Ham / SSB Hell !

[btrayfors]

Read all about it here (84 reviews): ICOM IC-735 Product Reviews

Bill

[CharlieCobra]

According to those reviews, I reckon me buying a good one WITH the little door intact plus tuner (AH-2) and modem for $ 85.00 was a good deal.

[btrayfors]

No, Charlie, it wasn't a good deal. It was outright thievery, and you better watch your back, 'cuz the ham police are on their way right now :-)

Bill

[roblanford]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

No, Charlie, it wasn't a good deal. It was outright thievery, and you better watch your back, 'cuz the ham police are on their way right now :-)

Bill

And he hasn't mentioned if it has the keyer or filters in it which could add another $200+ to the value.

[CharlieCobra]

How would I know?

[MaizieDerrick]

aloha,been reading for hours about ssb and ham trying to decide what rig to get and havnt made any progress.. would like to get the icom M700pro and be legal for marine ssb. but also my wife wants to get her ham licence and of course i would like to use the icom M700pro new.. so my question is if i go buy one today what do i have to do to transmit on ham frquencies.. thanks to anyone that can set me straight...derrick

[btrayfors]

Hi, Derrick...

Well, it's pretty straightforward. The M700Pro is a good choice for a radio to use on both marine frequencies and the ham bands. It also can be used for HF email with, e.g., a Pactor modem if you should need that capability.

First thing to sort out is the license question. To be legal on the marine frequencies, you need:

1. a type-accepted marine radio (the M700Pro is such a radio);
2. a station license for the boat, listing the SSB and any other transmitting gear you may have aboard; and
3. a marine operator's license for each individual who is to use the radio.

These licenses are issued by the FCC upon application and payment of the fee. Information is available on the FCC website.

Note that these licenses are good ONLY for the marine bands, but they're good anywhere in the world you might go.

To transmit on the ham bands, you need a valid ham license. These come in several grades, and require you to pass a test. Code (Morse) is no longer required. You can use ANY radio on the ham bands, even one you build yourself. No type-acceptance required. It is assumed that hams have enough knowledge to police themselves and control their emissions.

Note, again, that a ham license is good for transmitting on the ham bands ONLY, and only on such portions of those bands as the class of license allows. For SSB operation on most ham bands, you need at least a General Class ham license.

If you are not interested in HF email, but in SSB only (voice transmission), you could save money by purchasing an older used marine radio. Some of these are particularly well suited for both ham and marine operation. My favorite is the Kenwood TKM-707. The Yaesu System 600 is another in this category. Both of these rigs are compact, and have VFOs which allow you to tune up and down the bands as hams like to do. If you're only interested in Net operations -- ham and marine -- then almost any marine radio would do. Used rigs cost about half what you'll pay for a new M700Pro.

Hope this helps a bit.

Bill
WA6CCA

[MaizieDerrick]

aloha bill thanks for the quick reply..question is what do i have to do to the new m700 radio to transmit on ham frequencies? does it transmit without any modification? and yes we want to be totally legal.. the other thing while researching the ssb licence i noticed that you have to be a u.s. citizen .. boat is american and wife is american but I am canadian , i wonder how that works if every crew has to be licenced? derrick

[btrayfors]

The M700Pro, if new, should work on the ham bands right out of the box. Here's a pretty good step-by-step tutorial on programming the various models of the M700Pro: Icom M700Pro Programng Instructions

Re: licenses, no problem then for your wife or for the boat. Not sure of situation with you, but you could ask the FCC whether you can get a Restricted Marine Radio Operators License (same as your wife) or whether you'd need a Canadian license.

I believe you can get a U.S. ham license by sitting for the test. U.S. and Canadian hams have automatic reciprocal privileges.

Bill

[MaizieDerrick]

bill, thanks again for the quick reply. thats all i need to get started on our installation and plans.. this will be the first time i am planning any real cruising since 91 when i had the misfortune of loosing our 60ft schooner in the south pacific in the kermedec group during a cyclone .. the only reason that i am here to talk about it is that i had a kenwood tranciever on board and that i was able to report my position before sinking to be picked up a few days later by a passing ship..so any voyages for me will have to include a good radio..mahalo derick

[s/v Jedi]

I was about to post a message that the info from Bill is for US citizens only (which happens a lot on this forum ;-) when I found that Derrick is actually Canadian. So, here's the International rules (which includes the US):

1. Operator's license is personal and issued by "your" country, ie. Canada for Derrick.
2. Station license is issued by the country that the boat is registered in, ie. US for Derrick.
3. HAM license is normally issued by "your" country but anyone who can supply a US postal address during the exam's (a friend's for example) can get a US HAM license which is perfectly legal. You can normally trade that license for one from "your" country without passing the exams again.

I must add that an operators license isn't the same everywhere. You can just buy one in the US but I had to attend 5 days training plus a full day exams for my Marcom-A license in Holland.

I just have to write here that my favorite radio is the Kenwood TS-480. It isn't legal on marine bands and I also have an Icom 710-RT but I don't use it much anymore...

cheers,
Nick.

[highseas]

Does anyone know how to stop my Icom 710 SSB from interfering with the Raymarine autopilot when transmitting.Every time I transmit when underway, it puts autopilot into standby and deactivates rudder position indicator,which has to be reset everytime it happens.I put ferrites in various spots to reduce interference and ended up damaging my Raystar 125 GPS sensor,(now replacing.)

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by highseas

Does anyone know how to stop my Icom 710 SSB from interfering with the Raymarine autopilot when transmitting.Every time I transmit when underway, it puts autopilot into standby and deactivates rudder position indicator,which has to be reset everytime it happens.I put ferrites in various spots to reduce interference and ended up damaging my Raystar 125 GPS sensor,(now replacing.)

There's two big things you can do:

1. Connect the SSB power leads directly to the batteries (fused close to the batteries of course).

2. Ferrites. First on every cable connected to your AP "brains", as close to the "brains" as possible. Second, on the SSB power leads as close to the radio as possible.

Ferrites can't damage equipment... it must have been the procedure to install them that damaged something.

If you still have the problem, you should test lowering the SSB transmit power and check the antenna (tuner) installation. You will need a power and SWR meter to test that. When the antenna isn't tuned correctly, you have more interference trouble. Often, a lower transmit power will work just fine.

I have a 710 and two AP's, a Simrad Robertson and a WH and I have no trouble. Try to find someone with the same radio and AP that you have and compare. If you find someone like that who doesn't have the same trouble, it will probably be the different path of the cabling. You could experiment with that too, use a field-strength meter to find trouble-spots etc.

cheers,
Nick.

[btrayfors]

All very good advice from Nick/Jedi.

A couple of other things could help.

Check to see if the coax run between the 710 and the tuner is in close proximity to wires running to the autopilot -- either power or control wires. If so, try to reroute to keep some separation.

What kind of coax are you using? Typical installations use the thin RG-8X coax. That's OK, but the heavier RG-213 and, particularly, double-shielded RG-214 or LMR-400 could help with RFI. So, too, could heavy ferrites located close to the transmitter and to the tuner, on both the coax and the control cables.

Bill
WA6CCA

[Rick]

Try using a balun and a dipole cut to the frequency of operation. This test will prove if your problem is the typical one of transmitting RF into your ship's ground from the tuner and lousy rf ground. Ground currents then couple into other wires that control your autopilot.