Navtex teething problems

[billmacfarlane]

I've just started to play with one of my new toys , a Furuno Navtex NV300. It's interfaced with my GPS and I've set it up to receive in auto mode. You can only receive one frquency at a time. When I'm on 512KHz , I predominantly get messages from Split . I know I sailed there in the summer but I'm not remotely interested in what's happening there now. When I switch to 490KHz , I'm picking up messages from a station in France that isn't even in the same area as the UK. I've checked the filters are off but I can't seem to receive any local stations in the UK e.g Niton. Anybody any ideas ?

 

[Guest]

Bill, I'm not sure if yours works the same as mine, but in the "set up" menu it's possible to either "select" or "deselect" both type of message received or the stations your set will listen to. From memory mine is listening to Niton and Oostende all other stations are "deselected"

 

[Guest]

Bill,
I don't know your particular set but buried somewhere in the menus you be able to select the staion or staions you want reports from. In auto mode the documentation should define how it arrives at the prefered station...I would suggest that Niton for the Solent is adequate I also pick up from the station near Brest who name I have forgotton. It will default to ? unless of course you have an undocumented feature or an enhancement opportunity!!!

Pete

 

[ParaHandy]

Bill, Have a look at Frank Singleton's site
http://www.franksingleton.clara.net/navtex.html

He fitted an active aerial after many attempts to improve reception. I hadn't realised just how "weak" the Navtex transmitted signal is.

 

[billmacfarlane]

Thanks Parahandy or should I call you Neil MacFarlane, or at least I think that what he was called in Neil Munro's books.I've also got an active aerial. The problem might be aerial reception - I'll have a play next weekend.

 

[Boatman]

Bill, Above comments concerning de-selection could be an issue but one you have probably looked at. My guess would be an antenna issue where is yours mounted? I regularly get signals from over 400nm away if I want them on a bog standard NASA setup. I even managed to pick a dutch (I forget which one) station in Switzerland before I installed the unit on the boat.

 

[billmacfarlane]

The aerial is on the pulpit. I can get signals from Croatia on 518Kz , and on 490 KHz from Belgium , but so far on 490Khz I can't pick up anything local e.g Niton which is obviously frustrating as it's the obvious one for local weather forecasts.

 

[JerryHawkins]

I have an ICS Nav6 Plus. I get all the 518KHz broadcasts OK but miss about 10-15% of the 490KHz ones from Niton. I'm in Plymouth and the antenna is on a pole on the transome (antenna height about 7' above the water). I've heard that Niton have had problems with their 490KHz transmissions.

Regards,

Jerry

 

[philip_stevens]

There's an item in this months PBO where the MCA say that there has been a frequency problem with Niton, and a fix is on the way.

regards,
Philip

 

[billmacfarlane]

Thanks , that might explain why I'm not picking it up.

 

[charles_reed]

You need to set it to the station(s) and messages you want to receive.

You'll have two separate "pages" which gives you the access to the various Navarea I stations and to messages.

If you're on the S coast you need "S", Niton also transmits for the N French coast on "K".

If yours is a SOLAS-approved Navtex you'll have to set A=Navigational warnings, B=Gale warnings and D=SAR/pirate attack warnings.

You'll find the whole lot around P80-90 in Macmillans, but you'll have to read the handbook to find the page access.

Only set it to one station and minimum messages or you'll soon run out of memory/thermal roll.