SSB trans

[Al.]

Hi.

Can anyone recommend a SSB Transceiver, please not a £1000 unit, but something nice and simple that I can also use for receiving HF Weather Fax.

I will be the first one to abmit I don't have a clue to SSB, but it would be nice to say hello to people, or atlest listen to others chatting.

Thanks

 

[tri39]

Hi.

Can anyone recommend a SSB Transceiver, please not a £1000 unit, but something nice and simple that I can also use for receiving HF Weather Fax.

Well I suppose the NASA target receiver would get you started on weather fax and listening.
Then you could decide whether you want to go further and qualify as Marine SSB operator or Ham.
Lots to read about!!

 

[prv]

People usually recommend the Degen radio for listening in on a budget: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4288

If you want to transmit you're into serious money, for the installation (aerial, counterpoise, etc) as well as the radio itself.

Don't forget that you will need to do a course to get a license to transmit. There are two kinds of HF radio - marine SSB and Ham/Amateur, and they officially don't overlap in any way. Many people do get their radios (not entirely legally) modified so they can do both with a single piece of kit, but the licenses remain completely separate.

If you don't have an Amateur license you will not be able to talk on Ham nets - unless it's an emergency they will not talk to you, I've listened in and heard them do it when an unlicensed operator popped up. You can't just make up a callsign because someone on the net will probably look it up online to see who this new person is. The UK Ham license system involves three stages, and unfortunately they only allow people with the highest license to transmit from a boat, so you're in for a bit of studying although it's by no means impossible. Shouldn't be too expensive as it's meant to be a hobby.

For marine SSB you do something a bit like the VHF course we all know and love, only significantly more advanced and over three or four days I think. It's also more expensive, both because of the length and because of significantly lower demand. I guess you could possibly get away with not doing this if you didn't mind breaking the rules, but having read the manual for Icom's SSB units I think I'd want to do the course just to find out how to work the damn things! It's not like flipping on the VHF.

(I've not done any of this stuff myself, but have done a fair bit of reading-up as the idea fascinates me )

Pete

 

[Al.]

Hi Pete.

I was thinking about the marine SSB licence, the ham side does not interest me, other than listening, Yep, don't we love the VHF course.

there's a Kenwood TS-480SAT with 1.8 kHz SSB filter fitted on ebay, and have emailed the seller asking if it will do SSB Marine.

I hope know one else wants it now.

 

[funk-an-bord.de]

Kenwood TS-480SAT is only for transmitting on HAM bands. You need a HAM license when transmitting.
It will receive weatherfax reception.
And you will have a lot of fun with all the buttons and functions, a long learning curve.
Wilhelm

 

[Al.]

Kenwood TS-480SAT is only for transmitting on HAM bands. You need a HAM license when transmitting.
It will receive weatherfax reception.
And you will have a lot of fun with all the buttons and functions, a long learning curve.
Wilhelm

Would it work on marines SSB ? to listen, or would I have to get it converted.


Thanks

 

[tri39]

You could listen to the marine SSB nets, and many of them are on Marine SSB rather than Ham frequencies.
The TS 480SAT has it's own internal tuner, leaving you just to organise an aerial for listening.
For transmitting you'd need a better aerial plus ground plane, plus a mod to radio for transmit on marine SSB.
You have a lot to learn! Where are you planning to sail? Find you local ham radio club, courses are often free.

 

[Bilgediver]

Hi Pete.

I was thinking about the marine SSB licence, the ham side does not interest me, other than listening, Yep, don't we love the VHF course.

there's a Kenwood TS-480SAT with 1.8 kHz SSB filter fitted on ebay, and have emailed the seller asking if it will do SSB Marine.

I hope know one else wants it now.

The Kenwood 480 radios are ideal for a boat as the control head can be mounted separately from the main power box. It handles Fax and all the data modes and is very easily modified for all frequencies "MARS modification" which will allow it to be used for Pactor on both the Marine and HAm bands. WHy not go the whole hog and get at least the marine SSB licence which is not too difficult and then follow up with a full Ham licence. Meanwhile you will be equipped for weather fax etc.

 

[GHA]

Google "online sdr" and you should be able to have a listen from various places around the world. Marine ssb seems pretty dead in Europe, ham is much busier. There's an app for android as well, Glsdr .

 

[KellysEye]

The Icom M802 is popular http://www.icomuk.co.uk/HF-SSB_Marine_Radio Bear in mind it's not just the cost of the insulated aerial on the backstay you also need an Automatic Tuning unit. SSB is used by long distance sailors and there is no point in having one if only sailing in the UK or Med.

 

[tcm]

Hi.

Can anyone recommend a SSB Transceiver, please not a £1000 unit, but something nice and simple that I can also use for receiving HF Weather Fax.

I will be the first one to abmit I don't have a clue to SSB, but it would be nice to say hello to people, or atlest listen to others chatting.

Thanks

Hum, I'd save yer money - HF is dying, and $1000 won't get you fixed up with all the kit and antenna.

 

[Al.]

Thanks to everyone answering here.

What Ariel would I be looking for, to fit my ablin vega.

Thanks

 

[GHA]

Hum, I'd save yer money - HF is dying, and $1000 won't get you fixed up with all the kit and antenna.

For that money you need to go the ham route. Which is definitely alive and very well.

 

[oldvarnish]

$1000 won't get you fixed up with all the kit and antenna.

Mmmm. I got the lot, including ICOM radio and ATU second hand for £500. They seem to come up quite often.

 

[prv]

What Ariel would I be looking for, to fit my ablin vega.

HF aerials are long. The classic arrangement on a yacht is to cut the backstay near the top and the bottom, and re-join it with special insulated couplings. The middle portion, insulated from everything else, is then used as the aerial.

There is an alternative system where you thread a wire up the inside of a braided rope, and hoist the rope up the mast on a halyard when you want to use the radio.

The handful of motorboats that use HF tend to use very tall "whip" aerials, but I don't think these would be particularly good on a sailing boat.

Pete

 

[Toutvabien]

So did I but fitting the ground plate and sorting out the ground plate, the ATU install and dedicated power supply and insulating the backstay to act as an ariel was at least another £500. I use an ICOM 706 that has been opened up to use both SSB and Ham bands, think the set bwas about £350.

Mmmm. I got the lot, including ICOM radio and ATU second hand for £500. They seem to come up quite often.

 

[tawhiri]

A second hand radio and tuner can be aquired for around 500 quid. I have a permenetly rigged topping lift with wire threaded into the core as antenna.
A whip will work well for frequencies over 8MHz. The most inportant part is the grounding.

 

[Mrnotming]

Do you buy the halyard with the wire embedded or is it some kind of trick to DIY?

 

[sailaboutvic]

This could be part of the solution. "
KISS-SSB Counterpoise HF Radio Grounding System "

 

[prv]

I have a permenetly rigged topping lift with wire threaded into the core as antenna.

That's interesting. How does the feed from the ATU reach the topping lift?

Pete