Paper Charts and SSB Radio

[Angel D.]

Hello Friends !
On the last Zoom group meeting it was brought to my attention to share this on the forum. I love old school and vintage. Don't get me wrong also like digital gadgets too. I'm working on installing a Rpi System to monitor the boat from the phone if I'm away. But digital bell and whistle fail me offen and cause me trouble at times. This is why as a redundancy measure had some charts printed for back up. Also I very much enjoy the feel of paper. This charts you can download from the NOAA website and print them at you local Staples store for two dollars and change each. And in top of it you get a draft , so two charts for the price of one ! They are 17in wide and 11in tall, fit comfortably under your chart table and you can use a priority mail box flat to store them and keep them wrinkle free.

They are readable for the most part , but just as with the full size charts a magnifying glass is your friend. I find motivational to plan a trip on my mind with the aid of a paper chart . All other Navi and digital are great tools but I guess im romantic in this way.

On the other hand, I wonder how many of you do HF radio. On the High Frequency listening on the 10 meter band today I heard a beacon in central Texas , about 1,500 miles from New Jersey where I'm at. That may come handy in the future. Using a simply improvised wire dipole antenna hung from my courtesy flag line. Tell you the truth is another vintage obsession because my interest is learning the Morse code. Using the phone communications on the SSB is cool but Morse code to me is Frank Sinatra cool . I have much to learn but it seems to me that if you can grab a weather fax by SSB at this distance I wonder why little boats overlook the SSB. This boat used to have one.But was broken. Looking at the call sign imbedded on the varnish motivated me to learn more about radio. And was down the rabbit hole from there.





Please excuse me my friends for I been really busy and not log in but only in passing. I'm trying to kick the dock lines in late March and head up north for a hull out . Also going give love to my engine this month and is been hectic lately but I'm positive it all will work out. Good luck to you all my friends !

 

[Angel D.]

Hello Friends !

A little update ,... NOAA web site change a little since my last visit . But we are still able to get charts on PDF format that can be taken on a USB Drive to print out . You will need to create a custom chart and go from there. The link is as follows:

NOAA Custom Chart

devgis.charttools.noaa.gov

Fair Winds !

 

[Elgyn]

I like paper charts too but in Canada you have to get paper charts from the government. Think they start at $20 and go up from there. If they catch you with non-registered charts you could be looking a some big fines for copyright. So it's navionics and opencpn for the moment

 

[Pete the Cat]

I like paper charts too but in Canada you have to get paper charts from the government. Think they start at $20 and go up from there. If they catch you with non-registered charts you could be looking a some big fines for copyright. So it's navionics and opencpn for the moment

You can also get Canadian digital charts through iNavX. They are reasonably priced. FWIW.

 

[Angel D.]

Shure thing friends , OpenCPN is the way to go for me... A humble sailor in a budget

 

[Gary Filgate]

If your doing a long trip, then you need paper charts as back to electronics that bug out at any time. A sextant and paper charts should be a must on any vessel that traverses long distances. Old school yes but fail safe.

 

[Christian Williams]

A sextant? Only in case of world nuclear war. Most of us have numerous redundant GPS devices on board to tell you where you are.

 

[bsangs]

A sextant? Only in case of world nuclear war. Most of us have numerous redundant GPS devices on board to tell you where you are.

Yeah, I carry some paper charts with me as a "backup" - though mainly because my wife finds them romantic, sailing-wise - but don't think a sextant is high up on my list of needs.

 

[ConchyDug]

Yup, commercial aircraft don't carry paper charts anymore. They keep the backup charts on electronic tablets which are far easier to update than a library of physical charts.

 

[Alan Gomes]

And besides: sextants are no longer fail safe when you drop one overboard, which is much more likely to happen on a pitching deck than with a spare GPS used down in the cabin.

 

[Christian Williams]

I wonder why little boats overlook the SSB.

"Don't put your hand on the backstay while transmitting!"

But seriously: expense, installation, complication and obsolescence (few others have them, nobody to talk to). A satellite phone does it all now, without any marine operator involved. Text capability, weather downloads, voice comm regardless of atmospheric conditions. And when sinking, you can't take a SS with you into the life raft.

 

[Pete the Cat]

My sextant has not been out of the box in 30 years and I think I might make a lamp out of it. Anyone who thinks you can just pick one up and work a fix without substantial recent experience, has never used one. I do like paper charts, but not as a backup. I like them for planning ahead. There is something about having pages of chartbooks that feels easier to conceptualize and more real than clicking through digital charts. But I am one of those folks who still likes the feel of an actual book in my hands than using a Kindle or other reading device. I think it is my age and I doubt I will live long enough to evolve to total digital orientation. Might be easier for younger folks.

 

[Angel D.]

Hello Friends ,
Reading all these comments on the top of my head think there are 5 devices that have GPS plus the Epirb . Any ways I must accept that there is also a Sextant onboard and a book on celestial navigation. This I have as a learning tool , is a cheep $30.00 Davis plastic student version. But like stated before is a romanic and nostalgic thing.
Now , the SSB radio is also like that. I like to listen to this jazz station I can pick up from Canada I suppose. French speaking woman playing jazz music , that's very romanic. Also I'm able to listen to a station from Cuba and learn about the political climate of the Caribbean.
Down there SSB and CB are still a thing .

I don't use my backstay as an antenna , just a 33 ft. wire that I deploy using a Unun. Simple but efficient for now . Soon will figure out a permanent set up. I do enjoy listening to radio.

I know we all agree that there are so many projects to do in a boat . As of now , I'm trying to balance want and need. It's so hard but I must.
I'm kicking off the docks in a month, may the trade winds get me to a destination where I can meet you. Cheers!

 

[peaman]

Any ways I must accept that there is also a Sextant onboard and a book on celestial navigation. This I have as a learning tool , is a cheep $30.00 Davis plastic student version. But like stated before is a romanic and nostalgic thing.

Start with noon sites to determine latitude. That's a decent challenge without having to get into lots more calculations, tables, dead reckoning and plotting charts.

 

[Angel D.]

Will do that , looking forward to be gifted with a horizon!

 

[bgary]

My sextant has not been out of the box in 30 years and I think I might make a lamp out of it. Anyone who thinks you can just pick one up and work a fix without substantial recent experience, has never used one.

Probably true. After ~30 years of not using it, I picked mine up a couple of winters ago and brushed off the long-dormant skills. The math parts were fairly easy (I made myself a set of reduction forms that make it fairly hard to miss a step). The discipline of knowing which number to pull from which page of which reference is still annoyingly opaque. But I enjoy the "craft" of it and, while I haven't taken sights in blue water for a long time, I have verified that (e.g.) the dock I tied to at Rosario last summer is right where it is supposed to be.

If anyone is interested in learning - or relearning - the process, I highly recommend the self-study guide by David Burch of StarPath. Very clear, builds knowledge step-by-step, and has good examples to work through (with solutions in the back).

 

[bgary]

Now , the SSB radio ...

Yeah. My SSB (ICOM M802) is somewhere out in the recesses of my garage. Pulled it from a prior boat and have no real reason to install it in this one. But, as you say, there's a romance to it.

My home base-station has capabilities on the SSB freqs but... I don't spend a lot of time on them. I do have a small RX-only radio (Tecsun, I think?) that can pick up shortwave traffic, that's kinda fun to drag out when I feel like listening to the marine-nets for a bit.

 

[Pete the Cat]

Probably true. After ~30 years of not using it, I picked mine up a couple of winters ago and brushed off the long-dormant skills. The math parts were fairly easy (I made myself a set of reduction forms that make it fairly hard to miss a step). The discipline of knowing which number to pull from which page of which reference is still annoyingly opaque. But I enjoy the "craft" of it and, while I haven't taken sights in blue water for a long time, I have verified that (e.g.) the dock I tied to at Rosario last summer is right where it is supposed to be.

If anyone is interested in learning - or relearning - the process, I highly recommend the self-study guide by David Burch of StarPath. Very clear, builds knowledge step-by-step, and has good examples to work through (with solutions in the back).

And getting a horizon fix on a pitching boat. ..... and doing a huge amount of serial arithmetic below without tossing your cookies. I hope never to find myself in a situation that would require it. Actually cannot imagine one. It is a fun thing to learn to do--puts you in touch with the world, but not something I plan on ever doing again.

 

[bgary]

doing a huge amount of serial arithmetic below without tossing your cookies

The math is actually pretty easy. It's getting the LOPs right on the plotting sheet that takes a lot of patience.

And, yeah, it is helpful to be a genetic freak (I've never been motion-sick)

 

[Loren Beach]

(I've never been motion-sick)

Super! If I need delivery crew to help get my boat up to PA or back to Astoria, I know just who to call....!