Stay in touch with SSB radio

Radio communications are vital for for both racers and cruisers sailing offshore

About SSB radio Single Side-Band (SSB) radio is the system used by yachts and ships for long-distance communication. Originally, it enabled vessels to communicate over long distances between each other and the inland telephone system. In the UK this was via the coast radio station at Portishead - but that facility was abandoned when satellite communication became common. Many older yachts that cruised abroad retained their SSB radios, mainly for reception of news or to join weather nets. SSB is still used in remote regions. Some fishing boats still use SSB to communicate between each other if they are out of range of VHF. These vessels were licensed by the GPO and later by Ofcom. An operator's licence was obtained from the Department for Trade and Industry after training in the operation of the radio and how to deal with telegrams and emergency situations. It permitted someone, usually the skipper, to use the equipment on vessels up to 1,600 tons. Above that a dedicated Wireless Operator was required. Today this is replaced by the VHF licence for yachts - but this only gives a line-of-site communication so the higher the aerial, the greater the range.

You need a long-range licence to operate marine SSB radio.

Most racers and those leisure sailors that use MF/HF SSB use a specifically designed radio for that purpose such as Icom's HF SSB Marine Radio IC-M804.

The Icom M804 is currently the only SSB system that has CE mark approval - meaning it can be sold to and used by European customers because it conforms to the new Radio Equipment Directive

Long-range radio skills could determine Golden Globe Race winner

High Frequency (HF) SSB radio is a mandatory requirement for the Golden Globe Race (GGR) but most competitors have never used this long range communications equipment before entering.