improving ssb ground (kiss) on the cheap

[arjand]

Hi all,
I have an old Yeasu with a tuner. I have installed a Kiss ground but checking in to cruiseheimers I have been told I am not very audible. Going through the literature I understand you can add to your ground. Running an add'l thick wire to the engine is not overly probematic, neither is a wire to the alu fuel tank. Could either of these hurt my performance or are they bound to improve my broadcasting capacity? (looking for short cuts, will look into more structural improvements later). I have installed my kiss in a horizontal U shape between the cockpit and fuel tank, any reason why this would be compromising my broadcasting capacity? Thnx, Arjan

[btrayfors]

Why do you think it's an inadequate ground? Do you have a power/swr meter? Are you putting out full power? What type of antenna? Are all the connections clean and tight? How are you powering the radio? Check all these things first. The ground might not be your problem. Bill

[ka4wja]

Arjan,
There have been entire books written on antenna counterpoises.....and some of them by guys much smarter than I....so, I will not attempt to write a treatise here...

First, I'll quickly advise you of few basic things....and ask YOU a few questions....

1) If you think of your radio system as a system rather than just a bunch of individual items....from the mic-radio (and its 12vdc connection)-tuner-antenna system/counterpoise...and back-wards all the way back to the speaker/headphones....it will be easier to understand how it all works together.....

2) Your mention of the Cruiseheimer's Net (on 8mhz), and "old Yaesu", as well as generically mentioning your "tuner". make me think something other than your counterpoise/ground system may be the cause of your troubles.....
As most cruising sailboats should have a decent antenna on 8mhz (perhaps even long enough to reduce the effects of ground system losses), and certainly an "old Yaesu" (ham radio, I assume) could be an issue, as well as not describing your "tuner" (is this a manual tuner near the radio, or a remote tuner near the antenna/backstay???)

3) So, without more details it is difficult to assess exactly what is wrong.....
But, I suspect your radio isn't transmitting properly.....you've not configured the radio / mic / etc. properly....and/or your "tuner" isn't tuning properly (or maybe not at all???)

BTW, one of the more common problems (and easy to solve as well), is not having a sufficient high-current 12vdc supply to the radio (it should be wired directly to the batteries, with heavy cable)



4) Also, please be aware that an "old Yaesu" ham radio is not designed for use on the maritime HF frequencies nor the "shared" fixed/land mobile frequencies that are used by many cruiser's nets (such as Cruiseheimer's), and of course it is illegal for a US flagged vessel (or any vessel in US waters) to do so.....
So, it may not be performing correctly even if the rest of your system is up-to-snuff....


5) Arjan, there is a LOT that can be "wrong" with your system, so if you do wish for some advice/assistance, please provide as much info as possible....
Especially what exact radio you have, how it is wired up, and whether you have persoanlly seen your entire HF radio system work properly in the past, or has it never worked correctly.....



I hope this brief post will be helpful, and encourage you to provide more info....

Fair winds..

John
s/v Annie Laurie