NAVTEX online?

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Having inherited a NASA NAVTEX receiver with the boat, it has been out of action since due to my attempts to apply some logic to the ‘interesting’ wiring.

Having got as far as the chart table with the re-wire it is now back online, I have read the manual (unusual for me), and programmed the stations and message codes.

I now know a lot about buoys out of position around St. Petersburg and the Baltic, but weather conditions in Tyne, not a whisper.

Does anyone know of a reliable source on ‘tinternet that shows what Cullercoates is actually spitting out for fault finding purposes? I have googled but the sites turned up are not much help.

Thanks
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Interesting list but it is nearly three years out of date. For the first time I received a forecast on Sunday from Radio Algiers (which is not included) for a large part of the Med. Must have a strong transmitter.

Unfortunately can't help with the original query.
 
Thanks, but not realy. I am looking for realtime (or close to) posting of actual transmissions to compare with the output of my reciever.

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That seems to be on the money.

I looked at that but could not find a reciever in the uk. However the one in Iceland seems to be picking up Cullercoats so should help with the problem solving.

Many thanks
 
The signals are time slotted so if you hear a signal or receive something in Cullercoats time slot then you have got it..
The code for Cullercoats is G for 518 and U for 490 which includes inshore mind you sometimes you do not always get the nearest stations best so could be worth programming in Portpatrick as well.

I am not familiar with the nasa navtex as I use a sony radio to a laptop. However I was wondering if you can hear the warbling signal either with a speaker or earphone.

Another point is the split in frequencies between 490 and 518. Is your Nasa set to receive the lower frequency as this is where the inshore forcast is sent out.

Have a look at The Mailasail pages to see frequencies and times and codes

What antenna are you using????

The content is relatively unimportant for testing as you are either resolving it or not and if you are then you will see the Cullercoats code.
 
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I am not familiar with the nasa navtex as I use a sony radio to a laptop.

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I don't want to take this thread off topic, but is it possible to use any short wave radio to do this? How do you connect to a PC, 9 pin din or USB or....? Do you also need a specific antenna for this?
The links on how to do this on the Frisnit site are not working. Thanks for any pointers.
 
Thanks, I just get a page load error when I try that link and the one from the Frisnit site..........I'll have to sort that problem out first.
 
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Another point is the split in frequencies between 490 and 518. Is your Nasa set to receive the lower frequency as this is where the inshore forcast is sent out.



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I have a Navtex 6 pro, (based in Portsmouth) which last season was quite happily churning out the wider shipping forecast, and the Inshore waters forecast.

This year we only pick up the main shipping forecats and have not received a single inshore forecast. I note your comment above that they are received on different frequencies. I took off the filters on warnings and we had received a mass of these. Any idea what is happening - or is it the arial reception on 490 likey to be worse than 518?
 
you can use any short wave receiver that will tune the frequencies on ssb. it needs also fine tuning.. the thing to remember there s a frequency offset so for 518 you tune about 516.6 and for 490 you tune about 485.6 ... you use the line or speaker out and feed tothe sound card input on he puter. Ther are various softwares try the website hffax.de I think...I will look when I get home as now just testing from marinas car park.

You need software for navtex decode or FEC decode,
 
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It could be the antenna try a temporary long wire antenna to see.

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Expressing my ignorance.... Whats a long wire antenna????? a wire coathanger stuck in the back???!!
 
I shall have to connect my rig up in the house and see what is coming in on 490...It is certainly busy and loud and clear.

When you open up the filters do you get both Cullercoat stations/

I notice that on the web site someone listed that although the map highlights as Cullercoats 490 it is actually playing Cullercoats 518?????????
 
Try longer....as long as you can find say 40 ft maybe of speaker wire or something stuck in the antenna socket...However do not short the socket as it probably supplies power to the active antenna. you probably need to connect to the centre conductor only
 
That is exactly it Richard...some software uses the soundcard so you just use an audio cable to the mike or line socket and some software neeeds a decoder which costs about 25 pounds though if you have a pactor modem I believe they have this ability. The decoder programs if well written will give the best results however there ais some very good software for the sound card route . Seatty is a good program but basic and even its shore version Ttty will work well but just prints out everything.
The web site www.hffax.de is a good place to snoop around but bear in mind some of the software refers to the mode as FEC as that is what navtex is though Navtex adds the identity codes to restrict the display of unwanted info.
 
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