Those are good observations, Fred. The Captain of a passenger vessel doesn't have any leeway about using the ship's radio gear or antennas, even the spare antennas. They are all an integral part of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulated gear and must not be used for anything but their stated purpose. Even old-time Radio Operators (SPARKS) on ships who were Hams could NOT use the Ship's gear or antennas for Ham operation, even spare antennas they were personally responsible for maintaining. Those who had Ham gear on board had the Captain's permission and a completely independent antenna system, rig and power source (they could plug into the ships "mains" but could not use the radio batteries). Sparky's advantage is that he had some options for stringing a wire that you don't <G>.
There are a lot of interesting ideas for antennas on large ships, including some really bizarre ones that I'd love to try such as a wire from the fantail that connects to a metal plate that drags in the water below, but they all require access to parts of the ship not normally available to passengers. About the only practical thing that comes to mind is some sort of telescoping whip that can be clamped to a rail or port opening. For a ground, a piece of metal or foil taped to the wall or deck would form a capacitor through the paint to the main hull of the ship. I think I'd just enjoy the sea air, view and the experience. That's what I usually end up doing on a trip anyway <G>. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
