Hi there. We are currently assisting friends to ready their vessel on which we are crewing for the passage from New Zealand to Fiji. We are installing an ICOM 710 SSB, however, as the yacht is of aluminum construction we have run into the interesting question of how to safely earth the radio. We have had a variety of suggestions made to us but would be keen for your advice. Looking forward to hearing from you. Many thanks, Jan
Hi Jan: You have to follow the same procedure with all electronic grounds, not just the SSB. Basically, you want what is called an RF ground. This is different than a simple DC ground. In the ground wire you install “Capacitors”. These prevent a DC connection, but allow RF energy to pass through. I’ve forgotten the required capacitor values, but you can find these in our Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia. Regards–Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
