. |
| GOES GRB, 1686.6 MHz | Available service; 31 Mbps across two polarization channels. [3] | Fixed dish with a dual-circular-polarization receive chain. |
| JPSS HRD, 7812 MHz | NOAA-20: 15 Mbps; NOAA-21: 25 Mbps. S-NPP has the shutdown deadline above. [4] [7] | Tracking X-band station during a visible satellite pass. |
| GOES Data Collection System (DCS) | Environmental observation relay, not an image broadcast. [8] | Authorized transmitting platforms and a separate data-reception path. |
| GOES search-and-rescue relay | GEOSAR function within COSPAS-SARSAT. [8] | Distress-beacon relay to rescue ground stations, not weather imagery. |
Are NOAA-15, NOAA-18, and NOAA-19 still transmitting APT?
No. NOAA-18 was decommissioned on June 6, 2025, NOAA-19 on August 13, 2025, and NOAA-15 on August 19, 2025. NOAA describes passivation as draining batteries, turning off transmitters, and deleting onboard software. These are retired spacecraft, not satellites temporarily missing from a pass prediction. [1]
The preserved POES status board records the shutdowns at 17:40 UTC, 18:55 UTC, and 20:37 UTC, respectively. Its old APT frequency entries are historical engineering information, not evidence of a live broadcast. [9]
This conclusion applies to NOAA POES APT and HRPT. It does not mean that the entire 137 MHz band is silent or that every non-NOAA weather satellite has stopped transmitting. NOAA identifies JPSS as the low-Earth-orbit follow-on to POES, but receiving JPSS requires a different radio and antenna system. [1] [4]
Which GOES broadcasts are still active?
OSPO lists GOES-19 as Operational East at 75.2°W and GOES-18 as Operational West at 137.0°W, both with green spacecraft status. GOES-16 and GOES-17 are listed in on-orbit storage. A green spacecraft entry is not a guarantee that every product is uninterrupted; review the recent anomaly notices before a reception session. [5]
HRIT/EMWIN at 1694.1 MHz
HRIT/EMWIN is the lower-data-rate fixed-dish option. NOAA specifies a 1694.1 MHz center frequency, 400 kbps net data rate, 927 ksymbols/s, BPSK modulation, and linear polarization with a vertical offset. The necessary bandwidth is 1.205 MHz. Data rate, symbol rate, and receiver bandwidth are different settings; a receiver must support the broadcast format as well as the frequency. [2]
The feed includes National Weather Service warnings and forecasts, graphics, selected satellite imagery, and rebroadcast DCS messages. NOAA charges no fee and requires no NOAA license to receive it. That statement concerns this receive service, not permission to transmit. [2]
NOAA’s antenna guidance gives a minimum diameter of 1.0 meter at elevations of 10° or more and 1.2 meters at 5° elevation. These are published planning values, not a reception guarantee for every site. Local obstruction, interference, feed performance, and system noise still matter. [2]
GOES Rebroadcast at 1686.6 MHz
GRB carries full-resolution, calibrated Level 1b instrument data and Level 2 Geostationary Lightning Mapper data. Its aggregate rate is 31 Mbps, delivered as 15.5 Mbps per circular-polarization channel. NOAA specifies 1686.600 MHz and a fixed dish with both left- and right-hand circular receive paths, low-noise amplifiers, downconverters, DVB-S2-capable receivers, and GRB processing software. [3]
The designated default modulation is QPSK at 8.665938 Msymbols/s with rate 9/10 forward error correction; the documented alternative is 8PSK at 7.825768 Msymbols/s with rate 2/3 coding. This is not the same demodulation chain as HRIT/EMWIN. [3]
NOAA gives a worst-location G/T requirement of 15.2 dB/K and a nominal reference antenna of 4.5 meters with a 120 K system noise temperature. G/T expresses antenna gain relative to system noise temperature: dish diameter alone does not establish compliance. The published coverage calculations also caution that interference can require additional antenna gain. [3]
Is JPSS HRD at 7812 MHz still available?
Yes, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 remain the operational polar-orbiting choices. The JPSS status board lists NOAA-21 as primary and NOAA-20 as secondary. HRD is a continuous spacecraft broadcast, but a ground station receives it only while the satellite is within view. NOAA-20 uses 15 Mbps; NOAA-21 uses 25 Mbps. [6] [4]
The stream includes science and calibration data from instruments such as VIIRS, CrIS, ATMS, and OMPS, together with spacecraft information needed to generate products. NOAA’s HRD description includes CERES on NOAA-20 but not NOAA-21. Instrument availability and spacecraft status are separate checks. [4]
NOAA describes a typical station as a tracking antenna, feed, LNA/downconverter, demodulator, and processor. Many existing users have 2.4- to 3.7-meter antennas; that is an observed equipment range, not a universal mandatory aperture. CSPP LEO software is used to process direct-broadcast science data into products. [10] [4] [11]
When comparing LEO/MEO tracking antennas, ask for explicit coverage of 7.812 GHz and the required polarization. The linked catalogue’s tabulated X-band receive ranges do not include 7.812 GHz, so those standard configurations should not be assumed to receive JPSS HRD. A suitable RF configuration needs separate confirmation.
For S-NPP, the specific October 30 cessation notice takes precedence over an older general status entry or a recent data-delay message. The notice explicitly includes disabling HRD direct broadcast at the November 2 deadline; it is not merely an interruption to an internet product feed. [7]
Are DCS and SARSAT also active NOAA signals?
Yes, but they serve different purposes. DCS relays observations from surface platforms, including river, tide, and weather sensors. NOAA describes a GOES-R-era downlink change from 1696 MHz to 1679 MHz, requiring a corresponding LNB-feed change at direct-readout ground stations. Its platform data rates include 300 and 1200 bps; these are not image-stream rates. Transmitting-platform authorization is distinct from receiving relayed observations, including DCS messages distributed through HRIT/EMWIN. [8] [2]
The GOES GEOSAR payload relays distress-beacon signals to local user terminals, mission control, and rescue coordination centers within COSPAS-SARSAT. It is a rescue communications path, not an alternative source of weather imagery. [8]
How should you plan a reception setup?
Replacing an old 137 MHz APT station
For a specification-based upgrade example, suppose you already own a V-dipole and an SDR used for NOAA APT. Changing the tuning frequency alone does not turn that setup into a GOES station. For HRIT/EMWIN, first establish that GOES-East or GOES-West is visible from the site, then select the dish, feed, low-noise receive chain, and compatible decoder. Check the SDR’s tuning range and usable bandwidth rather than assuming every existing component can be reused. [5] [2]
For a station showing no HRIT lock, an early configuration check is the preset: NOAA documents the move from legacy EMWIN at 1692.7 MHz and LRIT at 1691.0 MHz to HRIT/EMWIN at 1694.1 MHz. If a legacy preset remains selected, correct it before testing again. Then check pointing, polarization alignment, and decoder configuration before replacing hardware. [2]
Estimating GRB data-handling needs
A useful planning calculation compares the published aggregate rates: 31 Mbps ÷ 0.4 Mbps = 77.5. GRB therefore has 77.5 times HRIT/EMWIN’s stated data rate. This ratio does not measure image quality, RF bandwidth, or the difficulty of reception, and it does not by itself determine receiver compatibility. [3] [2]
For an illustrative continuous capture at 31 Mbps, 31,000,000 × 86,400 ÷ 8 = 334,800,000,000 bytes, or 334.8 decimal GB per day. The assumptions are uninterrupted capture of that stated aggregate bit rate, eight bits per byte, and no added storage overhead. Treat the calculation as a stream-capture estimate, not a decoded-product storage budget; allow separately for output files, temporary processing, and retention. [3]
Checking the feed before ordering
Compare exact frequency limits, not just labels such as “L-band” or “X-band.” The published X-band row for Dolph’s orthomode transducers, for example, covers 9.3–9.8 GHz, not JPSS HRD at 7.812 GHz. An OMT is also not a universal requirement for every receive design: specify the complete feed and polarization arrangement rather than assembling parts by catalogue name.
Before purchase, record the target spacecraft, service, site coordinates, expected elevation, receive frequency, polarization, required G/T, demodulator format, and processing software. Recheck NOAA’s current status and service alerts on receive day. That separates a retired transmitter, a temporary outage, an incompatible receiver, and a site-coverage problem instead of treating every missing image as the same fault. [5] [6] [2] [3]
Sizing a fixed GOES dish or a tracking polar station? Send your frequency, polarization, and aperture for a tailored station quotation.
