![]() Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. If the ham service sounds intriguing, then they study the General Class ham radio license.įor more information on ham licensing, you can contact the American Relay Radio Leage or the WFYI Group Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 45 years. “Most long-range sailors first start out on marine SSB, and monitor the ham traffic nets for valuable local and distant marine weather forecasts. Ham operators receive a free 10-year license, after passing the two tests. “On marine channels, you use your ship’s call letters, and on ham channels, you use your ham radio personal call letters. On ham bands, this same radio will be a ham radio, without internal modifications that would harm marine bands. “On marine band, it is considered a Part 80 marine radio. “All single sideband radio equipment can offer 3 – 30 MHz marine and ham radio capabilities, without any internal modifications. You will even be able to send color photos long range over the free ham airwaves. “The General Class ticket is the license you need for playing with long range ham radio, and working the many weather nets, cruising nets, 14.300 MHz Maritime mobile nets, free email, or digital messaging. You could take both exams in one sitting. It will take you about a month of study-but no Morse code. “Once you pass the Technician Class Exam (Element 2), bone up on General Class, another straightforward 35-question, multiple-choice test. Scouts pass the test as part of their Radio Merit Badge. ![]() “The prerequisite for a license, the Technician Class Exam (Element 2), is 35 multiple choice questions. “Morse Code tests are no longer required to obtain a general class license, although Morse Code is still a popular method of ham operators communicating over the ham bands. “If you do like playing radio, and as a kid, enjoyed tuning in short-wave broadcasts, or as a mariner, you like to monitor the banter of hams talking about cruising spots around the globe, then consider obtaining the general class ham radio license. You can chat with fellow sailors on long range SSB ship-to-ship channels, with no ham ticket needed. “If you have no interest in playing radio, and tuning around to see what you can pick up from nature’s ionospheric skywaves, and only want a long range signal that can get weather and help in an emergency, you do not need to take a ham radio test and become a licensed Amateur Radio Operator. Ham operators will help any station with a mayday call, and ham frequency 14.300 MHz is where maritime hams listen up. “If you can’t raise the Coast Guard in an emergency, and you are in immediate danger of sinking, or need immediate medical help, radio rules allow you to use ANY frequency to obtain a life-or-death contact. “Your marine SSB will also tune in weatherfax, shortwave broadcasts, marine weather nets, and also tune in ham radio broadcasts. “There is no FCC testing required for these marine SSB licenses. Cost for both is a total around $200, to the FCC. You will also need to obtain an operator’s permit, called the restricted operator permit, a lifetime license to use a SSB marine radio aboard. “To use marine SSB, your ship needs a marine SSB call sign from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), called a station license, which is good for 10 years, and also includes your International Maritime Mobile Service Identity number. Marine single sideband lets you communicate to the Coast Guard, high seas telephone service, email through Sail Mail, and talk with other sailors who have marine SSB on board. So when a fellow sailor says they have a “sideband” on board, you need to ask, marine, ham, or both? ![]() He also explained that in many cases, while there are practical differences, the decision often comes down to personal preference.īoth the marine radio and ham radio services use the same type of modulation, called single sideband. When we contacted Gordon for our update on marine SSBs, he pointed out that there remains a lot of confusion over the differences between ham and marine SSB, and the pros and cons of each. While the high-frequency (HF) marine radio landscape has shifted dramatically since then, Wests advice for those who are trying to choose between a marine SSB or a ham radio has remained relatively steady. It seems like it was just yesterday that amateur radio guru Gordon West was guiding Practical Sailor readers through the maze of marine single-sideband (SSB) radios on the market. ![]()
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