Ham radio equipment

wyoboater said:

And that if for an "A" AIS? ie: one the both transmits and receives and goes to foreign countries such as the Bahamas?

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Yes. A General License is not required.

Ok, thanks

Most people we cruise with do not have Ham licenses and there are more SSB than Ham nets out there. You can always listen in on the Ham frequencies, you just can't broadcast on them.


I wouldn't worry about getting a Ham license till you figure out if you're going to use it. From a maritime standpoint, SSBs seem more than adequate .

I really have no interest in the Ham thing...although, I may listen now and then. But in muddling thru the complex FCC website, I thought I read where you need a license to transmit to any foreign shore station even on SSB...and the website listed the Bahamas as foreign.

Larry M said:

We use our SSB/Ham radio daily. We added a Pactor modem so we can get emails, weather forecasts, grib files and send position reports. When there's no internet, it's nice having the ability to stay in touch with friends and family.

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Thanks, Larry. Going to look into it.

wyoboater said:

I've been told that I need a General license to operate an AIS A....and I also need something to operate my SSB. Is this correct, and how do I get them. I visited the site on the previous post, but not sure where to go from there.

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"
The MMSI # is required for ALL AIS transponders to transmit your identity over the air. If you are a US documented or registered vessel and are required to have MMSI # then you are also required to have an FCC Ship Station License& Restricted Radio Operators Permit.

Ships operating domestically that do not travel to foreign ports (i.e. Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, and British Virgin Islands), do not use marine radio equipment on board the vessel other than Marine VHF radios, EPIRBs or radar (SSB or satellite communications) and do not carry more than six passengers for hire on the Great Lakes, bays, tidewaters or in the open sea are NOT required to have a Ship Station License or Restricted Radiotelephone Operators Permit. These vessels would be able to legally obtain an MMSI# from domestic outlets such as Boat U.S. or Sea Tow."

Dimer:Yep, and after talking to you, that's what I read on the FCC site also. I went ahead and got my FRN number so I could apply online, but when I got to the form 605, about halfway thru the process it was asking for the type/brand of radio and ais eqpt I was going to use. Since I haven't purchased it yet, I couldn't go any further...unless of course, I was applying for the wrong license. Their website isn't totally clear on what license I need for my (future) SSB and AIS system.

There were a couple of threads a little while ago that went through the license requirements step by step. I think this is it, if not do a search it was pretty thorough if I remember.
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s4/ais-mmsi-question-16468.html?highlight=radio+license

Okie Dokie...thanks Dimer. I successfully completed and paid the ridiculous fee for my MMSI number...I filled out the form 605 SA for ship...now do you or anyone else know if I need to fill out a separate form and pay a separate ridiculous fee for a "call sign"?


Thanks for all your help, and the detailed instructions listed on the previous post were VERY helpful!

Years ago only a fine ( $$$) radio was stable enough to capture weather fax charts.

So lots of ham stuff was sold mostly to be receivers, or short wave radios.

Today many hand held portable radios and an APP for a computer can catch the weather fax charts , ay far lower cost.

If you are going off the shelf , weather info is a big help in planning.

FF said:

Years ago only a fine ( $$$) radio was stable enough to capture weather fax charts.

So lots of ham stuff was sold mostly to be receivers, or short wave radios.

.

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If anyone is just interested in listening, I have a Like New Icom R75 receiver for sale. Very light use over the years... Runs on 12Volts. $375 Specs here:

IC-R75 HF+50 MHz All mode Communcations Receiver - Features - Icom America

wyoboater said:

Okie Dokie...thanks Dimer. I successfully completed and paid the ridiculous fee for my MMSI number...I filled out the form 605 SA for ship...now do you or anyone else know if I need to fill out a separate form and pay a separate ridiculous fee for a "call sign"?


Thanks for all your help, and the detailed instructions listed on the previous post were VERY helpful!

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It's my understanding that you do need a "call sign" if you will be using your AIS and/or VHF radio outside the US. I got one for my transit through Canada on the way back from Alaska.

Richard

I saw no use for mine as we have sat coms. Tore it out and used the real estate for other things.

I received my FCC Radio Station Authorization via e-mail this morning. Sooooooooo, I must've filled it out right. YAY! Guess I AM capable of learning. And pretty good on the FCC's part..I filled out the application 05/27 and there was a Federal Holiday to boot.

N4712 said:

I saw no use for mine as we have sat coms. Tore it out and used the real estate for other things.

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Do you have a sat phone or something else?

Are those Spot trackers worth it? I see they have a promotion where they are $49 plus a annual $149 fee.
http://www.findmespot.com/SummerSav...e&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=2015SummerGen3

Or the sat phone is free if you sign a one year contract for $65 a month.

cardude01 said:

Do you have a sat phone or something else?

Are those Spot trackers worth it? I see they have a promotion where they are $49 plus a annual $149 fee.
http://www.findmespot.com/SummerSav...e&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=2015SummerGen3

Or the sat phone is free if you sign a one year contract for $65 a month.

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We have a Satellite Phone and Sat TV. Next is a Iridium go so family can track where we are and can text while away from wifi and cellar range. I would save your money, the spot is an out dated piece of technology. The Delorme In Reach would be my choice vice the spot.

cardude01 said:

Do you have a sat phone or something else?

Are those Spot trackers worth it? I see they have a promotion where they are $49 plus a annual $149 fee.
SPOT Summer Savings

Or the sat phone is free if you sign a one year contract for $65 a month.

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ABSOLUTELY I have a spot connect that I got after my dad got a regular orange spot can't think of the model number at the moment. He used his while on a trip in greece so that I could keep track of him over here in the us. I had to use my spot connect in the sos mode when the transom broke out of a boat I was running for a guy I set off the spot and my 406 Epirb at the same time and the Spot contacted my call list first.

Finally got my SSB to work properly after 6 years and a bunch of technicians. Now I hear transmissions from thousands of miles (mostly on ham frequencies), and have talked from southern California to WLO Alabama with a good signal. It seems, however, that they ham bands are much more active, so I have started studying for the ham licenses. We have sat comms, but that won't give me access to the nets, hence my interest in also having SSB and ham.

wyoboater said:

And that if for an "A" AIS? ie: one the both transmits and receives and goes to foreign countries such as the Bahamas?

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You have asked three different questions, each with different answers.

Class A AIS: No license required just because it's Class A

Transmit and Receive AIS vs receive-only: No license required because it's real AIS and transmits as well as received.

Running your AIS in a foreign country: Yes, a license is required. This is true for AIS as well as your VHF.

So a license is required to operate outside the US. It's not required because it's Class A or because it can transmit.

MYTraveler said:

Finally got my SSB to work properly after 6 years and a bunch of technicians. Now I hear transmissions from thousands of miles (mostly on ham frequencies), and have talked from southern California to WLO Alabama with a good signal. It seems, however, that they ham bands are much more active, so I have started studying for the ham licenses. We have sat comms, but that won't give me access to the nets, hence my interest in also having SSB and ham.

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What was the problem? I'm trying to get mine working now and not getting very far.

After spending days on end with no cell phone service, a KVH that wasn't working properly, and no weather reception over the VHF, I decided that the SSB really is a vital piece of equipment for the type of cruising that we do. So now I'm trying to figure out how to make it work.

twistedtree said:

What was the problem? I'm trying to get mine working now and not getting very far.

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Not sure. I straightened out (almost literally) a lot of my ground plane. Replaced the coax between the AT140 and antenna (only because I wasn't confident in its integrity or impedance), and reconnected everything. It worked before, ostensibly with a good SWR and strong field strength signal, but little reception, and that was more noise than signal. All of a sudden, it is a different world.

twistedtree said:

After spending days on end with no cell phone service, a KVH that wasn't working properly, and no weather reception over the VHF, I decided that the SSB really is a vital piece of equipment for the type of cruising that we do. So now I'm trying to figure out how to make it work.

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Turn off everything on the boat, ie; inverter, charger, refrigeration, lights, etc. Turn on the radio and tune to 5.0000 MHz or10.0000 MHz or 15.0000 MHz. These are continues automated broadcasts for UTC time checks. The best time is in the morning, late at night or right around sunset. Where you are, you'll either pick up the signal from Hawaii or Fort Collins, CO. Then you can go back and start turning stuff on and see where the stray RF/noise is coming from. Some tines if you're around an airport or major city, there's lot of ambient noise or stray RF but you should be ok. If you still can't hear the time checks, typically there is an installation issue. When we're using the SSB or Ham frequencies we pretty much make the boat dead electricaly and based on time of the day we can communicate all over the world. Good luck.

Larry M said:

Turn off everything on the boat, ie; inverter, charger, refrigeration, lights, etc. Turn on the radio and tune to 5.0000 MHz or10.0000 MHz or 15.0000 MHz. These are continues automated broadcasts for UTC time checks. The best time is in the morning, late at night or right around sunset. Where you are, you'll either pick up the signal from Hawaii or Fort Collins, CO. Then you can go back and start turning stuff on and see where the stray RF/noise is coming from. Some tines if you're around an airport or major city, there's lot of ambient noise or stray RF but you should be ok. If you still can't hear the time checks, typically there is an installation issue. When we're using the SSB or Ham frequencies we pretty much make the boat dead electricaly and based on time of the day we can communicate all over the world. Good luck.

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Thanks. Others have suggested this and it's my next step - perhaps even today since we are in port. One thing I have not gotten a clear answer on, and perhaps you can help... what format is the transmission from 5, 10, 15mhz? Is it voice or encoded something-or-other? I looked at their web site and it appeared to be an encoded signal, not voice. I just want to be sure I know what I'm listening for.

twistedtree said:

what format is the transmission from 5, 10, 15mhz? Is it voice or encoded something-or-other? I looked at their web site and it appeared to be an encoded signal, not voice. I just want to be sure I know what I'm listening for.

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Sounds kind of like a metronome, with a very distinct pulse every second. At the top of each minute there is voice announcing the time in English. You will know it when you hear it (although before I got my radio working the signal was very faint, buried in noise, and I thought (because I had been assured the radio was working correctly) that perhaps all that noise was unavoidable). FWIW, I just tried that and found an excellent signal at 10Mhz, but nothing at 5 or 15. When you get your radio working, maybe we could try a mutual radio check. -Rick

MYTraveler said:

... FWIW, I just tried that and found an excellent signal at 10Mhz, but nothing at 5 or 15....

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Time of day, sunspot activity, frequency and distance are all related. Move around the dial. We have a propagation calculator that's part of our Airmail software that helps determine the best frequencies vs time of day to send and receive. There should be similar programs on the internet. Good luck.