SSB Radio

one legal option is to become a radio ham at the novice level, Thus you can legally fit a radio ham set (much larger selection of kit). It also enables cheaper use of e mail. Getting the GMDSS long range certificate as well means that you could use the same set on the marine frequencies. As a novice radio ham I believe you are supposed to use 5w as maximumm power for your broadcasts, but how will they check when you are in the midle of the atlantic?
 
i looked at the ham option but it seemed that you had to have the top level qualification for a mobile transmitter, not just the basic level which is ok on land.
 
In Britain you can only use a 5 Watt Foundation licence from the place where it is registered (usually your home). You can use an intermediate licence away from your home base and up to 50W but you can't use it on salt water because all sorts of treaties would come in to play and it gets very complicated. Basically, there are no treaties with other countries to have them recognise the intermediate licence, so it's restricted to inland waterways only. You can use a full ham licence (Advanced, they are called now) 'Maritime Mobile' with the permission of the ships skipper - easy if that's you.
Maritime SSB is a seperate issue. You can't use a long range certificate on equipment where you can set the frequencies manually. It has to be one that only allows you to use 'channels'. So that 'legally' excludes ham rigs. Every now and then a nice chap called Mike Martin will appear on here to explain the maritime SSB rules as best he can. Very little equipment conforms to these rules and that which does is ferociously expensive. The people who make the rules don't give a damn, apparently and seem unconcerned with the safety implications. But on the other hand I don't think they're very good at enforcing them either. So, your 'legal' options are very limited. However 802s are freely available in Europe, from ham shops, for example. Weird.
It's your choice what you do about it. Lots of people simply get the 802 and don't let themselves worry. Others would have a ham rig (typically an Icom 706) and simply use it as a maritime ssb. But it doesn't conform. Undoubtedly sailors in the rest of the world must think we've all gone barmy.
 
the icom 710 had an odd approach to the channel issue. it works only with 'channels' but there are 150 user-programmable channels. for a time they sold sets with those channels locked to preset frequencies which made the sets almost useless. they later stopped doing that and went back to a sensible setup.
 
Have a look at www.barrettcommunications.com.au. It is a manufacturer down the road from here who has been in the SSB business for many years. Some years back I was involved with quality audit on the company because they had approval to manufacture an aircraft version of their SSB. I can recommend their equipment from a quality and design point of view although as pointed out the approval status for UK vessels would be doubtful although worth enquiring. Until the advent of sat phones SSB was very big in our area for vehicles base stations and portables so they are perhaps leading the world in design. anyway worth alook especially bconsidering the value of Oz dollar. regards will
 
You need to ask yourself what you want the radio for.

If its for long distance comms with other boats or weather, then a ham set is probably the best option. It can be "all banded" ie re-programmed to transmit on all bands rather than just the amateur ones, and it will be much cheaper (like £400 for a decent second hand set) but it will be a bit less robust because the pcbs wont have been laminated against damp in the same way. Hasnt mattered in my boat, but if I had a leaky old wooden boat it may well be a different story.

If you want the set as "safety" equipment , then you will want a pukka marine one with the dsc facilities. But in this case, you should first consider satellite comms - HF radio propagation is not always reliable assuming anyone is listening at the other end.

I'm a radio ham and having struggled through the 12wpm morse, I dont look kindly on pirates who havent got licenses. But that is a route lots of people have taken and provided you dont get searched by officials in port, your chances of getting caught must be near nil. Mind you, no amateur will respond if they know you are a pirate.

The radio ham exam has been spectacularly dumbed down. If you have any technical bent, you will find that it is not difficult and your local ham club will help with training. However, its not much use IMHO off the boat - the ham bands seem to be populated by ex WW2 comms people discussing their hemaroids (?) /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Birdseye makes a lot of sense - what do you want the SSB for - the only possible reason to-day is to keep in touch with other yachts and possibly to download some weather but that is availble via lots of other options...

The keeping in touch is very important - cruising folk use SSB almost like CB radio once you leave the Med - also pesonalised weather via 'Herb' and the Caribwx are excellent!

Its a bit of a tired hobby horse of mine but if that is all you want it for and it is other yachts that will help you if you are in trouble - then just order a 710 from the USA or get to Gibraltar and order one from the UK and fit it and enjoy - The rules surrounding all this are irellevent and unenforceable in realtity. For example the Yanks signed up to all the silly conventions and then just tell people to get on with it as they see SSB as a saftey issue.... Pity Ofcom is so off the ball.
 
I'm jealous even of your 12 wpm. I have a key but at my present rate of progress will be about 150 by the time I've learnt enough for it to be of any value. I don't think the <u>advanced</u> exam has been dumbed down, people still use the RAE books and the questions are more or less in common.
 
Took me two years to get to 12wpm only to find after I had taken the test that they were reducing to 5wpm a few weeks later. Wasnt impressed, and have never used the morse anyway.

The dumbed down was referring to the morse requirement. I have been told that the RAE isnt what it was but since I took mine some 45 years ago at school (and was amazed to find it still valid a year or two ago when I did the morse) I couldnt really comment. Mine was all about triodes and pentodes - transisters hadnt been invented, let alone integrated circuits and computers. In fact, they still built wooden boats!
 
Hmmmm. I'd sort of decided to do a foundation radio course - mostly cos I wanted to investigate RF circuits, secondly to do some tinkering and soldering, thirdly as a displacement activity from the uncertainties of domestic and work but I'd rather avoided the main point of the whole thing which is to contact other people and exchange information about signal strengths ( and haemorroids now I see).
I also remember the Hancock episode.
I don't have any small talk - I'm not interested even in my own haemmoroids - and not very sociable. Dear Marge, am I making a mistake?
regards...spuddy
 
Amateurs have various interests. There are piles of the hemorrhoid brigade /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, plenty of CB types, but also many who really do have an interest in the electronics and radio fundamentals which, if you read the licence, is what it's supposed to be all about! It's a matter of finding a club where there are enough experienced members with similar interests to your own and let the others get on to enjoy the hobby in the ways that interest them (hemorrhoids and all!). As has already been said, unless you have the 'full' licence (i.e. not foundation or intermediate) then you may not operate in tidal waters. The licence actually refers to *tidal* waters, not the salinity of the water - I don't know if there are any fresh water yet tidal waterways? One or two of the Broads? Thames just below Teddington? I haven't checked that detail as I have the full licence so it doesn't affect me.
 
As Lemain says there are plenty of the anal, or signal report only people but also many with wide and entertaining interests.

From time to time I am very active on amateur radio (only operate from the boat at the moment though) and what I do when getting going again is try to talk to plenty of stations and expand the conversation and see if they respond likewise - many don't and are lost for anything to say. Shortly one finds those of interest will also seek you out when they hear you.

One of the secrets is to have plenty of interests oneself otherwise you will not have much to say and a competent station so that easy contacts can be made. If you have some special interests you will soon find others with the same. Those can turn into closer friendships where one of the interests is simply updating on family and other activities just as one might on the telephone, emails or letters.

Often with Japanese (and some other) stations they have little English but are just chuffed to try that out even if only for a couple of minutes. Many Japanese have only enough English to tell you their name and the usually boring radio and antenna they have, but only wish to be friendly to the best of their ability. Frequently hear Japanese and English speaking amateurs tutoring each other in their respective languages.

Is certainly not for everyone though, and people have all sorts of reasons for getting into amateur radio, not necessarily because they want to talk to others. But generally, those who can only find anal people to talk to should generally look at their own practices to see why people of similar interests (or disinterests) are not to be found.

John
 
Re: You are absolutely correct

[ QUOTE ]
but have probably convinced any remaining doubters about the nit picky nature of some hams!

[/ QUOTE ]There are people here who say they are studying for the amateur exams and if they answered 'salt water' instead of 'tidal water' their answers would be marked as wrong. That is fact, not nit picking.
 
I've just bought a M710 and was told by that they can still get them ,but probably not for long.If'f you're interested drop me a PM.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hmmmm. I'd sort of decided to do a foundation radio course - mostly cos I wanted to investigate RF circuits, secondly to do some tinkering and soldering, thirdly as a displacement activity from the uncertainties of domestic and work but I'd rather avoided the main point of the whole thing which is to contact other people and exchange information about signal strengths ( and haemorroids now I see).
I also remember the Hancock episode.
I don't have any small talk - I'm not interested even in my own haemmoroids - and not very sociable. Dear Marge, am I making a mistake?
regards...spuddy

[/ QUOTE ]

Dont be put off by my glib and facetious answers above. There are lots of amateurs who will happily talk tech about aerials and sets etc, and some with more general interests inc sailing and motorbikes. There are those who collect call signs and reports from distant stations like train spotters, and those who will happily discuss their hemmaroids even if you dont want to talk about yours. Most will respond with great eagerness when they hear your MM (maritime mobile) call sign. Its a broad church as a politician would say, though like cruising yachting it does tend toward the middle aged..
 
You are still absolutely correct

and I should have written 'of the hobby' not 'of some hams'. I didn't mean to imply anything personal. By the way even I would accept reading posts on here has little to recommend it as a method of studying for radio exams
 
Re: You are still absolutely correct

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif David
 
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