Check out our 150 Watt HF Marine Single Side Band Radio (SSB) and more from West Marine!
www.westmarine.com
In Stock! $2600, $275, $68
Caveat:
Normal turnkey ham HF shortwave transceivers are band-restricted
in a way that I don't think (more expensive for very similar innards?) Marine SSB rigs are.
However, Marine SSB rigs may last longer when installed in a boat.
At least one ham has been willing to skinflint with a merely kilobuck
HF transceiver (Yaesu FT-897) even though it means they can only talk to hams in a pinch.
Which is reasonable, because while there must be
some dedicated yachtsmen
who mount a meaningful radio watch on their SSB gear, there are plenty of
ham yachtsmen and their hangers-on who
definitely monitor traditional
maritime mobile ham frequencies and hold periodic nets. So there are lots
of hams trying to listen for ham boats in trouble.
But I've read of a guy who installed a ham rig in his boat,
totally protected in the cabin -
perhaps never even unboxed until going inside the cabin.
He discovered after only one summer that the radio was ruined
just from the salt air - the PC board had turned to green crap.
So I wouldn't drop a lot of coin on a ham shortwave transceiver for boat use
without a cunning plan to protect it from atmospheric corrosion.
The Shakespeare 393 Single Side Band (SSB Whip) Antenna performs best in calm to moderate seas. Features: Shakespeare 393 Single Side Band (SSB Whip) Antenna performs best in calm to moderate seas Transmitter power up to 1 KW Length: 23'
www.defender.com
Many
sailboats with Marine SSB install insulators at both ends of their mast backstay,
and use
that as the antenna.
Then again,
sailboat topsides are busy enough that no one's mounting a whip antenna
on the cabin top. Depending on what else is going on, either top of the mast
or some monstrosity hanging off the stern, like where they mount most radomes.