We are intending to sail to the Sea of Cortez from Long Beach Ca. in November and are in need of some advice from those of you who are more learned in the ways of SSB marine radio technology. Our intent at this point based on cost & installation (as well as other boat priorities) is to purchase a receiver only vs installing a transceiver. I have not had any experience in using SSB and have some questions. 1. I see and hear the term “Weather Nets” quite a bit. Are these just specific frequencies or groups of frequencies that people use to transmit weather forecast information? 2. Are the frequencies for these “weather nets” readily available and if so where is the best place to find those frequencies or nets that would be useful in Baja. 3. We are currently shopping for the radio but would appreciate any feedback from those of you who have one if you have either positive or less than positive experiences with a specific brand or model. I have looked around the archives and have not found much on the first two questions so your feedback would be appreciated. If there is a book or web site that you can refer me to that would also be great. Thanks
SSB Receiver and Weather information for Baja
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Jack Swords
Sea of Cortez SSB Nets
Good luck on your sail down Baja. We have been in the Sea for 6 years leaving our boat in Marina de La Paz for 1/2 the year when we return home to CA. To start with, singleside Band is a mode of operating like AM, FM, TV etc. It is used on ham (amateur radio) frequencies and Marine frequencies. Any radio you get should receive both (2 MHz up to 30 MHz) and tune these frequencies continuously. Also it must be capable of receiving BOTH upper side band (USB) and lower side band (LSB). Hams use both, marine SSB uses USB. A receiver (listen only) is not as good as a ham tranceiver as the sensitivity is not as great and its receive capabilities are limited. Plus, you can transmit in an emergency. Many tranceivers will work (or can be made to work) on all of the aforementioned frequencies. You can get a "Marine" SSB also that will work on all frequencies. A Marine SSB license costs about $100 and you need not pass a test, just order it from the FCC and you can legally transmit with your own call letters. A ham license requires a code and theory test. If you look in your area at used radios from dealers (Ham Radio Outlet, etc.) you will find good rigs that are inexpensive. You don't need to split your backstay...attach an insulated wire from the top of the mast to the stern of your boat. The antenna is critical for reception, high and clear is the rule. The weather for the Sea is given over several ham and marine SSB nets daily. It is part of a regularly scheduled Net that includes other info and communication. These nets provide the ONLY reliable weather for the Sea. If you are interested, I will post again with a listing of the Sea of Cortez nets, their times, and the frequencies. You might look at the Club Cruceros web site (in La Paz) and the "radio" link where many are listed. Jack Swords, s/v La Paloma, La Paz, N1IY
Good luck on your sail down Baja. We have been in the Sea for 6 years leaving our boat in Marina de La Paz for 1/2 the year when we return home to CA. To start with, singleside Band is a mode of operating like AM, FM, TV etc. It is used on ham (amateur radio) frequencies and Marine frequencies. Any radio you get should receive both (2 MHz up to 30 MHz) and tune these frequencies continuously. Also it must be capable of receiving BOTH upper side band (USB) and lower side band (LSB). Hams use both, marine SSB uses USB. A receiver (listen only) is not as good as a ham tranceiver as the sensitivity is not as great and its receive capabilities are limited. Plus, you can transmit in an emergency. Many tranceivers will work (or can be made to work) on all of the aforementioned frequencies. You can get a "Marine" SSB also that will work on all frequencies. A Marine SSB license costs about $100 and you need not pass a test, just order it from the FCC and you can legally transmit with your own call letters. A ham license requires a code and theory test. If you look in your area at used radios from dealers (Ham Radio Outlet, etc.) you will find good rigs that are inexpensive. You don't need to split your backstay...attach an insulated wire from the top of the mast to the stern of your boat. The antenna is critical for reception, high and clear is the rule. The weather for the Sea is given over several ham and marine SSB nets daily. It is part of a regularly scheduled Net that includes other info and communication. These nets provide the ONLY reliable weather for the Sea. If you are interested, I will post again with a listing of the Sea of Cortez nets, their times, and the frequencies. You might look at the Club Cruceros web site (in La Paz) and the "radio" link where many are listed. Jack Swords, s/v La Paloma, La Paz, N1IY
Some specific suggestions...
Alex, it appears you've already narrowed the choices down to a) wanting to install a all-band receiver that is capable of LSB and USB reception, and b) want a bit more info on how to proceed with the Baja trip re: using the SSB. First, the receiver: you want something with the best sensitivity you can find (so shop & compare specs), with a larger, high quality speaker (since audio quality will shape you hearing what it hears), and that is robust. For many years, the best small all-band receiver available was the Sony 2010 and these can still be purchased used. It is much larger than most other models but meets all of the above criteria. (see http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/productreviews/receivers/icf2001d.html) More recently, it has been replaced by the SW77 (see http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/productreviews/receivers/icfsw77.html). You can shop for these on the web or from dedicated radio shops; a good radio vendor I'd recommend is Amateur Electronics (see http://www.aesham.com) altho' a local provider may be more suitable since a hands-on demo might be very helpful to you. The typical choices you find in the boat stores (e.g. Grundig's Yachtboy) are cleverly if cheaply built and, altho' they have the functions necessary, they simply don't hold up well and are devilishly difficult to repair. (I speak from experience). Some beefier and more robust choice, if larger in form factor, is a better choice...and you'll pick up Armed Forces radio and other programs that will keep you in touch with back home, something you'll appreciate after being gone for a while. All these receivers come with whip antennas but without a doubt the best single way to improve the radio's performance is to install an external antenna. You can run a simple/inexpensive piece of insulated wire (very thin vinyl covered stainless wire is a good choice and won't go away like copper) to your masthead, attaching it at the masthead with non-conductive line and bringing the line down to the boat's quarter, where it can be tensioned & passed thru a small stuffing gland below deck, to where you would run the external antenna lead from the radio. These small receivers rarely work well on boats (especially with your DC pump or fridge running) and this antenna is a way to overcome some of their limititations. Altho' this isn't what you have in mind, I'd encourage you to consider another alternative: a simple, 'real' amateur radio transceiver. The antenna installation will be a bit more complicated (tho' not very expensive) and the unit will need to be permanently mounted & powered. However, it will be no larger than the radios I mentioned above, it will be a more capable receiver, it will not cost you much more $$, and it will lead you along an upgrade path if you would like long-distance communications in the future. You do not need an amateur license to listen to any frequency on this kind of radio (something like an Icom 120) and performance will be far better. Perhaps something to think about and discuss with one of the AES folks via their 800#s. Re: nets, there are a bazillion different places where they live on the Net. Given your cruising plans, I'd suggest you start with Downwind Marine in San Diego, a store you will become intimately familiar with before crossing the border. (see http://www.downwindmarine.com/) Downwind operates it's own net, as I recall, and I believe you'll find links to net lists relevant to your intended cruising grounds. Good luck and enjoy your time down South. Jack
Alex, it appears you've already narrowed the choices down to a) wanting to install a all-band receiver that is capable of LSB and USB reception, and b) want a bit more info on how to proceed with the Baja trip re: using the SSB. First, the receiver: you want something with the best sensitivity you can find (so shop & compare specs), with a larger, high quality speaker (since audio quality will shape you hearing what it hears), and that is robust. For many years, the best small all-band receiver available was the Sony 2010 and these can still be purchased used. It is much larger than most other models but meets all of the above criteria. (see http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/productreviews/receivers/icf2001d.html) More recently, it has been replaced by the SW77 (see http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/productreviews/receivers/icfsw77.html). You can shop for these on the web or from dedicated radio shops; a good radio vendor I'd recommend is Amateur Electronics (see http://www.aesham.com) altho' a local provider may be more suitable since a hands-on demo might be very helpful to you. The typical choices you find in the boat stores (e.g. Grundig's Yachtboy) are cleverly if cheaply built and, altho' they have the functions necessary, they simply don't hold up well and are devilishly difficult to repair. (I speak from experience). Some beefier and more robust choice, if larger in form factor, is a better choice...and you'll pick up Armed Forces radio and other programs that will keep you in touch with back home, something you'll appreciate after being gone for a while. All these receivers come with whip antennas but without a doubt the best single way to improve the radio's performance is to install an external antenna. You can run a simple/inexpensive piece of insulated wire (very thin vinyl covered stainless wire is a good choice and won't go away like copper) to your masthead, attaching it at the masthead with non-conductive line and bringing the line down to the boat's quarter, where it can be tensioned & passed thru a small stuffing gland below deck, to where you would run the external antenna lead from the radio. These small receivers rarely work well on boats (especially with your DC pump or fridge running) and this antenna is a way to overcome some of their limititations. Altho' this isn't what you have in mind, I'd encourage you to consider another alternative: a simple, 'real' amateur radio transceiver. The antenna installation will be a bit more complicated (tho' not very expensive) and the unit will need to be permanently mounted & powered. However, it will be no larger than the radios I mentioned above, it will be a more capable receiver, it will not cost you much more $$, and it will lead you along an upgrade path if you would like long-distance communications in the future. You do not need an amateur license to listen to any frequency on this kind of radio (something like an Icom 120) and performance will be far better. Perhaps something to think about and discuss with one of the AES folks via their 800#s. Re: nets, there are a bazillion different places where they live on the Net. Given your cruising plans, I'd suggest you start with Downwind Marine in San Diego, a store you will become intimately familiar with before crossing the border. (see http://www.downwindmarine.com/) Downwind operates it's own net, as I recall, and I believe you'll find links to net lists relevant to your intended cruising grounds. Good luck and enjoy your time down South. Jack
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Gary Wyngarden
Baja Weather Net
Hi Alex, We chartered out of La Paz last winter. The only weather forecast we could get and/or understand given our limited Spanish was off a SSB Net. We borrowed an inexpensive receiver from friends who are cruising down there. The weather forecasters name is Don Anderson and we is located in Oxnard. But he was quite accurate in his forecasts for the Baja and provided farecasts for the West Coast all the way down to Panama. He would also answer specific questions posed to him (though we only had a receiver so we couldn't ask). Sail magazine has an article in the May issue on SSB. They list Don Anderson's broadcasts as at 0000 hours Zulu time at 16534 kHz and at 2345 Zulu at 12,539 kHz. I also posted a brief article on cruising out of LaPaz called "Where Desert Meets Ocean" which should be in the archives if you're interested. Hope this helps and have a good time on your visit. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust H37.5
Hi Alex, We chartered out of La Paz last winter. The only weather forecast we could get and/or understand given our limited Spanish was off a SSB Net. We borrowed an inexpensive receiver from friends who are cruising down there. The weather forecasters name is Don Anderson and we is located in Oxnard. But he was quite accurate in his forecasts for the Baja and provided farecasts for the West Coast all the way down to Panama. He would also answer specific questions posed to him (though we only had a receiver so we couldn't ask). Sail magazine has an article in the May issue on SSB. They list Don Anderson's broadcasts as at 0000 hours Zulu time at 16534 kHz and at 2345 Zulu at 12,539 kHz. I also posted a brief article on cruising out of LaPaz called "Where Desert Meets Ocean" which should be in the archives if you're interested. Hope this helps and have a good time on your visit. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust H37.5
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