[PURSUIT2]

I need some advice on Offshore Communications. Specifically emergencies. Fishing the Canyon area out of Rockaway Inlet. SSB the way to go? I've seen them for about $1,200.00 at boatersworld but they also recommend an Autotuner? for about $500? Is that necessary? Is a SSB necessary? I want to go safety first, Switlik 6-man raft, Class I EPIRB, etc. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[togmaster]

They told you the right thing

What you mentioned in your post is correct thing to have offshore. I would with out a doubt get the auto tune. The icom700 is a great maching for the money and is the only source of long range communications offshore in that price range. Uless you want a sat phone but It will cost you

 

[seaslug44]

SSB Radios are Dinosaurs

Satellite telephones are less expensive, more reliable and more useful (you can't call your wife or your job on a SSB to tell them you are going to be late unless they also have a SSB and are monitoring it all the time).

Here's one example. Globalstar sells the Qualcomm GSP-1600 for only $475. The price plan for service is based upon the number of free minutes you want each month. You can get away as low as around $40 a month.

Here's the link;

Affordable Satellite Phone

 

[618925]

pussuit an SSB is a wise choice for both safety and also to communicate with other boats in the canyon.

as a safety factor the CG monitors SSB channel 2186 as they do channel 16(vhf).
the best thing is that when an SSB is turned on they automatically tune in to 2186,as a safety factor i think this is important.even if a novice flips on the radio all they have to do is talk and the CG will hear ,they are on the CG emergency channel.as for range i believe the range can be up to thousands of miles depending on the time of year.

one drawback is cost,they are not cheap and installation can cost a lot also.and you are required to have a ships radio license to use them which costs $150.


but for communications in an emergency and also for use in the canyon for boat to boat i feel it is invaluable.if you get one you will realize how many canyone boats use SSB to talk , even if they are withing VHF range.

i have found it to be very usefull in the canyons and would strongly recomend having one.

good luck.

 

[618925]

forgot to add one thing ,there are two channels that are used in our area 4125(450) and 4149(452) so it is not hard to tune to the proper channel to speak and listen with other boats.

 

[PURSUIT2]

Thanks Guys

Good information from all, but I'm leaning towards the SSB.
Togmaster - Why do I need the Autotuner? What exactly does that do for me? $500 is a heavy hit if I can just tune it myself. Thanks.

Jecaro - Is installation that different from a VHF? Battery, Ground, and Antenna? Am I missing somehting? Thanks.

 

[618925]

pursuit yes there is more to installation.
one of the most important parts of the instalation procedure is the grounding.there has to be a certain amount of sq.ft. ground.thats all i really know .it might be a good idea to speak with a certified instalation person.

again i hope this helps.

 

[togmaster]

Wh yA auto tune

Well the auto tune helps lock on to the signal better. when you are on the water you are not in ideal conditions. the auto tune will track the tuning and help bring in the receptoin better. Every time you program a freq. into the ssb you will need to calibrtate it and set the correct tuning before you can recieve a clear signal. Now when your onthe water it will change as you move and rock. The auto tune will do this for you and works better. Hey ask guys who own them or try and find some one with and without a auto tune and compare. But my reccomendation is a auto tune Hope this helps good luck

 

[seaslug44]

Why Satellite Phones are Better...

Before you spend all that money on a SSB, think about these points...

[*]A satellite phone is portable. You can take it with you on the life raft. A SSB will go down with the vessel. You can also take the phone with you if you are a guest on another boat.

[*]A satellite phone works on its own power supply. It is very common for a boat to lose power when it takes on water. A SSB is useless without power.

[*]The phone has its own antenna. Remember what happened to the antenna in the movie The Perfect Storm? The threat of loosing your antennas to wind or heavy seas is very real. But it's not a factor with a satellite phone.

 

[PURSUIT2]

Satellite Phone

Doctorfish - man, you make some good points. Now you've got me leaning towards the Sat phone. Do you know how long a contract you need to sign for this? I'm not sure I want to pay all year when I'll only need the phone for Jun thru Oct. Thanks Again.

 

[618925]

pursuit don't be mislead , a sat or cell phone is fine if you want to call your wife but for an emergency an SSB is a better way to go .

when you are at the canyon sometimes it is more important to call another boat for assistance,remember the coast guard is probably 70 or so miles away and another boat can render assistance much quicker ,unless you know other peoples sat number you are out of luck.and that is if they have a sat phone.for a safety point of view an SSB gives you access to more people who are closer.

most sat/cell phones are not even water resistant get them wet and they don't work.also i have called the montauk CG and have gotten a busy signal.another thing with a sat/cell phone is that the call can be dropped .all not good things in an emergency.

ask anyone who frequents the canyon on a regular basis what they use.

DON'T RELY ON INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T CANYON FISH !

good luck .

 

[620083]

I have both on board and they both work fine. The sat phone is a good choice because yes when you have a problem one push of the button and the coast guard is there. Sometimes when calling the coast guard either vhf or ssb there may be a delay because it has happened to me. I use the ssb for finding out where the fish are and whats going on in the canyons. Sat phones are world wide coverage and getting intouch with someone is better that no one hearing you at all even if you called your wife and she called the coast guard and related messages to them. I would go with the sat phone because you still have a vhf and can still get a may day off to another vessel in the canyon. Everyone has a vhf and not a ssb. Just my opinion and yes I do fish the canyons.

 

[623094]

I thought this quote from Jecaro was out of line. How does he know who fishes the canyon and who doesnt?

quote:
ask anyone who frequents the canyon on a regular basis what they use.

DON'T RELY ON INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T CANYON FISH !


When we were deciding whether or not to replace an old single side band unit we asked around for about a year. We found that about only one in every ten boats in the canyon had a ssb. Just like JJV48 says the CG does not always answer the ssb right away anyway and local calls for distress to other ships in the canyon would be better heard with a vhf.

OUR DRY BOX FOR THE LIFERAFT IS LOADED WITH BOTH THE SATELLITE PHONE AND A HANDHELD VHF!!!!. Saved hundreds if not a thousand dollars that way and it is really much safer. Want to chat all weekend with your buddies then the ssb is just an expensive way to do it. Ask the CG how many distress calls they take each year on SSB and you'll see that nobody out there uses it frequent enough as a piece of safety equipment to make it worth all does dollars.

HANDHELD VHF + SATTELITE PHONE + LIFE RAFT = THE SAFEST WAY TO GO.

And by the way, I CANYON FISH

 

[618925]

captainj that quote is not out of line,it is just sound advice.

did i speicfy anyone?

by the way what is the name of your boat? mine is jecaro and i am out there every weekend or during the week.what's your boat name ? i will call you next weekend.ok? i usually fish from hudson to atlantis depending.

hope to see you out there.

 

[620083]

Its funny when I take people out to the canyons for the first time they are a little nervous traveling 80 plus miles but when they see the safety equipment and electronics on board it relaxes them a little bit and my personal opinion is if god forbit something goes wrong out in the canyons and I have to abandon my vessel its the safest place to do it. At any given time you have 50 plus boats out there your chances of being rescued are greater out there then say 30 miles out. Jecaro I do hear you out there and my vessel is the "Full House" so if you see me give me a shout. I guess you can say why not invest in both. Se safe guys.

 

[618925]

JJV48 i will give you a shout next weekend,i am usually on 19 or 68 on the vhf and 4125 or 4149 on the ssb.

looks like west atlantis from the temp charts so far.

as for pursuits question both would be good,but he said he has money constaints and only can pick one.i would still go with the ssb.more options as in use. also it does save fuel costs when you can get a real time report from the canyon before you leave the dock.this way if the fish are in the dip you don't wind up going to atlantis.

just my opinion.

keep in touck out there,what port do you hail from? i am from montauk.

 

[togmaster]

both! Never enough when it comes to saftey!>>>>

You could never have enough Safety equipment! If the Sat phones are that cheap I will actually have to look into myself. I remember when they first came out it was like 3 grand for one? I guess now like anything else it has dropped. But I still use a SSB and find many of the boats out there use them to communicate long range. Like I could call my buddy before I leave the dock and find out what is happening in the canyon? So the more the better for safety is a good motto to follow.

 

[MakoMike]

Guys,
My two cents. I have an SSB, which I installed myself, and I wouldn't be without it, for several reasons. Number 1 safety, not onlt to call the C.G. but other boats out there. JJV said that there are always 50 boats around? Maybe at the tails, but where I often fish, way to the east we are often the only boat in sight and VHF is a line of sight radio so if another boat is just over the horizon from your antenna VHF is never going to reach him. Plus, as Mike and Jecaro said, you can talk to boat who are out there fishing before you leave the dock.
Installation, most SSBs come in three pieces, the radio, the tuner and the antenna. The grounding system is the single most important part (other than DC power . You mush have a good size grounding late, preferably dedicated to the SSB. The radio unit gets grounded to the plate as does the tuner. But the tuner is NOT grounded with a "normal" wire. Its grounded with 2-3 inch wide copper foil The foil must run in oner continous strip from the coupler to the ground. FWIW I have two grounds one to the grounding plate and another to my starboard engine, (it was so easy I just had to do it). The wire that connect the tuner to the antenna is NOT coax. I forget what its called but any decent electronics shop will have it. Its not a shielded cable and has one heavy metallic conductor. That 16 ft antenna is hard to install on a lot of boats and must have some type of support installed. On my boat the base sits on a gunnel and the antenna is braced to the tower. Sat phones are a good thing, especially with prices coming down, but IMHO the SSB is better from a sfaety point of view. Any you can make phone calls over the SSB vis the good old marine operator, and it doesn't cost nearly as much as air time
on the sat phone.

 

[620083]

Jecaro,

My home port is center moriches and I leave out of either moriches inlet or shinne**** depending on conditions. So anytime just give a shout and vice versa for me. Mako Mike your right about your post. I fished atlantis a couple of times and there aren't as many boats out there as there would be in the hudson but thats where he is most likely is going to fish. For the extra 500 dollars you really can't go wrong. Well good luck guys out there and be safe.