dslittle
Well-known member
An SSB was never on my list!
Charlie's doesn't have SSB!!! :encouragement:
Atlantic Circuit (and beyond?): SSB - how useful is it?
- Thread starter Koeketiene
- Start date
Charlie's doesn't have SSB!!! :encouragement:
john_q
Active member
You may want to have a look at the GAM option http://gamelectronicsinc.com/products/gam-mckim-split-lead-antenna/. I have not used it but have seen some good reviews on other Forums
Koeketiene
Well-known member
Why would that require a whole new backstay?
The present one is only a couple of years old.
Koeketiene
Well-known member
Interesting - will take a closer look - thanks
Tradewinds
Well-known member
Stalok sell insulators. Just got to snip the existing wire(s). Again, a DIY job.
http://www.stalok.com/c-78-sta-lok-insulators.aspx
As I recall, the snip at the top was at least 18" from the end (so the 'live' transmitting wire isn't close to the mast I guess).
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
Because they will not fit the insulators into the old backstay, ask me how I know.
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
You need to get a length of approximately 10 M between the insulators and preferably have the lower one above hand hold hight.
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
An alternative would be to run a wire up the backstay held off by insulating brackets, that then becomes your aerial, you could even hoist it off a halyard clear of everything as and when you need it, there are several options.
Tradewinds
Well-known member
Yup - forgot about that.
I got plenty of helpful advice from Greenham Regis(?) when I fitted mine way-back-when (I bought the 2nd hand Icom+ATU off them)
emnick
Member
I have a new icom 802 and ATU in the loft I also have a dynaplate . I was going to fit them pretty soon but this thread has started to change my mind I am in two mind now.
We are re rigging at moment and I didnt want 4 additional joins in the back stay so I was looking at whip aerials but I like the idea of hoisting an antenna. Do you keep it connected or connect up and hoist?? What is the consensus regarding dynaplate it seems that the KISS system my be the way to go.
I would be using a9505a for email the ICOM would be just for the radio nets.
Not sure what to do now
We are re rigging at moment and I didnt want 4 additional joins in the back stay so I was looking at whip aerials but I like the idea of hoisting an antenna. Do you keep it connected or connect up and hoist?? What is the consensus regarding dynaplate it seems that the KISS system my be the way to go.
I would be using a9505a for email the ICOM would be just for the radio nets.
Not sure what to do now
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capnsensible
Well-known member
We like to go cruising with self reliance!
Anyway, its not universally so, but a lot of people who use SSB are, er, perhaps not 'Charlies People' !! :encouragement:
A few weeks listening to the cruiser nets on vhf in various places was enough for me.......
RobbieW
Well-known member
From a consensus of 1
I'd go for KISS. I have a dynaplate and its a bugger to keep clear of fouling (unless the SSB is frequently used allegedly). A fouled dynaplate seriously affects your ability to transmit in my (limited) experienceKellysEye
Active member
>You may want to have a look at the GAM option http://gamelectronicsinc.com/product...-lead-antenna/.
I would be very wary of that it's too small our aerial went up the back stay and across the triatic stay. At least 35 feet is needed. I've seen whip aerials, I have no idea if they work well, but never one of those.
As said you can fit Staloks yourself we had them.
I would be very wary of that it's too small our aerial went up the back stay and across the triatic stay. At least 35 feet is needed. I've seen whip aerials, I have no idea if they work well, but never one of those.
As said you can fit Staloks yourself we had them.
Koeketiene
Well-known member
The GAM/McKim does look tempting.
No worries when the time comes to re-rig - can even be transferred to another boat.
It's 34ft long - is that 1ft going to make that much difference?
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
Because you have and will be using a ATU it is not absolutely critical, what you are trying to do is have the length of the wire equal to a harmonic of one of the principal broadcast wavelengths in this case the half wave of the 20 M band getting it absolutely right would ensure that you maximise the efficiency of the transmission on that particular wave length. Don't forget to take into account the total length from your ATU which ideally needs to be situated as close as possible to the halyard or backstay that you are going to string the antenna up, it's usual to put it in the lazaret. When you are transmitting it is important that people do not touch the antenna RF burns can be very serious.
temptress
Well-known member
IMO the Jury is still out on SSB. In the 90's is would not have been without one. More recently and esp in the Atlantic do not think one is needed. We have an SSB receiver but find it's use limited to picking up weatherfax, don't find much use listening to the nets as most of the info is available from so many other sources these days. We are coming to the conclusion that we will NOT fit SSB for our planned pacific trip but the again we might.
I think it depends on your attitude and the progress of alternative technologies. In the end, as with most boat fitting decisions, it comes down to individual choice.
I think it depends on your attitude and the progress of alternative technologies. In the end, as with most boat fitting decisions, it comes down to individual choice.
Koeketiene
Well-known member
Funny that, it's just our possible foray into the Pacific (French Polynesia is our 'dream destination') which is at the moment tipping the balance in favour of fitting the kit.
I asked the same question on one or two US based cruising forums and the consensus was that SSB was indispensable in the Pacific.
temptress
Well-known member
Not sure myself yet. Interestingly I have a good friend just completed his umpteenth Pacific crossing (they actually sailed the Pacific the same time as the Hiscocks) who swears by SSB. Yet I did a quick straw poll in NZ a few years ago and got mixed answers....
SimonJ
Member
SSB
To an extent it depends on how sociable you are or want to be and whether you value the additional safety comms facility plus possible use of a pactor modem for emailing. The latter valuable on passage but in harbour these days wifi is relatively widely available if you have enhanced aerial/router system and maybe a mifi or similar with local SIM card.
An LRC while a legal requirement is held by few operators and most of whom who have one regard it as being a waste of money.
In the Caribbean we use our SSB for weather nets and participating in one (we could do many more) net with the OCC which we value highly.
Your rig can be cheap and effective using an opened up ham radio & tuner, a rope antenna and copper strip earth. For us this means it is also easily transportable between boats. Search on this website and you will find a full history of comments and advice. An ICOM 706mk2g, often to be seen on eBay does the job well. You also need the tuner of course.
For my sort of cruising - winters in the Caribbbean - an SSB rig for us is essential and most people we meet without this kit regret it and blame poor advice prior to departure! On past Transats I have also had a pactor but have now swapped it for enhanced wifi gadgetry.
To an extent it depends on how sociable you are or want to be and whether you value the additional safety comms facility plus possible use of a pactor modem for emailing. The latter valuable on passage but in harbour these days wifi is relatively widely available if you have enhanced aerial/router system and maybe a mifi or similar with local SIM card.
An LRC while a legal requirement is held by few operators and most of whom who have one regard it as being a waste of money.
In the Caribbean we use our SSB for weather nets and participating in one (we could do many more) net with the OCC which we value highly.
Your rig can be cheap and effective using an opened up ham radio & tuner, a rope antenna and copper strip earth. For us this means it is also easily transportable between boats. Search on this website and you will find a full history of comments and advice. An ICOM 706mk2g, often to be seen on eBay does the job well. You also need the tuner of course.
For my sort of cruising - winters in the Caribbbean - an SSB rig for us is essential and most people we meet without this kit regret it and blame poor advice prior to departure! On past Transats I have also had a pactor but have now swapped it for enhanced wifi gadgetry.
tcm
...
SSB, meh. But Iridium is a must-have for oceans. IMHO
On transats or rtw all in last 10 years I never heard anybody ever asked or suggested an HF link/net.... except for the WARC, who for lots of reasons are a bit behind the curve.
Er, note that whatever you want it will almost DEFINITELY be cheaper anywhere outside the UK. So get it later if you feel you need it? Or buy it secondhand at one one of oodles of "treasures of the bilge" liveaboard meetting places (none of which in UK). Everything you buy for a pound will be a dollar or less on the other side of the Atlantic.
Edit: I agree with the "self reliance" option of the cap'n above. But for the rest of us unpaid sailors, you should be able to choose which ocean you cross and at what time of the year, which means generally following seas and few if any storms.
Actually, er, I did once cross the atlantic with that lunatic Stingo whose brilliant idea for a bit of fun was "no weather forecasts and no sunset photos", whih would normally have been fine for westbound transat but on that partic year we found the remnants of a TRS (so it must have been Omar, 2007) and blimmin yeek quite large 5-6m waves, one of which looked like a ski-slope as it crashed around us. My idea was to use the engines to make sure we didn't stall over the wave crests, but then a bit later my other idea was to see "wottle it do" when razzing both engines and we managed 21knots downhill, before Stingo went apeshit and called me a lunatic as well. But then a couple of days later he got used to it and wanted the engines on for his video. Which makes him just as bad as me, sort-of. Nothing to do with SSB though, sorry.
Edit 2. Ok, I did have an SSB but hardly ever used it except soem mates on another transat, it all sounded like bacon frying loudly, and other people talked about fishing...and I sold the kit in the carib, the whole lot. And the people who came round to buy it or ask about it jeez, pretty ancient bunch and no need to be too sociable with that lot, sorry.
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