Navtex in the Caribbean

[Unhooked]

Sorry if my question is stupid, but I'm getting a boat to cruise the Caribban and trying to learn quickly. The boat I'm looking to buy has VHF (and also AIS alarm which feels safe) but also Navicom Navtex. The manual is in french so now I'm trying to figure out how it's working...

Anyone that knows if I will I be able to get weather updates on that unit in the caribbean? Are they reciwed automatically? The unit right now just says "no messages".

[Sssssailor]

You should if you are within 200miles of San Juan PR or 240 miles of Miami. Just check the station list off the manual.


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[Sssssailor]

Although I'm not sure what your forecast zones will be, sorry.


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[Sssssailor]

Try this site to find coverage diagrams for NAVTEX sta: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=maritimeTelecomms


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[onestepcsy37]

We get it in the Bahamas from Miami. There is a station in San Juan PR. All broadcasts are in English so no problem there. Range of reception is supposed to be up to 400 miles, although I've never tested that.

Basically you just turn it on and leave it on. It automatically receives broadcasts (messages) and stores them in its memory. You go through the message list and pick out the ones you want to read.

I like it. Since you got it "for free" I would keep it and use it. If you google "Furuno NX-300 manual" you could download it free. Most of the information in there should apply to your unit. Its definitely worth reading. Navtex is not just weather data. But on your units menu you can turn on or off the kinds of data you want. We only use it for the NOAA offshore weather forecasts.

[bobnlesley]

We got good coverage in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Bahamas and mainland USA, including the whole passage from the Bahamas to the USA; we even picked-up a couple of random broadcasts (PR as I recall) en-route from Cape Verdes to French Guiana - but in the Antilles, all the way from Trinidad to St Martin, we got absolutely nothing come through. I Haven't been to the western Carib, so can't advise on that area, but I'd suspect that there are no broadcasts.