Underway - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 104

Single Side Band Radio: Some Basics
As far as SSB equipment is concerned, you will have a choice between marine and amateur
transceivers. Marine transceivers typically have a more rugged and fool-proof design. For
example, they lack many of the filtering and fine-tuning capabilities of amateur units. A
modern marine SSB will also be able to transmit and receive on non-marine frequencies.
Marine units have nominally higher maximum output power than amateur units (150W
rather than 100W). In practice, this won't matter much: 100W is plenty and the limiting
factors will be installation details such as antenna connection or the effectiveness of a
counterpoise.
The biggest difference between marine and amateur (“ham”) units may be price: marine
units may cost two to three times as much as amateur units. If you decide on an amateur
device, be aware that the transmit capability for marine frequencies will have been dis-
abled. Many cruisers modify their ham sets so that they can also transmit over marine fre-
quencies. While this modification is illegal in some countries (including the United States)
it is straightforward for many ham models and you can find instructions on Web. Typically,
it is a simple matter of disconnecting a diode on the circuit board. Aside from the legal as-
pect, this will definitely void any warranty - proceed at your own risk. The Sailnet for-
um [#1] has an informative thread on the legal aspect.
Check the licensing requirements of the country that issues your Ship Station License for
communication equipment. An internationally recognized Long Range Certificate is relat-
ively easy to obtain and will license you for communication on the short wave frequencies
reserved for marine use. To legally transmit on the short wave frequencies used by radio
amateurs (and some of the popular radio nets such as the Pacific Seafarers' Net), you will
need an additional Amateur Radio License (a “ham” license). Of course, in a distress situ-
ation, it is legal to use any form of communication independent of licensing requirements.
Installing a shortwave radio on a sailboat is a subject that has been extensively covered on
cruisers' Internet forums. It requires setting up the transceiver plus an antenna (typically an
insulated backstay) and antenna tuner. A unit installed on a non-metal hull will need some
form of counterpoise (often copper foil or bronze plates). The Communications [#2] section
on the Seven Seas Cruising Association's discussion board is a good place to start research-
ing the matter. Another good resource is Bill Dietrich's page [#3] which compiles a wealth of
information about communications from a boat in general.