Where did you put your Navtex Aerial?

[SlowlyButSurely]

I have just fitted a Clipper Easy Navtex. I was originally intending to mount the aerial on the pushpit but after I had mounted the display unit I switched it on to test it with the aerial down in the cabin and much to my surprise the signal strength was excellent. This is on a steel boat BTW. So I tried putting the aerial in various locations, ie, in a locker, on the pushpit, hauled it 10ft up on a halyard and the signal strength was completely unaffected so I settled on a position tucked away behind a panel in the wheelhouse next to a steel bulkhead.

Am I going to have a problem later on with this or is this normal with Navtex?

 

[prv]

It's at MF frequencies rather than VHF, so height is not especially significant. Nearby interference and shielding may be; I'm somewhat surprised you got good signal inside a steel hull but it's all a bit of a black art.

Mine is inside the fibreglass cockpit coaming.

Pete

 

[Chi34]

Can I ask what stations you are picking up reliably?
I have been playing with different antenna arrangements on an ICS receiver this winter, afloat in a Solent marina. It passes the time.
I have been using Niton, Corsen and Coruna as test stations. The standard passive antenna only gets Niton, a balun on a shroud gets Corsen and the balun plus long wire gets Coruna.

 

[prv]

Hearing Coruna is good going :encouragement:

I have the current standard antenna (internal box receiver, fibreglass rod antenna, not the integrated shark's fin) and I only get Niton, which I get reliably (until last week, see other thread).

I did try connecting to a shroud (directly rather than via a balun; I'm not 100% sure what one of those is ) and picked up Niton poorly.

Did you have the receiver running yesterday by any chance?

Pete

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

I'm in the Solent too. I've got it set to pick up all stations. It's receiving Niton OK. There are messages from others but I'm not sure which ones. I will go down to the boat later and check.

 

[Koeketiene]

Can I ask what stations you are picking up reliably?
I have been playing with different antenna arrangements on an ICS receiver this winter, afloat in a Solent marina. It passes the time.
I have been using Niton, Corsen and Coruna as test stations. The standard passive antenna only gets Niton, a balun on a shroud gets Corsen and the balun plus long wire gets Coruna.

I suspect atmospherics and surroundings (boats in the next berth) may be more of a factor than the position of your aerial.
In winter (pontoon berth in a marina) I get Cullercoats, Hamburg (with gash) and Ostend reliably, and that's about it.
In summer (swinging mooring on the Orwell - maybe half a mile from the pontoon berth) and I get Reykjavik, Split and Haifa all the time.
Aerial is a stubby 'mushroom' sitting on the pushpit.

 

[prv]

I'm in the Solent too. I've got it set to pick up all stations. It's receiving Niton OK.

Thanks. Damn. Looks like I have a problem then

Pete

 

[Sarnia]

It's at MF frequencies rather than VHF, so height is not especially significant. Nearby interference and shielding may be; I'm somewhat surprised you got good signal inside a steel hull but it's all a bit of a black art.

Mine is inside the fibreglass cockpit coaming.

Pete

Mine is in the saloon, fibre glass hull, good reception.

 

[Paul1972stevens]

I have one and when I turn it on a get a load of odd stuff on the screen and that's it lol

 

[Old Rhodie]

Mine works fine with aerial inside cabin, under roof beam. Bristol Channel, Southern Ireland and down to Isles of Scilly.

 

[[10753]]

Again, inside GRP hull works fine for me. Bonus is it keeps the aerial dry !