SSB - should it work???

[seabright]

Hi,

I have just spent loads of money (for me anyway) on a new SSB (Icom 801) and had it professionally installed in Scotland. I am concerned that I can receive very little. The yacht is in the Clyde but still received nothing on a recent trip up tp St.Kilda. I did my certificate some time ago so I am afraid I am not that confodent in it's use. The installer assures me everything is OK and things will improve as I go south (starting an extended cruise later this summer - towards NZ all being well). A couple of questions:

1. Is there a decent book on SSB operation - actually using it that is.

2. Is the 'installer' right?

3. Is there a frequency that should receive something in the NW? The yacht will be in Whitehaven shortly. (NW England).

Sorry about my ignorance - any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jonny_H]

Hi,

I've just bought an 801 too - yet to have mine installed - there is a (reportedly) good (and free) book here:

Icom SSB Book

Can't help on receiving in the NW / Scotland (I'm in Fleetwood but as I say haven't had mine installed yet) - I would imagine it shouldn't matter to a large degree exactly where you are unless you have bad reception due to insufficient grounding?

Hope this helps?

Jonny

 

[Bob]

The possible problem is that you may not know where you should be looking for operating marine nets and skeds.

This may help - giving most marine radio nets for cruisers - frequencies, times, etc.

Cruiser's M/M Nets - Worldwide .

Hope that helps and that everything works OK.

 

[michael_w]

For receiving try BBC World service. For transmission test, try Falmouth Coastguard, I think they still keep a watch on 2182.

Two useful manuals are NP289 and NP 290, they are Yachtsman's list of radio signals from the Admiralty and available from most chart agents.

If you are using the SSB for email via Sailmail the program comes with a very useful propogation predictor.

Welcome to the world of SSB.

 

[Guest]

My first check are the time signals:

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/time.htm

Then in the day listen to the amateurs on 14MHz band

I suggest you read the manual on how to scan or step through frequencies as it is hard to find nets by entering separate frequencies.

The most used reference for cruisers is:
http://www.downwindmarine.com/xcart/public_pdfs/cruisingdownwind.pdf

Bottom of page 7 has the list of actual ship-to-ship frequencies. If the frequency is not in that list do not use it. If it is, take care. Listen first.

If you do not find anything then there is a problem. Most installation problems are Tx related and it is rare the Rx does not work. I have seen many professional installed systems that are poor. Other than Autopilots, stern seals and computers they were the next most common installation problems.

Other interesting links:
http://www.cruiser.co.za/radionet.asp
http://www.sailmail.com/ (Quite distinctive transmissions you will get used to them in every marina blasting over the SSB nets!)
http://hamradio.arc.nasa.gov/meetings/HFradioatsea.html

 

[whipper_snapper]

The marine bands themselves are very quiet in UK waters. You could listen on the amateur bands; If you tune around between 7.040 and 7.2 MHz LSB and/or 14.100 to 14.300MHz USB. You should hear lots of chatter especially during evening/early morning. If you don't, there is certainly something wrong.

Also you could try the various weather RTTY and fax stations listed here http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf. You should easily hear Northwood and Germany.

 

[PhilipH]

I was contemplating having the same professionally fitted in the Clyde area - who did yours and apart from it not working, how satisfied are you with the installation - should I be wary?

 

[DrBob]

I am just setting up a new Kenwood ts480 for the boat. It is currently in the house (testing to see if it works) with a thin piece of wire (as an excuse for an antenna) dangling out of a first floor window. As I type I can hear a couple of mid European stations between 14.185 and 14.210 working dx. If I can here this in Perthshire, you should be able to hear them in the Clyde. Just tune that area of the ham band in the evening and you will hear stations if the instalation is ok. Things will not improve as you head south unless there is a huge aurora at the moment which there isnt.

PM me and I can talk you through what to look for on the phone if you wish.

Dr Bob

 

[whipper_snapper]

On the hour and half hour voice here

Shannon Volmet
3413 kHz
5505 kHz
8957 kHz
11306 kHz
13264 kHz


Almost contunous voice here:

RAF Volmet
5450 kHz
11253 kHz

 

[Stingo]

Being in a marina will reduce the Rx signal.
You should also turn everything off eg fridge, GPS, radar and disconnect your shorepower and don't run the engine.

 

[wanderlust]

They are not hard to fit yourself. I am no radio expert but I fitted mine in Trinidad just following the Furuno installation manual and the first real test of it was crossing the Atlantic back to the UK. Lots of people had proffessionally installed units that had receeption problems as they tried to communicate with Herb for weather information on route. We had no problems at all and spoke to him every night all the way across. We even ralayed for the guys with range problems on a few occations.
The secret seems to be a good ground. We used the fridge keel cooler as it is designed to be a radio ground. We also connected the whole rig, the handrails and ran 2 inch wide copper strip throughout the bilges to connect everything together. The Furuno manual told us to do this. We used a 26ft whip antenna rather than insulated backstays as it still gives you radio transmission if you lose the mast!

 

[PhilipH]

many thanks for this - minor difference between our boats - mine's aluminium, so copper is a bit of a problem!!

 

[davidbains]

Thnx for the Volmet tip. Just been listening to wx rpts from med airfields on 5450Khz USB on my trusty Kenwood TS570 at home. Have an elderly Icom 706 on board which I hope to enable transmit on this summer. I haven't found good earthing is essential for receive only. But 12Vpower and a good aerial is! The Icom takes 1.4amps on receive!

 

[seabright]

Thanks for your help. I have now heard some voices (hopefully they came from the radio).

PhilipH - I have emailed you - please feel free to contact me if you need more info.

We are leaving next week to head south - excitement with a rather large dollop of anxiety! Oh well....here goes.

 

[steveallan]

If your gong to Whitehaven Haigs butchers do great Cumberland sausages and pork pies.

 

[Sea Devil]

If its any comfort I installed my first ssb in Gibraltar... in Shepard's I could hear almost nothing.. ditto Tangier.. Once on passage for the canaries - west indies there were 'voices' everywhere...

 

[keelbolt]

As a licensed Amateur, I have a slight suspicion that the problem might be with the earth, or ground. You say you have an aluminium hull, and if the fitter didn't want to create electrolysis problems, may have gone light on the grounding.

An HF MF LF receiver needs a really good ground plane, both to receive and to transmit efficiently. The sea will provide this, but ONLY if you get a good RF link to the sea via a direct earth (copper strip - not wire) or via a good capacitance (copper underneath antifouling, or underneath a thin gel coat.

Once you have a good earth, you will find that the radio pulls the signals in brilliantly. Without it, it will be hard both to receive and transmit.

The other issue is antenna tuning, or more accurately, matching. I assume you have an Antenna Matching Unit fitted?

If you do, then a copper strip run from the earth point on the ATU to a good ground should improve things dramatically.

KB

 

[Roberto]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi,

The installer assures me everything is OK

[/ QUOTE ]

IMHO, the only way he could assure that is by trying himself to establish at least a couple of contacts (RX/TX) as far away as possible (talking a few thousand miles), before leaving the boat, possibly trying different frequencies at different times of the day;
fwiw, ssb installation may not be simple, as one often finds different setups working with varying efficiency from boat to boat, the finish line being to be able to communicate with other stations at long distances, and the professional should adapt his setup to achieve this simple objective
/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
If you do, then a copper strip run from the earth point on the ATU to a good ground should improve things dramatically.


[/ QUOTE ]

Please do NOT do that on a Aluminium boat! All ICOM tuners I have met have a direct -ve to earth connection.

Unless the connection is back to the central common hull connection then you will pass current through the hull.

Most Aluminium hulls are completely isolated from the battery negative. There is a test system to ensure that it is isolated. Connecting the tuner to the hull would invalidate the isolation.

In the US they use a common star approach to avoid currents.

I prefer the isolated form as you can test for leakage currents.

The earth from the aerial tuner must be isolated using high voltage capacitors. There are a number of ways to achieve this.

 

[Bilgediver]

This is a good reference of ham and SSB frequencies.


list