This is my first post although I have been attempting to search through the great amount of information in the
archives for awhile and understand the info posted so far. With the time constraints we're under, I have become more and more confused. Not being an
engineer by any stretch of the imagination and not having loads of time to learn and absorb the copious amounts of info available, I thought I'd just come right out and ask a specific question or two.
We are in the process of outfitting our
boat, HC 33T. In about 10 days time we expect to have the
mast pulled, refinished and various things added. One of those is
radar and that looks like it will be a
Raymarine 4kw unit with a 24"
mast mount. Another is the addition of HF/SSB and
VHF radios and antennas. We are strongly considering the
ICOM M802 with the automatic tuner that is suggested for it and M602 as our
communications solutions.
First question: Licenses. We have HAM technician licenses that we are getting back to studying for upgrade to general status for long distance comms. So far, without a
radio to use, we have not utilized the
license. But I digress.
Way back "at the dawn of time" when I was more familiar with these things, Station licenses were free and you simply went to your local
marine store, completed the form with every imaginable form of electronic device that would ever be wanted, sent it in and they would send back your station
license. These days, like everything else, I'm sure that has changed. I expect that there are now
fees, etc. So before I run out and make a fool out of myself at the local
marine store with my questions, I thought I'd make a fool out of myself here and find out what the "proper" procedures are for licenses in this day. I've gone to the fcc site and like most things dealing with this have been largely unsuccessful. Anything but our technician license has long since expired.
Second question: Installation of
equipment so that it works well and from great distances. From what I have been able to understand from the info I have so far been able to read, there appears to be different ways to install comm
equipment. We plan to utilize an insulated backstay for an
antenna. then there is the foil vs dynaplate issue. We are sinking a relatively large amount of cash into this and can't afford to a failure due to stupidity on our part or stupidity on the part of the installer. Nor can we install all possible solutions. We do however need to reach out long distances reliably (no sat phones) and communicate with aged relatives and I'm sure other reasons will present themselves over time. Is there a "proper" way of
installation to accomplish this or are we at the "it all depends" stage once again?
Rick B.