Is Navtex worth having?

Sailing round the UK I only found it any use from Ullapool to Scrabster. Everywhere else there were easier ways to get weather forecasts. In Loch Eribol, like Morecambe, it was the last resort, because nothing else could be received there.

There is other stuff that may be of interest, like subfacts, but not very often.

Sometimes in foreign waters its easier to have a text forecast in English rather than listening to spoken forecasts.

I'd say it depends where you intend going, but for the average Solentite, no.

Update: If you do get one, the reception of the Navtex cheapy is totally pants compared to the Furuno model. I couldn't get reception in Portpatrick harbour once when we could see the transmitter out of the window! By contrast, crossing the North Sea we were getting reports from Libya with a Furuno.
 
Last edited:
I have one; travel medium distances.

It is also very useful for puttering locally without having dongles, infernal mobile phones etc.

I like my PEACE and Navtex does it quietly. My opinion.:D
 
Navtex Is A Reliable, Automatic and Free Weather Service

Its my primary source for weather forecasts when on the boat. I sail predominantly locally these days. It sits there happily receiving weather information for me to look at when I choose. The fact that its silent, reliable, automatic and free is a boon to my sailing style.

I used to sail much more extensively around the whole of the UK coat and Europe and then I found it almost indispensable for obtaining weather information.
 
Would'nt be without it, go for the Furuno model, I have the aerial on the spreaders and get good reception everywhere so far. No more missing forecasts!
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Its my primary source for weather forecasts when on the boat. I sail predominantly locally these days. It sits there happily receiving weather information for me to look at when I choose. The fact that its silent, reliable, automatic and free is a boon to my sailing style.
Click to expand...

+1 on the above

I can look at it whenever I want, don't have to get the phone/laptop out and start wondering about coverage. I also get UKMET and dutch and french met forecasts (which don't always agree).

When abroad, it's really useful. Mine's knackered at the moment and last weekend, just sailing locally, I missed it.

Wouldn't be without mine.
 
Navtex value

If you want an financial value test: compare the "value" to you of the time you spend getting or waiting for a weather forecast with having the latest one on the screen just when you want it. Give it a life of say 5 years (i.e multiply the peceived annual cost by 5) and comare that with the purchase and installation costs. That's the equation.

If you want a usefulness test: is it more or less useful/expensive than an echo sounder ... a log ... radar ... etc. Do you "need" any of these - there are other ways of getting the information that they provide.

I have one. For me it's only drawback is that it draws too much power to be left on permanently; I have a river mooring with no shore power. If I could leave it on permanently I probably would, so that the latest weather will be available when I arrive at the boat. I'll admit that I like boat-related technology. It's part of my interest.

My opinion.
 
My boat came with one. Took it off during refit, intending to put it back after. Never did put it back, didn't miss it, sold it, don't regret it.

This for local sailing on the South Coast.

By contrast, sailing with the Army in the Baltic ten years ago, the Navtex was our primary (only) source of forecasts.

It depends what kind of sailing you do.

Pete
 
ianfr said:
Hi

I am considering installing a Navtex receiver but need to be convinced it is really worth having.

Any thoughts from the assembled forumites?

Thanks

Ian
Click to expand...

You have to remember that Navtex is not designed as an on demand system. You get the forecast when they want to send it. This means it is only of value to you if you can either leave the receiver on 24/7 or have it switched on the day before you intend to go sailing so it can start to gather reports. It is no good going the the boat for a blast across the Solent and switching it on as you blast out of the marina. It could be 4 hours or a lot more before Niton radio comes to life. In fact I looked at the schedules on Frank Singletons pages the other day and have a feeling there maybe fewer transmissions now then there used to be...Anyone else noticed????

There are many other sources which give the same info and in fact frank Singleton now shows the current Navtex on his web pages for the different areas so you can print it out before you go....Thanks Frank!


Cullercoats..


http://weather.gmdss.org/bulletins/METAREA1.NAVTEX.CULLERCOATS.FORECAST.0800.090800421400.html
 
alant said:
Its VHF, so doesn't work that far offshore.
Click to expand...

That's not correct. It's 518Khz (VHF is 30 - 300 MHz) and so can transmit over very long distances (several hundred miles over sea) - Edit: Gah! Beaten by nimbusgb...

alant said:
+ you will be inundated with vast amounts of text inf0 (do not buy the paper roll version), which takes a great deal of time to scroll thru & read.
Click to expand...
Agreed about trhe paper versions. However, as regards being inundated, it's just a matter of programming the set to receive the information you want. Sure, if you set it to receive everything you'll be told about all sorts of stuff. I have mine set to just collect weather...
 
Last edited:
IIRC, doesn't Navtex warn you about other navigation issues, other than weatherfax? Items such as "10,000 teu container ship wedged between piers at Southwold Harbour", or "Oil Rig adrift off the Nab" or even "submarine ICBM & torpedo test launching 1/2 mile off Ardrossen" might be relevant to leisure users. :)
 
Away from local CG forecasts in English I have always found Navtex to be invaluable. Throughout the Med there are VHF forecast broadcasts but they may not be in English (France, Spain) may be very long-winded so that you inevitably miss the area you are interested in (Italy, Greece) and are occasionally difficult to understand even in English. In Holland when we lived there the forecasts were often at inconvenient times and it was far more useful to receive them automatically.

We have owned a succession of Nasa models and found them to be perfectly satisfactory, other than a tendency for the antenna to leak, easily fixed.

So far as range is concerned, in Greece we often receive reports from Rejkjavik.
 
Use mine all the time hopping between National and International. Great piece of kit and very useful. Regular weather updates and outlooks as well as current viz, air pressure, wind etc.

You can filter most of the messages (some are compulsory) selecting those which may interest you. All the selections and times are in the almanac.

I have the NASA box and it works fine and that's with the aerial inside !

(PS I don't have a laptop or internet connected phone so it is my main source of information)
 
Last edited:
vyv_cox said:
We have owned a succession of Nasa models and found them to be perfectly satisfactory, other than a tendency for the antenna to leak, easily fixed.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I mentioned above that my Navtex is broken atm. The antenna leaked and the circuitry is flooded - for the second time (Nasa have repaired it again). How did you cure the leaking?
 
Sea_Spray said:
Interesting. I mentioned above that my Navtex is broken atm. The antenna leaked and the circuitry is flooded - for the second time (Nasa have repaired it again). How did you cure the leaking?
Click to expand...

The cover of the first one was an early version, a tube with a cap that didn't fit well. I resealed it with epoxy, then sealed the base with Sikaflex.

The later one is a moulded cover in one piece. This has also been sealed with Sikaflex, now effective for a number of years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

stav
Active antenna AAX5 is it just a vhf antenna?
Replies
3
Views
170
stav
stav
Y
Vespermarine XB-6000 AIS transponder
2
Replies
24
Views
455
PaulRainbow
PaulRainbow
S
Bow seat
Replies
6
Views
285
SeaHorse12
S
Y
The Seafarer 700 and NASA clipper sounders saga
Replies
10
Views
438
Dellquay13
Dellquay13

Share this page

Top