Any HAMS?

[toocoys]

I did a search but didn't seem to find any threads on amateur radio operators.

I have my general license, but haven't used it in years and I've nearly forgotten everything I learned while studying for it.

Wondering if it has any good use on a boat? I'm thinking of at least putting a VHF mobile base in.

73's,

K9CCH

 

[MYTraveler]

Extra. Have an opened SSB and Pactor modem and Winlink account. Not much use otherwise (Ham license is not needed for marine channels).

 

[warfdog]

Never thought it would add any value - general class here also, might add vhf/uhf for grins

 

[toocoys]

I've been looking at used VHF/UHF mobile units, but I can't bring myself to buy one. I start to think I want one, and then I remember that it's probably a dying (or dead) hobby.

 

[ranger58sb]

I've been looking at used VHF/UHF mobile units, but I can't bring myself to buy one. I start to think I want one, and then I remember that it's probably a dying (or dead) hobby.

I've got a bud who's seriously into HAM, including rescue relay and so forth. Apparently neither dead nor even dying...

-Chris

 

[toocoys]

I've got a bud who's seriously into HAM, including rescue relay and so forth. Apparently neither dead nor even dying...

-Chris

Interesting. I’d like to see him do that since I’m a 911 operator.

 

[MYTraveler]

Interesting. I’d like to see him do that since I’m a 911 operator.

The two are not mutually exclusive. Amateur radio operators often provide life-saving emergency communications services when 911 won't do.

 

[GoneFarrell]

Tru dat! The emergency communications aspect is a real deal.

My gal is 50 years wireless, chats in Morse code to stations all over the world when the atmospherics are good.

My boat and her boat are setup for ham radio comm. If you look closely at my avatar pic, you can just make out the outline of a beam antennae setup on my foredeck when we were at Hope Island.

Saltwater gives a really good skip of the signal, and being on the hook away from metro areas means good signal to noise, except for all the cheap noisy Asian inverters/choppers on board neighboring boats that aren't even close to meeting FCC spec on noise.

Recently, she sent me an email to my google address that came from her amateur radio station on her boat, quite amazing! Works both ways too.

 

[ranger58sb]

Interesting. I’d like to see him do that since I’m a 911 operator.

I think it's long distance stuff. Not very familiar, but a couple instances he's mentioned have been about a) flood control, and 2) lost hikers, both somewhere in some mountains.

-Chris

 

[toocoys]

The two are not mutually exclusive. Amateur radio operators often provide life-saving emergency communications services when 911 won't do.

I've known about emergency communications relays, but didn't know they did it long distances like that.

 

[ranger58sb]

Given you're already a HAM, maybe combine some of that HF (?) emergency thing with your 911 focus? Probably easy enough to join in with other HAMs on something like that...

-Chris

 

[k9medic]

After I went on an assignment following Hurricane Maria, I got my Technician license. Listened to the bands for a while but quickly got bored with the discussions.

 

[toocoys]

After I went on an assignment following Hurricane Maria, I got my Technician license. Listened to the bands for a while but quickly got bored with the discussions.

you mean you dont want to hear old men mumble about weather, signal quality, and what the wife made for dinner???

 

[k9medic]

you mean you dont want to hear old men mumble about weather, signal quality, and what the wife made for dinner???

You nailed it on the head!

 

[boomerang]

you mean you dont want to hear old men mumble about weather, signal quality, and what the wife made for dinner???

I have an Icom IC-M802 transceiver which I'm going to install on our boat for when we head south next year, not because we *need* it for communications but I'm hoping stations like the Waterway net https://www.waterwayradio.net/netformat.html will be a fun tool to use for our trip.
I have yet to utter the first word on any ham frequencies and don't know if I ever will. All of the clickish operators plus the dumb acronyms & monikers annoy the heck out of me. My wife, on the other hand-being the geek that she is (a career teacher with multiple degrees who has a hard time changing the batteries in a flashlight), will probably sit for her general licence. I could see her being a typical ham operator. She's happy carrying on a conversation with anybody or anything.

 

[BajaTrawler]

One thing to consider is the area in which you cruise. We find that in Mexico and away from cell or wifi coverage, our Icom 802 provides a reliable method to connect anywhere using email with a Pactor modem. Text only and no commercial / business traffic. A good way to stay in contact with the folks back home.

Also, there are several Ham nets that provide daily weather info. Invaluable when out of Internet range. In addition, the nets provide a good contact point for staying in touch with other cruising boats. Most of our cruising friends have HF / Ham radios.

Lastly, other hams in the states or elsewhere are usually more than happy to do a phone patch for you if necessary. This gives you basically telephone capabilities if you're in a pinch.

 

[toocoys]

You nailed it on the head!

I think his sign is KA5QDG here in Houston... anyway, he has a couple repeaters on top the buildings downtown, and it's pretty active. But it's always the same guys talking about the same things.

 

[k9medic]

When I went to take my test, where only three of us in the room that were under the age of 60. All three of us were taking it for work related reasons.

I have in fact used it on one occasion to relay emergency information though.

During hurricane Michael, While driving to the state EOC, I had my radio tuned to the SARnet. I heard a request from a ham radio operator who was embedded in a county emergency operation center. They had lost all of their communications, and the power to include generator power. The entire system was now relying on one ham radio operator with a handheld radio to transmit for assistance.

Since SARnet in Florida is a linked system, I was able to relay that information directly to our state emergency operation center where I was working and got them some assistance.

Outside of that one event, the only thing that I have ever heard has been old men complaining about the weather, their wives, and the like.

 

[MYTraveler]

Icom 802 provides a reliable method to connect anywhere using email with a Pactor modem. Text only and no commercial / business traffic. A good way to stay in contact with the folks back home.

Also, there are several Ham nets that . . . provide a good contact point for staying in touch with other cruising boats. Most of our cruising friends have HF / Ham radios.

Lastly, other hams in the states or elsewhere are usually more than happy to do a phone patch for you if necessary. This gives you basically telephone capabilities if you're in a pinch.

Ham and Marine bands are two different things, and I don't believe they overlap. So, I don't believe a ham radio operator can patch a phone call on a marine frequency, and ham frequencies require a ham license.

As far as emails, in addition to sail mail, which uses marine band frequencies, there is the ham equivalent, Winlink. there are a few differences, the most relevant of which concern use limitations. All amateur frequencies reserved to Ham operators are absolutely prohibited from all commercial use. As such, sending a business-related email over Winlink is illegal. That same restriction does not apply to the marine frequencies (for which a marine operator's license is required), and lots of marine band traffic is commercial. As such, the use of SailMail for commercial use is not subject to the same prohibition. SailMail, however, is available only to non-commercial yachts.

 

[Trawler_traveler]

Our iCom 802 was indispensable for the hamnets on the way down through Mexico to Costa Rica.


-Sven