Portable SSB Receiver

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jollysailor17

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Hi
I am thinking of buying an Eton G3 SSB portable receiver and linking this to a laptop with Mscan Meto Lite software to decode RTTY, GRIB, NAVTEX and WeatherFax files.
Has anyone got one of these and what do you think of its performance in the real world? If not do you have an alternative SSB receiver that you can recommend? Thanks
 
I have been using a Roberts set with decent results, but due to problems with power supply I bought a Sony http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-ICFSW7600G-ICF-SW7600GR-World-Radio/dp/B00005ML49/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

Plugged it in with a 10m wire antenna, and immediately got very good quality weatherfax pictures. Also tried it on board using the shrouds and the results were reasonable.

I have not managed to get Navtex yet, and have also failed recently with the Roberts (I used to get it ok some years ago).

Will have more goes to see how much of it is atmospheric, but certainly impressed so far.
 
Here is one I pulled off witht e Sony today. All very good quality.

Pressuresony1.jpg
 
Thanks guys this pretty much bears out what I had found out. Sailing a junk rig I have no standing rigging, hence no backstay! I am going for a portable SSB receiver, Eton, Roberts or perhaps a Sony, TBD, with a Sangen external aerial which I can extend across the cabin. Another thought is to hoist a wire up the mast, depending on conditions. I have downloaded Mscan Meteo Lite and got to grips with that on the PC and assuming I can get a decent signal I should be okay for Weatherfax, RTTY and GRIB. Assuming the PC continues to work! I have also downloaded iNavtex (£3.99) a little app for my iPod which can decode a navtex transmission from the SSB. Be fun to give that a try and see what it is like. One final thought on SSB receivers, is anyone using the Nasa SSB receiver and how do you find it? Once I reach Brazil and then strike off across the South Atlantic it will be helpful to know about where the big storms are, so hopefully I can skirt around them, or at least be as prepared as possible. I am also considering the Nasa Meteoman with the masthead wind speed and direction indicator. From reading the Nasa blurb this little barometric device could help when I am out of range of Navtex and if the PC passes away before its time. Any experience of one of these?
Thanks
 
I tried a NASA SSB alongside my Roberts for a few months in the shed, and found the results very similar. If you have an Eton or Sony then it is difficult to see what benefit the NASA would bring. So far the Sony is outperforming the Roberts/NASA radios, although I have yet to decode from both on the same day.

Currently I have a crodile clip from a cable out of the antenna port which I can put either onto the base of the chainplates (giving the whole rig as an antenna), or right next to it is the base of one of the stanchion for the guardrail. This is a neat way of attaching and hoisting a 10m wire without having to penetrate the deck or poke in through a hatch or window. The 10m wire works really well at home, and can see no reason why it shouldn't work on board if the rig theory fails.
 
Hi Pye End
Sounds good. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, junk rig has no chain plates and the mast is fibreglass! The good thing about a junk is that all aerials and wiring to the mast head is brought down inside the mast to its base, so no corroding deck plugs to deal with, so I might think of leading an insulated wire up the mast and then down again with the insulation removed for the SSB. I will have to try it out in the garden before I come to step the mast and just have a play and see what seems to work best. As I live in North Wales and am surrounded by mountains radio reception is pretty iffy, so it should be possible to determine if the wire in the mast boosts reception on SW or not. I have not as yet bought any of the portable SW radios, hence my question about the Nasa SSB receiver.
 
jollysailor17 said:
One final thought on SSB receivers, is anyone using the Nasa SSB receiver and how do you find it? Once I reach Brazil and then strike off across the South Atlantic it will be helpful to know about where the big storms are, so hopefully I can skirt around them, or at least be as prepared as possible. I am also considering the Nasa Meteoman with the masthead wind speed and direction indicator. From reading the Nasa blurb this little barometric device could help when I am out of range of Navtex and if the PC passes away before its time. Any experience of one of these?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I had a nasa a while ago and didn't rate it, only a few memories, no scan - much better around for much less money. Degen 1103 did me well. I have meteoman as well, not essential but the recorded windspeed over a few days can be nice to have. I have another standalone elect barometer as well which is handier to glance at. And a lot easier the fitting an anenometer at the top of the mast plus the cabling. Had satphone for the cape verde - brazil crossing but really not much point for that one, weatherfax would have been handier to see where the itcz was, gribs fall apart round there. No idea what weatherfax stations there are transmitting further south, you might be on your own. Once out of Europe navtex you can pretty much forget about.

ENJOY!! :)
 
jollysailor17 said:
Thanks for that info. Which sat phone network did you use?
Click to expand...

Iridium. Still got the phone, 9550 think it is. Hardly worth putting it on ebay, so they said at the boat show :rolleyes:

Worked OK but pricey.


Going the ham route next time, which is a bit of a runaround if you're only doing a couple of crossings but long term should be worth it.
 
So £200 for a second hand phone isn't worth doing??

These people live on a different planet.

I just bought a second hand Thuraya.

Sell it on here if you don't want eBay charges.

Good luck!

Tony.
 
Jabs said:
So £200 for a second hand phone isn't worth doing??

These people live on a different planet.
Click to expand...

12v lead pretty trashed so would be lucky to get a hundred. So they reckoned on whatever stand it was. Still works so I could easily charge that for comms on a delivery, or pass it on to a cruiser in need somewhere along the way. You never can tell when something will come in handy cruising, potentially much handier then than a hundred quid is right now anyway.
 
The Eton G3-just picked one up on e bay for £40.Only had it for 3 days but totally besotted.
It is a proper modern SSB (USB.LSB) receiver with an alphanumeric key pad so you just type in a frequency press enter and you are there as well as conventional dials.
Useable Weather Fax UK and Germany;weather text;volumet airport forcasts;ham and broadcast shortwave;plus totally receivable and dowloadable if not useable Pacific weatherfax from Kodiak Alaska.
Good enough reception on internal whip and even better on a 40 foot wire antenna.
Also for what its worth I experienced grayline propagation and clearly picked up Wellington NZ weatherfax half way around the world.
Occurs between any two points on earth experiencing dawn/dusk at same time so with the 12 hour time difference and both heading for equinox -almost like a telephone link along the earths terminator zone(day/night boundary)
 
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