SSB - Weatherfax Aerial placement

[scruff]

Following past threads over the last winter on SSB & weatherfax, I bought and "installed" the SSB and 12v in my shed. This is getting excellent reception in suburbia and been a fun wee project.

Sadly this is of little use and as such I will soon be installing it on the boat, where hopefully it will be of more use.

I would prefer to not make any more holes in the deck with glands. I have seen comments before that clipping the aerial to a chain stay bolt for the rigging get's good reception. The only stay with exposed nuts I could get a jubilee clip onto is the backstay. This would mean running the long wire though the engine bay....

Would doing so create "noise" in the weatherfax reception or would it be OK?

Alternatively, would clamping the aerial to a stanchion bolt work to use the guard rails as an aerial?

***note*** this is purely to receive, not transmit.

 

[Bilgediver]

It is worth trying a main mast chain plate. I would use an eye crimp on a bolt secured by another nut below the rigging nut.

One disadvantage of the back stay is running the cable aft and picking up static from the machinery.. Using Coax with the outer earthed might reduce interference but for those weak signals you want to keep all electrical noise to a minimum.

I often use a Sony ICF SW 55 for this purpose and it is surprising what it can pick up with the set mounted telescopic antenna on the radio but is great with a longer wire.

Using the hand rails could introduce noise unless you bonded the first stanchion to the wire. The sliding of the wire in the stanchions could create noise.

There are many software programs for weather fax however the one I prefer is Seatty which does weather and other marine data modes. When used on weather fax it can be set to be left running and will receive and file the received faxes by date and time received.

This is a good station guide.

https://www.weather.gov/media/marine/rfax.pdf

Lots here too.

Frank Singleton's Weather and Sailing Pages - Franks-Weather - The Weather Window

 

[GHA]

You could give it a go on the backstay and see how it behaves, might be fine. Before knowing anything about radio I used an FM broadcast antenna up the mast which worked fine from Caribbean to UK. Receive isn't so critical, just get some wire in the air and see how it goes..
And take a kitchen timer to remind you to turn the fridge back on

 

[mattonthesea]

I used one of those powered aerials. they are about 2ft long but use electrickery to pretend to be 20ft long. At first I just hooked it on to the guard rail when using it but after a while I only took it in if the weather got up. A friend put in an ear piece cable socket that cut out the speaker so I didn't have to listen to the noise - fab

 

[scruff]

Just as an update on the above, connecting the wire aerial to a bolt on a chain stay was going to be a bit of a convoluted nuisance. In the end I firmly clamped the wire aerial between two nuts on a through deck bolt from the alloy toe rail. The stantions and the guard wire are all fixed to the alloy toerail also. The ground wire has been jubilee clipped onto a keel bolt for grounding purposes.

After a few weeks use, using "SeaTTY" software I can confirm the set up is a success and can chunters away in the back ground receiving clear as day weather reports all day long on the West Coast of Scotland independently of phone / vhf reception.

Perfect success.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Bilgediver]

After a few weeks use, using "SeaTTY" software I can confirm the set up is a success and can chunters away in the back ground receiving clear as day weather reports all day long on the West Coast of Scotland independently of phone / vhf reception.

Perfect success.

Thanks for all your help.

This is more than adequate > I have heard of folk using the rigging and on oil rigs the safety wire around the Heli Deck. Seatty is a good software to have as not only it covers other useful modes but it has the auto receive and file by date and time.

Enjoy the West Coast.