Radio

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Richsquest

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7 Jan 2004
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Hi, i'm new to this so please bear with me.
Does anyone or can anyone recomend a book or two on understanding radio, ie aerials, length of aerial cable frequencies Short wave and SSB.
We are liveaboards in the Med and obtaining good forecasts is proving somewhat a problem.
We have a Sangean radio which picks up shortwave and can pickup SSB so therefore we should be able to receive European transmits, but cannot get it to work successfully.
Thanks in anticipation

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Your VHF is porobaly a better bet for weather in the meddy, have a look in an almanac at the stations broadcasting weather, another liveaboard should eb able to tell, you, like sardinai is 24 hour s on channel 67, from cagliari. I have never had any siuccess with SSB or SW forecasts.

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In Italian waters

rather like the States you have a detailed continuous, English language, weather service on, I believe vhf 26. This is updated every 6 hours.
The delivery, being an early voice synthesiser, ia appalling but even worse in Italian which is even more inflected than English.

Alternatively use a Navtex - with a two band one you get 2 forecasts every 24 hours with a 72 hour horizon.

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The French transmit continuous forecasts on ch23 and 24, I think (might be 22 & 23 - they're listed in the Med. Almanac). One is for the Lion Gulf and the other for Corsica.

The Italians transmit a continuous, automated forecast I think on ch68 (also in the Almanac) that pretty much covers the whole of the Med. I've managed to receive this almost as far West as the Balearics.
 
Rich, although there are sw forecasts, receiving them is not easy.
Most med sailors have Navtex, and/or the new Navman for German RTTY forecasts.
With your Sangean you can listen to the med cruisers net on 8122 USB @ 05.30GMT.
And also the Maritime mobile net on 14303 USB @ 08.00/18.00 GMT.
For an aerial a length of copper wire hung in the rigging will work, if
you dont want the expense of insulating the backstay. A large whip aerial
can be made with wire and one of those long carbon fishing rods.
Earthing the radio can help.
Mike Harris has a new good book on Small Boat Radio.

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For antenna ideas seach SMC manuals on their tuners. Just try clipping on the bottom of the backstay. G.L with your experiments.

If you want some detailed info on weather skeds on the radio have a look at
www.walterreed.co.uk and you will find what you want. Broadcast, RTTY, Wx fax and Navtex.

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