I have been searching for just the right SSB/ham Radio to put on a boat. I want the ability to do not only marine ssb but ham freqs also. I have come up with two that I think fit the bill but was wondering what brands and models others use out there. I found the ICOM IC-M710 and the FURUNO FS1503. Both are close to the same specs. Thanks, Shane.
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not kosher to use ham radio on marine freq.
But most of the new ham radios will allow it with a simple mod. (One manufacturer builds a Ham radio with 1 jumper wire that needs to be removed in order to recieve and xmit on Marine freq. The last time I checked this was not kosher with the FCC. Don't know how Canada feels. Ham radios - for this reason - are much cheaper than the comparable SSB's that support Ham freq. SGC has radios with as much capability as the ICOM you mentioned for about 8 or 900 bucks. This is MUCH less than the SSBs. Yaseu has similar radios, as does Kenwood. ICOM is brand I dislike. Not just because they are overpriced SSB's. I did all this research last year, and then decided that what I really wanted was to be able to get the weather reports. Grundig Yacht Boy - $90 bucks. I understand that for about another 70, I can hook it up to my laptop to get weather fax, but I haven't played around with that yet. Get a copy of QST - this is the publication of the American Radio Relay League http://arrl.org/ often available at public libraries. This will have adverts for all of the current ham radios, and info on how to contact the manufacturer. Or find the Canadian equivalent. The folks in ARRL are very helpful, and will get you the info you need to be legal and will help you not go overboard on the radio you need. I am sure the Canadian organization is equally as helpful. Don't forget aside from the radio, you will need an autotuner (if the radio doesn't come with one), you will need to get the backstay cut and a section isolated - to form the antennea, you will need either an external grounding plate, a lot of copper foil, or some other way to form a better ground than your DC system now has. To be legal on the Ham bands you want - the ones that the ICOM and other radios support - you will need to pass a morse code test in order to be able to transmit. (Anyone can listen) The licensing requirements vary by country. Then if you want to be able to use the radio at home or in the car, more antenneas are needed.
But most of the new ham radios will allow it with a simple mod. (One manufacturer builds a Ham radio with 1 jumper wire that needs to be removed in order to recieve and xmit on Marine freq. The last time I checked this was not kosher with the FCC. Don't know how Canada feels. Ham radios - for this reason - are much cheaper than the comparable SSB's that support Ham freq. SGC has radios with as much capability as the ICOM you mentioned for about 8 or 900 bucks. This is MUCH less than the SSBs. Yaseu has similar radios, as does Kenwood. ICOM is brand I dislike. Not just because they are overpriced SSB's. I did all this research last year, and then decided that what I really wanted was to be able to get the weather reports. Grundig Yacht Boy - $90 bucks. I understand that for about another 70, I can hook it up to my laptop to get weather fax, but I haven't played around with that yet. Get a copy of QST - this is the publication of the American Radio Relay League http://arrl.org/ often available at public libraries. This will have adverts for all of the current ham radios, and info on how to contact the manufacturer. Or find the Canadian equivalent. The folks in ARRL are very helpful, and will get you the info you need to be legal and will help you not go overboard on the radio you need. I am sure the Canadian organization is equally as helpful. Don't forget aside from the radio, you will need an autotuner (if the radio doesn't come with one), you will need to get the backstay cut and a section isolated - to form the antennea, you will need either an external grounding plate, a lot of copper foil, or some other way to form a better ground than your DC system now has. To be legal on the Ham bands you want - the ones that the ICOM and other radios support - you will need to pass a morse code test in order to be able to transmit. (Anyone can listen) The licensing requirements vary by country. Then if you want to be able to use the radio at home or in the car, more antenneas are needed.
Shane KD7UDIIf you want 100% legal,
you will need to get a unit approved by the FCC for marine use. If you want it for emergency only on marine frequencies as well as ham use, Icom 706 (with mod) is good. The issue is mainly one of frequency stability and if you are off frequency, the FCC will send you a ticket in the mail and they are not cheap. Most modern radios are quite stable and well designed but the operator is responsible and boats are a tough environment. The ham radios require more knowledge and skill to operate properly without getting you in trouble with the feds. I would recommend an SEA marine unit for a boat. They are more expensive though. I have a 322 (or is it a 323?) and it is great. They have a website and new products that I am not familiar with so check that out. SGC has a poor reputation with those I know. When they work, they are pretty good but tend to fail and service is expensive. Icom is good and reliable but has recently had some legal judgements as I understand and may be in some trouble. I have heard some good things about Furuno but have no direct experience with them. You might check out the cruising nets and websites for more credible info from the guys who depend on them. If you just want a radio for personal (ham)email, the Icom 706 is probably your best choice with an account on one of the ham sites. Read up on ferrite beads and filters though whatever you do. Boats are notoriously noisy -electrically.
you will need to get a unit approved by the FCC for marine use. If you want it for emergency only on marine frequencies as well as ham use, Icom 706 (with mod) is good. The issue is mainly one of frequency stability and if you are off frequency, the FCC will send you a ticket in the mail and they are not cheap. Most modern radios are quite stable and well designed but the operator is responsible and boats are a tough environment. The ham radios require more knowledge and skill to operate properly without getting you in trouble with the feds. I would recommend an SEA marine unit for a boat. They are more expensive though. I have a 322 (or is it a 323?) and it is great. They have a website and new products that I am not familiar with so check that out. SGC has a poor reputation with those I know. When they work, they are pretty good but tend to fail and service is expensive. Icom is good and reliable but has recently had some legal judgements as I understand and may be in some trouble. I have heard some good things about Furuno but have no direct experience with them. You might check out the cruising nets and websites for more credible info from the guys who depend on them. If you just want a radio for personal (ham)email, the Icom 706 is probably your best choice with an account on one of the ham sites. Read up on ferrite beads and filters though whatever you do. Boats are notoriously noisy -electrically.
Ham/SSB Radios
There is SSB on marine frequencies and ham frequencies. You need an FCC license for either or both. The marine license (operator license and station license) costs money and form filling. The ham license currently requires a code test and theory/legal written test. Ham radios do not have the precise stability required of marine radios, however in practice the oscillator can be made precise in a ham radio or the marine radio can be modified for use on the ham bands. There are alternatives to a split backstay, an insulated wire from stern pulpit to top of mast, a vertical antenna, etc. Massive grounding with expensive foil etc. has been debunked. There are manual antenna tuners that are effective and inexpensive. Not all ham/marine radios will work with e-mail due to switching speed problems, but many will. To use a SSB radio for e-mail costs nothing for the use of the ham band (Winlink), but e-mail on the marine bands costs approx $200 a year (Sailmail). The equipment cost is the same. High frequency e-mail is a complex issue, try Googling Winlink and Sailmail. We use it regularly here in Mexico. Jack Swords, WA6WTH, s/v La Paloma
There is SSB on marine frequencies and ham frequencies. You need an FCC license for either or both. The marine license (operator license and station license) costs money and form filling. The ham license currently requires a code test and theory/legal written test. Ham radios do not have the precise stability required of marine radios, however in practice the oscillator can be made precise in a ham radio or the marine radio can be modified for use on the ham bands. There are alternatives to a split backstay, an insulated wire from stern pulpit to top of mast, a vertical antenna, etc. Massive grounding with expensive foil etc. has been debunked. There are manual antenna tuners that are effective and inexpensive. Not all ham/marine radios will work with e-mail due to switching speed problems, but many will. To use a SSB radio for e-mail costs nothing for the use of the ham band (Winlink), but e-mail on the marine bands costs approx $200 a year (Sailmail). The equipment cost is the same. High frequency e-mail is a complex issue, try Googling Winlink and Sailmail. We use it regularly here in Mexico. Jack Swords, WA6WTH, s/v La Paloma
Ham vs SSB
Not only are the Ham units cheaper, they also have better receivers, with adjustable filters, DSP, etc. If you center your operating frequency by listening to an SSB net, you will soon learn if you need to offset your frequency or adjust your VFO readout. With good operating practice, the Ham unit signal is indistinguishable from an SSB.
Not only are the Ham units cheaper, they also have better receivers, with adjustable filters, DSP, etc. If you center your operating frequency by listening to an SSB net, you will soon learn if you need to offset your frequency or adjust your VFO readout. With good operating practice, the Ham unit signal is indistinguishable from an SSB.
SSB
Single Sideband is an operating mode, like CW (code), AM, FM, television, radioteletype, etc. These modes are all active on the amateur (ham bands ,frequencies). The carrier and one sideband is suppressed leaving a single one to be transmitted, thereby taking up less band space. SSB and other modes are also used on marine bands. Both marine radios (not VHF) and Ham radios are capable of SSB operation. The frequency differs. FCC rules require much more stability in a marine SSB unit than a ham SSB unit to avoid out-of-band signals that could interfere with other services (Coast Guard, Emergency, etc.). Hams are supposed to take an exam that implies they can avoid that. In practice, of course, things may differ. However, in the US, an FCC monitoring station detecting drift on a transmission in the marine bands will/may cite the individual for the reasons given previously. Marine radios are typically limited to 150 watts of power, hams may use up to 1000 watts on their bands. Both have their place on a cruising boat and are well represented on the water.
Single Sideband is an operating mode, like CW (code), AM, FM, television, radioteletype, etc. These modes are all active on the amateur (ham bands ,frequencies). The carrier and one sideband is suppressed leaving a single one to be transmitted, thereby taking up less band space. SSB and other modes are also used on marine bands. Both marine radios (not VHF) and Ham radios are capable of SSB operation. The frequency differs. FCC rules require much more stability in a marine SSB unit than a ham SSB unit to avoid out-of-band signals that could interfere with other services (Coast Guard, Emergency, etc.). Hams are supposed to take an exam that implies they can avoid that. In practice, of course, things may differ. However, in the US, an FCC monitoring station detecting drift on a transmission in the marine bands will/may cite the individual for the reasons given previously. Marine radios are typically limited to 150 watts of power, hams may use up to 1000 watts on their bands. Both have their place on a cruising boat and are well represented on the water.
Anon,
There is technology which will allow the FCC or anyone else who has it to identify a particular specific individual transmitter be it a "Ham" unit or a "marine" unit. The FCC has the ability to know even if you are on frequency if you are using a ham radio. They may or may not choose to enforce the rules. Frequency accuracy and stability is only one factor to consider in this topic. I agree that ham units are usually cheaper but I do not completely agree with your other assertions. Ham receivers usually have more knobs to adjust and that can be really helpful if you know what you are doing. The operative word is knowledge about what the knobs do. For a radio which is to be used by someone with little or no training, a marine radio is less intimidating and less prone to misuse of these features and simpler overall to operate. There are marine radios which have some of these features like the SGC 2000 which has DSP as an option. And lastly, SSB is an often misused term which in the context of boating seems to have come to mean a marine - ie: FCC approved for boat use - radio. Properly, it is as Jack points out a type of modulation which makes for more efficient use of both the available bandwidth as well as the energy use for the transmitted signal.
There is technology which will allow the FCC or anyone else who has it to identify a particular specific individual transmitter be it a "Ham" unit or a "marine" unit. The FCC has the ability to know even if you are on frequency if you are using a ham radio. They may or may not choose to enforce the rules. Frequency accuracy and stability is only one factor to consider in this topic. I agree that ham units are usually cheaper but I do not completely agree with your other assertions. Ham receivers usually have more knobs to adjust and that can be really helpful if you know what you are doing. The operative word is knowledge about what the knobs do. For a radio which is to be used by someone with little or no training, a marine radio is less intimidating and less prone to misuse of these features and simpler overall to operate. There are marine radios which have some of these features like the SGC 2000 which has DSP as an option. And lastly, SSB is an often misused term which in the context of boating seems to have come to mean a marine - ie: FCC approved for boat use - radio. Properly, it is as Jack points out a type of modulation which makes for more efficient use of both the available bandwidth as well as the energy use for the transmitted signal.
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