furuno navtex antenna problems

[antares]

Following installation of a Furuno NX300 navtex (admittedly second hand but appeared to be perfect and was sold as such), the unit never really performed as I had hoped and now seems more erratic and disappointing than ever. It goes through the self test sequence fine and the unit itself looks great and so I think the only possibility is that the antenna is the suspect. On e bay you can either get a genuine Furuno item for 180 quid or one that claims to be compatible for 29.95. I am obviously tempted with the latter but just wonder if anyone has any experience of these models or this problem. The antenna is sited on the pushpit rail and the handbook didn't really go into antenna location too much so assume it's OK. Any thoughts very welcome.

 

[Boathook]

My antenna is roughly at pushpit rail hight next to the GPS. This seems to work ok. PM me with your email address if you want the NX-300 operators manual as a pdf.

 

[DaiB]

My antenna is on the top of the mizzen. A couple of years ago my reception suddenly degraded after a thunderstorm.
I assume the antenna was damaged then. New antenna from Furono fixed the problem, cost was a shock though!! Back to its normal A1 performance.
My first location was on the pushpit but it was in the way there so I moved it to the top of the mizzen and there was a noticable improvement in reception, especially when in a marina.

 

[cimo]

consider playing around with the antenna location for a while before replacing.
Mine (Nasa clipper) is located inside by the companionway, and works well when underway, but can be a bit intermittent in port.
Generaly you can expect a better performance away from the clutter of a marina.

 

[Jamesuk]

How much did you pay for the pair on ebay?

We have the aerial (not a Furuno branded one) at the head of the mast. Signal is clear and very good. From time to time we do lose the odd character in the massage. Whether that is due to the length of wire Antenna to Nx300 or a message received from far away slightly broken I don't know.

I would not say Furuno is a must. Buy the £30 on eBay and wire it in as a temporary test and see how it performs. Send it back if it doesn't work.

If you do buy it ask the seller for a returns option. It makes life easier and might be prepaid. So you don't have to part with any more funds than necessary.

On the other hand buying a Furuno and you have technical support on hand for assistance. Sometimes that is worth paying for alone!

 

[antares]

Many thanks to all, great stuff , as usual.Thank you, Boathook, I already have the owners manual( which doesn't actually say a whole lot about siting or testing the antenna). As to price paid, not a huge amount as I recall, so with the extra 30 quid for new antenna still leaves us quids in. I was just curious as to whether anyone had ever tried one of these generic jobs, the price difference is so great. Perhaps it is the Furuno assistance that costs so much.