ICS Navtex

The Problem:

In 1999 our trusty old Furuno combination weather fax/navtex machine died after many years of faithful service. We decided to use our PC for weather fax and buy a dedicated navtex. We selected a unit from ICS.

We installed it with an active antenna and grounded it well through capacitors to our aluminum hull, but found that it could barely pull in a navtex station at 50 miles in daylight and 100 miles at night. We knew something was wrong since our old Furuno had received reliably to 300 miles in daylight and as much as 1000 miles at night.

We really needed to get reliable navtex reception because we were bound for the Arctic and navtex was and is an integral part of our weather and ice information acquisition strategy, although, with the advent of satellite e-mail, less important now than it was then.

Manufacturer's Response:

When contacted, ICS immediately blamed our installation: Wrong antenna position, electrical noise on the boat, poor ground...the list went on and on. After two weeks of following their e-mailed instructions with no improvement, the technician started back at the top of what was obviously a check list they went through every time they got a receiver sensitivity complaint.

Distributor's Response:

We were in the Bahamas at the time, so we sailed to Florida where the US distributor had his office. He turned out to be a real believer in customer service and over the span of a week, brought two spare units and three different antennas to the boat. We tried every permutation imaginable until both he and I arrived at the inescapable conclusion that the basic design sensitivity of the unit was way under that of our old Furuno and way under that required by international treaty.

Manufacturer's Response, Take Two:

Despite our testing and the distributor’s conviction that we were right, ICS still refused to admit that they had a design problem and still claimed that the problem was our installation or unrealistic expectations for the unit.

Distributor's  Response, Take Two:

He returned our money and took the unit back.

The Outcome:

We bought a Furuno NX-500 commercial certified unit for four times the price of the ICS. At that time Furuno did not have a recreational unit, but we suspect that the less expensive unit that they have out now will deliver appropriate receiver sensitivity when used with an active antenna and good ground.

In the ensuing year we were alongside several ICS units that were getting no reception at all while our new Furuno clearly brought in every message. (See Stuff that works for more information on the Furuno.)
 

Lessons Learned:

1. There is a surprising amount of recreational equipment out there that, as designed, is simply not functional. It never ceases to amaze us how many sub standard units get sold before it gets found out. The ICS navtex receiver is just one example of this phenomenon.

2. When in doubt, buy commercial level gear. Fishermen and professional mariners don’t put up with stuff that does not work as expected. Commercial gear may even be cheaper in the long run when you take into account the time and frustration factors.

3. When selecting gear, particularly electronics, go to the nearest fishing wharf and look at what’s on the boats. You'll notice that the majority of the gear is Furuno.

Northstar GPS

The Problem:

In 1999 we installed a new Northstar GPS. At the time we could have bought a perfectly functional GPS for one quarter the cost but we went with the Northstar because of its reputation for quality and reliability and its easy to use software. Also, Nick Nicholson had given the Northstar a ringing endorsement in Practical Sailor, a publication we like and have subscribed to for years.

Two months after installation, the unit abruptly died. We paid to send the unit to Northstar who fixed it and returned it free of charge. They found a fragment of wire left over from manufacturing that had caused a short.

Two years later, the keys became unreliable: We had to press them hard to get anything to happen. We were in Norway at the time so returning the unit to the manufacturer was not a trivial or cheap event.

Manufacturer's Response:

When we called Northstar the second time, they were unhelpful, with the familiar refrain of 'No one else has ever had such problems.' Most upsetting was the service manager’s comment 'Well, no wonder, it’s no spring chicken.' At that time Northstar was one of the most expensive GPS units made and our unit was just three years old—not acceptable.

The Outcome:

After many expensive phone calls, Northstar agreed to fix the unit free of charge—good service—though we had to pay the shipping charges both ways from Norway. It turned out that they happened to have a new design of keyboard that solved the problem. (We suspect that this indicates that other units had had the same problem, despite their denial.) The unit has worked flawlessly since (knock on wood!).

Lessons Learned:

1. Buying the most expensive option does not necessarily equate to reliability. We have owned two cheap handheld GPS units over the years and both have worked perfectly. I suspect that in many cases the sales volume of low end units, particularly those that span several market segments, allows the manufacturer to invest more in quality control. Having said that, the Northstar is much easer and quicker to use than any low end unit.

2. There is an increasingly prevalent attitude among manufacturers that even expensive units need only last two to three years because the user's lust for the newest thing will result in early replacement. We can’t afford that attitude and even if we could, we abhor the waste. We buy good gear and expect it to last at least 10 years.

Silva Marine, NEXUS Network Wind Instruments

The Problem:

In 2005, KVH abruptly stopped supporting the Quadra system, which had served us well for many years, albeit after its own set of teething problems. After considering most of the options and nearly settling on B&G, but finally being put off by a sudden and substantial increase to their already, in our opinion, ridiculously high prices, we settled on a NEXUS system from Silva Marine, a Swedish company.

We had some fairly complex issues in the configuration due to our need for a non standard echo sounder transducer that would not interfere with our forward looking sounder. This meant tracking down a dealer who really understood the technology. We ended up with Jon Josephson of the JRJ Group (see Stuff that works).

When we powered up the system for the first time, no matter how many times we followed the procedure in the manual, the system would not configure properly.

Dealer's Response:

Over the phone, Jon walked us through several reset strategies, but to no avail. After many calls and a lot of part swapping, we narrowed the problem down to two displays. Without waiting for us to return the defective ones, Jon sent us replacements by FedEx at his expense. When he tested the defective units he found that the factory had loaded the wrong firmware (program) into them.

The Outcome:

The NEXUS system performed well on our cruise to Newfoundland in 2005. We find it easier to use and read than the KVH system.
 

Lessons Learned:

1. When selecting a dealer, go for knowledge, not proximity. JRJ group is on the west coast of the US and we were in Maine, but we were still a lot better off with Jon than we would have been with a typical marine electronics dealer.

2. We would have really been in trouble if we had bought from a big discounter.

3. Sure the manufacturer in Sweden or the North American distributor in Canada might have eventually sorted it out, but I don’t think it would have been as quick and easy as working with one committed small business person who really knew the gear.

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