SSB newbie questions

[Martin]

I bought a new Icom 710 and Icom antennae tuner at an auction last year and
I am just getting around to fit it. Our plan is to take off to the Med and
possibly transatlantic in a couple of years time.
I have just had an insulated backstay fitted and now need some advice on the
electrical connections.

What sort of cable should I use between the receiver and tuner and also
between the tuner and antenna? How is the connection between the cable and
the backstay best made?
What should I do about earthing the tuner and receiver?

If I need ground plates and so on this can wait until we lay up out of the
water next winter, for the time being I shall be using the rig for listening
only, so suggestions for an interim solution would also be useful

Finally can anyone recomend a beginners book on this whole subject, so I
don't ask any more probably silly questions

thanks

Martin

 

[Steve (another one)]

I bought a new Icom 710 and Icom antennae tuner at an auction last year and
I am just getting around to fit it. Our plan is to take off to the Med and
possibly transatlantic in a couple of years time.
I have just had an insulated backstay fitted and now need some advice on the
electrical connections.

What sort of cable should I use between the receiver and tuner and also
between the tuner and antenna? How is the connection between the cable and
the backstay best made?
What should I do about earthing the tuner and receiver?

If I need ground plates and so on this can wait until we lay up out of the
water next winter, for the time being I shall be using the rig for listening
only, so suggestions for an interim solution would also be useful

Finally can anyone recomend a beginners book on this whole subject, so I
don't ask any more probably silly questions

thanks

Martin

I have just asked essentially this question here and in other places. I
know little radio theory, which will probably help. Here is my
distillation of the responses. Apologies to the locals here who clearly
know far more than I do and tend to loose the uninitiated very quickly.
I hope they don't mind me using their responses and those of others here.

For connecting your tuner to your backstay most UK-based installers use
the centre conductor of RG213U coax, having stripped off the outer
screen and insulation. To make the connection at the backstay they wrap
it round, clamp it with 2 or more ss jubilee clips and plaster the whole
lot in self amalgamating tape. Keep it as short as possible, ie put the
tuner very close to the backstay. Make sure you keep a space between the
wire and any grounded metal; I am about to use plastic water pipe as a
stand-off between the non-insulated bottom part of the backstay and the
wire for this purpose.

Between receiver and tuner use intact RG213 with standard well made
pl259 connectors.

For listening only, grounding to immersed metal such as seacocks is OK.

Icom America have some very useful PDFs here
http://www.icomamerica.com/downloads/default.asp.

HTH

 

[Martin]

I have just asked essentially this question here and in other places. I
know little radio theory, which will probably help. Here is my
distillation of the responses. Apologies to the locals here who clearly
know far more than I do and tend to loose the uninitiated very quickly.
I hope they don't mind me using their responses and those of others here.

For connecting your tuner to your backstay most UK-based installers use
the centre conductor of RG213U coax, having stripped off the outer
screen and insulation. To make the connection at the backstay they wrap
it round, clamp it with 2 or more ss jubilee clips and plaster the whole
lot in self amalgamating tape. Keep it as short as possible, ie put the
tuner very close to the backstay. Make sure you keep a space between the
wire and any grounded metal; I am about to use plastic water pipe as a
stand-off between the non-insulated bottom part of the backstay and the
wire for this purpose.

Between receiver and tuner use intact RG213 with standard well made
pl259 connectors.

For listening only, grounding to immersed metal such as seacocks is OK.

Icom America have some very useful PDFs here
http://www.icomamerica.com/downloads/default.asp.

HTH

Just want I wanted - thanks very much