[ICOM] ICOM marine/ham radios

Sat Jun 11 00:12:03 EDT 2005

Hi Dave,

Guess I should have expressed more explicitly why I "tossed my penny into
the ring."
I am tired of discussions centered on how to calculate the proper R-value
or relay
necessary to key some boat anchor KW Amplifier; let alone the chorus of
amens to
Icoms latest product rumors.

The FCC Rules & Regulations for all services are still based on the state
of radio art 
which existed from mid- to late- 20th. century standards of construction
and signalling
methods.  From primitive spark generators, through vacuum tube circuits,
solid state, 
from land, sea, air and aerospace  Radio Amateurs have pioneered and
matured the art.

Few hams today actually build their equipment.  Face it: The modern HT
for example
is made of the same stuff the professional services use. The modern need
is for police, fire,
gov'mt, military, and yes hams (FEMA) to intercommunicate.  And don't
forget the
merchant ships, aircraft, satellites, etc.  What will make all this
possible? Digital radios!
My New Icom IC-V82 was purchased last January.  Add some $$ and a drop-in
module
converts it to a digital voice/data communicator. Its not yet ready for
prime time but is
an example of what is to come.

The FCC came into being in 1937,  It has three principal purposes:
1) Allocate the radio spectrum. Shared between all license classes and
services.
2) Set standards for equipment, construction, operation, and maintenance.
3) Define, test, and certify the Operator needed to control and station
equipment. 

My premise is that the very nature if digital equipment and methods (i.e.
determinism,
stability, operational performance, self test, closed-loop operational
limits) will negate the
future need for Operator skills.

Commercial Amateur Radio are being built to the same standards as Public
Safety radios,
and as are most military radios.  They come off the same production
lines. Cheaper too!

I have owned two Kachina KC505's and now have a TenTec Orion. I've sold
all my
long loved Collins's in favor of the new DSP rigs.  I have a DSP-10 also.

Have some fun.  Google DSP-10.  Google HP-3801A.  Try something new.
Even the FCC has approved the use of Software Defined Radios.

Thats enough,                              Think 21St Century Radio

Ben, K1AUE (since 1957)
Ex Broadcast Eng. -'Phone w/Ship Radar Cert. '57
Ret. EE.

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 12:52:33 -0400 "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea at arrl.net>
writes:
> Hello Ben,
> 
> The rules were written when crystal control was possible - so 
> frequency 
> instability wasn't the issue.
> 
> The issue remains - dependability.
> 
> Marine radios - including those made by ICOM - are made to standards 
> 
> exceeding Amateur Radios - simply because they are designed to 
> protect and 
> save lives.
> 
> It would be utter foolishness to compromise your life and those of 
> your 
> passengers - I've seem many ham radios - and quite a few 
> "commercial" radios 
> (SGC comes to mind) that have failed when needed during a distress.
> 
> Remember - most distress situations at sea happens when "all Hell is 
> 
> breaking loose" - the boiler fails, the generator fails, no water on 
> deck, 
> power surges, flooding, etc.
> 
> For many years, FCC and international regulations required a 
> duplicate radio 
> on large ships - for just this reason.
> 
> 73
> David N1EA
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Benjamin E Lamb" <benlamb at juno.com>
> To: <icom at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 12:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [ICOM] ICOM marine/ham radios
> 
> 
> 
> Heres is another penny's worth...
> 
> Sounds kind of foolish to have two 'separate' radios; and it is.
> Law follows technology.
> 
> The FCC regs were written during the Analog Vacuum Tube Era
> and actually made sense at that time.
> 
> Today digital technology is capable of providing rock-solid 
> frequency
> stability (1 Hz/GHz using a disciplined oscillator) and with DSP
> technology
> nearly perfect filters are realized. All the technical standards 
> imposed
> by law may now be controlled by software.
> 
> The above facts will in time lead to new regs that permit
> multiple-service
> radios; i.e. - Amateur, Marine, Commercial, etc. I believe that
> eventually
> encrypted keys will be issued to licenses to permit cross-service
> operation.
> 
> SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIOS will RULE !
> 
> Ben K1AUE
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:19:32 -0400 "David J. Ring, Jr." 
> <n1ea at arrl.net>
> writes:
> > Jerry,
> >
> > Your correct - except here's the bad news - FCC regulations 
> require
> > the
> > "amateur radio" and the "marine radio" to be two separate
> > installations -
> > which can share the (1) power supply and (2) antenna.  No matter 
> how
> > you
> > slice it, you can't make a dual radio except if it completely
> > separate.
> > Separate but occupying the same box would be an interesting 
> argument
> > though.
> > However it would mean you had two independent transmitters and 
> two
> > independent receivers in one box.
> >
> > 73
> >
> > David N1EA
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Jerry Flanders" <jeflanders at comcast.net>
> > To: "ICOM Reflector" <icom at mailman.qth.net>
> > Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 10:29 AM
> > Subject: Re: [ICOM] ICOM marine/ham radios
> >
> >
> > To be "completely legal", as you intend, you probably need two
> > separate
> > radios (at least, in the USA). Modding the M710 as Dick suggests
> > allows its
> > legal use on the ham bands by hams, but it would no longer be 
> legal
> > for
> > marine freqs (mods would kill the type acceptance approval). I 
> think
> > you
> > can't do it with one radio unless some mfr actually markets a 
> legal
> >
> > dual-purpose radio.
> >
> > Jerry W4UK
> >
> >
> > ----
> > Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> > Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> > Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> >
> >
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> 
> 
> -- 
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> 
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> 
> 