Hf icom710 power

[mario f]

Greetings,
After much pain, I have managed to install the radio, receive voice and weather fax
Thanks to the help of many here.
Question is, manual states not to tx without engine running?
We have over 500ah bank. How much draw on tx at 20, 60, 100 watts.?
And how do I get a radio check?
On tx power meter shows output and no smoke visible
Again thanks to all of your help I have gotten this far.

Regards,
Mario

[btrayfors]

Originally Posted by mario f

Greetings,
After much pain, I have managed to install the radio, receive voice and weather fax
Thanks to the help of many here.
Question is, manual states not to tx without engine running?
We have over 500ah bank. How much draw on tx at 20, 60, 100 watts.?
And how do I get a radio check?
On tx power meter shows output and no smoke visible
Again thanks to all of your help I have gotten this far.

Regards,
Mario

The M710 draws a peak of 30A on transmit (high power). You do NOT have to have the motor running. Average draw on SSB transmit is much less...on the order of 15A or less. And, only about 2A on receive, which is where you'll be most of the time.

I'd listen to and check into the various marine SSB nets...e.g.,Cruizheimers (8152kHz at 0830 EST daily)...also to the USCG broadcasts and the WLO broadcasts from Mobile AL. You could also do a radio check with WLO (see ShipCom LLC :: Marine HF Radiotelephone and HF Single SideBand Email).

Bill

[wsmurdoch]

We too have an Icom M710 on our boat. I routinely transmit without the engine running. Both the background audio noise and the electrical noise are both better with the engine off. My batteries are 3 x 105A-hr. The voltage measured at the connector at the back of the radio stays above 12.4V. The radio specification is 11.6-15.6V. I am away from the boat right now, so I can not tell you the exact values, but when transmitting at full power (whistling loudly into the microphone in SSB) the radio draws around 25A. When we are traveling on the east coast of the US or in the Bahamas, we check in to either the Waterway Radio and Cruising Club Net (ham radio) or the Cruiseheimers Net (marine HF) from time to time. We also send and receive email using a SignaLink sound card and computer running RMS Express hooked to the radio daily (ham radio). We are thus getting nearly continuous radio checks over distances up to 1000 miles and occasionally more.

[Capt.Don]

Once the battery voltage drops below around 12.5v, you might have problems transmitting.

[mario f]

Thanks for all your help.
I thought so but I want to make sure.
Tried to read the article on 911 wlo...access denied?
Now for the last test... try to talk with some one😂

[btrayfors]

Originally Posted by Capt.Don

Once the battery voltage drops below around 12.5v, you might have problems transmitting.

The M710 is a marine SSB transceiver, not a ham radio. It must by FCC specification be able to transmit with voltages as low as 10.5VDC. One good reason for using a marine radio rather than a ham radio, some of which (like the venerable IC-706) distort badly or even cut out with voltages much below 12.4VDC.

Bill
WA6CCA

[mario f]

Ok folks,
Tried contact with WLO on three frequencies and no answer.
I'm still in Fort Myers Beach....
Any words of wisdom...
ka4wja are you out there?
have watched your videos again, have been a great help thus far.
Help.......

Thanks y'all

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by mario f

Ok folks,
Tried contact with WLO on three frequencies and no answer.
I'm still in Fort Myers Beach....
Any words of wisdom...
ka4wja are you out there?
have watched your videos again, have been a great help thus far.
Help.......

Thanks y'all

Pick up a copy of Marine SSB Radio for Id-Yachts. It's very informative and has propagation tables that will allow you to pick frequencies for the right times of day or night for different times of year. And, don't forget to "Tune" your antenna for each new frequency when you change them. WLO is very responsive and "there" 24/7/365 and will get back to you if the receive your signal. Just don't step on their weather broadcasts. We have never had a problem reaching WLO from anywhere along the Gulf coast, from Tampa to Key West. Nor should you. (However, it might help to turn off any unnecessary electrical equipment. On our boat the refrigeration units for the frige and freezer seem to make a lot of "noise" so we trun them off temporarily when we're using the radio.)

FWIW...

[mario f]

woooooooooopeeeeeeee!!!!!
Had coms with Chris Parker this am.. lou and clear.
Now I know the radio works well

Thank you to all for the help and great info.
This is a great site, hope to be able to contribute as soon as I learn more.
Thank you Thank you....

[ka4wja]

Mario,
1) I'm glad that I've been of help...and glad you find the videos useful, too!


2) Please allow me a slight digression...
As for contacting others on HF Radio, it's ALL about learning radiowave propagation....(unless you have a DSC radio, and only need to connect with other stations having DSC as well, such as GMDSS shore stations, etc...)
This is similar to learning to sail, learning to navigate, learning anchoring, docking, sail trim, line splicing, piloting, head repairs, etc. etc. etc....you need to learn these things....
It is not like whipping out a smart phone and tapping on an App, as this is relying on someone else / something else / some infrastructure (shoreside/terrestrial infrastructure), and with sailing you are on-your-own, it is you, the ocean, the wind, etc...and it's up to you to learn how to do these things....

Please understand I'm not chastising here, not at all!!!
Rather, I'm trying to point out why so many folks new to HF radio communications get frustrated, it's because nobody told 'em that they need to learn how things work, just like learning sail trim, anchoring, etc. etc. etc...




3) As for your specifics....

Originally Posted by mario f

Ok folks,
Tried contact with WLO on three frequencies and no answer.
I'm still in Fort Myers Beach....
Any words of wisdom...
ka4wja are you out there?
have watched your videos again, have been a great help thus far.
Help.......

Thanks y'all

From Mobile, AL (WLO) - to - Ft. Myers, FL....it's about 450 miles, and at this time of year (AND, at this time of the 11-yr solar cycle, as it's on the down-slope), channel 824 will be a good first start....(and although my usual advice still hold true, to always try the highest frequency first, such as 1212, the close range of 400 miles or so, and the wintertime propagation, might force 824 to be the highest frequency that will allow comms reliably...it will vary day-to-day....so, depending on time of day, try 824 during daytime, first...)

Specifically:
a) From sunrise-thru-sunset (give or take an hour), channel 824 should work very well....and would be your primary WLO channel!!
(you should also hear WLO on channel 607 during most of the day, with a weakening in early afternoon....and should also be able to use channel 1212 during the midday and early afternoon....but, these will vary, day-to-day...)

b) From 10am thru sunset (approx.), channel 1212 should also be useable....(some days it may be excellent and quieter than 824, other days it might be too weak and unusable...)

c) From sunset thru early evening 824 will fade out and you'll find channel 607 and channel 405 to be good....and as the night progresses, you may find 405 to be better than 607...

With medium-range, regional HF comms....and being wintertime, atmospheric noise on the lower freqs is less than it is in summertime, and with the lower MUF's during wintertime, AND the advancing downward spiral of the solar cycle, you will find freqs a bit lower than I show in the videos will generally be more favorable...
But, fyi, as you move farther downrange / farther south / farther east into the Bahamas and//or Caribbean, you will find 12mhz to be every useful during the day!!!



As for contacting Chris...

Originally Posted by mario f

woooooooooopeeeeeeee!!!!!
Had coms with Chris Parker this am.. lou and clear.
Now I know the radio works well

Thank you to all for the help and great info.
This is a great site, hope to be able to contribute as soon as I learn more.
Thank you Thank you....

Understand that he is in Lakeland, FL...about 100 miles from you now....and when he added antennas a few years ago, his primary goal of increasing his range/reach was accomplished, and his good comms thru Florida stayed about the same, good!
As you're very close, his 4045khz frequency is going to be your primary....(although you may hear him on 8137 as well, it's a little early and you're a little close to think of 8137 as usable, on a daily basis)
But, remember things do vary, day-to-day, week-to-week, etc...



I'm about 120 miles ENE of you, and while 8mhz should work in the middle of the day, 6mhz and 4mhz would be good most of the day....and certainly better in mornings and late afternoons...




I've been doing this for decades, and all the above is off the top of my head....and if you delve into this in depth, you too will gain a great understanding....
But, since few people will do this, I came up with a simple rule-of-thumb, or three...

1) The higher the sun, the higher the frequency....the lower the sun (nighttime), the lower the frequency....the longer the distance the higher the frequency...the shorter the distance, the lower the frequency...

2) For most on boats, the "higher freqs" are 8mhz, 12mhz, 16mhz (and the 20 meter ham band)....the "lower freqs" are 8mhz, 6mhz, and 4mhz (and the 40meter and 80meter ham bands)....
(notice 8mhz is in both categories....and the 40meter ham band could be as well....and this is because it depends on time-of-year, time-of-solar-cycle, and on distance of communications...)

3) Summertime, always try the higher freqs first....wintertime, the "higher freqs" are one step lower than summertime!



I hope this helps...

fair winds...

John

[roverhi]

On the sail to Hawaii went nearly 12 days with heavy overcast each day and house bank got down to 12v. My ICOM 718 Ham radio had no problems getting through that low 12v battery voltage. The 718 is supposedly seriously attenuated by low input voltage but it didn't seem to effect me on using it for voice and Winmail. In realty doesn't take a lot of output power unless you need to talk over a noisy frequency or someone else. But as I said, didn't have any issues transmitting with low voltage in.