SSB Radio Installation Steve Dublin August, 2007 Hull #: C380 #84
Editor’s Introduction– As I spent many of my younger years as an active radio amateur [ham] and virtually all of my work life in antenna & microwave engineering, I feel some degree of justification for the comments you’ll see sprinkled throughout the article below [apologies to author: Steve Dublin]; I hope they’re helpful– that’s the intent!
One general comment by way of clarifying some terms. The two popular versions of transceivers used by sailors are “Marine” and “Ham” types; they are both capable of SSB transmissions. Their functional distinction is principally that of frequency of operation. Marine SSB units are limited to certain frequencies as dictated by the FCC.
Ham units were limited to other frequencies, called Ham bands, but newer Ham transceivers are capable of operation on both marine and Ham frequencies, so there’s a distinct advantage for
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Portlights- Resealing & Reinstalling Rick Ranno May, 2007 Hull #: C-380 # 297
After a few years with my C380 [#297], the portlights developed some water leaks. Most were not obvious as to cause. So, after deciding to “dig in”, the first thing I did was to determine that the portlight was leaking and that a dirty or bad window gasket was not the cause. To do this, I removed the plastic trim rings with a screwdriver and applied some powder around the suspected areas. After several days including some rain, drip lines in the powder made it obvious that most leaks were entering via the window-tohull seal or, in this case, lack of seal. The best, long-term way to beat this one is complete portlight removal and re-installation.
First, with the trim ring removed, remove the 10/32 Philips mounting screws. Use a heat gun to help loosen the seal
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Port light Replacement Don and Linda Rooker May, 2007 Hull #: C380 #157
Don and Linda Rooker, who sail “Jolly Mon”, in the Pickwick Lake/ Tennessee River region of North East Mississippi, felt that the crazing on their original portlghts was too much and decided to go for stainless-steel framed units. So, thought I’d insert their photo here, as a different approach [See Photo]. As their new portlights, made by New Found Metal [.com], have tempered glass, no more crazing. Most of the fleet, including Admiral Jeanne and I, continue to shy away from glass on board. Perhaps a few have wine glasses carefully stowed?? But tempered glass is pretty strong.
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More on Portlight Leaks Richard Herbst August, 2007 Hull #: C380 #93
Last month’s [May 07] article on repairing portlight leaks omitted one source of a leak that is very easy to fix. On my boat (C380, S/N 93), the 2-horizontal seams in the Lewmar portlight’s frame is a primary source of leakage and the fix is really simple. My boat had been in the Gulf area for many years with the result that sunlight beat these seams to death. To fix, just run a bead of sealant across each seam and the leak stops (see photo).
Note that the portlight frame is hollow, so after sealing the seams, you may have to take a brisk sail to heel and spill the residual water out of the already present holes in the lower part of the frame. Before starting, put a towel there to catch the water.[Suggest removing trim ring;
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“I constructed a separate insulated antenna that runs from one of my my davit arms to the mast head using a spare halyard. I made this antenna from number 10 steel wire (from West ) and 2 porcelain insulators from a ham radio store. That proprietor recommended the longest possible wire as an antenna, which I have. I also avoided cutting the backstay and the expensive insulators for that purpose. Once the metal long wire is up you merely attach the insulated antenna lead from the antenna tuner directly to the steel wire with a hose clamp or a copper u-bolt ( which I found in Home Depot). My total cost is maybe 20 bucks.” –Bob Bierly, C380 #255, “C’Mon Wind”
Bob’s antenna is certainly simple, and should perform well at least in some circumstances. However, as much of
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Cooling sea water flows through our engine’s heat exchanger, then through the anti-siphon valve discussed above and to the elbow fitting at the aft end of the exhaust manifold. Here the water is “injected” into the hot exhaust gases, where it cools them while transiting the exhaust system, ending up back in the sea.
This elbow fitting is therefore in a very harsh environment, suffering the rigors of both very hot gases and warm/ hot salt water. [Fresh water sailors have an advantage here.] So you can imagine that this part is likely to be on the earlier, rather than later, timescale for failure. This occurred to at least one captain, albeit in a benign fashion. Over a period of months, his engine gradually exhibited higher and higher operating temperatures. After checking all the likely sources of
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Regardless of where we sail, how we sail, and with whom we choose to share our sailing, I suspect most of us spend time evaluating options to make our experiences easier, simpler, and safer. Bottom line for me is: anything I can do to increase my time on the water is a primary consideration – physical effort included. When we moved from our C320 to our C387, we chose the Forespar LeisureFurl mainsail boom furler option. This article is not about our “learning” experiences with the boom furler but about our decision to replace the standard manual halyard winch with a powered winch. In discussions with Forespar, while “Footloose” was in production, we understood a powered winch was recommended, to make raising the big main a snap. However, we had missed the opportunity
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