Navtex OnlineNAVTEX in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Around Great Britain, HM Coastguard broadcasts NAVTEX from Niton (Isle of Wight), Cullercoats (Tyneside) and Portpatrick (south-west Scotland). The Irish Coast Guard broadcasts from Malin Head and Valentia.
On 518 kHz they send navigational warnings, gale warnings and the shipping forecast in English. On 490 kHz the UK stations send the inshore waters forecasts. Niton also carries warnings for the French side of the Channel: in English on letter K (518 kHz) and in French on letter T (490 kHz).
Stations and broadcast times (UTC)
| Station | Letter | Frequency | Language | Range | Broadcast times (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niton | E | 518 kHz | English | 270 nm | 00:40, 04:40, 08:40, 12:40, 16:40, 20:40 |
| Niton | K | 518 kHz | English | 300 nm | 01:40, 05:40, 09:40, 13:40, 17:40, 21:40 |
| Niton | I | 490 kHz | English | 270 nm | 01:20, 05:20, 09:20, 13:20, 17:20, 21:20 |
| Niton | T | 490 kHz | French | 270 nm | 03:10, 07:10, 11:10, 15:10, 19:10, 23:10 |
| Cullercoats | G | 518 kHz | English | 270 nm | 01:00, 05:00, 09:00, 13:00, 17:00, 21:00 |
| Cullercoats | U | 490 kHz | English | 270 nm | 03:20, 07:20, 11:20, 15:20, 19:20, 23:20 |
| Portpatrick | O | 518 kHz | English | 270 nm | 02:20, 06:20, 10:20, 14:20, 18:20, 22:20 |
| Portpatrick | C | 490 kHz | English | 270 nm | 00:20, 04:20, 08:20, 12:20, 16:20, 20:20 |
| Malin Head | Q | 518 kHz | English | 400 nm | 02:40, 06:40, 10:40, 14:40, 18:40, 22:40 |
| Malin Head | A | 490 kHz | English | 400 nm | 00:00, 04:00, 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, 20:00 |
| Valentia | W | 518 kHz | English | 400 nm | 03:40, 07:40, 11:40, 15:40, 19:40, 23:40 |
Each slot is a 10-minute window, repeated every 4 hours. Urgent messages can go out at any time. Range is the designed range in nautical miles.
Which station for which waters
- English Channel and the south coast: Niton.
- East coast of England and Scotland, and the western North Sea: Cullercoats.
- Irish Sea, the Clyde and the west of Scotland: Portpatrick.
- North of Ireland, the Hebrides and the North Channel approaches: Malin Head.
- South and west of Ireland and the Celtic Sea: Valentia.
- Orkney and Shetland: at the edge of Cullercoats' designed range; Tórshavn (Faroe Islands) and Rogaland (Norway) also reach them.
Latest messages from these stations
- Unassigned subject from Cullercoats GR27 · 11 Nov 09:04 UTC
- Weather forecast from Cullercoats GE93 · 11 Nov 09:00 UTC
- Weather forecast from Niton EE76 · 11 Nov 08:40 UTC
- Weather forecast from Valentia WE56 · 11 Nov 07:40 UTC
- Navigational warning (additional to A) from Portpatrick OL31 · 11 Nov 06:24 UTC
- Weather forecast from Portpatrick OE27 · 11 Nov 06:20 UTC
- Navigational warning (additional to A) from Niton EL72 · 11 Nov 04:40 UTC
- Meteorological warning from Niton EB58 · 11 Nov 04:40 UTC
- Meteorological warning from Valentia WB74 · 11 Nov 04:07 UTC
- Meteorological warning from Malin Head QB50 · 11 Nov 04:06 UTC
Few or no messages from Niton K, Niton I, Cullercoats U, Portpatrick C and Malin Head A have reached us in the last week, so their pages may be empty.
What the messages contain
- Navigational warnings (subject
A): military exercises and firing practice, unlit or missing buoys and lights, wrecks, underwater work, cable laying, search areas. - Meteorological warnings (
B): gale and storm warnings. - Weather forecasts (
E). - Search and rescue (
D): distress relays and requests to keep a lookout.
Every message starts with ZCZC, the station letter, the subject letter and a serial number, and ends with NNNN. How to read a NAVTEX message
Reading the messages online
Navtex Online shows the messages received from these stations, each with the original text and a readable version with the abbreviations written out. They come from receivers that publish what they hear and from official lists of warnings; see data sources.
Official sources for this region:
- UKHO radio navigational warnings
- Met Office shipping forecast
- Met Office extended outlook by NAVTEX area
- PING (SHOM) AVURNAV Cherbourg
- Met Office inshore waters forecast
- Met Éireann sea area forecast
Not for navigation. Reception on land can be incomplete or garbled, and a message can be missing. This site does not replace a NAVTEX receiver on board or the official broadcasts.
Questions
What frequency is NAVTEX in United Kingdom and Ireland?
518 kHz: Niton E, Niton K, Cullercoats G, Portpatrick O, Malin Head Q and Valentia W (English). 490 kHz: Niton I, Niton T, Cullercoats U, Portpatrick C and Malin Head A (English; French). Most receivers can listen to 518 kHz and 490 kHz at the same time.
When are the weather forecasts sent?
Weather forecasts (subject E) go out at least twice a day, in each station's own time slots in the table above. The latest forecasts received are on each station's page.
Can I read these messages without a receiver?
Ashore, yes: the messages received from these stations are on this page and on each station's page, for planning. At sea, carry a NAVTEX receiver: internet access is not reliable offshore, and an online copy can be late or incomplete.
More: NAVAREA I (North-east Atlantic) · Other regions · What is NAVTEX · Station map