[PUP] SSB reciever, worth the money?

[Terry Rolon]

If all you want to do is listen, then I'd get a good receiver. You'll 
need a good antenna even for that. Better than what comes with a hand 
held I'd think. For actually communicating with the world for voice, 
weather, routing or email I personally prefer Iridium or Globalstar sat 
phones off shore and broadband wireless near shore. If your boat is 
fiberglass and they didn't install a ground plane when they made it, 
there's probably going to be a bit more to it than just buying a 
transceiver and popping her in and powering her up if you want the best 
performance. I've always bought one for my boats, since in the larger 
scheme of things the added cost is relatively small, but I've never used 
them much. Before sat radio I'd listen to BBC and such, but now a days, 
not even that. They do broadcast a mayday well, assuming there is 
anybody listening. Some things you read suggest the USCG won't always 
answer a distress call made via the phone......Anyway, I won't buy 
another one for the next boat.

tr



Scott Bulger wrote:
> Do you think it would be worth $500 to purchase the Icom IC-R20 or are there
> less expensive, quality products available?