SSB Radio

[demonboy]

Hi all,

My partner and I will be moving to Turkey to live-aboard and I wanted to ask ppls opinions on SSB radio. My feeling is that we should purchase this bit of kit, especially the latest ICOM as it comes as email-ready.

Do any of you have SSB (specifically transceivers) and do you use them? Have they proved useful?

Thanks

 

[Sea Devil]

I have owned 3 Icom SSB's and they are an excellent bit of kit and very user friendly....
If you are planning to sail in the Med then really you do not need them at all. Despite their email access set up (you would still need a modem for around UKP500) they can do nothing that is not easier, cheaper and more usefully achieved by other means.

Once you cross the pond they come into their own and become invaluable. Most inter yacht communications over there is by SSB - Safety and security nets - weather forecasts by SSB - email by SSB but this side really not worth bothering with. Hardly any nets and those that exist are pretty dull.

 

[demonboy]

Thanks for your comments, bam. Although we will start off in Turkey we would look to travel across the pond eventually.

So even though it says "email ready", I still have to purchase a modem?

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[demonboy]

Hehehe...I just came across that book a moment ago myself. Thanks for the link to the previous thread.

 

[Sea Devil]

Book looks OK but expensive - for email you just join sailmail and they have total explanations and idiots guide FOC. When you buy a Pactor 3 modem with premade cables (important as the soldering on the connectors is challanging!) you just plug it in via the laptop and the 802 will tune and select fequencies for you - useful and time saving but by no means essential - have a look at sailmail web site..

 

[charles_reed]

SSB e-mailing

Apart from the need for the Pactor III modem (£500 seems awfully expensive) you'll have to be subscribed to either 1 of the 2 commercial operations (both US) or to Sailmail. The latter is the cheapest at about $400 pa, but you are severely limited to the amount you can send (it amounts to about 14mins/week, how much depends on your modem speed at 9600 that amounts to about 1.2Mb).
There are a number of quite amusing nets world-wide and in the Med, but you're likely to incur partner-disapproval if you start contributing to them.

All-in-all, I'd agree with the post about it being and easily forgone luxury - far better to spend a similar amount of money on a watermaker.

PS Yea I have an Icom 810C.

 

[DaveNTL]

Re: SSB e-mailing

lets hear more about the partner-disaproving type nets though? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Sea Devil]

Re: SSB e-mailing

Yes please tell about the nets??? I never found them in the Med.

In fact I think saimail is $250 a year. You get quite enough time to send ard receive several emails a day plus weather files. and I found it very good value everywhere in the world except Europe. It works fine in the Med but there are easier ways...
As for a watermaker I think thats another non essential - there is no where in the world you cannot get water - have to jug it sometimes...

 

[hamish]

Hi,

I was looking at SSB for Med trip but then found that buy SSB then Modem (my prices from this forum were £800. Ouch.

Got my Mobile phone set up for GPRS and got mobile company to give me world roaming rights. UK is £2.35 /meg download while Spain would be £10.35. You only pay for what you download, so set up web link in uk on normal internet and then "refresh" screen aoard and only pay for "extra bits" not length on time you are no line.

On top of this you pay Mobile phone access for Uk and extra for european access, changes with each country.

Biggest problem getting it to work is the USB port on computer and the software. When it works, so far only tested in UK, speed is good. I can then internet across to my current ISP and view my mail. My computer does not like the software either, still working on this.

I would also like links to Med SSB nets please, can always listern in via World Band Radio

regards

Hamish

 

[Vonasi]

We are heading off to the Med (very slowly) at the end of April. We considered all the communication options - SSB - mobile phone - phone plus laptop, and decided that the best bet is a mobile phone for people to text you on in an emergency and visits once a month or more to an internet cafe or similar - or use a public pay phone. By far the cheapest options - and who wants to be spending all day communicating with what you've left behind anyway?
We do have a SSB receiver (Nasa) which I can link to our (used) laptop to pick up weatherfax - tried it for the first time over the last two nights - very impressed with results - especially as in marina surrounded by masts. This is the only reason I can see to have SSB on board in the Med.
I think any partner gets a bit fed up if you sit at the chart table for to long fiddling with your knobs!

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
I think any partner gets a bit fed up if you sit at the chart table for to long fiddling with your knobs!

[/ QUOTE ]Not if you do it together /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[charles_reed]

Water

As you go farther afield you will have your eyes opened.

We're very well provided for with water in N Europe, plentiful, clean and cheap.

Get to the Med and you'll find those are all changing adversely - get to the 3rd world and water is not clean, hard to get and frequently expensive.

Nearly all the Mediterranean island start rationing water in the summer months.

 

[hamish]

Hi,

I would agree with this method. My conclusion as well. If I was going further afield might again look at dedicated SSB with ability to transmitt.

good luck with passage

Hamish

 

[hamish]

Hi Demonboy, Had a look at web site, are you Jamie?

Could you have a look at your video links would not run even with Windows media pops up. The computer just shows javascript;; yes, that is two semi colons.

Are you going to update site with new cruise?

Hamish

 

[Thomasina]

Hi
I was looking at using the GPRS route to comms in the Med, by fitting one of the GPRS cards to my laptop. Saw this in Computer Active mag, which would bring the price down.
ONSPEED £24.99 a year. Dial up - 5 x faster. Broadband - 3 x faster. and GPRS - 8 x faster. Computor Active reconed it worked very well. It uses unique compression tecniques developed by the US military for battle field comms.
Get it at www.onspeed.com it is only a 1Mb download.
At £24.99 I will give it a do myself.
Regards.
Norman

 

[DrCot]

Hi,
re GPRS costs, I use laptop card from vodaphone Spain, charges 1 euro a Mb of download, cost of card 200 euros. You would need only the GPRS sim, which inserts into Vodaphone pcmia card, permanent connection to internet with small charge, ie; when laptop pings the connection, 3Kb approx every 20 mins approx.
cheaper connection via wifi but only accessable in sight of terminal in port, approx. 15 euros a month 247 connection within that ports network, or alternative pay by hour.
hope some usefull,
Dave

 

[Sea Devil]

Dave hi,
Just explain a little more please - if I am on the move in europe what do I need to download email?
A PCMIA card from my mobile telephone provider?
And a sim card to go in that? is that it - what are the costs/charges?
thanks
Michael

 

[Paragon]

Hi Michael

If you have SSB or can get it why not look at SailMail? Initial cost is the cost of the equipment and a suitable modem. The software/connection costs $250 per annum and then the rest of it is basically free.

You are limited to text emails and they apparently frown upon business usage to any great extent but there is no Mb limit as such and you can even send small attachments. The big advantage is that it will work wherever you are, Med, Atlantic, Pacific et al.

Anyway, that's my twopennyworth!

Regards

John

 

[Sea Devil]

John hi,

I no longer have an SSB it went with Bambola when I sold her recently - my new boat does not have one fitted and in the Med they really are not useful - so for the coming season I am going down the PCIA card and mobile phone route - just having problems keeping up with developments..

regards

Michael