Navtex on the West of Scotland

[Telo]

I recall that over a year ago Malin Head CG Navtex was due to start broadcasting the UK Met Office Inshore Forecasts on 490 kHz, the "national" wavelength.

Well, ahem, I never quite got around to programming Maiin Head, Station "A" into our set until very recently. What a difference! While some Portpatrick (station "C") broadcasts either missed us or were incomplete, we received full text from Malin Head.

[DaveS]

My Navtex is, sadly, only single channel (520 kHz) but I find the Malin Head broadcasts (O IIRC) very useful, with reception much better than Portpatrick. They give the UK Met Office shipping forecast, and also Met Eirean's Irish coast forecast - the NE bit of which is usually similar to what we get a few hours later. The Atlantic Ocean area actuals and forecast (which I don't think is broadcast by any of the UK stations) gives a good indication of developing systems as they approach.

[cpedw]

Yes, the Malin 490kHz reception is much better than Portpatrick in most of Argyll & surrounds. Since we went south, I have moved to the international 518 stuff. Around Cork, I can get decent reception from Niton and sometimes Portpatrick (and often Belgium, Norway and Algiers ) but never anything from Valentia, which I was hoping would give a better local forecast like the Irish CG transmits on VHF.
Does anyone know if Valentia really is a Navtex transmitter?
Derek