wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody out there have a marine/ham radio? Any recommendations on
equipment and installation? We are preparing to install one on the
tugboat and have gotten a lot of conflicting advice. We want a radio
that will allow us to communicate on both ham and marine SSB
frequencies, receive weatherfax, email, etc etc.

Do you have an amateur radio license? If not, you can't transmit on the ham
bands.



Option 1- install a ham tranceiver and modify it to broadcast on
marine SSB channels. This has the benefit of being the cheapest option
but the downside is that it's illegal. Also ham gear is often finicky.

Do you have an FCC license to modify the rig? Today's ham gear is not
finicky at all if installed properly.


Option 2- marine SSB/ham tranceiver that will transmit on any
allowable band, hopefully including 10 meters which ARES is re-
equipping to utilize. The Icom 802 is one possible unit but does not
cover 10 meters, another is the Furuno. The radios that cover 10
meters are SEA and SGC which are said to be great radios but difficult
to find service.

Option 3- give up and get two radios.

Option 4- postpone making a decision since it really isn't critical.

The radio side is simple. It's the antenna/tuner you should be worrying
about. You are looking at covering a wide range of frequencies but haven't
given any thought to the antenna and how you are going to get a signal into
it.

Are you going to use 12 volts to power it?

Have you looked at Rockwell/Collins for radios?

Look at a used Kenwood TS140 and have it modified for marine use. Get a
cheap marine VHF unit for the other band. Use 2 antenna. Use a sleeve dipole
backstay on HF (no ground needed) and a tuner.

Lloyd


Fresh Breezes- Doug King