March 24, 2016

Big news this week:  The final connector arrived and I completed the single sideband installation and tested the radio.  It works!!  That was a big relief because both the radio and the automatic antenna tuner had been bought used.  And the counterpoise appears to be adequate, although it will take more testing to be sure.  After programming in 48 frequencies, I was able to receive a weather forecast from the Coast Guard station at Pt. Reyes, a distance of about 500 miles, and heard the weatherfax signal from Hawaii.  My voice transmission was heard 'load and clear' by another boat about 100 yards down the dock. And, I finally managed to navigate the maze of the FCC website so I could get the required radio station license, which includes a new international MMSI number for my Personal Locater Beacon and AIS.  Cost $215.  The good part was I received an electronic version of the license that gave me my call sign via email within 12 hours.  Pretty good for government!
On the less glamorous side, I built and added a small shelf under the sink where I had installed the foot pump last week.  It's a nice little improvement that increases storage and makes things a bit neater.
Spring has definitely arrived in Ventura, with wildflowers in full bloom and strong afternoon winds.

March 10, 2016

The single side band radio installation is nearly complete.  Thank God!  My back hurts from crawling into and out of the lazarette a hundred times and endless boat yoga in the quarterberth, engine room and head lockers.  Now I'm just waiting for a special power connection plug that I had to order from a company up in Canada.  It should arrive in a few days, and then the big moment:  Will it work?  How well?  I also still need to get my station license from the FCC ($300 now!).
Had some rain and big winds this week, enough to knock down quite a lot of trees.  Once the storm and winds passed, it was delightful.

 

 

February 25, 2016

Although there were a few interruptions and distractions, the week was mostly devoted to the single sideband radio installation.  I spent quite a few hours researching the best methods for wiring and grounding.  I finally settled on an approach that I hope will be optimal, although it is definitely not the simplest or the easiest.  I'll discuss it in more detail in coming posts as the installation progresses.  Getting the receiver, antenna tuner and the antenna all in the right places requires a good deal of thinking and planning, which eventually degrades into a bunch of work.  Same for the antenna ground or counterpoise.  Simply finding the correct cables and electrical components is pretty involved.  I've gotten some, some is still on order, and some I've not yet located.  Although it's still early in the process, so far things have gone well.
The weather has been perfect:  75 degrees, gentle winds.  Still getting big surf, but the dredge has dug out enough sand that boats can get in and out of the harbor again...at least at high tide.   And there are signs of spring - blue herons nesting in the trees, a few flowers blooming....Nice!!

February 18, 2016

A busy and varied week!  Weather went from sunny and 85 to cool, windy and rainy in 24 hours!  Some big changes in my work priorities too!  I decided to do the Baja Ha Ha this year, and happily was able to conscript a couple of friends to crew.  So, with the restoration work mostly done, I started focusing on prepping the boat for voyaging.  Safety first, of course, so I pulled out my Jordan series drogue to determine how it needed augmenting for Circadian, a larger boat.  Also bought a used SSB radio for weatherfax, forecasts and cruising nets among other things.  Installation will be a major project; I just hope it all works when I'm done!  The purchase (with credit card points) of a new computer allowed me to download a new opensource charting program and made producing blog posts a lot less frustrating.  In the middle of all this, I had to prepare for and undergo an annual Coast Guard inspection to get my liveaboard permit.  But it's all good and I'm very excited about doing the Ha Ha!