Conference unifix::sailing

I have a Standard Horizon LTD which I am pleased with. According to a
survey conducted by Practical Sailor, the Horizon 25 and Horizon USA
were owned by 35% of all respondents. These units were given a 3.6 rating
(4.0 was perfect) in reliability and performance. This was exceeded only
by Cybernet with a 4.0 rating. Cybernet, Pierce-Simpson, Raytheon, Unimetrics
and President were the next most popular units with a market share of 5%
each. It was pointed out that 5% was actually a very large percentage
in this market which makes the Horizon numbers incredible. There were over
50 types of radios mentioned in the survey.

They also noted that synthesized units were preferred over crystal and that
VHF antenna installation was much a much more important issue than 
differences between the various manufacturers.

Anchor Electronics in Hingham has the following prices:

LTD = $188,    USA = $238,    MAXI = $288.

(Note, these prices were "Show prices", their catalog is higher. I just
 looked through 7 or 8 other catalogs and the prices vary widely. You
 should be able to dicker with them.)

For some reason, I seem to remember Regency Polaris units being criticized
for reliability and/or warranty problems. But I have no firsthand knowledge.

Note that in virtually all of the synthesized radios there is no backup
if the phase lock loop fails. Standard, in some of its models, has a
separate crystal for Channel 16. Scoff not, this is important. We took a
wave down the companionway of our C&C26 which splashed our Standard
Horizon 78. After that ONLY Channel 16 worked, which was very nice since
we were well offshore in a bad gale. (Afterwards I washed the front
panel circuits in fresh water and sprayed them with LPS1. Radio has
worked well the five years since.) 

Alan

Standard make a special note of the channel 16 crystal backup feature in
their "Horizon International" model. I couldn't find any reference to this
feature in the other members of the current line. Unfortunately, the best
discount price I can find is approximately $525.

Since VHFs are under discussion, can anyone give me information on 
handhelds - like what typical power output is, are they more expensive
than their larger brothers and is their performance adequate for
within 5 miles of the coast along NH & Maine?

Bill French

Thanks for all the info on VHF's. It looks like
Horizon is the only way to go. I am now looking at
a Horizon USA. Anchor Electronics quoted $239.

Bob

You should be happy with the Horizon USA. Just to complicate matters for
you: I've got a stack of 1984 catalogs almost a foot high. Just for curiosity
when I noticed the wildly fluctuating prices for Standard in some catalogs
I went through the whole stack. The $239 quote you received is the very best
price available.

One confusing note. I must have found 20 prices for the USA model. Only
one flyer (ELCO Marine Electronics, Norwell MA) referred to TWO different
models of the USA. One just said 'Horizon USA' with a 'special show price'
of $289. The other was a 'Horizon USA-2' for $254.

I have no idea what the difference in the two units might be. The USA-2
was flagged with a "NEW" label. Possibly it's a better package although
sometimes this just means that the manufacturer has found ways to cut
corners.

John

I found that the USA model had 50 channels. The USA-2 model has
39 channels. The quote was for the Horizon USA-2 model.

re the question about handheld VHFs:

Yes, they do tend to cost as much or more as the permanently installed 
ones. Their power output is usually 5 watts or less. 

From your question, I infer you are thinking about using a handheld as 
your only VHF. If you are, there are a couple of considerations.

The range of a VHF depends on both power and, even more, antenna height.
On our boat the antenna is about 45' above the water and is fed with low
loss RG8/U coax. We have made a ship-to-shore phone call at 50 miles,
but the reception was marginal. With 5 watts and a deck level antenna I
would guess 5 to 10 miles would be about the maximum range. 

It is one thing to try to stay within 5 miles of the coast. It is 
another to do it. The weather forecasts are inaccurate enough along the 
Maine coast that it is all too easy to be caught in weather quite bad for 
a small boat. We spent 20 hours 25 to 35 miles offshore in a bad gale 
because we couldn't beat back to the coast. 

Also, the Coast Guard stations are not all that close together. The 
Rockland and Southwest Harbor stations are some 30 miles apart.

I would recommend a permanent VHF with a good masthead antenna for your 
only VHF.

Alan

More info on the range of VHF radios. This chart was printed in an old issue
of Cruising World which ran an article explaining how to select a radio.


Height of Xmit Ant  8  12  24  40  60


Height of    8     15  17  22  27  30
Receiving   12     17  20  26  30  34
Antenna     24     22  26  32  37  39
            40     27  30  37  42  47
            60     30  34  41  47  51


Example: With a transmitting antenna 8 ft above the surface and a receiving
         antenna 24 ft up, the MAXIMUM range would be approximately 22 miles.


The article also mentioned that sailboats should never use anything other
than a 3 dB gain antenna. It pointed out that the higher the gain, the more
directional (horozontally) the antenna became. As soon as the boat heeled over
the antenna would be pointing at the sky to windward and to the water to 
leeward and range would be reduced significantly.


John

I too have seen the admonition not to use an antenna with a gain greater
than 3db on a sailboat. However, those doing the admonishing never say
how much reception/transmission is reduced as a function of boat heel.
We have a Metz stainless steel whip antenna at the masthead that
supposedly has 6db gain, and I have never noticed any signal fading or
reduction in range when the boat pitches or heels. The catalog 
description for the Metz antenna claims 6db gain with the pattern of a 
3db antenna -- sounds like black magic. I also recall seeing a test of 
various VHF antennas. There were significant differences in performance 
(the Metz did well). 

Alan

Vertical whip antennas all have the same pattern AS VIEWED FROM ABOVE.
That is, circular.

Viewed from the side, variations in gain are caused by how much of
the energy is squeezed down toward the horizon, as opposed to going
up into the sky.  If the gain is too high, the beam is shaped like
a disk, and as the boat heels, one edge points uselessly up in the
sky, and the other down in the water.

Note that the effect is only to the sides.  The signal ahead and
astern remains the same, unless you are going up and down hills
a lot.

The beam shape difference between 3dB and 6dB is pretty small for
the purposes of this discussion.  It isn't like a really FLAT
disk.  More like a bagel.

    I'm looking for any information on these three marine radios I have.
    Does anyone have any manuals or schematics? I know it's a long shot.
    
    1. Simpson Model B - circa 1971
    
       Simpson is no longer in business and local marine radio repair
    places don't have them that far back. I've already mailed a letter to
    Howard Sams, Co.
    
    2. Northern Radio Co. Model N570, and it's 12Volt counterpart.
       
       I have someone checking Seattle Washington now to see if they are
    still in business. Circa 1978
    
    3. Raytheon RAY 50A.
    
       I haven't checked to see if they are still in Manchester, NH. if
    they are, I'll write them. This one is an early synthesized radio.
    
    
    thanks,
    
    jim e
    

    This is an update to the previous reply. I wrote to both Northern and
    Raytheon and received free of charge the manuals. I guess if you have
    an old radio from a company still in business, you're in luck.
    
    Don't throw the old marine radio's in the trash. Give them to a ham.
    
    jim e

    Just an update on the notes of 7 years ago.     I have a Standard
    Horizon 25 which I installed in 1977 (xtal set 10 channels + 2WX)
    
    It has a Metz antenna(40' high).     When it went in 3 years ago
    to get the channel 72 xtal changed, all specs of the radio were
    right on.    I must give credit to Standard products as this
    unit continues to give superior service in the marine environment.
    
    I sail in Buzzards bay and have no problem with receive/xmit from
    any place Cuttyhunk to the Canal. (except behind hills in harbor!)
    
    When I brought it in to AirVue (I bought it from them in 1977) 
    they told me to keep it as it is one of the best sets for
    reliability.
    
    Frank

    This looks like as good a place as any to put this request...
    
    First of all, a favor.  I'm not a reader of this conference, so I'd
    like to ask that, if you post a reply, you Mail a copy of the reply to
    me at opamp::vmiller as well.
    
    I'm helping a couple of friends re-wire their sailboat (a Kels (?) 23')
    and I'm a bit concerned about the channel selections on the radio.  The
    boat (with radio) was purchased from someone who had it parked on the
    ocean in Florida.  Now, it's gonna be kept in Lake Winnipesaukee, NH.
    
    The radio is a 12-channel crystal rig (maybe 10 marine + 2 WX - I know
    there's at least one WX xtal in there).  Seems to be functional.  I know
    I can get new crystals, even if I have to call JAN or International
    Crystal and have them made (which isn't too expensive).
    
    The question is: given the fact that it will likely stay on Lake Winni,
    what channels should it be loaded with?
    
    A more general question is: what is the allocation scheme for marine
    VHF channels?  Is there a universal calling frequency/channel number? 
    How about a universal distress/emergency channel?
    
    Buying a new rig is pretty much out at this time; even though a nice
    synthesized radio would be nice...
    
    Thanks in advance.
    
    			Vernon  (WB9WWE)
    

    Here's a chart of the channel allocation, circa 1987-8. Someone needs to
    update this with current information which I don't have available at the
    moment.
    
    Channel  Xmit     Rcv    Marine Radiotelephone Channel Usage
      6    156.300  156.300  Intership SAFETY and SEARCH & RESCUE   
      7A   156.350  156.350  Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast     
      8    156.400  156.400  Comm'l Intership                       
      9    156.450  156.450  Comm'l and Non-Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast
     10    156.500  156.500  Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast     
     11    156.550  156.550  Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast     
     12    156.600  156.600  Port Operations Intership and Ship-to-Coast
     13    156.650  156.650  NAVIGATIONAL --- SHIP'S BRIDGE TO SHIP'S BRIDGE
     14    156.700  156.700  Port Operations Intership and Ship-to-Coast
     15      ---    156.750  Environmental --- Receive Only                 
     16    156.800  156.800  DISTRESS, SAFETY and CALLING CHANNEL
     17    156.850  156.850  STATE CONTROL                                  
     18A   156.900  156.900  Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast             
     19A   156.950  156.950  Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast             
     20    157.000  161.600  Port Operations --- Ship-to-Coast              
     22A   157.100  157.100  COAST GUARD LIAISON                            
     24    157.200  161.800  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     25    157.250  161.850  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     26    157.300  161-900  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     27    157.350  161.950  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     28    157.400  162.000  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     65A   156.275  156.275  Port Operations Intership and Ship-to-Coast    
     66A   156.325  156.325  Port Operations Intership and Ship-to-Coast    
     67    156.375  156.375  Comm'l Intership                               
     68    156.425  156.425  Non-Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast         
     69    156.475  156.475  Non-Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast         
     70    156.525  156.525  DISTRESS and SAFETY CALLING USING DSC ONLY
     71    156.575  156.575  Non-Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast         
     72    156.625  156.625  Non-Comm'l Intership                           
     73    156.675  156.675  Port Operations --- Intership and Ship-to-Coast
     74    156.725  156.725  Port Operations --- Intership and Ship-to-Coast
     77    156.875  156.875  Comm'l Intership                               
     78A   156.925  156.925  Non-Comm'l Intership and Ship-to-Coast         
     79A   156.975  156.975  Comm'l Intership                               
     80A   157.025  157.025  Comm'l Intership                               
     84    157.225  161.825  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     85    157.275  161.875  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     86    157.325  161.925  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     87    157.375  161.975  Public Correspondence --- Ship-to-Coast        
     88A   157.425  157.425  Comm'l Intership                               
     WX1     ---    162.550  Weather                                        
     WX2     ---    162.400  Weather                                        
     WX3     ---    162.475  Weather                                        

    

In New England coastal waters, channel 16 is reserved for distress and safety
use only. The general calling channel is now channel 9. This is a new
regulation in effect this year to reduce congestion on channel 16.

I tried calling marinas on 16 twice in June, and was promptly chewed out
("Channel 16 for distress and safety only, use channel 9") on both occasions.

--RS

This rule may not apply on Winnepesaukee. Ask a marina operator for local
details.

    I reply as a Winnipesaukee sailor who is familiar with the boat and
    owners in question.
    
    Presently only channel 16 is being used on the lake for calling. There
    seems to be little traffic on channel 9.
    
    I would go with the following:
    
    Ch 16	Calling and distress
    Ch 68	Working Channel
    Ch 69	Working Channel
    Ch 71	Working Channel
    ch 72	Working Channel
    Ch 11 	(if they want to contact Fay's Boat Yard, where they have done
    	   	business before)
    
    Also, I am not sure what the N.H. Marine Patrol uses for a working
    frequency. I am quite sure they do not (Cannot?) use the USCG 22A and 
    23. They may use one of the above. Perhaps Channel 06 would be useful.
    
    There is a preferred list of frequencies that are recommended for
    boats with a limited number of channels.
    
    95% of what one hears in the lake is 16 plus the working channels
    from 68-72. The only useful WX channel is Concord, and it is marginal
    on some parts of the lake if the receiver does not have excellent
    sensitivity. I condsider this the most important cahnnel I have, 
    as it has allowed me to scoot to safety from thunderstorms several
    times.
    
    Perhaps soemone can fill in a few details like what channel NHMP
    perfers to use.
    
    Bill
    
    
    
    Perhaps soemone else can give

    O.K. - here's the promised info:
    
    
    From the '92 "Eldridge":
    
    The USCG (who has no jurisdiction on Lake Winnipesaukee) requires a
    minimum of 3 frequencies, including the first 2 below and strongly
    recommends the third:
    
    Ch 16	Distress & Safety
    Ch 06	Intership Safety (no routine messages allowed)
    Ch 22	Communication w/ USCG. Notices to Mariners braodcast also
    Ch 09	Is now virtually required in the 1st District (New England)
    		and was next on the USCG list of recommended channels anyway
    12, 14	Ship to Shore and intership
    13		Intership commerical. "Monitoerd 24 hrs /day bu comml"
    68, 69, 71, 72  Ship to shore and intership (Pleasure Craft only)
    		This is where all the chit chat on the lake is. I was
    		wrong if i suggested ch 70 yesterday. It is for DCS
    		(Digital Selective Calling ONLY)
    24,25,26,27,28
    84,85,86,87	Marine Telephone Operator. Not useable on the lake unless
    		you have the dtmf signalling to remote activate the remote 
    		(from the seacoast) comm facility, and have an account with
    		them.
    
    The other one I would want for the lake is Channel 11.
    
    I guess I would recommend the following, since we are all subject to
    spreading our wings as we become more confident sailors:
    
    16, 06, 22, 09, 11, 12, 14  WX2 (162.40) 68, 69, 71, 72
    or perhaps drop 12 and 14 or drop 71 and 72  and add the other 2
    weather channels (for when they get beyond Winnipesaukee).
    
    Bill