A comma key for Navtex operators?

[whiteoaks7]

Someone should buy the navtex transmitter operator a comma key - or do I not get punctuation because I only have the cheap receiver. Someone tell me what the weather is in the Eastern part of the Ionion please:

NORTH IONIO N N W 5 OVER W PART 6 VERY SOON SE4 OVER W PART N 4 LOC 5. MOD SOUTH IONIO ...

I think I can read this at least three different ways depending on how I parse it.

David Berry

 

[prv]

I know the encoding the system uses has a restricted character set. Perhaps sending commas is not technically possible?

Pete

 

[AntarcticPilot]

A bit of poking around shows that it uses 7-bit CCIR 476 coding, which is an extension of the ITA2 coding scheme. Basically, this is a 5-bit code - the extra 2 bits are used for error correction, not to extend the range of characters, so there are only 32 characters available; this is extended by using a "Shift Code" to switch from characters to figures. Comma is available, but only by using the "Figures Shift".

So, every comma is likely to require two extra characters in the message; "Figures Shift","Comma","Shift to Letters" ; I guess that the operators find it inconvenient.

 

[Gwylan]

Lucky to get any NAVTEX - the UK system has been 'un-reliable or out of service' for a while now.

 

[DaveS]

Lucky to get any NAVTEX - the UK system has been 'un-reliable or out of service' for a while now.

I think you're being a bit parochial. On the West coast of Scotland, which is, at least for now, part of the UK, NAVTEX reception is currently good.

 

[pappaecho]

Navtex fine in Pompey

 

[KAL]

Lucky to get any NAVTEX - the UK system has been 'un-reliable or out of service' for a while now.

I got naaaafin for ages, thought the set/antenna was duff, almost gave up, then strtd getting everything. Is there some way of checking that it's working as it should?

 

[philip_stevens]

I got naaaafin for ages, thought the set/antenna was duff, almost gave up, then strtd getting everything. Is there some way of checking that it's working as it should?

Try programming-in "all stations, and all messages". That should pick up anything being transmitted.

 

[Juggler7823]

UK navtex on West coast

Sailed from Holyhead to Oban over the last month and never received a single navtex message from Portpatrick. Received a few messages from Malin station but thats all. Malin sent a msg a few days ago that all uk stations were unreliable until the 30th, today. Lets see if it improves from now.

I think you're being a bit parochial. On the West coast of Scotland, which is, at least for now, part of the UK, NAVTEX reception is currently good.

 

[DaveS]

Sailed from Holyhead to Oban over the last month and never received a single navtex message from Portpatrick. Received a few messages from Malin station but thats all. Malin sent a msg a few days ago that all uk stations were unreliable until the 30th, today. Lets see if it improves from now.

Apologies for my previous post. Before posting I took a quick look at my Navtex and found all expected message, so assumed that all was OK.

I had temporarily forgotten that Malin is picked up well at Craobh but Portpatrick is seldom heard...