An ariel question

[Leslie frank]

Hi
My ics nav6 navtex hasnt blinked in many years. I have been gifted a replacement... this one comes with the separate black box to avoid the overly complicated active ariel thingy that my old unit has.
The problem is that I have also been given an ariel which doesn't match.
The ics black box is expecting a core and a shield ( two connections to a basic ariel). The ariel i have been given looks like a GPS antenna with red brown yellow green silver and screen.it even has an led light on it so is obviously expecting power.
Can I use this at all... if so which two wires are my best bet? If not then j have a long length of antenna wire but without an actual antenna... can I lash up something with a coat hanger to just see if this new navtex works at all?
Best regards
Ps.
Please dont carp on about navtsx being redundant.... if I remove the existing box it leaves a hole plus I like being able to see notices which I otherwise never see.

 

[Plum]

Hi
My ics nav6 navtex hasnt blinked in many years. I have been gifted a replacement... this one comes with the separate black box to avoid the overly complicated active ariel thingy that my old unit has.
The problem is that I have also been given an ariel which doesn't match.
The ics black box is expecting a core and a shield ( two connections to a basic ariel). The ariel i have been given looks like a GPS antenna with red brown yellow green silver and screen.it even has an led light on it so is obviously expecting power.
Can I use this at all... if so which two wires are my best bet? If not then j have a long length of antenna wire but without an actual antenna... can I lash up something with a coat hanger to just see if this new navtex works at all?
Best regards
Ps.
Please dont carp on about navtsx being redundant.... if I remove the existing box it leaves a hole plus I like being able to see notices which I otherwise never see.

have you seen this? Navtex aerial

 

[Boater Sam]

Aerial may get you more responses to search engines.

 

[wonkywinch]

Aerial may get you more responses to search engines.

Unless you want soap powder.

 

[VicS]

Unless you want soap powder.

or a mermaid

 

[MontyMariner]

Antenna works for me.

 

[mikegunn]

Hi
My ics nav6 navtex hasnt blinked in many years. I have been gifted a replacement... this one comes with the separate black box to avoid the overly complicated active ariel thingy that my old unit has.
The problem is that I have also been given an ariel which doesn't match.
The ics black box is expecting a core and a shield ( two connections to a basic ariel). The ariel i have been given looks like a GPS antenna with red brown yellow green silver and screen.it even has an led light on it so is obviously expecting power.
Can I use this at all... if so which two wires are my best bet? If not then j have a long length of antenna wire but without an actual antenna... can I lash up something with a coat hanger to just see if this new navtex works at all?
Best regards
Ps.
Please dont carp on about navtsx being redundant.... if I remove the existing box it leaves a hole plus I like being able to see notices which I otherwise never see.

The aerial that you’ve been given sounds very like a gps unit. That needs to be connected to the NMEA input otherwise the Nav6 won’t have a clue where it is and as a result will be incapable of recording a log.
Mike

 

[fredrussell]

The aerial that you’ve been given sounds very like a gps unit. That needs to be connected to the NMEA input otherwise the Nav6 won’t have a clue where it is and as a result will be incapable of recording a log.
Mike

Does a Navtex need to know where it is then? I wasn’t aware off that. I thought they just picked up and displayed the weather info for all areas and you could tell the unit to just focus on a seleted area.

 

[st599]

A half wave dipole at Navtex frequency is 300m long, so making an antenna from coax will be quite difficult.

The original nav6 seems to have used a fin shaped active antenna, ie one that has an amplifier and filter built in. Do you have an image of the antenna?

 

[cpedw]

Does a Navtex need to know where it is then? I wasn’t aware off that. I thought they just picked up and displayed the weather info for all areas and you could tell the unit to just focus on a seleted area.

Navtex doesn't need to know but the ICS Nav6 can do a lot more if it know where it is, including choosing which Navtex transmitters to listen to.

 

[Neeves]

A half wave dipole at Navtex frequency is 300m long, so making an antenna from coax will be quite difficult.

The original nav6 seems to have used a fin shaped active antenna, ie one that has an amplifier and filter built in. Do you have an image of the antenna?

Having images of the whole lot would be useful. If the cable described is feed to or from a GPS then the GPS needs an antenna, like a flattened mushroom or a short pole unless its to be connected to an existing antenna (and if the latter the kit that provides the GPS feed might be usefully defined.

Jonathan

 

[st599]

Having images of the whole lot would be useful. If the cable described is feed to or from a GPS then the GPS needs an antenna, like a flattened mushroom or a short pole unless its to be connected to an existing antenna (and if the latter the kit that provides the GPS feed might be usefully defined.

Jonathan

The Nav6 mentions an NMEA input for GPS but not an internal GPS. The v1. edition did seem to come with a powered antenna, whilst later ones used passive antennas.

 

[mikegunn]

Does a Navtex need to know where it is then? I wasn’t aware off that. I thought they just picked up and displayed the weather info for all areas and you could tell the unit to just focus on a seleted area.

See Post#10.
The Nav6 keeps a log of ships position at predetermined intervals. Normally every 15 minutes. Saves putting a wet hand on a log book when the boat’s bouncing around.
Mike

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I have had a few issues with my ICS Nav 6 over 18 odd years, all antenna related. If you had the Shark Fin style of antenna, they do fail through water ingress and subsequent corrosion, a long known problem. They are no longer made and buying a second hand one is not worth it, as there is a good chance that it is duff.

The Shark Fin was replaced with this NAV6 Antenna Replacement System | ICS Electronics Ltd

I doubt that other antenna will work, or a coat hook wire. I bought the above and its been reliable now for nearly 10 years.

Also contact ICS for help, they are very good.

I love my Navtex as it also repeats all my instrument data into a single display including rolling road and XTE, as well as recording weather data. Old ICS Navtex units can't be upgraded for the barometer to track and trend pressure, which is a pity. The new ones have this feature.

 

[cpedw]

If you had the Shark Fin style of antenna, they do fail through water ingress and subsequent corrosion, a long known problem.

My Shark Fin lives under the GRP deck where it works quite well enough and doesn't get wet.