Patience Grasshopper...

I went to a local metal shop this morning and checked different types of steel, but to make what I want would be too heavy for me to handle by myself.

So, I came home and spent some time in the wood shop working with different lengths of PT fir and such along with some left over PVC tubing from a drainage project - not enough strength.

As I walked around the back of the barn, I found my solution - a 24' length aluminum sailboat mast from a project that was abandoned years ago. I got it form a local place that some of you may have heard of over the years - Metal Mast Marine. I bought it as scrap and when the project went south, I just put the mast in back of the barn and forgot about it.

Thus, solution found - it's just engineering from here.

LOL That *is* funny. Only you .....

Eisboch

There's one other NG participant (and good friend) who expressed interest at one time of doing at least part of the trip. He's a mechanic as well, so he would be a welcome crewmember.

I don't know yet - if I go it will be towards the end of October or early November. (can't be south of NJ until after Nov. 1 and be legally insured). I'll give you a yell if I decide to book it out of here. Also, be advised, I have no interest in setting any records in terms of how soon we get to Jupiter. Probably will be about a 10-12 day trip.

Eisboch

The usual use of Amateur band HF is to check in with people ashore, arrange supplies to ports-of-call, etc. I used to have a regular schedule with a tanker Captain I used to fish with when he was ashore - I'd follow him across from Saudi to the LOOP and back again, make phone patches to his family, stuff like that. It came in really handy when his wife suddenly came down with blinding headaches, discovered a brain tumor and had an emergency operation - gave him regular updates every hour on the hour for 24 hours. That was the one time my 190 foot tower with the three stacked 20 meter yagi's did something useful besides contesting. :>)

I know when I raced the Marblehead to Bermuda race, one of the reasons I managed to make the crew as a high school student was because I had an Amateur license in addition to being young, strong like bull and stupid.

So yeah - it gives you an extra communications tool and is a perfectly valid reason to get a license.

Historically, this is a use of Amateur Radio and back when, there used to be licenses of convenience - usually Caribbean countries who would issue Amateur licenses for a "fee" and a "waiver fee" for the code requirement. Then after a years or so operating under this license, they would apply for a reciprocal license from the US and voila - they got one. These were issued to cruisers and were very popular for many years until the US FCC relaxed the requirements.

However, with today's technology like satellite phones with voice, Internet and video capability, etc., it's not really necessary to have an Amateur license to obtain information or get your information out.

Lastly, it's not really necessary to obtain a Amateur license to have access to marine HF bands - there is a FCC license for this.

Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator's License (RG)

http://wireless.fcc.gov/commoperators/rg.html

About the only advantage an amateur license would give you is extra space in the HF spectrum and some additional access to technology that isn't really available to the average cruiser.

>PS, a Beverage antenna has nothing to do with liquid refreshment :-)

LOL!!!

Yep.

My interest is due to a still undecided debate in my head on taking the Navigator south this year. If I do, it will be later this month or early November.

Eisboch

Eisboch

I know there was some controversy about the issue with already licensed hams. Just curious, your thoughts?

Personally, I was thinking it would be a good time to get licensed.

But here's where I'm coming from, it's my understanding that to have a SSB on a boat, legally, I would need a general license. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not really interested in ham as a hobby, but as a tool. It's an important safety issue. I would expect to be listening, not talking, and with off the shelf equipment. From my perspective, CW and electronic knowledge is extraneous. I just want to be legal. What say you?

PS, a Beverage antenna has nothing to do with liquid refreshment :-)

Oh, and four different vertical antennas for 10, 20, 30 and 40 meters.

However, that's all water under the bridge now - I have two G5RVs oriented N/S, E/W at 60', a multi-band vertical on top of the barn with a ground pad of 1/4 wave radials to work against (the old lawn watering system that was installed before we bought this house) and a 800' Beverage out into the woods. Not at all what I used to have in days gone by.