SSB installation help

[larry mace]

I am going to install my SSB this weekend and have had some people say to run the power direct to the house batteries and others say to run thru a breaker. Any thoughts on this or other installation tips would be appreciated. I have an ICOM with the seperate tuner. My backstay is already set up with ronstad insulators. My best location appears to be in the quarter berth under the cockpit seat. I think but do not know the thickness of the marine ply but am guessing it is 3/4". The unit quite heavy (10 lbs) but 4 screws should work.
Thanks
larry
cd33



lmace@gt.com

[Matt Cawthorne]

Larry,
Always use a breaker or fuse that is sized for the wire you are protecting. On my last trip to Bermuda a friend lent me a GPS and hooked it to the battery with aligator clips. When about two days out of Norfolk on the return trip the gps went dead. I put in batteries to check my position and did not worry about it. The next day I found that the wires had been crushed together by a piece of equipment and had shorted. The wires had been hot enough to completely char the insulation and melt the wires in two. Fortuneatly the wires had not been touching anything flamable. One of the trash bags had been only an inch or so from the wires. I now put fuses in any line that is attached to the + side of the battery, even those that are attached to the volt meter. A fire is too serious to risk.

Matt

I am going to install my SSB this weekend and have had some people say to run the power direct to the house batteries and others say to run thru a breaker. Any thoughts on this or other installation tips would be appreciated. I have an ICOM with the seperate tuner. My backstay is already set up with ronstad insulators. My best location appears to be in the quarter berth under the cockpit seat. I think but do not know the thickness of the marine ply but am guessing it is 3/4". The unit quite heavy (10 lbs) but 4 screws should work.
Thanks
larry
cd33

mcawthor@bellatlantic.net

[Jeff Barnes]

Larry:

Last year, I installed the ICOM 710 with the remote head on my CD36(Jazman #68) Since the layout is different, I can't offer any location ideas. (My main unit is located in the cabinet under the chart table and teh AT-130 is located in the lazarette). Regrding wiring, I suggest using a 30A breaker, and more importantly appropriate size wire (depending on how long a cable run you have)to compensate for voltage drop. I believe the ICOM is rated at 30A MAX during transmit, however I suspect it is less. I have installed a coupke of these on Cape Dorys, so let me know if you need help with the tuner/backstay/copper ground plane installation. jbarnes@oxbio.com

Regards,

Jeff

[Greg Kozlowski]

Jeff,

I am going to be installing an Icom SSB in my 1979 CD36 in a couple weeks. The backstay is done with insulators and now I'm looking for a place to install the copper counter-poise (sp?) ground plate before connecting it to the fitting for the grounding plate on the outside of the hull. I would be interested to know where and how you installed the copper in Jazman. I'm thinking of lining the hull under the quarter berth, but am concerned that it may not offer enough sq. ft. of space.

Any advice and suggestions would be much appreciated.
Greg
s/v Sherpa



koz@seijo.ac.jp

[Andy Denmark]

Hi Larry,

Check out <www.yachtwire.com> for some good comprehensive installation information. I am putting ham/SSB in my CD-27 per these guidelines. To get there:

1. Under PACTOR Related Links highlight K4CJX
2. Click the Wx, Maritime & RV Installation button
3. Then go to Installation Tips for Radio Email.

While the article is aimed primarily at PACTOR, it covers the basics for Ham/SSB along the way.

BTW, I also have a Moore 24 (#99 - "Nevermoore") that I race PHRF here. Butt kicking boat, for sure!

Let me know how it goes.

73's

Andy Denmark - WD4MIA
CD-27 "Rhiannon"



trekker@coastalnet.com

[Andy Denmark]

Hi Larry,

Check out <www.yachtwire.com> for some good comprehensive installation information. I am putting ham/SSB in my CD-27 per these guidelines. To get there:

1. Under PACTOR Related Links highlight K4CJX
2. Click the Wx, Maritime & RV Installation button
3. Then go to Installation Tips for Radio Email.

While the article is aimed primarily at PACTOR, it covers the basics for Ham/SSB along the way.

BTW, I also have a Moore 24 (#99 - "Nevermoore") that I race PHRF here. Butt kicking boat, for sure!

Let me know how it goes.

73's

Andy Denmark - WD4MIA
CD-27 "Rhiannon"

For some reason the message dropped the URL. Here it is again
www.yachtwire.com (www.yachtwire.com)



trekker@coastalnet.com

[John R.]

I am going to install my SSB this weekend and have had some people say to run the power direct to the house batteries and others say to run thru a breaker. Any thoughts on this or other installation tips would be appreciated. I have an ICOM with the seperate tuner. My backstay is already set up with ronstad insulators. My best location appears to be in the quarter berth under the cockpit seat. I think but do not know the thickness of the marine ply but am guessing it is 3/4". The unit quite heavy (10 lbs) but 4 screws should work.
Thanks
larry
cd33

Larry,

The Icom's come with an excellent manual and installation guide and all appropriate information is included. If you purchased a new radio and didn't receive the install manual then contact the dealer and ask for it. If you have a used radio just call Icom and they will probably send you one.

You shouldn't use a power cable longer than ten feet if you can avoid it. Icom recommends a direct connection to the power source. ALL connections should be soldered. As stated before the Icom's are rated at 30 amps transmission and that is a maximum rating. In standby they draw around 1 - 2 amps.

I always have installed a high quality "UL" approved circuit breaker. Some advocate no breaker in case of emergencies and theoretically a less chance of losing power to the radio when it is needed most. I am an advocate of fire prevention, I feel the breaker is important especially with the potential 30 amp load of the Icom. Pick your poison I guess.

As you may already know there are several ways to create a counterpoise. Typically a few square feet of copper screen glassed to the inside of the hull usually works well. Also copper foil works very well. A heavy AWG wire connected to the engine will work on the lower frequencies up to around 4 mhz. For all the others you will need to establish a good counterpoise and provide clean well secured grounds for the radio and antenna.

I've installed screening on the underside of the cockpit sole and it has performed well. Be sure to completely cover the screening with resin or epoxy to keep it from oxidizing. I've also used copper sheet and foil leading to a dynaplate that has worked well. Coat the copper with a lubricant or something else to keep it corossion free.

Gordon West is the defacto expert on SSB. Consult his writtings for additional info on SSB systems.

[larry mace]

Hi Larry,

Check out <www.yachtwire.com> for some good comprehensive installation information. I am putting ham/SSB in my CD-27 per these guidelines. To get there:

1. Under PACTOR Related Links highlight K4CJX
2. Click the Wx, Maritime & RV Installation button
3. Then go to Installation Tips for Radio Email.

While the article is aimed primarily at PACTOR, it covers the basics for Ham/SSB along the way.

BTW, I also have a Moore 24 (#99 - "Nevermoore") that I race PHRF here. Butt kicking boat, for sure!

Let me know how it goes.

73's

Andy Denmark - WD4MIA
CD-27 "Rhiannon"

For some reason the message dropped the URL. Here it is again
www.yachtwire.com (www.yachtwire.com)

Andy,
We thought we were the only other crazy people who woould own an ultralight and a cruiser. Our Moore is hull #123 but was modified slightly for the singlehanded transpac which Ron Moore allowed her to carry hull #1 on the sail to match her name "Ichiban". We mostly raced her in the doublehanded races in SF and ocean and for the last few years for evening sails on Lake Tahoe. We have yet to put a spinnaker on our CD33 as we are spoiled by those 20 knot runs with the Moore.
Larry



lmace@gt.com

[Marv Birdt]

I am going to install my SSB this weekend and have had some people say to run the power direct to the house batteries and others say to run thru a breaker. Any thoughts on this or other installation tips would be appreciated. I have an ICOM with the seperate tuner. My backstay is already set up with ronstad insulators. My best location appears to be in the quarter berth under the cockpit seat. I think but do not know the thickness of the marine ply but am guessing it is 3/4". The unit quite heavy (10 lbs) but 4 screws should work.
Thanks
larry
cd33

I installed my Kenwood 430 with an automatic tuner on a CD30B.
For a counterpoise I lashed together 4 1/4" diameter about 15 foot lengths of copper tubing from the tuner, under the backstay to a point adjacent to the dynaplate attached to the keel. You can bend the tubing in whatever direction is required to get it from A to B.It has a lot of copper and a lot of surface. The connections to the tuner and dynaplate should be with heavy guage wire. I wired the rig directly to the battery with no more than a 5 foot run of wire. Has worked well for the last 8 years in SW Florida....Marv Birdt KI6BO



mbirdt@peganet.com