Quick-Start Guide to SSB Table of Contents

DSR
by Sea-Tech Systems
206.792.9540

The Sailors' Quick-Start Guide to SSB Radio Installation & Operation
Table of Contents

Written in clear, understandable, non-technical English, the 44-page Sailors' Quick-Start Guide to SSB Radio Installation & Operation arms you with the information you need to make your SSB Radio work.

1..... Getting your Bearings

1.1.... Preface

1.1.1.... Setting Expectations.

1.2.... Definitions

1.2.1.... AFSK - Audio Frequency Shift Keying

1.2.2.... AM - Amplitude Modulation

1.2.3.... Channel - Duplex

1.2.4.... Channel - Frequency

1.2.5.... Channel - Radio

1.2.6.... CHU - Canadian Time Station

1.2.7.... CW - Continuous Wave

1.2.8.... DC - Direct Current

1.2.9.... Duplex

1.2.10..... FCC - Federal Communications Commission

1.2.11..... FSK - Frequency Shift Keying

1.2.12..... GMT - Greenwich Mean Time

1.2.13..... Ham Radio

1.2.14..... HF - High Frequency

1.2.15..... ITU - International Telecommunications Union

1.2.16..... J3E

1.2.17..... kHz- Kilohertz

1.2.18..... LSB - Lower Sideband

1.2.19..... MHz- Megahertz

1.2.20..... Modes - Modulation Modes

1.2.21..... Parallel

1.2.22..... RF - Radio Frequency

1.2.23..... Simplex

1.2.24..... SWR - Standing Wave Ratio

1.2.25..... Transceiver

1.2.26..... USB - Upper Sideband

1.2.27..... UTC

1.2.28..... WWV/WWVH

1.2.29..... Zulu - Zulu Time

2..... System Architecture

2.1.... Icom M802 SSB General and E-mail Connection Diagram

2.1.1.... SSB Radio Diagram Section

2.1.2.... E-Mail diagram Section

2.2.... RFI and RF Choke Placement

2.2.1.... SSB Transceiver Tuner Control Cable & Coax

2.2.2.... Pactor Modem

2.3.... Installing your SSB

2.3.1.... Site Survey

2.3.1.1..... Antenna

2.3.1.2..... RF Ground

2.3.1.3..... Antenna Tuner Location

2.3.1.4..... SSB Radio Mounting Location/Operating Position

2.3.1.5..... Ventilation

2.3.1.6..... Distance between the SSB Radio and Antenna Tuner

2.3.1.7..... DC Power Source for your SSB

2.3.2.... Pactor II/IIIusb, P4 Radio Modems

2.4.... Installation Guidelines

2.4.1.... Antenna

2.4.2.... Antenna Lead Considerations

2.4.2.1..... Stand-off insulators

2.4.2.2..... Proximity to Other Wiring

2.4.2.3..... Connection to Backstay.

2.4.3.... RF Ground.

2.4.4.... Antenna Tuners

2.4.4.1..... AT-140

2.4.4.2..... AT-130/130E/120/120E Antenna Tuner Connections

2.4.4.3..... SGC-230 & Other Tuners

2.4.5.... 13.8 VDC Power

3...Finding Your Way - Operating Your SSB

3.1.... Meet your SSB

3.1.1.... Channel Groups, and Channels

3.2.... KISS your SSB

3.2.1.... Icom M710/M710RT, & M802

3.2.2.... Icom M700Pro

3.2.3.... Recognizing When Your SSB�s Dialed into the User Group

3.3.... Not all Channels are Channels

3.3.1.... Radio�s Channels

3.3.2.... Communications Channels

3.3.3.... Channels or Frequencies - Which is it?

3.3.3.1... Channel Numbers for the Shared Marine Frequencies.

3.4.... Is Anybody Out There? - Talk to Me

3.4.1.... Prearranged Schedules

3.4.2.... Cruising Nets

3.4.3.... Tuning to a Channel or Frequency

3.4.3.1..... Icom M802

3.4.3.2..... Icom M710

3.4.3.3..... Icom M700OPro

3.4.4.... Speech Processing/Compression � M802

3.4.5.... Weather FAX (WEFAX)

4..... When Things Don�t Work -Troubleshooting Your SSB

4.1.... Is the Problem Real?

4.2.... What to Do When the Problem Proves Real

4.2.1.... RF Ground

4.2.2.... Antenna/GTO-15 Antenna Lead-in.

4.2.3.... RFI (Radio Frequency Interference):

4.2.3.1..... Onboard Equipment Reacts to SSB Transmitter RF

4.2.3.2..... Receiver RFI � Noise and Static When Receiving

5..... Hints & FAQ�s

5.1.... Headphones for the M802

5.2.... Lat/Lon/Time Display (M802 only)

5.3.... Mounting Questions

5.4.... RF Grounding

5.5.... RF Grounding Plate vs. Copper Foil Radials in the Bilges.

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