Navtex from Heraklion

[Gypsyjoss]

We're currently in SW Aegean but are only receiving Navtex reports from Limnos which don't include SE and SW Aegean. Been in a few bays recently where the only source of weather info has been our Navtex. It's programmed correctly H and L so my question is, has Heraklion stopped transmitting weather forecasts?
Cheers
Pete and Sue on Alcyone

 

[Tony Cross]

In the 9 years I've been cruising around Crete I have never had reliable Navtext weather forecasts from the Heraklion transmitter. Plenty of nav warnings and SAR messages but not weather.

 

[sailaboutvic]

In the 9 years I've been cruising around Crete I have never had reliable Navtext weather forecasts from the Heraklion transmitter. Plenty of nav warnings and SAR messages but not weather.

We find that over most of greece I don't even look at mine any more , best forecaster I find is Poseidon , it as close as you are going to get

 

[vyv_cox]

For the past several years we have received half a forecast from Heraklion. It starts off OK but is cut off at somewhere around Kastellorizo sea with the message 'bad signal'. I have always assumed that another station then commences broadcasting.

 

[vyv_cox]

Funny thing, after writing post #4 last night we received an almost perfect Heraklion transmission this morning. Quite a few *** in it but readable through to the useless 'gale force winds not expected'.

 

[Gypsyjoss]

Thanks guys for your replies.
I agree with you, Vyv, 'gale force winds were'nt expected yesterday when we were getting gusts of 44 knots in Loutra!
Pete

 

[franksingleton]

We're currently in SW Aegean but are only receiving Navtex reports from Limnos which don't include SE and SW Aegean. Been in a few bays recently where the only source of weather info has been our Navtex. It's programmed correctly H and L so my question is, has Heraklion stopped transmitting weather forecasts?
Cheers
Pete and Sue on Alcyone

Weath er is indicator letter E, not L. Weather warnings are B.

If there are real problems with NAVTEX, send an email to UKHO. The Chair and secretary of the IMO NAVTEX Co-ordination Panel are located there. Alternatively, send me (concise) details and I can forward.

 

[Tony Cross]

Weath er is indicator letter E, not L. Weather warnings are B.

If there are real problems with NAVTEX, send an email to UKHO. The Chair and secretary of the IMO NAVTEX Co-ordination Panel are located there. Alternatively, send me (concise) details and I can forward.

I think he's talking about the station indicator rather than the message type indicator Frank.

Th station indicator for Heraklion is H and for Limnos it's L, the message type indicators are as you describe (so a message beginning HE is Heraklion weather)

 

[franksingleton]

I think he's talking about the station indicator rather than the message type indicator Frank.

Th station indicator for Heraklion is H and for Limnos it's L, the message type indicators are as you describe (so a message beginning HE is Heraklion weather)

Ah! OK. If it persists, contact the IMO NAVTEX panel. They want to be made aware of problems.

 

[vyv_cox]

The problem is 'bad signal' caused by a Turkish station commencing its broadcast before the Iraklion one has finished. There has been a slight improvement recently so far as we are concerned, in that the Iraklion broadcast more frequently reaches South East Aegean Ikario before it is stopped, this being the area we have been in. Just occasionally the two broadcasts merge into one, giving the clue as to which station is following on behind.

 

[franksingleton]

The problem is 'bad signal' caused by a Turkish station commencing its broadcast before the Iraklion one has finished. There has been a slight improvement recently so far as we are concerned, in that the Iraklion broadcast more frequently reaches South East Aegean Ikario before it is stopped, this being the area we have been in. Just occasionally the two broadcasts merge into one, giving the clue as to which station is following on behind.

Vyv and others,

Persistent problems of this nature should be reported to the IMO NAVTEX Co-ordination Panel. The UK provides chair and secretary, currently UKHO, Larry.Bennett@UKHO.gov.uk.

We had a similar problem with Toulon/Valencia in 2002/3. Eventually, CROSS found that the Toulon controlling clock was slow by 2 minutes.

I have been trying to get it over to them that leisure sailors are a good source of information about NAVTEX problems. Commercial ships pass quickly through an area. They will treat a missing broadcast as just a temporary glitch. We are far more likely to see a recurrent problem. It is one small way iin which leisure sailors can constribute to safety at sea.