# Problem reading GCF file... "Extended textual headers are supported yet. Please contact the developers."

**URL:** https://discourse.obspy.org/t/problem-reading-gcf-file-extended-textual-headers-are-supported-yet-please-contact-the-developers/647
**Category:** Users Mailing List Archive
**Tags:** archive
**Created:** [May 8, 2017, 9:04am UTC](https://discourse.obspy.org/t/problem-reading-gcf-file-extended-textual-headers-are-supported-yet-please-contact-the-developers/647 "2017-05-08T09:04:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![doost\_dar\_shoma\_reza](https://discourse.obspy.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@doost\_dar\_shoma\_reza](https://discourse.obspy.org/u/doost_dar_shoma_reza)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2017, 9:04am UTC](https://discourse.obspy.org/t/problem-reading-gcf-file-extended-textual-headers-are-supported-yet-please-contact-the-developers/647/1 "2017-05-08T09:04:56Z")

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Dear Obspy Users

I’m trying to read gcf file by using obspy.read but for some of my files (see the attached example) the obspy shows the following error:

“NotImplementedError: Extended textual headers are supported yet. Please contact the developers.”

If anyone had such a problem before and have a solution for it, I would be really appreciated to share it with me.  
Regards,  
Meysam

[20150825\_1700z.gcf](https://discourse.obspy.org/uploads/short-url/zMUAwqDvfL4n6QDjTgMpQpApPbU.gcf) (716 KB)

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### Author: ![LionKrischer](https://discourse.obspy.org/user_avatar/discourse.obspy.org/lionkrischer/32/219_2.png) [@LionKrischer](https://discourse.obspy.org/u/LionKrischer)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2017, 11:02am UTC](https://discourse.obspy.org/t/problem-reading-gcf-file-extended-textual-headers-are-supported-yet-please-contact-the-developers/647/2 "2017-05-08T11:02:01Z")

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Hi Meysam,

ObsPy for some reason thinks this is a SEG-Y file and parsing it of course fails - I’ll investigate why this happens.

For now you can force the format and ObsPy is able to read it:

> > > obspy.read(“./20150825\_1700z.gcf”, format=“gcf”)  
> > > 5 Trace(s) in Stream:  
> > > .DARN..HHZ | 2015-08-25T17:00:02.000000Z - 2015-08-25T17:09:21.995000Z | 200.0 Hz, 112000 samples  
> > > .DARN..HHZ | 2015-08-25T17:09:27.000000Z - 2015-08-25T17:25:41.995000Z | 200.0 Hz, 195000 samples  
> > > .DARN..HHZ | 2015-08-25T17:25:47.000000Z - 2015-08-25T17:30:41.995000Z | 200.0 Hz, 59000 samples  
> > > .DARN..HHZ | 2015-08-25T17:30:47.000000Z - 2015-08-25T17:52:01.995000Z | 200.0 Hz, 255000 samples  
> > > .DARN..HHZ | 2015-08-25T17:52:07.000000Z - 2015-08-25T18:00:01.995000Z | 200.0 Hz, 95000 samples

Note that support for GCF files is not yet part of the last released version 1.0.3. You’ll have to update to the latest developer version of ObsPy to get it. If you need assistance in that regard please join our chat room here: Cheers! Lion
