Navtex working!

[yerffoeg]

I installed a NASA Navtex receiver a good few years ago, when I refitted my boat. Since then I have spent a lot of time fiddling with the programming, but usually have only been able to receive a stream of half-discernable mumbo jumbo. On a shakedown trip last weekend, sailing up the Blackwater, I tuned it to the Ostende station and cut out the British stations. Hocus pocus, it's now spewing out masses of clear and useful information. I suppose the reception from the English Navtex stations is poor for us East Anglians, and it is obvious that a nearer station will offer better reception.

 

[maby]

I have wondered if the UK transmitters have reduced their power - I've never been a serious Navtex user, but I have a basic NASA Navtex receiver that was working fine a year ago but now produces nothing intelligible. It has never been switched on in the intervening period and does not appear to have suffered any damage.

 

[jerrytug]

There's a brilliant section on Frank Singleton's Weather Window website about curing Navtex reception problems, if you haven't seen it. Earth the aerial coax screen directly to an anode bolt, is one tip I remember.

 

[maby]

There's a brilliant section on Frank Singleton's Weather Window website about curing Navtex reception problems, if you haven't seen it. Earth the aerial coax screen directly to an anode bolt, is one tip I remember.

I'm sure there are a variety of things that could be done to improve my reception, but the fact remains that a configuration that was working decently well a couple of years ago now produces nothing intelligible despite the fact that nothing obvious has changed.

 

[franksingleton]

I installed a NASA Navtex receiver a good few years ago, when I refitted my boat. Since then I have spent a lot of time fiddling with the programming, but usually have only been able to receive a stream of half-discernable mumbo jumbo. On a shakedown trip last weekend, sailing up the Blackwater, I tuned it to the Ostende station and cut out the British stations. Hocus pocus, it's now spewing out masses of clear and useful information. I suppose the reception from the English Navtex stations is poor for us East Anglians, and it is obvious that a nearer station will offer better reception.

NAVTEX operations are co-ordinated through a IMO/Wmo panel. It is because your area does not get good Niyon or Cullercoats reception that Oostebde is used. Similarly, the Irish station Malin Head is used to give better reception in some areas than Portishead. IBy the same token, Niton broadcasts some French CROSS information from Niton (K, I think.)

Slightly a matter of semantics, you do not tune the set. It is pre-tunef to 518 kHz and, on some sets, to 490 kHz. The set receives all signals on the chosen frequency. It only records those that you select. You are probably aware of that, others may not be.

 

[prv]

The set receives all signals on the chosen frequency. It only records those that you select.

...except for the ICS models, which go a step further. They receive all signals, record all signals, but only display the ones that you select. This means that you can change your mind about the filters, and magically resurrect messages that you "missed".

Pete

 

[SteveSarabande]

Mine works fine in Cardiff. I don't really use it but turn it on to keep it ticking over

 

[DanTribe]

Coincidently, I've never been able to get any info from Niton station and have relied on Ostende.
For some reason, this year Niton is coming through very well. As far as I know, I havent changed any settings.

 

[franksingleton]

...except for the ICS models, which go a step further. They receive all signals, record all signals, but only display the ones that you select. This means that you can change your mind about the filters, and magically resurrect messages that you "missed".

Pete

Thanks. You confirm what I often say; You never stop learning about weather and sailing.

 

[nigelmercier]

...except for the ICS models, which go a step further. They receive all signals, record all signals, but only display the ones that you select.

Didn't know that, thanks. Do they also record All Stations when you have it set to Closest Station?

 

[prv]

Didn't know that, thanks. Do they also record All Stations when you have it set to Closest Station?

I'm not certain, but I think they do, yes.

At the end of the day, all the Navtex messages broadcast by all stations throughout Europe still constitute a pitiful amount of data by modern standards. A few megs of flash memory will store several days' worth, by which time they're obsolete anyway, so why bother limiting what's stored? Recognising this, and having display filters rather than storage filters, was a very astute (though retrospectively obvious) piece of design by ICS.

Pete