HF Radio

This is our new toy:

The black item on the left of the picture is an ICOM IC-78 Amateur band radio. As a receiver, it's range is 30Khz to 30MHz, and it can transmit from 1.6MHz to 30MHz. This makes it a Medium Frequency (MF) and High Frequency (HF) transceiver. It does not cover the standard VHF cnannels that most yacht transceivers do, but the frequencies it does cover allow communication over hundreds or thousands of miles.

The item on the right is an Anntenna Tuning unit, or ATU. This allows the transceiver to be used over a very wide range of frequencies using just a single aerial (antenna). On a yacht, this is traditionally connected to the backstay, and that single length of wire is used as the antenna. In practice, we do not yet have the qualifications to use this on Ishtar, so will be using it at home until qualified, hopefully some time next year (Amateur radio Full License - http://www.rsgb.org/arls/adv_licence.php).

So far, we've set up the radio, and, using a 15m long length of old speaker wire, I've managed to pick up the following transmissions

- Full range of medium wave transmissions, including BBC radio 4, 5 and the world service
- Weather Fax transmissions from Offenbach and Northwood, covering the North Atlantic
- Navtex RTTY transmissions from the same stations, covering the Mediterranean and Atlantic
- Transmissions from sailors using the UK M/M Net, on 14.303MHz. A radio net of sailors covering the UK, Mediterranean and Atlantic waters.

As we learn to use the equipment, and progress with our radio licensing qualifications, I will post more.

This weekend, we'll be sailing Ishtar back from Dale to Cardiff for the winter. It's been the poorest summer, from a sailing point of view, since we bought her, largely due to me being 'out of action' with torn ankle ligaments for over 2 months. I'd like to stay in Dale longer, but we have a couple of weeks diving in Scotland coming up soon, as well as work commitments, so we'll restrict our sailing on Ishtar to the top end of the Bristol channel for now, and look forward to a better year next year.

More radio

It took us a while to get our heads around the full complexity of communications available on a yacht. So many frequencies. So many services. So many courses.

We currently use a marine VHF set. We have a ships license, and did our operators license many years ago, as part of our dive courses. VHF is fine for short distance communications, around 30 miles or so.

Using our short wave receiver, we were also able to receive transmissions from further afield, as detailed earlier

 http://ishtaryacht.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/receiving-weather-information-using.html

but we wanted to go further. We looked at the Long Range Certificate for marine use, and will probably do this next year (it costs around £300 each, and is a four day course plus the exam). Many, many sailors, though, use the amateurs radio bands, also known as HAM radio. There are a great many people out there who specialise in communicating long distance via amateur radio, and many 'cruisers nets' in various parts of the world who discuss weather, routing and other information in their part of the world.

We looked at the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) website and, through them, contacted Jerry, at Pencoed Amateur Radio club.

http://www.rsgb.org/clubsandtraining/

http://www.mw0prg.co.uk

They were very friendly, and, through them we found out the following information.

There are three levels to the RSGB exams in the UK. Foundation, Intermediate and Full. Pencoed club were prepared to help us to train for each of the exams, and, if we passed, we'd get a certificate to present to Offcom to gain our amateur radio license.

To use an Amateur Radio on board a yacht, in tidal waters in the UK, one needs to gain a full license. Louise and I talked about it and decided that we'd like to do it. We bagan studying for the foundation license immediately. Each week we would attend the club, have a lecture (with a fine gentleman caled Don) about frequencies, antennas, transceivers and so on, and do some sample questions for the exam. After about 6 weeks, we both turned up at the club, were shown into a prepared room with a clock, the exam papers from the RSGB were removed from sealed envelopes and we worked our way through 26 multiple choice exam questions, with the pass mark at 19 questions answered correctly.

We both passed first time. Although delighted, the Foundation level is quite easy. Indeed, someone at the club was telling me that the youngest person to pass it was aged 5! we started the Intermediate level straight away afterwards - Don tells us it should be around 12 weeks or so before we are ready for the exam.

The intermediate level course is far more in depth. As well as the theory of different types of radio, Single side band, FM, morse code, antenna theory and so on, we have to study basic electronics and, even, build simple receivers and transmitters using resistors, inductors, capacitors, diodes and so on.

All going well, we should be ready for the Intermediate examination in a few weeks. After that, we expect to spend the winter preparing for the Full license examination. With a bit of luck and a following wind, we will be able to use an amateur radio set aboard Ishtar, and talk to people all over the world, by the time we start sailing next season.

We're currently looking at buying our first HF (High Frequency) transceiver, which, although we won't be able to install aboard Ishtar until we have our full license, we will be able to use at home, getting used to all th efrequencies, settings and calling people over long distances.

Another long weekend.

I'd been getting really wound up. Two months spent hobbling about the house whilst the summer (such as it is) dwindles away just ended up in me getting over-eager to get on Ishtar and try and make up for lost time.

Never a good idea.

I needed to relax and just allow the sheer enjoyment of being able to be at sea wash over me. That would ease the pain......

We arrived about 13:00. Louise was unpacking and I was removing the sail cover, when our friend Dave called over to us that our Club Commodore, Brian, and his wife Meryl, were outside the Griffin, and would we like to join them. Of course we would.

When we returned to Ishtar after an hour sitting and chatting about nothing in particular, I was happy and relaxed, and the couple of hours Louise and I spent sailing around the Haven in about 5 knots of wind was simply pure enjoyment.

It got better. An hour later, another friend, Andy, just returned from Ireland - the first time he's sailed his Vancouver 28 'Shearwater of Sanday' - was also thirsty, so we went back to the Griffin, stood by the wall, and talked with friends about sailing, boating in general, the Olympics (heard through an open window from a TV inside the pub) and everything else. A really good night's sleep followed.

Louise wanted a swim on Friday. She also wanted to scrape some of the weed from Ishtar's hull. The wind was forecast to pick up from the East, and gust to 30 knots on Saturday - not pleasant for a boat moored in Dale. We crossed the bay and dropped anchor out of the wind in the NorthEast corner of Sandy Haven bay. The water temperature was a smidgeon below 20C, but Louise still let out the odd expletive as she leaped from Ishtar's stern into the blue.

She'd finished scraping after about 20 minutes, and just enjoyed swimming around the boat. Tigger was nonplussed. He wanted to join her, but didn't want to jump in, so just looked and whimpered pathetically. When she got out, and we'd made a cuppa, we decided that discretion was the better part of valour. We'd head up the river to Llangwm, and get out of the winds. Just enjoy ourseleves and avoid any strenuous activity.

We set off Eastwards in glorious sunshine. The sun sparkling on the sea has always enthralled me, and I seem to take many, many pictures of the same sorts of thing. I don't really care. Every time I look at them, I want to be there.

We called in at the pontoon in Pembroke on the way. Louise filled some water bottles and took Tigger ashore. I had the far more important job of guarding the boat. A chap fishing on the pontoon told me he'd caught six bass there that morning.

The river was stunning, as it always is. We saw a bird near Benton Castle that looked like a large white Heron. I'm fairly certain it was a great white Egret. If so, it was the first one I've seen. I didn't get a picture, although I did get one of Benton Castle!

Llangwm was still and tranquil, as it can be. Louise rowed us ashore and we wandered the banks of the Cleddau, under the oaks.

Tigger enjoyed the mud, and several rotten sticks

and then Louise rowed us back, the oars sploshing and dripping in the mirror flat water.

As the day faded, the light turned from golds to reds,

and we were treated to another stunning sunset.

The day was far from over, though. As we opened a bottle of wine we heard the buzz of a small engine from high in the sky in the west. I'm not sure what it's called, but it seemed to be a parachutist with an engine. It must have been fantastic up there.

And it didn't even end there. The clear skies later gave us a beautiful view of the Milky way, and Louise counted 6 shooting stars, part of the passing Perseid meteorites, which were due to peak on Saturday. I wasn't relaxed when I got to Ishtar, but after that afternoon and evening, I was as content as I'd been for several months.

We did nothing much on Saturday. Ishtar had some visitors. First, we had a chat with the water ranger, John Warneford, who informed us that things were quite lumpy down in Dale. In fact, the Angle lifeboat was out helping a sinking speedboat. He left and trundled off slowly, downstream.

Then a pair of swans with their young came up to say hello. I know you're not really supposed to feed them, but we gave in with a couple of crusts of dried bread. Louise commented on how the parents ate nothing, making sure that the young fed well.

One particular ugly duckling then began squaking indignantly at the waste of good crusts of stale bread to these birds, and kept on squaking until Louise fed him too.

Louise took Tigger ashore after that, and I took apart our Nasa GPS repeater, which had been steaming up. It was extremely fiddly to put back together, each of the buttons on the front had a small piston behind it, which kept falling off as I tried to put it back together. THen I 'punctured' one of the buttons but managed to fix it with a couple of coats of 'Stormsure' a glue we've used for repairing diving drysuits for years, which leaves a clear flexible patch once dry. The misting itself seemed to be being caused by a perished 'O' ring, so a liberal spreading of silicone grease hopefully solved that.

The wind was much reduced on Sunday, at 15-20 knots. We put a reef in the main and set off down river, passing the Sunday racing fleet heading upstream as we did so.

We called in at Milford. Chichester's 'Gypsy Moth IV' was apparently here for the weekend. We saw a sign tied to the railings, but no Gypsy Moth. She must have sailed that morning. Ho hum. As we sailed further down river, past the Oil terminals, we could see a large LNG tanker was about to leave. The port authority advised all boats and ships to keep clear, on VHF Channel 12, so we tucked in under the clifs at Chappel Bay and anchored to watch the display.

Whilst I watched the tugs manoeuvre the huge vessel, attended by Pilot boats, Louise quickly rowed ashore and up a set of old steps above a disused landing stage, snapping a few shots as she did so.

When we arrived back at Dale we met Nick on the pontoon. It was his speedboat that had sank on its mooring. Luckily, he had managed to get a group of friends together and they managed to drag it ashore, and get it back on the trailer. Nick was optimistic about the engine, and, to be fair, the boat did not look any the worse for wear, really.

We'd planned to sail on Monday, but another Easterly blow during the night left us very tired. Our friend John rang then, with a computer problem, so we headed off in the car to Sundersfoot, and spent a pleasant day talking with him, drinking tea and eating coffee and walnut cake.

Just Chillin

Sunday was warm and sunny. Yes, honestly.

We nipped around the corner to Castlebeach, dropped anchor and had some coffee and warm pitta breads stuffed with melted cheese. Mmm.

Louise then set about cleaning the deck, and a spot of painting. She'd clearly spent too long in the one position.....

I then took the little fella ashore and along the coast path to try and wake him up a bit. Just along the path from where Ishtar was anchored we found a field of golden wheat, swaying in the summer sun.

Tigger seemed barely able to contain his excitement

So I called him out of the field as quickly as I could. A short sail around the buoys followed before we returned to the moorings. we were just in time to catch our friend Adam, who'd just finished rebuliding the engine on his boat. He was off back up to Neyland.

A bite to eat, and then a nice relaxing end to the day with a pint in the Griffin, with Dave, from 'Caswyn' and a couple of other guys from Cardiff, Steve and Tony, who'd arrived aboard 'Jean Jeannie' earlier that afternoon.

They were even more chilled than we, to the point of misjudging when to move the boat, as the tide ebbed away. No harm was done, however - they just had to find a way to pass a couple more hours until the tide returned. The Griffin seemed a good bet.

A near miss on Saturday

Another Sunny day, with warm Westerly winds, scheduled to pick up later in the day. The tides were right to spend the morning drifting downwind and up the river Cleddau, pause for an hour or two at Llangwm for lunch and then beat back downstream but upwind during the afternoon. Louise let out the genoa and we set off Eastwards, passing Stack Rock fort, built between 1859 and 1871

 As we passed the fort we heard angry words on the VHF, channel 12 - the port authority channel. A tanker skipper was shouting about a yacht who, it seems, had narrowly missed colliding with his vessel in the narrow channel. We couldn't see any problems ahead, so continued on our way, passing other tankers as we did so.

Just before Milford, we saw a professional dive boat, presumably carrying out maintenence on the jetty. Compared to many dive boats, its dive flag was huge, but still not overly clear from a distance. We usually use a much smaller flag - a point I will have to think about.



Three buoys in a row then, as we passed the town of Milford on the North side of the river, the Cunjic, Milford Dock and Milford Shelf buoys.



Louise sailed on, up past Castle pill towards the Cleddaue Bridge:

From behind, we heard the roar of big engines, and had a lovely view of the Angle Lifeboat, heading up river on exercise:

Looking back towards the Pembroke Power station, we could see other yachts enjoying the same weather as us:

And then, as we passed Hazelbeach, I spotted a wall. In the middle of the next picture is a road, running up the hill. Towards the top of that road is a van parked on the left, and opposite that is a cream coloured wall. I painted that wall!. Well actually, iI was helping a friend paint it, but he was far better at talking than he was at painting, and so I ended up doing almost all of it. I think he was aware of this, and has history in these things.......

Further up again, towards Neyland, and we could see the Angle lifeboat attending what appeared to be an open day at Neyland Yacht club. There was racing there, too.

From then on it was far less frenetic. Louise sailed us up, under the Cleddau bridge into the peace and tranquility of the river. The wind dropped in the sheltered river valley and the warm sunshine took over as we passed Lawrenny and picked up the mooring at Llangwm. Louise made some lunch with Ciabattas and goat's cheese with warm red tomatoes and Olive oil as the tide peaked, and then began to gently ebb away back down river.

Sailing downstream was more difficult. A beam reach became a beat and, as we passed back under the Cleddau bridge, we could feel that the wind had picked up a lot. We were getting speeds of 27-28knots apparent wind, and, with the spring tide ebbing against this, Ishtar kicked up a lot of spray as we cut through the chop. This was more a question of getting back to the mooring and getting it over with, rather than enjoying a sail. As we passed Milford, we could see a pilot boat ahead. By now we were motoring, sails down.

We turned to pass port to port, but it turned towards us. When we again turned, he turned again to cut us off. I went below and could hear him calling Ishtar on the radio. He requested that we cut across to the other side of the river, the South side, to avoid a berthing anker in the strong winds. We obliged happily. I wondered later whether this was related to the near miss with another yacht in the morning.

As we passed Angle bay the engine pitch dropped. My heart sank, as visions and memories of recent fuel problems came flooding back. It was just a momentary blip, though, and I later thought that we may have hit a branch, or rogue piece of rope.

The pilot boat we spoke to earlier then set off out to sea for the next ship, bouncing through the chop as it sped Westwards:

 

The wind picked up still further, although by the time we were approaching Dale, the fetch was reduced, and the size of the waves reduced too as we rumbled into the moorings. Louise took Tigger ashore, we had some Pasta with pesto, and a quiet night aboard Ishtar with a bottle of wine.