NAVTEX Weather Broadcasts


A brief description of NAVTEX with schedules and contents of broadcasts from western European stations. The online almanac on the MyMarina site has up to date information for NW Europe in the Admiralty Communications series fomat.

Terms used in marine forecasts have been reproduced on another page of this site.


 

Background Forecasts on NAVTEX Texts NW Europe Scandinavia
and Arctic
Atlantic S of BrestAt Western Med Eastern Med Black Sea Abbreviations

Background

 

NAVTEX, a component of the GMDSS,  is one of the recognised ways of providing MSI (Marine Safety Information) "from the fairway buoy to about 250 Nautical miles offshore".  The main characteristics of NAVTEX for this purpose are that  stations broadcast

 

1)   in English,
 

2)     in 10 minute slots in succession - alphabetical order within a METAREA.
 

3)   using  a common frequency of 518 kHz..

 

IMO  requires each NAVTEX station

 

 1)   to have a GUARANTEED range of 250 NM - most, however, achieve 400 NM with transmission power of 1 kW by day and 300 W by night.

 

2)   to provide forecasts  covering  that 250 nautical mile radius

 

 

Reception is intended to be automatic and the text readable in paper or soft copy, on-screen form.   Whilst at sea, this is one of the main methods of receiving weather forecasts. MCA guidance is that all pleasure and other small

craft sailing around the coast or going offshore should have NAVTEX.   Under the SOLAS convention, NAVTEX is compulsory on all vessels over 300 GRT and certain other, eg training vessels..

 

A useful layman's description of the NAVTEX system can be found at Martin Stubbs' site. 

 

An easily accessible and very useful list of NAVTEX stations that will meet most needs  is at the ICS site.  For an exhaustive list of all NAVTEX stations and schedules,  go to William Hepburn's siteMETAREAs  are shown on the  INMARSAT Coverage Map. Sea Area boundaries around western Europe are at  my page METAREAs I, II and III  or Martin Stubbs' site go to  his FAQ page.

 

 


NAVTEX Weather Broadcasts


 

Some leisure sailors complain of reception problems with NAVTEX.  My personal experiences and some solutions are discussed on another page of this site.

Prior to 2000, NAVTEX did not meet the requirements of many small and slow moving craft.  In my personal opinion, cruising yachts require, as a minimum,  short period, reasonably detailed inshore forecasts, short period open sea forecasts and outlook forecasts for up to 5 day ahead.  At that time the UK NAVTEX provided only a 24 hour sea area forecast (basically the Radio 4 Shipping Forecast).

Since then,  NAVTEX weather broadcasts around the UK have improved in several ways.  --

  • Valentia (SW Ireland),  Malin Head (NW Ireland) and Rögaland (Norway) each broadcast forecasts for parts of the UK  Shipping Forecast sea areas. This reducing the  size of the weather broadcast from the three UK NAVTEX stations (Niton, Portpatrick and Cullercoats).
  • Each Shipping Forecast now has a brief 24 hour outlook.
  • An outlook forecast for a further three days is broadcast once a day from Niton, Portpatrick and Cullercoats.
  • The secondary NAVTEX frequency - 490 kHz - intended for local use such as broadcasts in the national language - has been used to broadcast Inshore Waters Forecasts plus a three day outlook.

 


Texts of NAVTEX messages

The BBC weather site has texts of all UK NAVTEX broadcasts.

For NAVTEX messages received from various sites around the world, try http://www.frisnit.com/cgi-bin/navtex/view.cgi. The system obtains the information from a network of shortwave receivers and PCs running decoder software. Messages for the UK and Eastern Mediterranean are reliably available.  The messages are uploaded to the site automatically, as soon as

they are received from the NAVTEX transmitters. Typically the delay is less 
than 10 seconds.

A better site for looking at western European NAVTEX transmissions is http://olivecottage.homeip.net/Navtex/Navtex.asp  This has some AIS information as well. Also see the DWD site that has texts of 490 transmissions as well.


Current Situation


 

The table summarises the availability of routine weather information on NAVTEX around Western Europe.  Gale warnings will be broadcast as soon as transmissions allow and then at each 4 hour broadcast while the warning is in force.

Station 

kHz Times (UTC Content Sea Areas

METAREA I

UK Home waters and E North Atlantic

Niton* 
(E)
518 0840/2040 Warning Summary, Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and brief outlook  Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth, Biscay, Fitzroy, Sole, Lundy and Fastnet 
0040 Extended Outlook

Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth, Biscay, Sole, Lundy, Fastnet.

Niton 
(I)
490 0520/1720 Inshore Waters Forecast and 24 hour Outlook

 Gibraltar Point to North Foreland,  North Foreland to Selsey Bill,  Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis,  Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly,  Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel

0120/0920/1320/2120 Latest actual weather reports Southern coasts and Channel

Niton
(T)

490

0710/1910

Warning summary and Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and a brief outlook
(in French)

Humber, Tamise, Pas-de-Calais and Antifer

Portpatrick
(O)
518 0620/1820 Warning Summary, Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and brief outlook  Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes 
and S E Iceland
0220 Extended Outlook

Lundy, Fastnet, Irish sea, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes and   S E Iceland

Portpatrick
(C)
490 0820/2020 Inshore Waters Forecast and 24 hour Outlook

Lands End to St David's Head including the Bristol Channel,  St Davids Head to Great Ormes Head, including St Georges Channel.
 Great Ormes Head to the Mull of Galloway.
 Isle of Man,  Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough,  The Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of   Clyde and the North Channel,  Mull of Kintyre to  Ardnamurchan Point and  Shetland Isles.

0020/0420/1220/1620 Latest actual weather reports Western coasts and Irish Sea
wef March 2008
Cullercoats
(G)
518 0900/2100 Warning Summary, Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and brief outlook 

 Viking, Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Humber, Thames, Fair Isle

0100 Extended Outlook

Fair Isle, Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty,  Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight,  Humber, Thames, Dover,  and Wight.

Cullercoats
(U)
490 0720/1920 Inshore Waters Forecast and 24 hour Outlook

Shetland Isles , Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney,  Rattray Head to Berwick on Tweed,  Berwick on Tweed to Whitby,  Whitby to Gibraltar Point,  Gibraltar Point to North Foreland,  North Foreland to Selsey Bill,

0320/1120.1529/2320 Latest actual weather reports Eastern coasts     wef March 2008
Torshavn
(D)
518 4-hourly from 0030 TBA Areas around the Faeroes
Valentia
(W)
518 0740/1940 Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and brief outlook Sole, Fastnet and Shannon

1140 and 2340

High Seas Bulletin

East Central section of METAREA I

Malin Head
(Q)
518 0640/1840 Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and brief outlook. Shannon, Rockall, Malin and Bailey
1040/2240 High Seas Bulletin East Northern and East Central sections of METAREA I
Rögaland
(L)
518 0950/2150 Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and brief outlook 

North Utsire, South Utsire, Fisher and German Bight

Hamburg
(S)

518

4-hourly from 0300

Forecasts and warnings

German North Sea Areas

Hamburg
(L)

490

0550/2150

Warnings and  forecasts

German North Sea Areas

1350

Warnings

Oostende
(T)

518

0710/1910

24 hour forecast

 Coasts of Belgium and those of Sea Areas Thames and Dover

Ijmuiden
(P)

518

Every 4 hours from 0230

Warning Summary
Sea Area Forecasts for next 12 hours and 12 hour outlook

Thames, Humber, German Bight, Dogger

Northern N Atlantic, Arctic and the Baltic

Reykjavik
(R)

518

0650, 1050, 1850. 2250

Storm warnings, synopsis and 24 hour forecast
 in English

 

Icelandic Sea Areas 1-9

Reykjavik
(X)

518

Every 4 hours from 0350

24 hour forecast.

.Greenland East Coast

Reykjavik
(R)

490

Every 4 hours from 0320

Storm warnings, synopsis and 24 hour forecast
In Icelandic

Icelandic Sea Areas 1-9

Arkhangel'sk
(F)

518

0450/1650

. .

Svalbard
(A)

518

0000/1200

.24 hour forecast

.Norwegian Sea Areas

Vardo
(V)

518

1130/2330

..24 hour forecast

..Norwegian Sea Areas

Bodo
(B)

518

0010/1210

.24 hour forecast

.Norwegian Sea Areas

Ørlandet
(N)

518

0210/1410

.24 hour forecast

.Norwegian Sea Areas

Stockholm
(Bjuröklubb)
(H)

518

0910/1310/1710/2110

.

Baltic Sea Areas 1-15

Stockholm
(Gislovshammar )
(J)

518

0930/1330/1730/2130

.

Baltic Sea Areas 1-15

Stockholm
(Grimeton)
(I)

518

0830.1230/1630/2030

.

Baltic Sea Areas 1-15

Tallinn
(U)

518

0720/1120.1520/1920

.

Baltic Sea Areas 5-10

Hamburg
(S)

518

4-hourly from 0300

Forecasts and warnings

German North Sea Areas

Hamburg
(L)

490

0150/1750

Warnings and  forecasts

Baltic

0950

Warnings

METAREA II

Waters to the West of France, Iberia and N Africa, including the Azores

Corsen
(A)

518

0000/1200

Warning summary and Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and a brief  outlook

Iroise, Yeu, Rochebonne, Cantabrico, Finisterre and Pazenn

Corsen
(E}

490

0840/2040

Warning summary and Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and a brief outlook  (in French)

Casquets, Ouessant, Iroise, Yeu, Rochebonne, Cantabrico, Finisterre, Pazenn, Sole, Shannon, .Fastnet, Lundy and Irish Sea

la Coruña
(D)

518

0030/1230

Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours
(in English and Spanish)

Gran Sol**, Pazenn, Iroise, Yeu, Rochebonne, Altair, Charcot, Finisterre, Cantabrico, Azores,  Josephine, Porto, Sao Vincente, Cadiz, Estrecho, Madeira, Casablanca and Agadir 

Monsanto
(R)

518

Every 4 hours from 0250

Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours

Charcot, Josephine, Finisterre, Porto, Sao Vincente and Cadiz

Monsanto
(G)

490

Every 4 hours from 0100
(Planned)

.Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours
(In Portuguese)

.Charcot, Josephine, Finisterre, Porto, Sao Vincente and Cadiz

Porto Santo  (Madeira)
(P)

518

Every 4 hours from 0230
(Planned)

Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours

Madeira, Casablanca, Agadir

Porto Santo
(M)

490

Every 4 hours from 0100
(Planned)

. .

Horta 
(Azores)
(F)

518

Every 4 hours from 0050

Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours

Altair, Azores, Irving, Milne, Marsala***

Las Palmas, (Canary Is)
(I)

518

0920, 1320, 1720

Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours

Probably - Madeira, Casablanca, Agadir, Tarfaya, Canarias, Cap Blanc and Cap Timiris.

Tarifa
(G)

518

0900/2100

Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours
(in English and Spanish)

Sao Vicente, Cadiz, Casablanca, Agadir, Gibraltar Strait/Estrecho,  Alborán, Palos, Argelia. 

METAREA III

Western Mediterranean

Cabo la Naõ
(X)

518

0750/1950

Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours

Alborán, Palos, Argelia, Cabrera, Baleares, Menorca, Leon, Provenza, Liguria, Corcega, Cerdeña, Annaba.

la Garde

(W)

518

1140/2340 Warning summary and Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and a brief  outlook

Lion, Provence, Ligure, Elbe, Corse, Maddalena, Sardaigne, Minorque, Baléares, Est Cabrera

la Garde
(S)

490

0700/1900

Warning summary and Sea Area Forecasts for next 24 hours and a brief  outlook
(in French)

Lion, Provence, Ligure, Elbe, Corse, Maddalena, Sardaigne, Minorque, Baléares, Est Cabrera:

Rome
(R)

518

0650/1850

!2 hour forecast/12 hour Outlook.  Followed by 4 12 hour brief outlooks

Ligurian Sea, Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Central Tyrrhenian Sea, Southern Tyrrhenian Sea

Cagliari
(Sardinia)
(T)

518

0710/1910

As Rome

Sardinian Channel, Sardinian Sea, Corsican Sea

Augusta
(Sicily)
(V)

518

0730/1930

As Rome

Sicily Strait, Ionian Sea, Southern Adriatic

Malta
(O)

518

0620/1820

24 hour forecast for 50 miles around Malta. .

Eastern Mediterranean, Adriatic and Aegean

Trieste
(U)

518

0720/1920

As Rome

Central and Northern Adriatic

Split
(Q)

518

Every 4 hours from 0240

12 hour forecast and 12 hour outlook, Updated always at 0640/1840 and sometimes at 1040 and, 1440. Adriatic .

Kerkyra
(K)

518

0540/0940
1740/2140

.24 hour forecast and 12 hour outlook

South  Adriatic, North Ionia, South Ionio, Patraikos, Korinthiakos, Kithira sea

Iraklion 
(Crete)
(H)

518

0510/0910 
1710/2110

.24 hour forecast and 12 hour outlook .

Limnos
(L)

518

0550/0950
1750/2150

.24 hour forecast and 12 hour outlook .

Haifa
(P)

518

Every 4 hours from 0020 . .

Black Sea

For historical reasons the Black Sea stations do not conform with the normal alphabetical broadcasting sequence. This will be resolved in the fullness of time. 

Istanbul
(D)

518

Every 4 hours from 0030

. .

Mariupol
(B)

518

0500/1300

. .

Odessa
(C)

518

1030/1830

. .

Varna
(J)

518

0530/1730

. .

NOTES

  • Copies of charts showing the UK, French and Spanish sea areas can be found at the Météo-France le guide marine site.  Scroll down for each broadcast (NAVTEX, VHF, INMARSAT etc) to find a chart of the areas.  See also  Martin Stubbs'  FAQ and my  METAREAs I, II and III page.

  •  
  • * Niton (K) on 518 kHz does not include any forecasts.

  •  
  • ** Gran Sol is, effectively, a large area comprising Plymouth, Lundy, Fastnet and E Sole.

  •  
  • *** Marsala is the mid-Atlantic area immediately south of Milne,  Same longitude co-ords as Milne and southern boundary  30 deg N.

  •  
  • . Warnings will be broadcast as soon as possible and repeated every 4 hours

  •  
  • Station Identification letters for 490 kHz transmissions differ from those for 518 kHz.

  •    
  • Warning summaries will EITHER list  areas with a gale warning in force, list warnings by reference number OR say WARNINGS: NIL.

  • .
  • Brief outlooks  will not exceed 30 words,  so will be brief and to the point. If no hazards are expected this is usually stated.

  •  
  • Extended Outlooks  on UK NAVTEX broadcasts (only) cover the three days beyond the latest 24 hour outlook. So, for example, the outlook issued on the night of Monday/Tuesday  is for the period Wednesday, Thursday and Friday..

  •  
  • Warnings on  490 kHz,  are only broadcast if there is a significant change to the Inshore Waters Forecast which could result in problems for small craft.

The Future

Considered user reaction and comment are always useful.. The MCA is very clearly a lead player and is up to the MCA to ensure that Met Office provides the information that meets the user need.  For more general matters concerned with NAVTEX eg quality of reception then please contact Guy Beale at the UKHO, Taunton.  Guy is the Secretary IMO NAVTEX Co-ordinating Panel
.But, first, see my NAVTEX Problems page.
Links to texts of broadcasts under GMDSS, including NAVTEX can be found on another page of this site.

To see a sample forecast  Try the direct link.

 


NAVTEX Abbreviations

In order to minimise the length of NAVTEX weather transmissions, there is a set of recommended abbreviations set out below.

North (erly)

N

Northeast(erly)

NE

East(erly)

E

Southeast(erly)

SE

South(erly)

S

Southwest(erly)

SW

West(erly)

W

Northwest(erly)

NW

Backing

BACK

Becoming

BECMG

Building

BLDN

Cold Front

C-FRONT /  CFNT

Decreasing

DECR

Deepening

DPN

Expected

EXP

 

 

 

Forecast

FCST

Filling

FLN

Following

FLW

From

FM

Frequent/Frequency

FRQ

HectoPascal

HPA

Heavy

HVY

Improving/Improve

IMPR

Increasing

INCR

Intensifying/Intensify

INTSF

Isolated

ISOL

Km/h

KMH

Knots

KT

Latitude/Longitude

LAT/LONG

Locally

LOC

 

Metres

M

Meteo…

MET

Moderate

MOD

Moving/Move

MOV or MVG

No change

NC

Nautical miles

NM

No significant
change

NOSIG

Next

NXT

Occasionally

OCNL

Occlusion Front

O-FRONT /  OFNT

Possible

POSS

Probability/Probable

PROB

Quickly

QCKY

Quasi-Stationary

QSTNR

Quadrant

QUAD

Rapidly

RPDY

Scattered

SCT

Severe

SEV /  SVR

Showers

SHWRS /  SH

Significant

SIG

Slight

SLGT or SLT

Slowly

SLWY

Stationary

STNR

Strong

STRG

Temporarily/Temporary

TEMPO

Further outlooks

TEND

Veering

VEER

Visibility

VIS

Variable

VRB

Warm Front

W-FRONT /  WFNT

 

 

 


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© Frank Singleton, January 2007

Revised March 2008.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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