Navtex - had it's day?

[dgadee]

Navtex - had its day?

Is there much need for Navtex when there are so many other sources of weather information these days? You can get the same info from mobile phones around the coast, perhaps? Probably better, in fact.

New (to me) boat has old navtex receiver and I'm wondering whether to remove it.

 

[cliff]

Can you get NTM's on your phone? or Navigation alerts or Chart update info or ........? Navtex has many uses.
Do remember GPS/Chart plotters are NOT for Navigation.

 

[allanc]

Does your mobile work 270 Miles ( Ive had 350 Miles ) offshore, providing navigational warnings, SAR info as well as weather forecasts, automatically and free, drawing 0.3amps.
The message is keep it and if you haven't got one, get one.

 

[pagoda]

Does your mobile work 270 Miles ( Ive had 350 Miles ) offshore, providing navigational warnings, SAR info as well as weather forecasts, automatically and free, drawing 0.3amps.
The message is keep it and if you haven't got one, get one.

+1

Absolutely agree on that. Navtex is about as idiot proof a method of obtaining weather info as could exist. You don't need to wait up to listen to a specific station. You can select which shore stations you want to use. It gets into almost everywhere on the West Coast of Scotland / Ireland. VHF and phones don't get everywhere..
My elder son is a new -tech / phone / tablet kind of person, and scoffs at Navtex. I recall him failing miserably to get a mobile signal on the NW corner of Ireland, so simply went to the navtex to find the last night's and also the morning forecast waiting there for me.
Don't ditch it.

Graeme

 

[sailorgirl]

Does your mobile work 270 Miles ( Ive had 350 Miles ) offshore, providing navigational warnings, SAR info as well as weather forecasts, automatically and free, drawing 0.3amps.
The message is keep it and if you haven't got one, get one.

+1 - and it is a free service once you've bought the set, working in many parts of the world

 

[Iain C]

I fitted one before my Channel Islands cruise this year and found it was very useful. Certainly better than paying the very high data roaming charges for the CIs. Only complaint was that you'd have to scroll through pages of stuff to get to the weather info you'd need...but I suspect I've still not set it up properly.

 

[dgadee]

Thanks for comments. It is an old one with printer - not the smallest. Will keep it for now.

 

[NormanS]

Agree absolutely with others' sentiments. Navtex is great, and reaches the parts that other systems cannot. There are many parts along the coast, and of course offshore, where there is no mobile signal. I find it far more useful for forecasts than listening at a specific time, on VHF, for the CG transmissions. Incidentally, why do the CG weather broadcasts often sound as if they were recorded in a busy pub? Often you can't hear the message for the racket in the background. Surely they could record it in a quiet booth.

 

[Gwylan]

With printer?
Collectors item, but buy the spare paper while you can.

Then plan it's replacement, never can justify not having one for the next few years. Despite anything the MCA might say to the contrary.

Also have to admit that in my experience the NASA one is about as good value as you can get.

 

[Giblets]

If one really wants to use a smartphone then try http://www.frisnit.com/navtex/

 

[NormanS]

If your Navtex is one of the older type with the roll of paper, it may only work on one frequency, and therefore not be able to give the Inshore Forecast. Worth checking.

 

[nigelmercier]

With printer?
Collectors item, but buy the spare paper while you can.

I prefer the printer type, I have mine set to print my position every 30 minutes. In the event of an electrical failure, I have my LKP.

You don't have to buy special paper, the stuff from credit card machines works fine. May require re-rolling if the roll is too fat or the wrong way out.

 

[stav]

Does your mobile work 270 Miles ( Ive had 350 Miles ) offshore, providing navigational warnings, SAR info as well as weather forecasts, automatically and free, drawing 0.3amps.
The message is keep it and if you haven't got one, get one.

+1, also useful when not miles from anywhere but perhaps anchored for a week in a nice bay or French estuary.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

And transmissions are available in English (the official language for mariners) all over the world. Found this most useful when cruising the Baltic.

 

[nigelmercier]

You don't have to buy special paper, the stuff from credit card machines works fine. May require re-rolling if the roll is too fat or the wrong way out.

Here you go, less than £1 a roll
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0034C71Y4/dolcetto-21

BTW, if anyone has a passive ICS Navtex antenna they don't need, see my post in the Wanted section.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?376559-Wanted-ICS-Navtex-Antenna-for-Nav4Plus

 

[winsbury]

If your Navtex is one of the older type with the roll of paper, it may only work on one frequency, and therefore not be able to give the Inshore Forecast. Worth checking.

That's intereresting, I only get offshore on my NASA pro but thought it was dual frequency.

 

[doug748]

I am just in the process of updating my old NASA Pro Plus as the aerial has gone u/s. It has a switch in the imput line to jump between 518 and 490kHz.

You can program some on the newer jobs to do this for you.

 

[Davegriff]

I am just in the process of updating my old NASA Pro Plus as the aerial has gone u/s. It has a switch in the imput line to jump between 518 and 490kHz.

You can program some on the newer jobs to do this for you.

They don't all have a switch though. My Navtex Pro doesn't.

I've worked out that the aerial converts and sends an intermediate signal to the main unit, but not sure if fitting a switched aerial unit would work. Anyone tried it?

 

[Sandyman]

They don't all have a switch though. My Navtex Pro doesn't.

I've worked out that the aerial converts and sends an intermediate signal to the main unit, but not sure if fitting a switched aerial unit would work. Anyone tried it?

Think you will find its a different aerial.

 

[AliM]

Navtex also allows you to compare forecasts from different met offices with minimal effort. While cruising in the North Sea and German Bight, we compare the UK, German, Dutch and Belgian forecasts. If they agree, we can be confident of the result, if they don't, we know to be cautious. Yes, you can do that wih a mobile phone, and to some extent we do that too, but what with language translations, reception problems and roaming charges, it's a lot easier using Navtex.