I bought the ICOM IC-802 SSB radio at the 2012 Seattle Boat show. The package came with an auto-tuner AT-140, a GAM split lead antenna, a KISS counterpoise, and an SCS Pactor III modem.

Installation–Figuring out where to place the components was an important first step. Since the radio itself could be tucked away, I built a shelf for it under the nav station chart table. The remote display fit along side the chartplotter at an angle for easy viewing and tuning. I mounted the speaker higher up in against the bulkhead. Since the tuner wants to be as close to the antenna as possible, I found a place inside the transom that would be only a few feet from the antenna. The GAM split lead antenna has a split tubing that was easy to slide up a long side-stay with zip ties used every few feet. Lastly, the KISS counterpoise was run from the tuner under the starboard bunk. The Pactor modem easily fit atop the radio making it easy to connect to a laptop at the nav station. This installation kept everything relatively close together on the starboard side. Power to the radio was run from the DC panel using #8 AWG wire and a 30A breaker.

Testing–It’s hard to really test the SSB on a lake in the middle of the city. Interference, weather, and atmospheric conditions come into play with transmitting and receiving signals. At the marina, I was able to receive signals from far away (different languages) but couldn’t really test my transmitting capability. I did notice strange things happened when I keyed the mic to transmit–lights dimmed and some breaker panel lights turned on. I read this is normal and signifies you are sending some high power signals out. More experimentation is needed when I’m outside the city in more open water.

Sailmail–Sailmail

Radio and Modem Under Nav Station

SSB Remote at Nav Station

GAM Split Lead Antenna