On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:52:35 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

SSB: SSB signals carry a very long way. Wouldn't the airwaves become
so jammed as to be entirely unworkable in busy areas?

Yes, that is exactly why the marine VHF band was created back in the
70s. The old HF frequencies, where SSB now lives, had become an
abomination with distant stations and local traffic jumbled together.

In my opinion VHF does exactly what it was supposed to do: Provide
reliable, static free, local communications. For talking with shore
stations, or extended chat with specific individuals, cell phones are
the way to go. Offshore you've got Iridium sat phones and SSB.

The key to solid VHF range and reliability is a good (usually large)
antenna, and low loss coax properly installed.