Navtex Antenna Suggestions ?

BOBRR

Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2004
Messages
1,468
Location
Boston, MA
Hello,

Am trying to receive Navtex from my home, about 25 miles inland from Boston.
Trying on 518 KHz, and using YAND.

Can't do it, even though I have a very good receiver.
Receiver being fed from my outside antenna; a 60 foot simple long wire, an UnUn, and a coax run to the house.

Am willing try a dedicated Navtex antenna, if there is one that
isn't too expensive. Perhaps $50, or less.

Don't know if it will help, but willing to try.

Can't find any Navtex dedicated antenna on Amazon.

Might someone suggest where I might find one ?
Amazon best, but can't find any there.

BTW: What do you folks use ?

Thanks,
Bob
 

Saint

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
4,492
Location
Fort Erie Ontario Canada
I have never picked up anything on 518, or 490 out of range try these
490000
518000
4209500
4212500
6312000
6314000
6324500
6477500
6925000
6928000
6950000
8415000
8427000
8427000
8642000
12579000
12583500
12585500
12695500
12808500
16806500
17016800
22376000
22477500
I tune to these frequencies and get navtex all the time, also dsc Signals
KHz
4207
8414
12578
16804

You may have to tune a little up or down from the frequency to get a goo decode but I listen to navtex just about every night
Steve
 

prcguy

Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
15,233
Location
So Cal - Richardson, TX - Tewksbury, MA
Your antenna balun is probably very lossy at 518KHz unless its specifically made for for use down to the AM broadcast band. I find low horizontal antennas don't do well for beacons and an active or passive loop or an active E field antenna can work much better. A modest size vertical over good ground plane with matching for that frequency range can also work very well.
 

KC1UA

Scan New England Janitor/Maintenance
Database Admin
Joined
Oct 27, 2002
Messages
2,051
Location
Marstons Mills, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
+1 on the loop. If you want to go the inexpensive route, give a YouLoop a try. I have one but it's not come out of the package yet, but at $30 (on sale from $40) what could go wrong?


I use a Wellbrook active loop, and its performance is outstanding for noisy environments. They're not inexpensive but they work wonders across the LF and HF bands and pretty much saved my HF monitoring.

 

dlwtrunked

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
2,109
A YouLoop will work with a receiver like AirSpy HF+ Discovery having high gain but will not be satisfactory with many receivers. An active E-field antenna off eBay may be his best choice as enexpensive if he can mount it outside away from noise sources. I have personally tested many there and the one below was the best.
 
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