SSB - is it really worth all this hassle?

[beneteau_305_553]

Re: SSB - is it really worth all this hassle? Nope !

If you have an aluminium toe rail and guardwires you have a perfect earth system already installed.

If you havent got an insulated backstay just run a length of pvc insulated copper electrical cable (1.5 mm2 will do) from the aft rail to the masthead with 1/2 m of 6mm cord at each end. Connect the rf out from the atu to this and the earth to base of a stanchion post.

 

[jeanne]

Re: SSB - is it really worth all this hassle? Nope !

There are real advantages to having an SSB, but it is no longer essential, and you seem to have viable alternatives.
But if you want to go ahead with it, do the very simplest system first, see if it works, and only then go to a more elaborate one.
I had a backstay aerial, a manual ATU, and no dedicated ground, just the boat negative line connected to a couple of anodes, and I kept a daily sched(ule) with a friend in UK during an Atlantic circuit cruise that reached Brasil. The boat was made of ferro- cement, which probably helped me, but the principle is the same.
When I was in the services, as a radio technician, I occasionally found myself under an officer who liked to experiment with aerials, or who disliked seeing us erks sitting idly.
The result was usually inconclusive, the simplest aerial was often as effective as the most complicated.

 

[jeanne]

Re: SSB - is it really worth all this hassle? Nope !

There are real advantages to having an SSB, but it is no longer essential, and you seem to have viable alternatives.
But if you want to go ahead with it, do the very simplest system first, see if it works, and only then go to a more elaborate one.
I had a backstay aerial, a manual ATU, and no dedicated ground, just the boat negative line connected to a couple of anodes, and I kept a daily sched(ule) with a friend in UK during an Atlantic circuit cruise that reached Brasil. The boat was made of ferro- cement, which probably helped me, but the principle is the same.
When I was in the services, as a radio technician, I occasionally found myself under an officer who liked to experiment with aerials, or who disliked seeing us erks sitting idly.
The result was usually inconclusive, the simplest system was often as effective as the most complicated.

 

[William_H]

Re: SSB - is it really worth all this hassle? Nope !

Ok the antenna needs a groundplane. This can be any large metal object larger than 1/4 wavelength of the lowest frequency so not practical on a small boat. You can use the ocean. You can make a direct connection to it or use the fibreglass hull as a capacitor. This will require a large area of conductor on the inside with the thin hull between it and the water. So copper paint on the inside needs to be as close as possible to the water and opposite that area cover by water.
In the end most people make as many connections as possible to stern gear and large metal areas inside the boat.
Any loss of transmitted power is subject to the logarythmic rule so 10% power represents a fairly small perceived signal reduction. Having said that you want all you have got to go out.

SSB here in Oz seems to come in 2 levels. There is the official commercial system now reduced to 2 stations one in Queensland and one in West Australia. (ironically the station in WA is at Willuna which is right on the edge of the desert and about 400 miles from the coast.) The official system requires Digital select calling where your radio calls on one frequency which alerts the shore station to call you on voice on a different nearby frequency. This system is monitored 24/7 on a range of frequencies to suit conditions and range. It is the official distress system covering perhaps quarter of the earths oceans. Once upon a time there were about 20 manned stations around our coast. SSB over the old double sideband AM along with less traffic
has enabled reduction in the system.
However the government have abrogated responsibility for pleasure boats to various volunteer sea search and rescue services. They cover a lot of the coast in populated areas but in the end only a fraction of the coast line. These stations monitor VHF but also 4125 4134 etc SSB so you can get weather set up SAR times voyage details etc. A fairly primitive SSB is OK for this not requiring DSC but obviously with limited coverage of perhaps several hundred miles.

If you venture into the HAM bands of course there is no limits of range but not much reliability of contact or response.

This detail might not be much use to you but serves to indicate how even the formal commercial system is being reduced in lieu of satelite communication. But is maintained as an international obligation.

I guess the sat phone might do the job anyway. good luck olewill

 

[emnick]

I cant remember where I read it but the ground plane was likend to a diver. With a ground plane it was as though the diver was diving off the side of a swimming pool, without the ground plane the diver was diving off a rowing boat. It needs a good ground to 'work from' I am researching putting SSB on our boat so please let me know how the copper paint works. The article also stated that round section wire was no good to connect keel etc has to be flat, can you buy some copper tube and open it length wise bang it flat you have some copper strip??. Do you intend using the SSB for email? or will you use the sat phone for that good luck with it!!
I say stick with it

 

[jonic]

I have an m710 and on my last Caribbean cruise 6yrs ago would have said it was invaluable. This time round I'm not so sure. Sat phone can get me weather and emergency comms, and email if I want it, World service have stopped broadcasting in many areas, which is a real shame but the biggest change has been the abundance of free wifi. I used to tune in every morning for the Caribbean weather net, so far in four months I have had to do it only twice as every other time the Caribbean weather net has been available to me via wifi. The cruising nets don't seem as much use/fun as many of us are using our blog pages and email to update each other and arrange meetings.So my usage of the ssb has dropped by 90%. Having said that I'm glad I have it on board, but a receiver only would probably be the way I would go now if I already had a sat phone.

 

[Billjratt]

What you are trying to create with the copper paint is a capacitive connection to the sea, so concentrate on the internal underwater sections of the bilges and lockers.
If the paint is expensive ( as I think you infer) don't waste it on bits that don't have sea on the other side.