Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 06-09-2016, 01:39 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
City: Perth
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 374
Purely for Aussies - WANTED HF RADIO

Purely for the resident Aussies,
I need an HF radio.
Have the chance to do some of the West Kimberley this July / August. Reckon I might trailer Nimiane to Derby and go check out the Buccaneer Archipelago / Horizontal falls / Montgomery Reef and as far as Prince Regent River.
Need an H.F. radio to keep in contact and weather etc. and boy are they expensive !!! Anyone have one for sale or know anyone ???
bogranjac1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 01:55 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Jetstream's Avatar
 
City: Tasmania
Vessel Model: Old Town Loon
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 218
HF's are wonderful things but as you say very expensive. I have flown over all that country you are heading to and it is fairly remote. Have you thought of renting a satellite phone for the period you are up there?

Brett
Jetstream is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 10:08 AM   #3
Guru
 
Aquabelle's Avatar
 
City: East Coast, Australia
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 935
#2 vote for a sat phone....HF is expensive & yesterday's technology.
Aquabelle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2016, 11:17 AM   #4
Guru
 
Bob Cofer's Avatar
 
City: Bayview
Vessel Name: Puffin
Vessel Model: Willard Vega 30
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,443
My neighbor is selling an ICOM-IC-M700 SSB and ICOM Tuner for $400.00 US. I could get it and ship it to you if you like.

Bob
__________________
What kind of boat is that?
Bob Cofer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2016, 04:23 PM   #5
Veteran Member
 
Yobbo's Avatar
 
City: Brisbane (boats on the Gold Coast)
Vessel Name: Hassall Free
Vessel Model: Riviera 35 Aft Cabin
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 56
being a ham radio operator (VK4NFL) I like HF radio, but as others have suggested, sat phone would be a lot easier, have you thought about hiring one? there are plenty of companies that hire them.

Yobbo
Yobbo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2016, 07:00 PM   #6
Guru
 
Tidahapah's Avatar
 
City: Mooloolaba
Vessel Name: Flora
Vessel Model: Timber southern cray boat
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,859
Mate,hiring a Sat phone would be the way to go for you. Especially as it is short term and there is no resale on HF's anymore. ( buy cheap and sell even cheaper)
I have both and use the HF for weather on the automatic channels but when I really want some info I call home or a mate on the sat phone.
I also think the HF would take up to much space on your boat , especially for the amount of use it would get.
__________________
"When I die I hope my wife doesn't sell my toys for what I told her I paid for them"
Money: It's made round to go round , not flat to stack.
"Get out and do it"
Tidahapah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2016, 07:08 PM   #7
Guru
 
BruceK's Avatar
 
City: Sydney
Vessel Name: Sojourn
Vessel Model: Integrity 386
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 13,293
My boat came with an HF radio and aerial of skyscraper height, I think they were standard to 80s IGs. I fitted VHFs up and down, never bothered with the HF, but would not remove it either, except for the massive aerial. Sat phone sounds a good idea, especially when I see letters in Afloat about limited Marine Rescue HF coverage.
__________________
BruceK
2005 Integrity 386 "Sojourn"
Sydney Australia
BruceK is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2016, 07:16 PM   #8
Guru
 
psneeld's Avatar
 
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,119
Marine HF is expensive....have heard that HAM radios can do the same freqs/job for a fraction of the price...plus how you rig it can alter the bottom line too.
psneeld is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2016, 08:11 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
stornoway7's Avatar
 
City: Hobart
Vessel Name: Theresa
Vessel Model: Cheoy Lee 66 LRMY
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 118
HF still has it's place,however VHF has pretty good coverage especially on the East Coast.
Sat phone are great,again with the proviso that you can't receive general radio traffic,sat phones are good when ET wants to phone home and an outright emergency,but of you want to chat try ham radio.Like all phones you need the number of who you want to contact.
We still use HF,a lot of the time just for listening rather than communicating.
You should be able to pick up a set with RFD (Royal Flying Doctor) stuff all set up for a 4wd on Ebay,not marine but will get the message out if required.
If it just emergency and reporting home though I would go the sat phone.
If you go the Ham route I thought I'd give you a picture of a nice compact set up for you.
Also a picture of a typical Ham operator,the young lady,I heard is quite keen on a trip to WA as well.She will teach you whatever you heart desires to know about Ham radio.
Attached Thumbnails
ARSS_001.JPG  
Attached Images
 
stornoway7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2016, 11:04 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
City: Perth
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 374
Thx guys,
for all inputs, especially stornaway7, that's just what I wondered about the units out of 4wd's. There's a few here in perth 4 sale, and yes I would get to see it operating and have help installing and mayb even a quick lesson in operation.
My main objective is to get the weather report out of Wiluna every day. Not big on the boat to boat chatter - LoL got a woman with me for that !!!

Just cannot risk getting caught in King Sound or any open ocean however short a trip up there if a high pressure comes through like this week for example. As you guys know the southerly/sou.easter up there is gale force for days matched with a massive tide.
regards
bogranjac1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 12:27 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Brisyboy's Avatar
 
City: Brisbane
Vessel Name: Malagari
Vessel Model: Island Gypsy 36 Europa
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 422
Quote:
Originally Posted by BruceK View Post
My boat came with an HF radio and aerial of skyscraper height, I think they were standard to 80s IGs. I fitted VHFs up and down, never bothered with the HF, but would not remove it either, except for the massive aerial. Sat phone sounds a good idea, especially when I see letters in Afloat about limited Marine Rescue HF coverage.
Ditto for Malagari - a giant Wagner radio and aerial tuner above the downstairs helm station - about as useful as ................. well you can work it out. Its still there only because I don`t want to have to fill the holes. Still has the huge aerial - I`m thinking of cutting off the top 2 metres just to make it about the same size as the VHF
__________________
George
Brisbane
IG 36 Europa
Brisyboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 01:43 AM   #12
Guru
 
Tidahapah's Avatar
 
City: Mooloolaba
Vessel Name: Flora
Vessel Model: Timber southern cray boat
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,859
Don't forget that with the ham radio you will be required to get either a foundation radio lic or an upgraded Standard radio lic. Our marine radio lic apparently doesn't cut the mustard for the ham guys.
__________________
"When I die I hope my wife doesn't sell my toys for what I told her I paid for them"
Money: It's made round to go round , not flat to stack.
"Get out and do it"
Tidahapah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 01:54 AM   #13
Guru
 
BruceK's Avatar
 
City: Sydney
Vessel Name: Sojourn
Vessel Model: Integrity 386
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 13,293
Don`t we need a licence even for VHF? Does anyone get one? The original owner`s radio qualification certificate is with papers I got with my boat.
Our SSB is a Wagner too, same reason to leave it in place. I did remove the aerial, we`d never have fitted under the Spit Bridge to access Middle Harbour with it in place,save waiting for bridge openings for sailboat/yachts.
Hope the OP finds a suitable unit at a good price, it will be handy to have.
__________________
BruceK
2005 Integrity 386 "Sojourn"
Sydney Australia
BruceK is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 03:27 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
stornoway7's Avatar
 
City: Hobart
Vessel Name: Theresa
Vessel Model: Cheoy Lee 66 LRMY
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 118
Only 27 Mhz doesn't need a licence.
Almost all boat users should have their MROCP (Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency.)I thinks it has been replace by the LROCP (Long Range Operators Cert of Proficiency)
From memory when you do the course it's very easy to do the HF component at the same time.Not sure what the age limit is,my daughter got hers when she was 17 so it must be 16.
stornoway7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 03:50 AM   #15
TF Site Team
 
City: Ex-Brisbane, (Australia), now Bribie Island, Qld
Vessel Name: Now boatless - sold 6/2018
Vessel Model: Had a Clipper (CHB) 34
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,100
Quote:
Originally Posted by bogranjac1 View Post
Thx guys,
for all inputs, especially stornaway7, that's just what I wondered about the units out of 4wd's. There's a few here in perth 4 sale, and yes I would get to see it operating and have help installing and mayb even a quick lesson in operation.
My main objective is to get the weather report out of Wiluna every day. Not big on the boat to boat chatter - LoL got a woman with me for that !!!

Just cannot risk getting caught in King Sound or any open ocean however short a trip up there if a high pressure comes through like this week for example. As you guys know the southerly/sou.easter up there is gale force for days matched with a massive tide.
regards
I think for HF you are also meant to have a special licence and pass a proficiency course and test. I suspect that is still the case. Probably not worth the fuss. The sat phone would be better. I think you can get the local weather through a GPS. Navionics, on my iPad has the weather, tides, etc option.

PS. Sorry, I missed the fact others had already mentioned the licence thing. My wife and I did our VHF one years ago in NZ and it was accepted here, which made a change, Almost nothing else is.
__________________
Pete
Peter B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 06:18 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
City: Perth
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 374
[QUOTE=Peter B;450824]

The sat phone would be better. I think you can get the local weather through a GPS. Navionics, on my iPad has the weather, tides, etc option.

peter. please elaborate this statement, I want to know how an ipad or comp can give the the daily weather reports ( from where) when i'm at the 'back of Burke'
bogranjac1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2016, 06:44 AM   #17
TF Site Team
 
Larry M's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,670
You could get just a HF radio receiver. You can't broadcast but you can listen.
Larry M is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 01:21 PM   #18
Veteran Member
 
Yobbo's Avatar
 
City: Brisbane (boats on the Gold Coast)
Vessel Name: Hassall Free
Vessel Model: Riviera 35 Aft Cabin
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 56
look for a HF weather fax App for your ipad, you will still need a HF receiver to receive a HF data signal Nasa Marine Target HF3 W SSB Receiver | eBay and your ipad app will decode the fax images, VMC & VMW Radio Fax Schedule
Yobbo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 05:07 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Brisyboy's Avatar
 
City: Brisbane
Vessel Name: Malagari
Vessel Model: Island Gypsy 36 Europa
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 422
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yobbo View Post
look for a HF weather fax App for your ipad, you will still need a HF receiver to receive a HF data signal Nasa Marine Target HF3 W SSB Receiver | eBay and your ipad app will decode the fax images, VMC & VMW Radio Fax Schedule
Am I missing something (or displaying what a luddite I am) but is there likely to be any reliable mobile/data coverage where the trip is planned
__________________
George
Brisbane
IG 36 Europa
Brisyboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2016, 05:49 PM   #20
Guru
 
City: Sydney
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,646
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brisyboy View Post
Am I missing something (or displaying what a luddite I am) but is there likely to be any reliable mobile/data coverage where the trip is planned


No you're not missing anything .

If traveling alone and venturing onshore in such a remote area wouldn't a sat phone be number 1 priority and a fixed radio on board for weather be a back up ?
gaston is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:01 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012