What it will do is store and display weather forecasts from a range of transmitters, in English, all over the world. To answer that question, it’s worth examining exactly what Navtex gives you that mobile internet weather doesn’t. That’s all very well, but is Navtex, a 1970s technology from the days of link calls and Post Office shore stations, of any use to modern sailors? In these days of smartphones, good mobile data coverage and highly detailed GRIB files and weather websites, is it worth shelling out between £135 and £550 for something that will give you the shipping forecast, inshore waters forecasts and navigational warnings? The Navtex service (short for Navigational Text) is the primary method of disseminating Marine Safety Information (MSI) out to 270 miles and is part of the integrated Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
