I’ve owned a few dozen amateur radio SSB rigs over the years. Restoring them is one of my hobbies. Most modern HF rigs will operate on the marine bands with a simple modification. The modification varies from radio to radio, but usually involves opening the radio and cutting a wire or clipping off a diode. Specific information can be found at http://www.ham.dmz.ro/. Modifications such as this will allow transmission in the marine SSB band allocation. Receive usually requires no modification. While technically these radios are perfectly capable of operating in the marine bands, they are not type approved for such operation. This means the the FCC has not approved use of these radios in the marine bands. If ham radios are perfectly capable of operating in the marine bands, why don’t the radio manufacturers apply for marine band type approval for their amateur rigs? I believe that they repackage their amateur radios in different cases and sell them as approved marine
rigs e
ven though internally the radios are almost identical. In the case of a marine band radio, they would remove some features that someone with limited knowledge of radios would find confusing such as RF gain, IF shift, and filtering. Since the radios are internally identical, they can be sold as being usable on amateur bands. The only difference then is that the marine band version has been lobotomized and they jack up the price.

If you get caught operating a non approved radio in the marine bands you could get slapped with a fine. While the FCC has the right to impose a fine, I’ve never heard of a fine being imposed for this kind of thing. It is more likely that the offender would receive a letter of complaint from the FCC and would have to respond in writing. This assumes that the FCC catches you. If your radio sounds like a marine radio, how could they know? If you plan to use an amateur radio on the marine bands, you probably want to get one that has a high stability VFO. This is standard on marine radios and is usually an option on amateur radios. This will keep your frequency stable and make the amateur radio sound exactly like a marine SSB. Most cruising folks don’t bother to spend the extra money for a radio with a high-stability VFO because most modern rigs are pretty stable even if they don’t have the option installed. It’s nice to have the option, but you don’t really need it. O
f cour
se, you can always operate anything anywhere in an emergency.

I have a marine band SSB radio installed in my nav station. In addition to the marine band radio, I have an amateur radio also installed. That way I can legally operate in either service and I have the capability of a full featured amateur radio. Most radios, both marine and amateur, designed for mobile installation come in small cases and have limited cooling capability. They won’t run digital operations for extended periods of time. They have thermal protection so they won’t get damaged however. They will just cut back their power if they overheat. I run digital operations using my radios frequently and have no problem with overheating. There are many digital modes. It is possible that some radios may have issues with overheating using some modes such as Pactor. If you are considering using any radio for extended length digitial transmissions, I suggest contacting someone who is familiar with the mode to discuss possible problems.

I recommend a used ICOM-706 as a good second HF radio. At only about $400, they are a good value and make a very good amateur radio. They are small and easy to mount too. As I’ve said many times, there are better radios out there, but they are marginally better and most are much more expensive.

http://www.richardcarter.net/radio/

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Rich Carter

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In theory, you could use the entire rig as an antenna without even removing the grounds, but it would only work on a few very specific frequencies. Under no circumstances would I recommend removing the bonds from your rig. I have an HF whip antenna that I am not satisfied with. I’m switching to an insulated backstay. The insulators are expensive. I don’t have a bill yet, but I expect it to run about $600.

I recommend having a backup antenna in case your lose your mast. There are many possible backups from flying a kite with a wire to adding an inexpensive set of hamSticks. Outbacker even makes an antenna that covers the marine bands. You can buy a set of hamsticks for less than $100. They don’t take any room if you store them under one of the mattresses.

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Rich Carter

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Tor
By digital transmissions, I mean digital modes such as WEFAX, PACTOR, FSK, and PSK-31. There are free or for-sale computer programs that allow you to send and receive such stuff. To connect your laptop to your HF radio, get one of these. This is an adapter that safely connects your computer and radio. It also comes with free software.
http://www.buxcomm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2

As I’ve mentioned in earlier messages, the ICOM IC-706 is a very good value. At around $400 on ebay, it is one of the least expensive all-mode HF/VHF radios that you can buy. If you want to spend a little more money, go for the IC-706MKIIG. A search on ebay completed items show that they have recently sold from $530 to $690. The later model has better filtering and works on the UHF band. There are other radios out there that are as good or better, but for the marine market, I think that either of these would be the best choice. When I decided to add a second transceiver to my nave station, I went with the original IC-706 because I saw no reason to spend the extra money on the features the more expensive model offers that I would probably never use on the boat. I’ve decided to swap out that IC-706 for a Yaesu FT-897 because I have Yaesu in my truck. I find it awkward to keep switching between the front-panel controls of the Yaesu and the ICOM. It would be easier if I
only
had to deal with one user interface. The Yaesu is similar to the IC-706MKIIG in features and performance.

If you want to call me to ask specific questions, please feel free.
Rich Carter (603) 889-2459 (home in NH)

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