Monday, March 5, 2018

2017 0305 SSB Bad and Solar Shopping


2017 0305 Update- Turner for the SSB is dead.  Destroyed by lightening they think.  Original owners of Lady Valkyrie had two lightning strikes.  The Icom AT-140 Tuner may have gotten fried then and they didn’t realize it because the SSB sort of worked.  We used it on the trip down, but it never worked well.
One of the three boards in the Icom M802 SSB is also bad.  They had to get the part from the factory in Washington State.  I had them overnight the part to Florida.  Hopefully, he’ll get it in the morning, the radio repaired, and shipped out the same day.  If so, we could get the radio back by Friday.  Big IF, but possible.
Even if we get the radio in time, the long range weather forecast doesn’t look good for this weekend.  We always seem to start these trips in bad weather.  It then takes us a couple days to recover.  I want to start this one right so Monday is still looking like the earliest departure, but that can change.
Ouida and I spent the day buying solar parts.  We received an AIS MOB, new life jacket, and more spare parts arrived in the mail.  The parts are arriving far faster than I can install them.  They’re cluttering up the boat.
Most importantly my new used phone arrived also.  I can now make calls again after having dropped my waterproof phone in the ocean a couple weeks ago.  Waterproof doesn’t mean salt waterproof which they state and they weren’t kidding.
Hopefully, we’ll get these solar panels pumping out juice tomorrow.  Replacing our 11 year old solar panel array of 200 watts with 700 watts of power.  We could use it.  Our fridge and freezer alone draw 11 amps DC by themselves.
Added organizers under the sink today so that was some progress.  We also received what I call our Gilligan’s Island radio.  The radio on that show always had the best reception and worked wonders.  I doubt this cheap survivalist radio with AM/FM/HF and weather is going to be that good, but hopefully we won’t need it.


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