NOAA APT reception has ended — what to receive in 2026
If you searched for “free NOAA weather satellite reception”, here is the news first: NOAA-15, -18 and -19, which sent weather pictures on 137 MHz for decades, were all decommissioned in summer 2025. Your antenna and RTL-SDR still work — follow the steps below and you will get sharper images than before.
This guide is shown in English; a reviewed translation will follow.
Last updated: 2026-10-17
1. What happened — decommissioning timeline
NOAA switched off three aging polar orbiters that had exceeded their design lives by 10–20 years. Transmitters are fully off, so the analog APT “tick-tock” signal is gone from 137 MHz. The spacecraft themselves remain in 850 km orbits for centuries.
- NOAA-18 — June 6, 2025 17:40 UTC (S-band transmitter failure)
- NOAA-19 — August 13, 2025 (battery failure on Aug 9 moved it up from the planned Aug 19)
- NOAA-15 — August 19, 2025 20:37 UTC (postponed from Aug 12)
2. Same antenna, right now — Meteor-M N2-4 (137.9 MHz)
Russia's Meteor-M N2-4 (NORAD 59051, launched Feb 2024) transmits digital LRPT imagery on 137.900 MHz (backup 137.100 MHz). Your NOAA V-dipole/QFH/turnstile antenna and RTL-SDR V3/V4 work unchanged; only replace WXtoImg with SatDump (free; Windows, macOS, Linux, Android). Being digital, it yields clean 1 km/px color and IR images even with some noise.
Steps: ① install SatDump → ② choose the “Meteor M2-x LRPT 137.9 MHz” pipeline, 1–2 MSPS → ③ pick a pass with max elevation ≥ 30° in this site's Sky & Impact Lab → Sat Pass tab → ④ record / decode live for 10–12 minutes → ⑤ images are generated automatically. The symbol rate flips between 72k and 80k occasionally, so keep auto-detect on.
3. Better imagery — GK-2A / Cheollian-2A (1692.14 MHz L-band)
Korea's geostationary GK-2A at 128.2°E images the full disk every 10 minutes and the Korean peninsula every 2 minutes, downlinking HRIT/LRIT on 1692.14 MHz. Point a dish once and images arrive all day with no passes to chase. You need a 60–100 cm grid/offset dish, L-band feed, SAW filter + LNA (e.g. Nooelec SAWbird+ GOES), RTL-SDR V4 or Airspy, and SatDump (xrit-rx). The Sat Pass tab computes azimuth, elevation and skew for your location.
4. No hardware — NOAA-20 / NOAA-21 VIIRS for free
NOAA's active polar fleet is NOAA-20 (2017), NOAA-21 (2022) and Suomi NPP. There is no analog broadcast and the X-band direct broadcast (7812 MHz) needs an institutional dish, but 375 m VIIRS imagery — ten times sharper than APT's 4 km — is free with no API key on NASA Worldview and the GIBS tile service, usually 3–4 hours after acquisition, including the night-time Day/Night Band.
5. Bonus — ISS on 145.800 MHz and other 137 MHz signals
The same 2 m antenna receives the International Space Station's amateur radio downlink (145.800 MHz FM voice and packet; SSTV images during announced ARISS events). The only other common signal left near 137 MHz is ORBCOMM data around 137.5 MHz. Europe's MetOp only keeps HRPT (1.7 GHz) and China's Fengyun-3 is L/X-band — both need a dish.
6. Equipment at a glance (2026)
A minimum setup and a comfortable setup for beginners. Prices are rough ranges.
- 137 MHz LRPT minimum: RTL-SDR V4 (~US$40) + home-made V-dipole (~$10) + SatDump (free)
- 137 MHz recommended: + 137 MHz SAW filter/LNA (~$30–40), QFH antenna
- L-band GK-2A: 60–100 cm dish + L-band feed + SAWbird+ GOES LNA (~$40) + RTL-SDR V4 / Airspy Mini
- ISS voice/SSTV: 2 m FM handheld or RTL-SDR + 2 m antenna + Robot36 app
FAQ
The NOAA satellites are still in the TLE list but I hear nothing.
That is expected. Retired satellites remain in orbit and can be tracked, but their transmitters are off. This site's 3D view marks NOAA-19 as “retired”.
Can I keep using WXtoImg?
It only decodes APT, so there is nothing left for it. SatDump is today's standard for LRPT, HRPT, GK-2A and GOES.
Are Meteor images better than NOAA's were?
Yes — APT was 4 km two-channel grayscale; LRPT is 1 km three-channel color plus IR. Being a Russian satellite, outages can come without notice, so check SatNOGS status reports.
How many Meteor-M N2-4 passes per day?
Typically 2–3 in the morning and 2–3 in the evening, of which 2–3 exceed 30° elevation. Compute exact times for your location in the Sat Pass tab.