Not your best choice...
Brian, NAVTEX will work fine in the Bahamas but I think you'll find it less helpful than you'd hope - wide area f'cast info when you really want more localized info. NAVTEX is more often used in the Med and similar areas, when abundant English-language wx info is more limited. You'll hear the Bahamas Met Office f'cast relayed on both the Waterway Net (7.268 LSB, Net begins at 0745 eastern local; see http://www.jstorm.com/wrcc/) and on Marine SSB (several freqs in the 4 or 6 mHz band) each morning from Nassau if you have a good SSB receiver & external antenna. Since this would also allow you to hear the other wx f'cast segments on the WW Net (NOAA's f'cast for lower E coast of FL, the Offshore f'cast for the SW North Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexcio f'cast, this last one helping you track the progression of cold fronts), I'd encourage you to consider a SSB for both better weather and also other worthy info (e.g. Public Radio news programs, rebroadcast on Armed Forces Radio). If I didn't want the complexity and cost of using a SSB transceiver aboard (which in fact doesn't have to be terribly expensive if done modestly but effectively), I'd opt for either a low-end new ham HF reciever, a low-end new ham transceiver or a used/bench-tested ham or Marine SSB transceiver (e.g. from Amateur Electronics Supply (www.aesham.com). You'll get all the filtering, tuning and sensitivity needed to get good SSB reception (something you won't find if you buy e.g. a portable SSB receiver like a Grudig Yachtboy from WM), in the case of the transceivers you will be provided an upgrade path later if you're motivated, and it shouldn't cost you any more $$. A simple external antenna wire and a modest manual tuner ($100) will give the transceivers full HF capability. Keep in mind that, once you leave the States, SSB serves the same utility as VHF when in the islands and does add local knowledge, safety & welfare capability to the boat not offered in any other fashion. Jack
