SSB or not?

[Posse]

I am wondering whether to install an SSB radio or not - for Caribbean/Pacific cruising.

Many argue that SSB is redundant with a satellite phone on board, but if still actively used by other sailors, it may be quite useful.

Any thoughts welcome, and especially if you can share personal experience.

 

[Roberto]

I have both: I use the ssb a lot, lot more than the satphone (which is used 99% of the time for voice calls home). I think all my satphone units "time expired", not once I managed to finish the units before their time limit.

 

[Monique]

+1 ^

 

[capnsensible]

I would say that ssb had its day, iridium is now so good, ssb is a waste of money. For those that have it and use it, clearly a good thing but those numbers are dwindling and making it redundant, eventually.

Bit like those cruiser nets on VHF in far flung places. After listening to the first days stuff, well, bye bye!

 

[KellysEye]

SSB is the lifeblood of long distance cruising, ocean nets, nets in anchorages, nets in marinas, weather forecasts and NOAA (and others) satellite pictures . You can also keep in touch with boats you know by choosing a frequency and time to call, this is handy if you are intending to make the same passages. Email is available with a SSB Pactor https://sailmail.com/ We had a satphone but not a Sim card, emergency calls are free, we kept it charged and in the emergency grab bag.

 

[AndrewB]

I had a sat phone plus a good SSB receiver. The latter meant I could keep in touch with nets and pick up spoken weather forecasts, while being much cheaper and easier to install than a transmitter (I used an insulated back-stay as an aerial).

However the quality of spoken oceanic weather forecasts on shortwave, particularly those from the USA, was getting much poorer when I was last out there in 2012, and Herb is no more.

 

[geem]

I had a sat phone plus a good SSB receiver. The latter meant I could keep in touch with nets and pick up spoken weather forecasts, while being much cheaper and easier to install than a transmitter (I used an insulated back-stay as an aerial).

However the quality of spoken oceanic weather forecasts on shortwave, particularly those from the USA, was getting much poorer when I was last out there in 2012, and Herb is no more.

Chris Parker still does an excellent weather service all across the Caribbean. We have no problem picking it up on our elderley Furuno SSB. We are off to Cuba this week in a group of three boats. We all have ssb so we can keep in touch. In Cuba we will use the SSB to listen to Chris Parker as internet for cruisers on the South coast of Cuba is none existent. SSB has its place still even though we will have our Delorme Inreach activated to keep in touch with the wider world

 

[temptress]

I am wondering whether to install an SSB radio or not - for Caribbean/Pacific cruising.

Many argue that SSB is redundant with a satellite phone on board, but if still actively used by other sailors, it may be quite useful.

Any thoughts welcome, and especially if you can share personal experience.

I had the same thoughts. I found for safety, weather and staying in touch with home Sat phone was the way to go. We did not fit an SSB. Across the Atlantic and in the Caribbean this was the right choice.

However in the Pacific we regretted NOT having an SSB and wished we had one. The sat phone was used to download weather, upload emails and blog reports and get phone calls from back home (we are very selective with who we give the number to). For communication and general cruising we missed having am SSB and felt we lost out on a lot of local knowledge and communication with others. In the West indies there were always boats and nets to speak to on the VHF.

In the pacific with the distances much much greater, the population of yachts much less and the need to be self-reliant much greater I regret not having an SSB and in hindsight I would strongly recommend that you should have one.

Now in Singapore I am in the process of fitting a ICOM SSB.

 

[miyagimoon]

Now in Singapore I am in the process of fitting a ICOM SSB.

We are on our way to SE Asia. Already have an SSB and Satphone. Is there any HF nets in SE Asia and if so do you know the details.

Albert

 

[blenkinsop]

As others have said, SSB is the common inter-yacht means of communication across wide areas. For example, crossing the Pacific, there could be 30+ yachts taking part in infromal nets, exchanging infromation on local weather, navigation and safety issues.
We did not have satphone, and found Sailmail adequate for our email reqirements. Via Sailmail there was also good access to weather forecasts and GRIB files, the only cost being an annual subscription.

 

[temptress]

We are on our way to SE Asia. Already have an SSB and Satphone. Is there any HF nets in SE Asia and if so do you know the details.

Albert

Albert

Sorry been offline for a while. Check out the Sail SE Asia FB page and subscribe to Terry Sergeants newsletter he posts charts, kap fikes and maintains a whole host of se Asia information.
By far the best way in this region is to get a local sim and use 4g. Available in the remote parts of the rwgion and cheap compared to the rest of the world.

 

[KellysEye]

>Is there any HF nets in SE Asia and if so do you know the details.

List of worldwide marine nets here: http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/World_MM_Nets

 

[dansaskip]

I know that some of the replies have said yes SSB is useful as are satellite phones. However my way of thinking is that neither are essential, both are very expensive and it is easy to do without. It might even be said that they detract from the sailing experience. I spent two years in the Caribbean and now have crossed the Pacific without either and I didn't feel their lack.
I would like to disagree with geem - they do have internet on S coast of Cuba although admittedly only in the towns -there are public hot spots for which you can buy a card- I cruised the S coast for a month in 2016 from Santiago de Cuba to Cienfuegas and had no problem getting weather info or keeping in touch via email with no onboard equipment.

 

[Flica]

Depends on where you're intending to sail - in European waters it's conspicuous consumption, in N Atlantic waters it's sometimes useful, but for long-distance cruising it's an essential.
When mine was stolen in Malta, I didn't bother to replace it and haven't missed it, or a satphone, since.

 

[KellysEye]

>they detract from the sailing experience

I can't see how an SSB can do that, what a lack of SSB will do detract from social contact with other yachts and you will live in a contactless cocoon.

 

[Roberto]

As a big chunk of communications at sea is usually devoted to gather weather information, another thing you might consider is the type of weather information you prefer to rely upon.
Seen from that point of view, if you are a grib-only type, then imho the balance would be in favour of satphone, at least as a plug and play solution much easier than ssb (though with higher running costs).
As a different example, I personally prefer weatherfax charts, with the odd grib from time to time (in a typical transat I use around 10-15 charts a day, and roughly one grib a week); this is irrelevant of cost, that is even when delivering boats with unlimited/paid for satellite time. An ssb transceiver combines both fax and email, so it seems a sensible choice.
Another possibility if you like weatherfax: a tiny portable ssb receiver which is ok for receiving weatherfax or voice bulletins, plus the satphone.
Various possible solutions for different personal needs.

 

[tcm]

IMho :
1 Total Knobs and old boring people have SSB
2 Younger minded yeah-let’s-meet-up people are in the bar, on FB, and they get a local $50 phone, not SSB which mostly broadcasts the sound of frying bacon.
3 Mmm ...bacon

hth

 

[tcm]

IMho :
1 Total Knobs and old boring people have SSB
2 Younger minded yeah-let’s-meet-up people are in the bar, on FB, and they get a local $50 phone, not SSB which mostly broadcasts the sound of frying bacon.
3 Mmm ...bacon

hth

btw ... SSB is a requirement for rtw ARC types. Are you also a kinda faux-adventurer, keen to pay $$$$$ to join a group or gang of pre-confirmed know-nowts? If so, please accept this e-vocher for 2 (two) drinks at the forthcoming Welcome To Panama (bali, aus. wherever) Cocktail Party Event sponsored by Raymarine. or some other mug willing to pony up a grand, of which we spend asLITTLE AS POSSIBLE to ensure that all “parties” so indeed take place, but are invariably slightly hum parties, or if otherwise the partygoers rescue the event - “everyone back to our boat” kinda thing,,,

 

[tcm]

I know that some of the replies have said yes SSB is useful as are satellite phones. However my way of thinking is that neither are essential, both are very expensive and it is easy to do without. It might even be said that they detract from the sailing experience. I spent two years in the Caribbean and now have crossed the Pacific without either and I didn't feel their lack.
I would like to disagree with geem - they do have internet on S coast of Cuba although admittedly only in the towns -there are public hot spots for which you can buy a card- I cruised the S coast for a month in 2016 from Santiago de Cuba to Cienfuegas and had no problem getting weather info or keeping in touch via email with no onboard equipment.

Yo Sea Bear... is that the same Sea Bear which escorted Starfire transatlantic in late 2011 ? i was Mojomo, helped Starfire family (Dad) get out and meet the boat arriving at Rodney Bay. Emotional stuff, but all good. Matt

 

[tcm]

>they detract from the sailing experience

I can't see how an SSB can do that, what a lack of SSB will do detract from social contact with other yachts and you will live in a contactless cocoon.

Nah, not true. VHF gets you in touch with everyone really, when you get somewhere/anywhere. SSB is for people who haven’t got a sat phone to call Falmouth MRCC if/when the Big Sh!t hits the Enormous Fan offshore. Best is a sat phone offshore. Second is another spare satphone. I think I would choose a third spare sat phone before SSB. Round the world and13 transats, nobody ever said O pray wot SSB frequency do you use?, never. I sold all my SSB stuff to some doddery Belgian for a grand.