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emnick

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I bought an Icom 802 with an ATU and a Dynaplate. I have not installed any of the radio equipment yet. I have since bought a sat phone (iridium 9505a).
I intend to sail further afield next year. Perhaps (if brave enough) an atlantic circuit.

I really do not want to start installing generators and I guess power will be via solar, a towed /wind generator and smart alternator controller (Adverc).

Question is, do I really need the SSB now as I have comms & email via sat phone. I am guessing that the SSB is power hungry (10A + on transmit??) I have a SSB receiver which I took out when I bought the Icom stuff.

Shouldkeep the SSB or sell it on?

Thanks for any advice
 
We have an Icom 802 and wouldn't be without it. We use Sailmail through a Pactor modem (which you obviously won't use as you have a satphone).
Almost all the cruising boats we know with a satphone also have SSB. When we are on passage we have daily nets with anywhere from 3 to 40 boats calling in to chat and report positions etc. You can't do this with a satphone. Also, the SSB nets are free. A typical net lasts about 30 mins, of which 28 are in receive mode (drawing only an amp or so) and 2 are in transmit (drawing about 15 amps). The power is really not an issue, we find we have to run the engine for an hour a day anyway to keep up with the fridge and autopilot, so the extra power usage is negligable (plus you would need to charge your satphone anyway).
The people we know with just a satphone tend to email a daily position report to friends when underway - but this just isn't the same as being able to chat to people. We find out lots of useful info through the local SSB nets too - in Panama we heard about the yacht club being demolished through the SSB when we were still in the San Blas for instance.
If you already have the radio, ground, tuner etc then I would definately install it. We wouldn't leave on a long trip without one.
That said - it depends on your cruising grounds - I believe in the Med they aren't really used, but on an Atlantic circuit you will use it everyday (in the Caribbean there are daily nets so people at different islands can keep in touch and arrange to meet up etc).
Hope this helps
Jonny
 
SSB

Thanks for the intersting reply, until I read it I had made my mind up to sell it! I guess I could install it and do the exam etc.
Thanks again
 
Funny but we found the opposite to that first respondant.
We also installed (at great expense) the ICOM 802 with Pactor modem etc and frustrated me no end. Some times it took as long as 3 hours to get emails and weather files in and out when mid Ocean, and recall it sucked up loads of power doing so.
In reality we hardly ever (maybe 4 times in a seaon) used the SSB for regular comms or nets - so if anyone had offered to buy mine I would have sold it like a shot!
Cheers
JOHN
 
If you want to sell it I'd be interested! I want to fit an 802 for exactly the same reasons as Jonny_H.
 
Interesting to hear you didn't get on with the 802/Pactor set-up. I would say that 90% of the cruisers we have met in the Atlantic / Pacific use Sailmail/Winlink via a Pactor modem for their emails and I no-one seems to have any trouble. We managed to get out everysingle day to do emails and weather files. It was a little slower mid atlantic, but we were surrounded by thunderstorms for a few days which is probably why. You do need to pick the time of day carefully - both for propogation and traffic (waiting for an 'off-peak' time is much better). We use less than 10 mins a day and get loads of emails etc.
I suppose it really depends on the type of sailing you are doing - if you are just doing the Atlantic and then cruising in the caribbean (for example) then you would find internet cafes at either side of the pond and probably a sat-phone rental for mid-pond the cheapest option. However I still maintain that daily contact with a 'net' of people is a great safety net - you learn about the weather just ahead of you, have a team of 'experts' to help solve boaty problems, and a good general chit chat - brilliant!
 
Hi emnick,

I was in an identical situation myself until only recently. I understand the logic and uses of an SSB (see Johnny's post, above), but for me I just lost the inclination to learn how to use the thing! The money I made from the sale of the equipment is going towards satphone credit. I'm not suggesting you do the same but I'll let you know when I get to India whether I missed having an SSB.
 
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An SSB is pointless in the UK/Med. However it is the lifeblood of cruising in the Atlantic, Caribbean and beyond. Weather nets, safety nets, contact with other boats. We reckon it's the second most important bit of kit on the boat after a Hydrovane.
 
An SSB is pointless in the UK/Med. - Well as pointless or useful as a sat phone I would argue. We used our Icom M710/Pactor 3 combo to get grib files, text forecasts, position report and email family/friends on a daily basis - all for free. Now plan to use it for same purpose on Atlantic/Carib plus the nets that Johnny mentioned. Bought the radio second hand and modem new. Whole set up including cables, ground plate etc.. cost less than £2k. Great piece of kit and Sailmail is dead easy to use. You can also use sailmail for compression when you use your mobile or satphone for email.
 
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