WFAX, Email & Ham Radio on your boat

For many years, the only long-distance communication equipment on offshore cruising boats was Amateur (Ham) Radio and the similar Marine HF/SSB radio system. Satellite systems such as Iridium Go and the emerging Starlink(tm) satellite ISP are finding themselves on more and more cruising boats there is still a place for long-range radio communications aboard. Just as the cell phone has not made the VHF radio obsolete, satellite communications have not removed the role of HF/SSB Radios, both marine and amateur, for long-distance cruisers and it still a significant part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System GMDSS).

This class will review the currently available systems with a focus on Boat to Boat, Boat to Shore, Weather, and Email using an HF Radio with and without a subscription service. Installation, operation, and licensure are part of the class, but so is an introduction to the community of cruisers you will meet on the radio and nowhere else.