Hope I am posting this in the right place. If not can someone let us know

We are adding an SSB to Our boat in preparation for a Pacific crossing. We are wondering about adding a Pactor modem also. We already have a sat phone that we use sparingly for calls and data. The move for data seems to be towards satellite. Is there real benefit in having both the sat phone and the Pactor modem or should we just focus data on the satellite? Thanks in advance for any responses.

Kate and Graham Walker, SY Barracuda.

Congratulations on making the decision to add an SSB. A satphone is no substitute. Make sure the installation is done hy someone who knws what they are doing. The most common mistake is to underrate the power cable. When transmitting you are using about 25 amps so the power cable must be rated accordingly.

Re the Pactor modem. Not essential if you can get data by satellite but you can use it for weatherfax and grib files for free and if you subscribe to Sailmail, once you have paid the annual $300? Fee all your emails are free. There is, of course, a restriction on transmission times depending on where you are in relation to the receiving stations and propagation but when ocean sailing you normally maintain a 24 hour warch so you can store emails abd then send/receive when prpogation is best, normally at night. Pactors are expensive but are available on eBay. If you can afford one I woukd say go for it. As with all marine electronics there is always a benefit in having some redundancy especially when ocean cruising.

Hi Kate,

This can be a complex and, at times, controversial subject.
I have, for decades been a user of marine SSB (WCZ-7716) and Amateur/ham (KC2HKW) and I have used a sat-phone for the last 3 years or so.
The bulk of the last 2 decades, I was full time live-aboard and received all weather (gribs and text and, occasionally, voice) by SSB radio. I got a sat-phone only to go to N latitude destinations (Iceland and Greenland) where I thought SSB would have difficulties (I was right, it did).
The following is my take on the current state of long distance comm:
For purely safety considerations, the sat phone (I do not know what you have and some coverage is better than others, we have Iridium) is the choice to have. SSB has its place (and you will hear stories about SSB facilitating safety and I have used it in this manner), but, in an emergency, for dependability and reliability and quick response, the sat-phone is hard to beat. And some models are portable which means they can be taken onto a liferaft or carried in back-country hiking. With a data connection and a good shore-based interface to compress emails, gribs and wx charts (UUPlus works for us and are great to work with)
SSB is not a black art no matter what anyone says, but there is a learning curve and many installations have limitations and quirks at the beginning and professional installation is only marginally more successful (in my experience and observation) than a patient, well-researched DIY installation. And when you do it yourself, you know what is there and where.
When thinking of SSB, move away from considering it primarily for safety and data (email/weather etc.) and think of it instead as a way of being connected to a wonderfully diverse cruising community which can enrich your cruising significantly and convey local knowledge of where you might be heading. And there are weather routers on the far side of the Pacific on a regular sked.
The Carib has robust nets also while Europe is a veritable wasteland for SSB marine nets: ham nets yes, mostly land based.
Modems have become impressively expensive from what I hear. You can download a lot of data on a sat-phone for the cost of a good radio, modem and installation. And there is a somewhat steep learning curve for SSB use, particularly Sailmail/Winlink. If your email usage is heavy, and timely (you do not want to wait till port) then a SSB modem may be worth it.
I would suggest, as you are already getting a SSB, waiting on the modem and collecting information from other cruisers as to its usefulness, especially from those who also have a sat-phone. Do a lot of voice comm and have fun with it. Set up skeds with those who are going the same direction as you. The down side is that it may be harder to find a modem especially a used one, in the Pacific.
Please write again if you go the SSB/modem route and I will make a few suggestions to jump start the learning curve.
Come back with questions/comments,
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Hi Kate,
We have a recent model modem for our SSB - the Dragon it's called... It's considerably faster than the old one I had and works over bluetooth - so I can actually do emails etc while sitting at the salon desk! It's still not able to stream but getting weather info and text emails is easy and fast. I'm lucky in that we are HAMS so can use Winlink, but Sailmail works well from what I remember, and hooking up to the best signal for sending/receiving is very simple.
I don't have a sat phone so can't compare it's use.
Good luck with your preparations!

Bill Balme

Hi Bill,
Wow, that is interesting about the new modems: mine is a pct2e upgraded to pactor 3 but I think that is as far as it can go,
BTW, when I click on an email in the “recent emails” it does not take me to the residing place of the email as it did in the past. My casual observation is that the email only resides in the “recent email” area rather than its designated area, say “SSB radios”. It makes things for me a bit confusing responding.
My best, Dick
Ps. all the messages seem to appear, but only after I click "respond".

Dick I wonder if you could help me, I am looking at putting a Ham set aboard as I get my ham licence in NZ, I have an Icom M802 and Pactor but its limited to marine bands. Whats my best option for a simple and robust Ham set?

Hi Nigel,
Congratulations on achieving your Ham ticket. I am sure you will find both pleasure and usefulness from using your rig.
For a couple of decades, I used (and still use) a venerable and almost bulletproof ICOM M710. I have also put in a ICOM IC 7000 (Ham). Both use the same tuner, an AT 130 and the same backstay antenna.
Most ICOMs can be “clipped” for use on Ham freqs., although my knowledge in this area is 15-20 yrs. Old. A Ham Pactor installer clipped my M710 and for 15 years, I used it for all the hf and mf Ham work I did. That said, all the safeguards built into marine SSBs, made it cumbersome to use on Ham freqs.
In the day, it was quite easy to get the marine SSB clipped in the US. ICOM would not do it but they seemed not to care if it was done and would service clipped transceivers without comment. Some dealers would clip upon initial purchase as would many installers. Call around and ask at local Ham radio clubs.
I would recommend seeing if you can get your ICOM clipped for Ham freqs and see how much you use it before getting and installing a dedicated Ham radio. I used mine for Winlink and Ham nets for many years without problem. Using a dedicated Ham radio on a boat is (largely) if you wish to “surf” the freqs and make many contacts. My interest was more pragmatic so the marine SSB, clipped as it was, checked those pragmatic boxes: still does.
Come back with questions/comments or if your wish to proceed with buying a Ham dedicated radio.
My best, Dick Stevenson, KC2HKW, s/v Alchemy
PS. Casual look at Googling clipping seems to indicate that ICOM will do the clipping now. And check your antenna input: that might be different on 802s for a clipped unit working Ham freqs

Hi Dick, long time no speak. Andrew and Clare here from Eye Candy
As you know i'm a devotee of HF/SSB radio. it facilitates your connection to the cruising community in a way no other medium can. we are now in the Pacific and over 15 years so far we have used the hf every day for voice and for pactor.

i think the more usual term is 'opening'. on a m802 it is really easy to do with keystrokes on the front panel. after that you can tune the set just like a ham set with a vfo. just google open m802 and you will get http://www.docksideradio.com/icom_802_programming.htm.
so Nigel, you dont need a ham set except for a spare.

Simon, has your new mic worked.
cheers

andrew

Andrew
Yes the new mic works fine. A cheapie from eBay.
Simon

Hi Andrew,
How nice to hear from you and we (Ginger and I) send our very best to you and Clare.
Appreciate the report on your use of SSB in everyday cruising life and how much it can enhance the experience of community among cruisers. Field reports are always the best.
Good to know about the “opening” of an 802 to Ham use: for the 710, we called it clipping and it sounds like it was a much bigger deal than is now the case with the 802. Thanks for weighing in.
Dockside Radio is a good shop and give good service.
Safe sailing, Dick Stevenson, KC2HKW, s/v Alchemy