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.

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.

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.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King