Navtex again

[MarkJohnson12345]

Is navtex any good for weather??

Mine seems only to give one Shipping Forecast a day!

When with mobile phone range, I can get the Met Office inshore and shipping forecast from the Internet with ease.

Navtex does do the Navigation warnings well.

Just wonder whether (pun unintentional) there is a weather system available.

Chum has a SSB radio, and can get the 5 day forecast, but its a bit painful keeping the radio tuned and have a PC to received the data.

Is the weatherman system good???

Or is a sat phone and internet the answer???

Maybe a good car radio is the best answer and some limp seaweed!

Mj

 

[FAITIRA]

You must get heaps of forecasts via the vhf in your area, but yes in my experience Navtex is erratic, we are only getting one a day here in S Brittany, the boat next door can be doing better today, tomorrow it may be us who are recieving, no radio expert, but I have never had a convincing explanation from one of them either!

 

[bluedragon]

Mark, to be honest for coastal cruising I find Navtex a complete waste of time. As you say, any modern mobile phone with a web browser gets all you need, and if you add the CG VHF broadcasts you're covered. Now if was offshore for more than a day or so, that's a different story and I might have more time for Navtex. I receive most of the stuff sent, but that's part of the problem - 95% of it is irrelevant, even with careful station and message type selection. I'm sure others will violently disagree with me, but that's my take on it...

 

[TheBoatman]

IMHO Navtex is a total waste of time and money.
I ran a set on my boat for a number of years until it packed up ~ I have no intention of replacing it, because any info it can give me is easily available from other sources.

I cruise the Southern North Sea/Dover Strait and it has yet to prove itself as a provider of extra information that I can't obtian elsewhere.

The set is defunct and I don't intend to replace it.

Peter.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Wouldn't cruise without it.

SSB is also very good for getting charts, I used mine a fair bit this year to tell me not to sail unfortunately.

Weatherman is supposed to be a good addition, but the last time I looked the Irish Sea areas were not covered in the forecast. I bought an SSB first which gives you everything, RTTY and Navtex with the bonus of weather charts. When not in use as a data unit I often listen to R4 or catch up on some decent world news without uk bias.

I ended up buying a Navtex as it is so low power it can be left on 24hrs and you wake up to the latest forecasts without any messing about. I get 2 per day on national from Portpatrick with additional warnings in between. I rarely use international. Reading the press, it appears that a more detailed forecast with station observations is on the way in a revamp to the service, excellent news I think.

Personally I think Navtex is a no brainer, it is near essential if you cruise away from your local area.

 

[Greenwichman]

I am with Dog Watch on this.

I have recently upgraded the Navtex in my boat to receive both frequencies and I find the system of great assistance in the southern North Sea and eastern Channel where I mostly cruise. Several stations are within range and it is simply brilliant to receive regular updates on passage (where internet is still not cheaply available), or to surface in the morning and find the data waiting for me, reducing the need to set an alarm to hear the 0520 BBC broadcast.

Recently, I chartered in Skye and found the information useful in that area, too.

Problems often track back to signal quality. 'Dry' joints in aerial runs are the most likely issue. Double-check the integrity of the aerial cable and all its connections.

Also, bearing in mind the MF freqs in use, some locations will suffer poor propagation - areas near mountains and in the confines of harbours in enclosed, built-up areas and in crowded marinas will be among the least good for reception.

In principle, NAVTEX is a very good system, usefully and reliably complementing the other weather sources. Growing availability of wifi access in marinas makes internet weather viable, but of course not readily available on passage.

In sum, I would have no hesitation recommending NAVTEX is fitted, especially noting how inexpensive it is, but its limitations need to be understood, too.

Hope this helps.

 

[Channel Ribs]

[ QUOTE ]
Or is a sat phone and internet the answer?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you have a big budget, plenty of power and enough room then yes. The NAVTEX option requires less of all those comodities though and as mentioned it can be left to get on with itself and consulted at a time to suit you.

Neither system is really any good if you don't go offshore though, for planning and pre-departure safety info then a laptop and wifi/mobile are the most sensible.

I like NAVTEX but rarely go more than 20 miles off the coast, so do not have it fitted.

 

[shmoo]

[ QUOTE ]

I cruise the Southern North Sea/Dover Strait and it has yet to prove itself as a provider of extra information that I can't obtian elsewhere.


[/ QUOTE ]
I cruise same area and value NAVTEX greatly. The Oostende forecast (available on NAVTEX as well as VHF and MF) for Thames and Dover is more detailed and gives better impression of the developing situation over time than do the local CG forecasts. You don't have to be by the radio waiting. And you avoid the problem of the guy from Dover CG with a slight west-country accent who reads the forecast at race-commentary speed!

If you are going a bit further afield the weather maps from Northwood and DWD on HF are really good. Synoptic charts and significant winds and wave height for 24, 48, 72 hours ahead have given us the confidence to make Devon to W and S Brittany crossings and visit places such as Ushant we would not have considered with only VHF CG forecasts.

 

[bluedragon]

[ QUOTE ]

In principle, NAVTEX is a very good system, usefully and reliably complementing the other weather sources. Growing availability of wifi access in marinas makes internet weather viable, but of course not readily available on passage.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not convinced about WiFi either. It's so localised and often not available / or only with subscription. Mobile phone reception is good over most of our coastal areas. Don't bother linking to a laptop, just get a mobile phone with www browser capabilities (my 3G phone cost £100 PAYG and £1 per day when needed for unlimited web access). I've tried all the alternatives over the past 2-3 years, and for UK coastal cruising togther with VHF it's all you need. I wake up at say 06:00, log onto the Met Office website and get the latest inshore waters forecast. Then I go the XC Weather to see what's actually happening in the area, then Weather Onlline for the bigger picture, then Windguru for the wind forecast for today . If all looks good...get up and go...if not, go back to sleep! I've got Navtex as a backup, but never yet had a need to use it.

 

[Koeketiene]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I cruise the Southern North Sea/Dover Strait and it has yet to prove itself as a provider of extra information that I can't obtian elsewhere.


[/ QUOTE ]
I cruise same area and value NAVTEX greatly. The Oostende forecast (available on NAVTEX as well as VHF and MF) for Thames and Dover is more detailed and gives better impression of the developing situation over time than do the local CG forecasts.


[/ QUOTE ]

Also cruise the same area - the Oostende Radio Navtex forcast is well worth having. Detailed, and most of the time on the money.

I have found that most of the time when people complain about Navtex reception it's due to dodgy installation or just a failure to RTFM.
And not all Navtex sets are equal - IMHO the Furuno NX300 is the only one worth having.

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

As said, my Navtex only gives the Shipping forecast once a day. Whilst that is good, it is a bit too general, and be quickly out of date.

The inshore forecast ought to be available on the system.

What I find irritating is the lack of date and time on the Navigation messages. And without the time and date the constant repititon (sp?) the messages are a little confusing!

That wretched mine thats floating around Lands End must have moved away by now, but its still being broadcast as in the area!!!

The HF forecast on SSB is good, giving 6 hourly forecasts of weather and sea state, just why cannot this data come over the Navtex.

Generally, coastal sailing is within the reach of many weather forecasts, and the mark 1 eyeball can be very useful as well. But why not get the best out of the Navtex system, there would seem to be plenty of air time to include more weather info.

A trick lost I feel, but accept that being an amateur sailor, maybe I don't see the whole picture...

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

"I have found that most of the time when people complain about Navtex reception it's due to dodgy installation or just a failure to RTFM.
And not all Navtex sets are equal - IMHO the Furuno NX300 is the only one worth having. "

Have to say that last week my Navtex reception was good, but the previous week was totally useless. Must be the weather I guess.

Re dodgy installations, how do you go wrong? Antenna on the pushpit rail, and the cable is fed through the biat and connected to the set.

Re various models, I can only comment on the Nasa ones, the latest model seems to be OK.

 

[Oldhand]

[ QUOTE ]
As said, my Navtex only gives the Shipping forecast once a day. Whilst that is good, it is a bit too general, and be quickly out of date.

The inshore forecast ought to be available on the system.


[/ QUOTE ]

The Inshore Forecasts are available on 490kHz Navtex several times a day. I suggest you only have a single frequency 518kHz Navtex and need to update to a decent dual channel receiver. I regret you slag off Navtex becuase of your lack of knowledge of the system, I think you need to educate yourself, reading an almanac or Admiralty Publication NP289 will clarify what's available on Navtex.

 

[bluedragon]

I'm sure Mark will reply to you appropriately, but I do have dual frequency and do I believe understand how it all works, but to me the system is back in the dark ages and needs a complete make-over of content and technology before I'd do any more than have it as a back-up of last resort. Sorry...

 

[ShipsWoofy]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure Mark will reply to you appropriately, but I do have dual frequency and do I believe understand how it all works, but to me the system is back in the dark ages and needs a complete make-over of content and technology before I'd do any more than have it as a back-up of last resort. Sorry...

[/ QUOTE ]

What would you like from it?

Serious question, not a troll..

 

[shmoo]

There is something of split here between East Coast/Channel and West Coast respondents. Not completely split along those line, I know, but enough to be worth looking at closer.

Is is that the forecast areas areas are smaller in East Coast/Channel? This area also benefits from some overlap (at least Thames and Dover do) between UK and near continent provision.

 

[bluedragon]

Off the top of my head:

a) Improved coverage (fewer dead spots)
b) More use of plain English rather than all the codes and gobbledegook that appears on my screen
c) A sub-division of the sea areas covered for nav warnings
d) A system that is designed more for leisure users rather than commercial and deep-sea, with an appropriate interface

If Navtex was an Internet service it'd have gone out of business within weeks. I'm sure something better can be put in place if the authorities set their mind to it. It's a good question though..what do others think about the features they'd like in Navtex Mk II if it ever came to pass?

 

[Oldhand]

If you have dual frequency and understrand how it works then surely you should realise that your installation is inadequate in some way or you are operating it incorrectly as you don't receive Inshore Forecasts?

A decent simultaneous dual channel Navtex receiver which displays messages properly formated including headings, such as an ICS Nav6, with an an antenna properly sited and installed away from interfering onboard sources is an excellent source of maritime safety information.

Furthermore, proper programming of what stations and what messages are displayed, including only showing "new" messages to avoid repeats is all that is required. What receiver and antenna installation is the basis for your complaint about Navtex?

 

[bluedragon]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have dual frequency and understrand how it works then surely you should realise that your installation is inadequate in some way or you are operating it incorrectly as you don't receive Inshore Forecasts?

IT WASN'T ME THAT HAD THE PROBLEM. I GET TOO MUCH INFO THAT I DON'T NEED.

A decent simultaneous dual channel Navtex receiver which displays messages properly formated including headings, such as an ICS Nav6, with an an antenna properly sited and installed away from interfering onboard sources is an excellent source of maritime safety information.

YOU MAY BE RIGHT, BUT I SUSPECT MOST OF US HAVE MORE BASIC KIT

Furthermore, proper programming of what stations and what messages are displayed, including only showing "new" messages to avoid repeats is all that is required. What receiver and antenna installation is the basis for your complaint about Navtex?

[/ QUOTE ]

DON'T THINK I HAVE THAT FACILITY. THE THING IS THAT I GET ALL I NEED AND MORE FROM OTHER SOURCES, SO MY PATIENCE WITH NAVTEX IS LIMITED. BUT IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS, I'LL GIVE IT ANOTHER SHOT IN THE WEEKS AHEAD.

 

[Channel Ribs]

[ QUOTE ]
It's a good question though..what do others think about the features they'd like in Navtex Mk II if it ever came to pass?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oooo, fantasy marine electronic shopping! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Something like an AIS Engine, which sends geographical data to a plotter - so you can click on the icon of an unexploded bomb and route around it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif