New England mariners are used to changeable weather, but even the most experienced vessel operator can use a little help in predicting nature’s next move. Boat owners in the market for a forecasting system have an ever-increasing array of devices and systems, so the biggest problem may be choosing among them.
Devices range from the tried-and-true VHF radios and weather faxes to brand new satellite systems available through cell phones, computers or other devices, to an array of other options.
Marine electronics dealers say two satellite systems – the XM WX Satellite Weather and The Weather Channel Marine (TWCM) – are sweeping the market, offering sophisticated, nearly real-time weather displays. The hardware sells for between $1,500 and $2,000. Monthly fees are fairly high, and some cruising areas north and south of the lower 48 states do not receive consistent satellite coverage. Yet around the country dealers say saltwater recreational fishermen or commercial fishermen find the systems cost-effective. Satellite systems not only display graphic weather movements on charts, but also provide vessel operators with other detailed information.
In Portland, Mike Whitten of Sawyer and Whitten says the two satellite systems are big sellers. “Most of my customers buy these, from commercial to recreational vessels.” His customers include many in Portland’s commercial fishing fleet.
“Prices [of the equipment] dropped in mid-February,” said dealer Mark Upson of G&A Electronics in Newport Beach, California. “They’re really good for fishermen because of the seawater temperatures.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) web page provides links to dozens of places to access weather data on a wide variety of devices. Dealers recommend vessel owners assess their needs by looking at where and how often they usually, as well as what they can afford.
VHF is simple, but may be lost beyond 20 miles out. The classic weather fax, which requires a single sideband radio and a dedicated fax machine to transfer the information to paper, is reliable and has no monthly subscription fee.
“It’s quite segmented. You get an area off the coast, a printed map. NOAA puts a mark on the map for fronts and other activity, and you get a snapshot of what’s going on,” including search and rescue alerts, satellite pictures, wave height forecasts and other weather movements, said Ken Englert, owner of Maritime Communications in Los Angeles.
In the unpredictable Bering Sea, fishing trawlers still rely on weather fax, because sometimes, on their northern margins of North America, satellite receivers don’t work but the weather fax does, said Tor Tollesen, owner of Lunde Marine Electronics in Seattle. “Each country has stations and they all read the same.”
“The trawlers get weather charts from NOAA and listen to each other on the single sideband. They ‘guesstimate’ the forecast from NOAA and then talk to each other for updates,” said Lunde’s Steve Wallace.
NavTex
A NavTex receiver is a small box, a radio receiver with an antenna, a printer or an LCD. Many manufacturers make them, including Furuno, JRC, Raymarine and Simrad. Broadcasts are issued every three to four hours. “If it’s in sleep mode, it picks up and stores up to six messages, dumping the old ones,” said Englert. “It’s perfect.”
Commercial vessels larger than 300 tons are required to carry NavTex receivers, which run from 8 inches to 14 inches. Upson says even if his customers have installed a satellite system, they often need backup – usually weather fax or NavTex – if traveling south below Mexico, to Panama or beyond, where satellites don’t reach. “NavTex information comes from the Coast Guard. It falls between the WeatherFax and the Weather Channel. It’s printed, text-only, detailed and regional. It goes all along the coast. The information is free. It’s really undersold,” said Englert. “It’s relatively inexpensive. There’s no excuse not to have one.” Receivers sell from $495 to $1695.
Furuno makes two units, the NX500 – a big NavTex receiver with a thermal printer for commercial users for $1,695, and a smaller model for recreational boaters, the NX300, an LCD unit with no printer for under $500, said Dean Kurutz, marketing manager with Furuno USA in Camas, Washington.
Some new services are available through cell phones for less than $10 month, said Kevin Sherburne, chief operating officer for HWH Electronics Corp. in St. Pete Beach, Florida. “If you have a color display, you can get live radar for your area,” he added.