HF Radio

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==HF RADIO==
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{{IsPartOf|HF_Radio}}
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[[Image:Icom706.jpg|right|thumb|<center>The '''ICOM706 MKII G'''</center>]]
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{{TOC block}}
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===Description===
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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.
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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
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===Procedures===
 
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The use of HF radio requires certain protocols - see the [http://wireless.fcc.gov/marine/fctsht14.html#SEC5 FCC's Website] (Which covers VHF Marine Radio as well).
 
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'''Australia'''<br>
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[[Image:Icom706.jpg|right|thumb|<center>The '''ICOM706 MKII G'''</center>]]
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In Australia you need to go through the following procedure if you have an HF radio on board:
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* Obtain an Apparatus License for your boat from [http://www.acma.gov.au/ 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 [http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_1287 here] for more information and links to the documents.
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* 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 [http://www.amsa.gov.au/ AMSA], generally through the [http://www.amcom.amc.edu.au/index.html Australian Maritime College Office of Maritime Communications], or a TAFE college, Coastguard or Coastal Patrol course, or similar.  Also see [http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_1743 here] for more information at the ACMA site.
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* Optionally, once you have these, you may want a [http://www.amsa.gov.au/search_and_rescue/Distress_and_Safety_Communications/Maritime_Mobile_Service_Identity/  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.
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* Once you have a MMSI, that can be included with your [http://www.amsa.gov.au/Shipping%5FRegistration/ Australian Ship Registration], and potentially programmed into any DSC equipped VHF or HF radios on board, as well as your (406MHz) EPIRB.
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===HF for Email (and GRIB files)===
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See the instructions for using the HF radio to send and receive emails (and GRIB files) on the [[Setup_Email|'''Setup for Email''']] page.
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===References===
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Publications, etc.
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*
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*
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===Choosing a radio===
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HF, or high frequency, radios provide communication beyond the range of the traditional VHF radio that many mariners rely on in coastal waters. VHF radios are typically limited to near 30 miles of range while HF radios can cover thousands of miles. There are generally two ways to take advantage of the HF spectrum while at sea: Marine Radio and [[Ham_Radio|Amateur Radio]].  Both have benefits and drawbacks.  It should be noted that while we identify these radios as HF they typically include MF or medium frequency coverage as well.  MF frequencies are especially important in the marine bands as they are the primary means of communicating with shore emergency services, such as the Coast Guard, when operating within 250 miles of the shore, in accordance with [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Global_Maritime_Distress_Safety_System GMDSS].
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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.
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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.
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Marine HF radio is also called ''SSB'' in some sailing circles.  ''SSB'', however, identifies the modulation of the transmission and not the actual frequencies used.  This would be akin to calling your VHF radio your ''FM'' radio.
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;A list of the criteria in no specific order
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Because HF communications are a bit less straight forward than VHF communications links below are provided to help break down the topic a bit.
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: a) Ideal Size : no larger than 8" wide x 2 1/2" high x 6" depth.
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: b) Output: 10 Watts min x 150 Watts max
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: c) Operate even on 11 1/2 volts
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: d) Covering all normal amateur bands
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: e) Simplex and duplex enabled
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: f) Memory bank for min 50 frequencies
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: g) Interference and Noise elimination
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: h) Press button Antenna tuning
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: i) Frequency tuned at the roll of a knob
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: j) Mike gain control
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: k) Less than a $1,000 US - (if you are lucky)
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: l) Truly marine - the case does not rust!
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;Here are but a few radios that will fit easily into a cruising yacht having a small size
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==Basic Radio Procedures==
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: [http://www.universal-radio.com/ Icom 706 MkIIG]
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: Icom 7000
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: Icom F 7000
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: Kenwood TS-480SAT
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: Kenwood TS-50
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: [http://www.universal-radio.com/ Yaesu FT-817ND]
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: Yaesu FT-857D
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: Yaesu FT-897D
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Richard Mogford KG6 TOJ with his presentation made on the 19th May 2005 - [http://hamradio.arc.nasa.gov/meetings/HFradioatsea.html entitled "HF Radio at Sea"]
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See [[Radio Calling Procedure]]. This applies to routine and distress calls for both HF Radio and [[VHF Radio]], any differences are noted.
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===Cruiser's Maritime Mobile Radio Nets===
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==Equipment Check==
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Amateur radio unless otherwise noted. Please listen first to note the procedures of each net.
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* Is the correct frequency/channel selected?
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:Greenwich = Zulu = UTC
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* Is the volume adjusted correctly?
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{| border="1" cellpadding="1"
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* Is the squelch adjusted correctly?
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|-
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* Is the RF gain set to maximum sensitivity?
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|width="200pt"|'''Net Name'''
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* Power supply - is the battery fully charged?
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|width="80pt"|'''HQ'''
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* Antenna - are the leads and whip intact, not corroded, have proper earthing and connections in good order?
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|width="200pt"|'''Covers'''
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* Listen before transmitting to ensure you have a clear channel
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|width="50pt"|'''Frequencies'''
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|width="70pt"|'''Times (Zulu)'''
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|-
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|Mediteranian Maritime Mobile Net|| ? ||Med||7.085Mhz ||0700hrs
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|-
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|U.K. M/M Net||U.K.||UK waters, Med & Atlantic||14.303 +/-QRMhz ||0800hrs & 1800hrs
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|-
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|TransAtlantic Maritime Mobile Net|| ? ||Med, N & S Atlantic and Caribbean||21.400Mhz||1300hrs
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|German Maritime Mobile Net|| ? ||Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Med, (worldwide)||14.313kMhz||1630hrs
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|-
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|Mississauga Maritime Net (VE stations with relays)|| ? ||Europe, Med, Atlantic, Caribbean and Central America||14.122.5 Mhz||1245hrs
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|-
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|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
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|-
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|South Africa Maritime Mobile Net||S Africa||Indian Ocean & S Atlantic||14.316Mhz & moves to 7.045Mhz @ 0630hrs||1130hrs (both freqs)
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|-
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|Radio Peri-Peri||East Africa||Indian Ocean & S Atlantic||8.101Mhz @ 0500hrs (Wx) & then 12.353hz after Wx||1500hrs (both freqs)
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|Italian M/M Net. (Italian & English)||?||Wx  for E & N Atlantic and S Atlantic between Africa and Brazil||14.297Mhz||2000hrs
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|'Le Reseau Du Capitaine' Net||Montreal, Bi-Lingual||Atlantic, Caribbean & Pacific||14.118Mhz||0700 local & 1830loc. for Wx
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|Caribbean M/M Net||St Croix||Caribbean||7.241Mhz||1100hrs
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|Maritime Mobile Service Net|| ? ||Atlantic, E Pacific & Gulf of Mexico||14.300Mhz ||1700hrs till 0200hrs
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|Northwest Caribbean Cruiser's Net|| ? ||Mexico to San Andres Island, Colombia||8.188Mhz||1400hrs
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|Cruiseheimer's Net|| ? ||US East coast & E Caribbean||8.152Mhz ||0830 EST
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|Herb Hilgenberg's Southboundll Net|| ? ||Wx for Atlantic & Caribbean - into Pacific later||12.359Mhz (SSB)||2000hrs check-in 1930
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|Panama Canal Connection Net|| ? ||Pacific - Mexico to Galapagos, Atlantic from Belize - Colombia|| ? || ?
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|Manana M/M Net|| ? ||US West coast to Hawaii||14.340Mhz||1200 PDT
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|PST Baja California M/M Net|| ? ||Coastal Baja & California||7.238Mhz||0800 PDT
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|'''MARITIME EMERGENCY NET'''||Various||Universal||14.340Mhz||0400hrs and 1800hrs
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|Chubasco Net|| ? ||Mexico West coast||7.294Mhz||1530hrs ST & 1430hrs DST
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|Waterway Radio & Cruising Club|| ? || ? ||7.268Mhz||0745 EST
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|Pacific Inter-Island Net|| ? ||Micronesia & up to Hawaii - daily roll-call||14.315Mhz||0800hrs
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|-
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|Pacific Seafarers Net|| ? ||Pacific - roll-call||14.313Mhz||0200hrs to 0325hrs
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|Pacific Maritime Mobile Service Net|| ? ||Pacific & worldwide||21.412Mhz||2200hrs
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|Roy's Net||Perth, Oz||Wx warnings & then covers boats in N & W Indian Ocean||14.320Mhz||1115hr
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|Comedy Net|| ? ||Oz - Southwest Pacific. Position reports, Wx, local inter-yacht traffic||7.087Mhz||2040hrs
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|Tony's Net|| N Z ||Positions from S Pacific & Oz region, Wx||14.315Mhz||2100hrs
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|Russell Radio (SSB)|| N Z ||Bora Bora to Australia||12.359Mhz||0830hrs & 1630hrs
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|content || content || content || content || content
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|content || content || content || content || content
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|content || content || content || content || content
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|content || content || content || content || content
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|}
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'''Additional information on the above Nets'''
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==See Also==
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* [[Battery Care|Care and Maintenance of Batteries]]
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* [[Email at Sea]]
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* [[Ham_Radio|Ham Radio]]
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* [[Radio Installation|Installation Aboard (Radio and antenna)]]
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* [[Radio_Licencing|Licencing]]
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* [[SSB_Radio|Marine MF/HF Radio]] (SSB)
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* [[Tuners]]
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* [[Weatherfax]]
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* [[World_MM_Nets]] (Amateur Radio Net Listing & Marine Nets )
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Post more info below ....
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==References==
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* {{Reference|John C. Payne|Marine Electrical & Electronics Bible|Sheridan House|1574090607}}
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===Additions & edits for the Net's table above===
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==Forums==
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Please add edits and/or additions to the Cruiser's Nets table (above) HERE. A "sysop" will edit them into the table.
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List links to discussion threads on [[Cruising Forums|partnering forums]]. (see link for requirements)
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* [http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3306 HF Radio for cruisers] on Cruiser Log.
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* [http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/f45/ Power and Electronics] on Cruiser Log.
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* [http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/tags/ssb.html SSB topics] on Cruisers Forum.
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===Forum Discussions===
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==Links==
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;Links to discussions on the CruiserLog Forum
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_frequency High frequency] on wikipedia
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: [http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3306 HF Radio for cruisers.]
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* [http://hamradio.arc.nasa.gov/meetings/HFradioatsea.html HF Radio at sea] by Richard Mogford - A first class article on setting up HF on a cruising yacht.
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* [http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_on_a_Boat#Links Wi-Fi On a Boat] Excellent article on the subject.
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* [http://www.yachtcom.info/Frequencies.htm MF/HF Frequencies (Yachtcom)]
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* [http://www.docksideradio.com/east_coast.htm More cruiser's nets]
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* [http://www.freewebs.com/seawrite/lusradiopage.htm Rod Heikell's radio page]
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Maritime_Distress_and_Safety_System GMDSS] on wikipedia
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Selective_Calling DSC] on wikipedia
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===External links===
 
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:[http://hamradio.arc.nasa.gov/meetings/HFradioatsea.html HF Radio at sea] by Richard Mogford - A first class article on setting up HF on a cruising yacht.
 
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<center>[[Cruising|BACK]]</center>
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{{page useable}}
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{{Contributors|[[User:Lighthouse|Lighthouse]], [[User:MMNETSEA|MMNETSEA]], [[User:Admin|Admin]], [[User:Frank|Frank]], [[User:Svzephyr44|Svzephyr44]], [[User:Streetlegal|Streetlegal]], [[User:Sparks|Sparks]], [[User:Haiqu|Haiqu]], [[User:Delatbabel|Delatbabel]], [[User:Unavoq II|Unavoq II]]}}
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[[Category:Marine Communications]]

Latest revision as of 23:51, 13 December 2022

World ▶ HF_Radio ▶ HF Radio

Contents


The ICOM706 MKII G

HF, or high frequency, radios provide communication beyond the range of the traditional VHF radio that many mariners rely on in coastal waters. VHF radios are typically limited to near 30 miles of range while HF radios can cover thousands of miles. There are generally two ways to take advantage of the HF spectrum while at sea: Marine Radio and Amateur Radio. Both have benefits and drawbacks. It should be noted that while we identify these radios as HF they typically include MF or medium frequency coverage as well. MF frequencies are especially important in the marine bands as they are the primary means of communicating with shore emergency services, such as the Coast Guard, when operating within 250 miles of the shore, in accordance with GMDSS.

Marine HF radio is also called SSB in some sailing circles. SSB, however, identifies the modulation of the transmission and not the actual frequencies used. This would be akin to calling your VHF radio your FM radio.

Because HF communications are a bit less straight forward than VHF communications links below are provided to help break down the topic a bit.

Basic Radio Procedures

See Radio Calling Procedure. This applies to routine and distress calls for both HF Radio and VHF Radio, any differences are noted.

Equipment Check

  • Is the correct frequency/channel selected?
  • Is the volume adjusted correctly?
  • Is the squelch adjusted correctly?
  • Is the RF gain set to maximum sensitivity?
  • Power supply - is the battery fully charged?
  • Antenna - are the leads and whip intact, not corroded, have proper earthing and connections in good order?
  • Listen before transmitting to ensure you have a clear channel

See Also

References

  • John C. Payne, Marine Electrical & Electronics Bible, Sheridan House, ISBN 1574090607

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

Links



This is a usable page of the cruising guide. However, please contribute if you can to help it grow further. Click on Comments to add your personal notes on this page or to discuss its contents. Alternatively, if you feel confident to edit the page, click on the edit tab at the top and enter your changes directly.
SailorSmiley.gifContributors to this page

Names: Lighthouse, MMNETSEA, Admin, Frank, Svzephyr44, Streetlegal, Sparks, Haiqu, Delatbabel, Unavoq II


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