HF Radio
From CruisersWiki
Contents |
HF RADIO
Description
Marine radio or 'maritime mobile' is the most effective means of communication at sea - HF (High Frequency) and SSB (Single Side Band) radio frequencies are used for long range. VHF (Very High Frequency) marine channels for communication (line of site range) up to about 30 nautical miles. Marine radio nets are set up by controllers all over the world (Indian Ocean, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific, etc.) to handle and co-ordinate this traffic from vessels sailing the oceans. It is important for cruising yachts to know these radio net frequencies and times so as to pass message traffic, log positions, receive weather information, etc
Procedures
The use of HF radio requires certain protocols - see the FCC's Website (Which covers VHF Marine Radio as well).
Australia
In Australia you need to go through the following procedure if you have an HF radio on board:
- Obtain an Apparatus License for your boat from ACMA. The license you want is a Class B non-assigned license. This will also give you an HF call sign (like "VXX 9999" or similar). See here for more information and links to the documents.
- Obtain a Maritime Radio Certificate of Proficiency for yourself. Generally the one you want is the Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency (MROCP) (not the MROVCP which is for VHF only). These are issued by AMSA, generally through the Australian Maritime College Office of Maritime Communications, or a TAFE college, Coastguard or Coastal Patrol course, or similar. Also see here for more information at the ACMA site.
- Optionally, once you have these, you may want a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) for your boat. This is really only useful if you have a DSC equipped HF radio on board. Currently most Australian shore stations operating on VHF only do not support DSC, only the HF stations do, and so you may find that a MMSI is of limited benefit even if you have, say, a DSC equipped VHF radio. Note that you can only get a MMSI if you have both a HF license or call sign for your boat and also a MROCP for yourself.
- Once you have a MMSI, that can be included with your Australian Ship Registration, and potentially programmed into any DSC equipped VHF or HF radios on board, as well as your (406MHz) EPIRB.
References
Publications, etc.
Choosing a radio
Thinking about upgrading , replacing or acquiring an HF Radio for your Cruising Boat - probably as difficult as choosing a new engine or even a new yacht. Technology in most other electronic equipment found on today's yachts has developed at a fantastic pace. The HF Radio's most obvious advance has been in its miniaturisation. It's interactivity functions for GPS systems, for emailing at sea, for weather reports and files, etc, etc.
However, on the downside - the majority of models are blessed with a multiplicity of features and functions that require at least a rocket scientist to operate, many that few cruisers will ever use. There a few HF radios in current production that meet the few basic criteria needed for the average yacht and for the average cruiser and crew.
- A list of the criteria in no specific order
- a) Ideal Size : no larger than 8" wide x 2 1/2" high x 6" depth.
- b) Output: 10 Watts min x 150 Watts max
- c) Operate even on 11 1/2 volts
- d) Covering all normal amateur bands
- e) Simplex and duplex enabled
- f) Memory bank for min 50 frequencies
- g) Interference and Noise elimination
- h) Press button Antenna tuning
- i) Frequency tuned at the roll of a knob
- j) Mike gain control
- k) Less than a $1,000 US - (if you are lucky)
- l) Truly marine - the case does not rust!
- Here are but a few radios that will fit easily into a cruising yacht having a small size
- Icom 706 MkIIG
- Icom 7000
- Icom F 7000
- Kenwood TS-480SAT
- Kenwood TS-50
- Yaesu FT-817ND
- Yaesu FT-857D
- Yaesu FT-897D
Richard Mogford KG6 TOJ with his presentation made on the 19th May 2005 - entitled "HF Radio at Sea"
Cruiser's Maritime Mobile Radio Nets
Amateur radio unless otherwise noted. Please listen first to note the procedures of each net.
- Greenwich = Zulu = UTC
Net Name | HQ | Covers | Frequencies | Times (Zulu) |
Mediteranian Maritime Mobile Net | ? | Med | 7.085Mhz | 0700hrs |
U.K. M/M Net | U.K. | UK waters, Med & Atlantic | 14.303 +/-QRMhz | 0800hrs & 1800hrs |
TransAtlantic Maritime Mobile Net | ? | Med, N & S Atlantic and Caribbean | 21.400Mhz | 1300hrs |
German Maritime Mobile Net | ? | Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Med, (worldwide) | 14.313kMhz | 1630hrs |
Mississauga Maritime Net (VE stations with relays) | ? | Europe, Med, Atlantic, Caribbean and Central America | 14.122.5 Mhz | 1245hrs |
Mobile Maritime Net - South East Asian Waters | S.E.A Mobile | Japan to Seychelles - Hong Kong to Northern & Western Australia. (Specifically: Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Northern Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, The Andamans & Nicobars, Chagos | 14.323Mhz | 0025hrs & Wx @ 0055hrs |
South Africa Maritime Mobile Net | S Africa | Indian Ocean & S Atlantic | 14.316Mhz & moves to 7.045Mhz @ 0630hrs | 1130hrs (both freqs) |
Radio Peri-Peri | East Africa | Indian Ocean & S Atlantic | 8.101Mhz @ 0500hrs (Wx) & then 12.353hz after Wx | 1500hrs (both freqs) |
Italian M/M Net. (Italian & English) | ? | Wx for E & N Atlantic and S Atlantic between Africa and Brazil | 14.297Mhz | 2000hrs |
'Le Reseau Du Capitaine' Net | Montreal, Bi-Lingual | Atlantic, Caribbean & Pacific | 14.118Mhz | 0700 local & 1830loc. for Wx |
Caribbean M/M Net | St Croix | Caribbean | 7.241Mhz | 1100hrs |
Maritime Mobile Service Net | ? | Atlantic, E Pacific & Gulf of Mexico | 14.300Mhz | 1700hrs till 0200hrs |
Northwest Caribbean Cruiser's Net | ? | Mexico to San Andres Island, Colombia | 8.188Mhz | 1400hrs |
Cruiseheimer's Net | ? | US East coast & E Caribbean | 8.152Mhz | 0830 EST |
Herb Hilgenberg's Southboundll Net | ? | Wx for Atlantic & Caribbean - into Pacific later | 12.359Mhz (SSB) | 2000hrs check-in 1930 |
Panama Canal Connection Net | ? | Pacific - Mexico to Galapagos, Atlantic from Belize - Colombia | ? | ? |
Manana M/M Net | ? | US West coast to Hawaii | 14.340Mhz | 1200 PDT |
PST Baja California M/M Net | ? | Coastal Baja & California | 7.238Mhz | 0800 PDT |
MARITIME EMERGENCY NET | Various | Universal | 14.340Mhz | 0400hrs and 1800hrs |
Chubasco Net | ? | Mexico West coast | 7.294Mhz | 1530hrs ST & 1430hrs DST |
Waterway Radio & Cruising Club | ? | ? | 7.268Mhz | 0745 EST |
Pacific Inter-Island Net | ? | Micronesia & up to Hawaii - daily roll-call | 14.315Mhz | 0800hrs |
Pacific Seafarers Net | ? | Pacific - roll-call | 14.313Mhz | 0200hrs to 0325hrs |
Pacific Maritime Mobile Service Net | ? | Pacific & worldwide | 21.412Mhz | 2200hrs |
Roy's Net | Perth, Oz | Wx warnings & then covers boats in N & W Indian Ocean | 14.320Mhz | 1115hr |
Comedy Net | ? | Oz - Southwest Pacific. Position reports, Wx, local inter-yacht traffic | 7.087Mhz | 2040hrs |
Tony's Net | N Z | Positions from S Pacific & Oz region, Wx | 14.315Mhz | 2100hrs |
Russell Radio (SSB) | N Z | Bora Bora to Australia | 12.359Mhz | 0830hrs & 1630hrs |
content | content | content | content | content |
content | content | content | content | content |
content | content | content | content | content |
content | content | content | content | content |
Additional information on the above Nets
Post more info below ....
Additions & edits for the Net's table above
Please add edits and/or additions to the Cruiser's Nets table (above) HERE. A "sysop" will edit them into the table.
Forum Discussions
- Links to discussions on the CruiserLog Forum
- HF Radio for cruisers.
External links
- HF Radio at sea by Richard Mogford - A first class article on setting up HF on a cruising yacht.