Views on McMurdo/ICS Nav6 Plus

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Miles

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I've had this unit (and a forerunner) for 9 years or so and had spec'd one on a new boat currently in build. Heard yesterday that the unit has now been discontinued though there are units still available at dealers. So I need to decide whether to buy one and free issue to the builder.

I found the NMEA input on the Nav 6+ to be as useful as the Navtex function as it gives a number of screens of navigation data.

The yard have said that they have heard of reliability issues with this product. My own experience has been good but that's from a sample of 2. Navtex itself occasionally gives information that I don't get somewhere else but I don't feel it is super critical in case of failure.

Does anyone have any experience of this product and would you buy again if building and fitting out a new boat?

Thanks.
 
Had ours for nearly six years now and have had no problems with it. At the time it was certainly superior to other offerings and to my mind is still a front runner. We have used ours in UK and Continental waters and in the Med without any glitches and I would certainly buy another.Sad to hear it is being discontinued, are they launching an upgraded model or is this the end of the line?
 
I have one on our boat that was never connected properly, have just had the plotter moved to the helm and the Navtex linked in to all the instruments from the NMEA, brilliant bit of kit.

All the info at the nav table so I dont need to go uptop to see whats happening when SWMBO is helming and its raining;)

Why not phone ICS and ask the question, they could probably tell you why and if it has been discontinued?
 
My boat came with one, good bit of kit despite the poor instructions and being not easy to program. First class after sales service from McMurdo when I managed to break the screeen. FWIW the new McMurdo antenna is more UV resistant than the ICS one.
 
michael_w said:
My boat came with one, good bit of kit despite the poor instructions and being not easy to program. First class after sales service from McMurdo when I managed to break the screeen. FWIW the new McMurdo antenna is more UV resistant than the ICS one.
Click to expand...

Yes - I like mine, but it has ceased to receive on 490. This is (according to Mcmurdo) a common occurance. As the Med has no 490 transmissions, I have ignored it. However if spare arials are going to disappear, it might be worth changing sooner than later.
 
Had mine for 7 years. Replaced the antenna 2 years ago. The electronic log and instrument repeater functions are very useful and it's main function in my case.
I dont really use the Navtex functions since there is so much more info available on the internet, but the Navtex works as it should on both frequencies.
A great shame if it is to be discontinued.
 
As of November 20 last year when McMurdo were taken over, they no longer support Navtex units. The service and support function has been taken on by Sargent Marine Ltd. Not quite clear if they have ceased being manufactured and also not clear where this leaves the Navtex 7 launched at SBS in 2006 I think. The aerial for my Navtex 6 Plus was damaged last year when caught by a mooring warp. I pulled it together with some Repair Tape but I guess the waterproofing etc has been compromised. McMurdo did produce a new, more robust aerial for use with the Nav7 but could also be used for Navtex 5 and 6 models. Price was around £150 as I recall.
 
Miles said:
I've had this unit (and a forerunner) for 9 years or so and had spec'd one on a new boat currently in build. Heard yesterday that the unit has now been discontinued though there are units still available at dealers. So I need to decide whether to buy one and free issue to the builder.

I found the NMEA input on the Nav 6+ to be as useful as the Navtex function as it gives a number of screens of navigation data.

The yard have said that they have heard of reliability issues with this product. My own experience has been good but that's from a sample of 2. Navtex itself occasionally gives information that I don't get somewhere else but I don't feel it is super critical in case of failure.

Does anyone have any experience of this product and would you buy again if building and fitting out a new boat?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

When McMurdo took them over they did replace the original ICS antenna's at no cost if there was a problem with them. Mine had cracked and I mentioned it to them at the boat show. They replaced the antenna and updated the software in the display all at no cost which I thought was excellent service.
It's a great piece of kit, I have had mine since it was launched, never let me down and very useful for Navtex and as a NMEA repeater.
 
Had one on my last boat which was sold 4 years ago. Great piece of kit when the aerial worked. Had ongoing problems with this. In France frequently had no reception despite lots of attention to the aerial. Wish I could have Nav 6 data display with the Furuno reliability that I now have.
 
doris said:
Had one on my last boat which was sold 4 years ago. Great piece of kit when the aerial worked. Had ongoing problems with this. In France frequently had no reception despite lots of attention to the aerial. Wish I could have Nav 6 data display with the Furuno reliability that I now have.
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I overcame my reception problem by unscrewing the red plastic bung from the top of the aerial and inserted a length of fine wire before replacing the bung to retain it. The other end of the wire was connected to a chainplate bolt enabling the mast to become the aerial. I believe its inportant that the mast is not earthed. Solved all reception issues and has operated like that for 5 years.
 
I have a Nav 4 Navtex, which is at least 10 years old. It has a dual frequency adapter and antenna. It came with the boat which we bought a year ago. The unit prints weather forecasts and logs hourly position etc. The printing was poor (probably just old paper rolls). I sent it back to ICS at Arundel in June 2009 and they serviced it and fitted a new print head and supplied new rolls of paper. It works fine now.
 
Thanks all for your comments. I also found problems with reception in northern France but perhaps this was due to not having the right settings and filters. Shame that it has been discontinued but I've now found and bought a new unit. Geoff was kind enough to return a call and say that he could provide ongoing support. Much appreciated.
 
Nav6 Reliable Piece Of Kit

Hi Folks - I sent my Nav6 off to McMurdos just as they discontinued. They sent the unit to Sergeant Marine who checked it promptly and updated the firmware. The unit was OK.

I was advised to check the antenna and discovered that it was U/S. Sergeant Marine ordered up a new one. If you unscrew the antenna base you can see if the circuit board is rusty or damaged.

The Nav6 works as a great repeater for my Chart Plotter showing the road way and XTE, obviously it does not repeat the chart function. I considered replacing it when it stopped working, but not now that I have a new antenna. A solid piece of kit and well worth keeping / using in my opinion.

Excellent service from Sergeant Marine.
 
As an alternative to the McMurdo NAVTEX units, I suggest Furuno are worth a look. The NX-300 is commonly used on yachts of all sizes, and is a good quality basic unit. The NX-700 is their commercial unit, but also well suited to larger yachts.
 
ICS NAV 6 Back in Production - Clarification

ICS NAV Series NAVEX Receivers

Hi I am the Business Development Manager for ICS Electronics. Given the amount of speculation that has been surrounding ICS mobile products over the last few months I thought it might be useful to post some clarification on the topic.

ICS Electronics are the original owners, developers and manufacturers of the NAV series of NAVTEX receivers but due to changes in company ownership sales and support of the products over the last four years have been handled by others. As result of recent changes ICS Electronics will be restoring its sales and support facilities for the NAV series of NAVTEX receivers. This means that the NAV 6 will very definitely be back on the market with a full support and maintenance service around April 2010.

As many of you will be aware ICS has a long standing history of designing NAVTEX products and during the period when we have not been directly involved with mobile NAVTEX receivers, we have been working on a number of new and exciting improvements together with new products.

I have read other post to this forum and trust this clarifies the position about the future production and support of the NAV 6.

May I suggest you contact ICS directly with any questions as I do not want to use this forum as a marketing tool!

Thank You

peter@icselectronics.co.uk
 
ICSpete said:
ICS NAV Series NAVEX Receivers

Hi I am the Business Development Manager for ICS Electronics. Given the amount of speculation that has been surrounding ICS mobile products over the last few months I thought it might be useful to post some clarification on the topic.

ICS Electronics are the original owners, developers and manufacturers of the NAV series of NAVTEX receivers but due to changes in company ownership sales and support of the products over the last four years have been handled by others. As result of recent changes ICS Electronics will be restoring its sales and support facilities for the NAV series of NAVTEX receivers. This means that the NAV 6 will very definitely be back on the market with a full support and maintenance service around April 2010.

As many of you will be aware ICS has a long standing history of designing NAVTEX products and during the period when we have not been directly involved with mobile NAVTEX receivers, we have been working on a number of new and exciting improvements together with new products.

I have read other post to this forum and trust this clarifies the position about the future production and support of the NAV 6.

May I suggest you contact ICS directly with any questions as I do not want to use this forum as a marketing tool!

Thank You

peter@icselectronics.co.uk
Click to expand...


Thanks Pete......I m sure this will help many realise that it is good old ICS they now contact and not Mcmurdo as may be suggested in their manuals.

I have always found ICS a good company to deal with since I obtained my Amt 1 amtor modem which may be before your time.
 
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