SSB

[sneuman]

I am planning to help deliver my own boat - a 28ft Taipan sloop - from Hong Kong to waters in the east of the Bight of Bangkok, Thailand. An experienced delivery skipper will be in charge, though I haven''t hired anyone yet. I have a rather extensive list of items for kitting the boat out for such a cruise. One item that sits on the periphery of my list is SSB txcvr. I''m more concerned about using it to recieve weather information than for two-way communication. Once the boat arrives in Thailand, its cruising grounds will most likely be confined to local waters, so the need for the SSB will be nil post-passage, I think. SO, experienced cruisers and wannabes: How important is this piece of kit? Does anyone sell a receiver only? Will a much less expensive Shortwave receiver get me the info I need? Lastly, if I do end up buying a transceiver for this trip, what is the likely resale value? Thanks.

[BobIdyll3]

If you''re on a budget, I think the SSB is not necessary. The trip is short, along a coastline, and there are many places to stop in Vietnam if bad weather threatens. And besides buying the SSB, you need an antenna, tuner, and most importantly proper installation. Just choose a great weather window for the trip, and monitor local forecasts as you go.

[JoseASantin]

Grundig makes a nice SSB reciever, it''s called the Yacht Boy. No need for antenna or tuner or installation, it runs on batteries.
Sounds like it should be adequate for the task at hand.

[WHOOSH]

S:

You do not describe a cruise that mandates a SSB but I doubt there are abundant coastal wx f''cast sources for you on VHF. I''d recommend you research a Navtex receiver, which offers worldwide near-shore (300-500 NM) wx f''casts, all in English, around the world. The Furuno unit )NX-300) is excellent, simple to install and use, and good gear.

Having used a Yachtboy - and trying to repair it multiple times - I''d describe it as extremely lightweight in construction, I was very unimpressed. Far better is the bulkier, heavy duty Sony 2010.

Jack

[jamesonatom]

I''d suggest you consider getting the Sony ICF-SW7600GR for $160. You can read about the radio and some antenna rigs at:

http://atomvoyages.com/projects/dipole.htm

This radio will receive everything a transceiver will, provided you have a good antenna.

James B
s/v Atom

[mmccoy]

Not sure if you are looking for a transceiver or receiver as this stupid message board keeps giving me errors when trying to access the forum.

Anyway, if you want some good info on world band (SW) receivers go to www.dxing.com

To get some surveys of about 75 or so different modern world band SW receivers go to www.dxing.com/rx/rxindex.htm