Radio

I'm still working on getting my radio setup. The cloning cable, needed for programming the radio, should be here this week. Once I get it, I can examine and adjust the internal settings. One of the biggest things I want to look at are the transmit frequencies.

My radio will receive on all frequencies from 500 kHz to 29.999 MHz, but only transmit on a subset of those, depending on the usage and your license. A small portion are reserved for maritime use, and another small portion for amateur radio. And even the amateur frequencies have additional restrictions based your license. I have an Amateur Extra license, which is the highest, so I don't have any restrictions, however, the other two levels, General and Technician, are limited, with Technician the most restricted.

Since I have a marine radio, and Icom M700Pro, I need to check to see which frequencies have been setup for transmission and add the ham frequencies if they aren't already open. They originally shipped with only the marine frequencies open, however, I've heard that at some point, Icom started shipping them with both the marine and ham frequencies open. I'll find out once I get the cable.

My straight key, as well as a few other things, arrived yesterday. I still need to learn Morse code before I try to use it, as well as rewire the connector I solder the other day. I also got a new Weller electronic soldering station, and a set of "helping hands" which is basically a couple of alligator clips and a magnifying glass connected to a small stand to help see and hold whatever I'm working on. I ordered a solder sucker too, used to remove excess solder, which is the problem I had the other day, but that may not be here till next week.

Once I get it, I'll go ahead and finish making up all the connectors, both for my straight key and my Pactor modem. I also need to hook up my GPS to the modem, but haven't quite figured out what that will entail. The problem with the GPS is that it's in my AIS unit that needs to be connected to my GX2000 radio in order to display my position relative to the other AIS targets on the screen, as well as collision avoidance, etc..

These signals all use the NMEA standard, and normally, a device will have both in and out connections and pass on whatever it gets, allowing you to hook up multiple devices and share data amongst all of them. I think it must have some sort of TTL, time to live, feature so the messages will only be forwarded a finite number of times, which both protects and limits you. I think the radio supports this, but the documentation states that the NMEA out should go back to the GPS. Perhaps that's just a typo, we'll see.

Alternatively, I could run it through my computer, after which, I could send it out to as many devices as needed. However, that would mean I'd need to have my computer on all the time, which is less than ideal, since it uses a lot of power. There are multiplexers on the market, but they're relatively expensive. I'll see if I can get by with what I have before going that route.

Heater watch:

I got most of the parts needed to move and remount my heater, so I'm planning on starting the process today -- though I still have to wait on a couple of elbows before I can actually use it. I decided to mount it on the load bearing, fore-and-aft bulkhead in the center of the cabin directly under the mast. I still need to figure out how to run the flue and where to cut the 5" hole in the deck for the deck fitting. There's only 71" of clearance, and the passage way is only 19" wide (the heater will stick out 8"), so it looks like no matter what I do, I'll have to duck as I squeeze past. But it's a boat, not a house, so I hope that won't be a problem.

However, I still haven't decided where to place the deck fitting. Even if I remove the heater and flue in the summer, the deck fitting will have to stay there, and hang down a good inch or two. I'll fit a cap of some sort inside, but it could still be dangerous, so placement is important. Placement is also important on deck, especially since it's going to be close to the mast.

I need to keep it away from control lines and the sails, so I think I'll run it forward and to one side, probably directly in front of one of the dorades. I'll dry fit everything, and see how I like it before cutting any holes. It's just fiberglass, so I can move it later if need be, but cutting holes is so much work, I'd like to get it right the first time.

Although I gave back the extra heater they loaned me, the boat's still staying relatively warm with just the one, but I can't wait to run my cabin heater. It should keep the entire cabin nice and toasty, and make working on the chainplates and engine much easier.

Transmission watch:

I ordered a couple manuals for the engine, but the Yanmar Service Manual wasn't in stock and had to be back ordered. I should get the Clymer Shop Manual for my engine this week, but it'll probably be the end of next week before I get the Yanmar one. I plan to review them before I start messing around with anything, but the engine isn't going anywhere, and isn't getting any worse, so I'll keep working on other stuff until I'm ready to tackle it.

Also, it'll be much better once I can heat up the boat. I'll be pretty exposed when I climb down into the cockpit lockers, so it will really help if I can heat up that compartment, and the engine, before I start working on it. The highs are only in the mid 30's and the lows in the mid 20's, so it's not going to be anything like Houston.