radioforcruisers
Monday 13 January 2020
Sunday 29 December 2019
Note1_PiR_ Side note on the interest of using Single Board Computers in a leisure boat
Note1_PiR
Side
note on the interest of using Single Board Computers in a leisure boat
As
someone said (maybe in the Cruisers.forum.com, quoting from memory):
“ in a boat the
equipment is in one of 3 states: broked,
breaking or about to break”.
Single
Board Computers (SBC) are nowadays credit-card sized or even smaller. But with
performances close to average consumer computers of just a few years ago. They
are everywhere, even in the houses of the more anti-technological persons. And,
with the Internet of Things (IoT) they will became even more ubiquitous. Raspberry Pi SBC started by
2012 to be targeted only to promote the computer literacy in schools and poor
countries; then they were adopted almost as pet toys by the geeks and nerds; and
also more and more used to accomplish very demanding tasks even in industrial
contexts. So SBC are small, cheap (just a few dozen of euros) but nevertheless
serious pieces of technology. Even in leisure boats SBC have been used hidden
in commercial products.
The Sea
does not forgive. With irregular and stressing motion paths in all axis. Also,
even in the cabin of a cruising boat, large variations of temperature and
humidity and the accompanying
condensation. Always with salt in the air, more than enough to corrode even the
best and protected piece of equipment. A problem in particular for electronics,
regardless of being dedicated “marinized”
and thus insanely expensive commercial items or just the consumer gadgets
brought aboard by the cruisers.
So,
what can we do?
Try
to use as much as possible devices with no moving parts, with the least
holes/connectors as possible, enclosed in air-sealed cases whenever possible
with passive thermal cooling, etc. It might have been difficult in the past, but nowadays is becoming
more and more easily achieved even with consumer appliances.
-
idevices – with no moving parts by default and
with less and less “holes” and buttons, thanks to Steve Jobs. Plus, there are
plenty of waterproof and shockproof cases around.
-
Computers – the “mechanical” hard drives are now
almost completely replaced by SSD (solid-state drives, with no moving
components). Moreover it is now quit easy to find computers with no moving parts
at all and very few “holes”. Notable example: a few models of MackBooks.
Right,
and what about SBC as the Raspberry Pi series? SBC could certainly find its
place in a cruising boat, installed by a geek crew member or by a contracted
professional. A few years ago, a few wealthy/tech oriented sailors even
installed several hidden MiniMacs to control and manage on-board commercial pieces of equipment as autopilots, weather sensors, electronic
navigation tools, radio transceivers, etc.
The
Ham land based enthusiasts seems to appreciate SBC both as standalone SDR
computers to operate in the field, to simplify their home rigs and to run panadapter
displays for exploring large samples of the RF spectrum. There seems to be also
some interesting applications in remote operation for both reception of raw IQ
data and pre-processed audible streams. In a similar way, in a leisure boat, instead
of installing an antenna and run a long coaxial cable, subject to all sorts of
RF interferences, up to the sdr/computer in the chart table – it might be
possible to use a very short coax feeding a waterproof box with a SDR and SBC
inside, with just a USB or UTP net cable (digital signals note so prone to RFI)
running up to the chart table. Or just feed electricity to the “distant” SDR/SBC
through Power over Ethernet (POE).
With a Wifi connection between the SBC
and the main computer on the chart table.
Now
how often and how many sailors do use such setups in the real Sea world? I have
no idea.
Nevertheless
my curiosity was piqued by the messages from Conachair and Eric in the
cruisers.forum’s thread, “Radio troubles of a
sailor and the promises of software defined radio (SDR)”. Therefore, I decided to make some trials
at my armchair with a Single Board Computer. So at home I have now two Raspberry
Pi units, one 3B with a DAC hat to stream high quality music and one Pi 4B, a brand new candidate
to become a sailor.
Setup
- general setup - see previous messages, tech2 and tech3
- Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 2GB running
SDRPlay RPi image V0.6
I
will post a first review shortly.
Wednesday 25 December 2019
Tech5_VHFwav_Samples of Warnings VHF Ch16 or the armchair radio-sailor
Tech5_VHFwav
Samples of Warnings VHF Ch16 or the armchair radio-sailor
Samples of Warnings/Notice to Mariners. North Atlantic Coast of Portugal. Voice VHF, after short call "all ships, all ships" in Ch16 directing to Ch11.
Sample1 VHF16_11.wav link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zRUGJ4iH_NQ5HffqdpAaTsTdms1g_l1A/view?usp=sharing
Sample2 VHF16_11.wav link:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BE4UrNyV6KKRxaH3CuFiR_8TAGhikHeO
Lots of RFI noise, operator not a native English speaker.
Hard to understand, right? A common experience while sailing well known by
seafarers.
From an armchair radio-sailor and with all the technical
jargon, trying to find a portable and reliable solution to a real cruisers
problem: the very low quality of User Interfaces(UI)/Human Machine Interfaces (HMI)
for voice and data of commercial systems installed in leisure vessels. Poor
quality of audio, data truncated and/or presented in very small displays,
limited (if any) possibility of recording voice messages and re-listen it or to
read later the data messages in a really readable display. A concern with all
the radio sources and fixed systems in leisure boats: L/M/HF frequencies, usually
SSB, VHF, UHF (SafetyNet-Inmarsat and other satellite services).
A recommended good practice in big vessels (sorry, do not
have the authoritative source at hand) is to have reception-only systems with clear
sound alarms to alert the officer on
watch that a new message was received and recorded. The new message could then be read, in a big and good
enough display. Not sure if such good practice for big vessels addresses also VHF/SSB/Satellite
verbal warnings. But this is/would be certainly a must for all types of ships. Particularly, for our leisure vessels with
limited radio equipment and with no 24h designated officer on watch at all.
In short,
In the real world of leisure sailing
(1) voice warnings and notice to mariners (regardless of the
media, VHF/SSB/Satellite) are very often poorly heard and understood by the
cruiser crew
(2) text messages are usually presented in very small, near
to unreadable displays (see VHF-DSC “displays” even in the recent models high-end
certified models)
Therefore, having a
way to automatically record and listen/read, as many times as necessary, both
audio and text messages with a independent setup of the fixed in-board
equipment, with a good audio/image output (i.e. at least our own portable
computer …) should be a must. These issues were the primary motivation for my
interest in Software Defined Radio with mid-range equipment as the SDRPlay
models.
Setup
See previous messages on general setup of antennas and SDR
hardware
Sampled recorded from a flat, 4th floor. In a
very busy city area.
Antenna in the inside face of a large window facing NW with
a field of view from 20 to 210 degrees (magnetic), thus, in a anticlockwise direction, from NNE to SSW.
About 10 Km/5,4 NM in a straight line from the nearest
broadcasting VHF radio marine authority.
A very hard setup for receiving marine VHF but:
-
not as a far experience from those I and most
seafarers have when navigating near to shore of large European urban areas
-
a good test-bed to stress the SDR setup, i.e.,
if it works here it should work while really sailing
-
meteo forecasts of winds up to 40 NM/h, rough
seas with waves of 5-6 meters and peeks of 14-15 meters, so much safer and cosy
to stay at home.
Thursday 19 December 2019
Meth2_WhyaSDR_Why a SDR approach to radio reception for cruisers
Meth2_WhyaSDR
Why a SDR approach to radio reception for cruisers?
Or, given the goals and the available radio sources (check my previous post about the background and motivation ) what are the feasible options for a cruiser?
Goals: to have a
portable, yet easy to deploy, reliable and easy to use system
What radio sources
of timely
safety warnings, notices to marines and other useful information?
(From my experience mainly by the Iberian Atlantic Coast and the
Mediterranean)
And listing such sources, from the lower to the upper radio
spectrum, in a language simple to understand for cruisers even if not the most
accurate for experts:
Navtex
Similar to verbal warnings and notices through VHF channels but in
text format, thus the messages could be checked in a display and/or printed. General
architecture of the system is fine. Unfortunately the radio frequencies used (around
500 KHz) are very prone to be impaired by obstacles and all sort of radio and
electromagnetic interferences. Up now, I knew only two skippers happy with
their Navtex; for myself as for the majority of skippers I talked to this source, at least
through the available commercial systems, is unreliable and completely useless. It seems navtex is
also available, in a few areas, around 2800 KHz, but I had no experience with
it.
RTTY-DWD
Warnings and useful information in text format. Not part of the
safety, mandatory, SOLAS network but nevertheless regarded by both professional
and leisure sailors as a good source. Broadcasted by the German DWD through several
medium/high frequencies. A maritime or Ham SSB transceiver coupled with a
data/digital system could be used to receive RTTY, but it is an overkilling
approach. In fact, it is very easy to receive readable messages even with a
dated small receiver connected to an iDevice or a computer running digital
modes software. For example, a Sony
ICF-SW7600G. You would receive messages and warnings about all the covered
regions, regardless of your actual area of navigation. Quiet funny, to read ice
warnings while enjoying a Sun bath in the Baleares.
WeatherFax
Meteo Charts. Very useful. Broadcasted by several USA, UK and
German radio stations. Much of the previous comments on RTTY do apply here.
VHF
Coastal safety, meteo and other useful information broadcasted by
national maritime authorities. Voice messages through Very High Frequencies,
VHF in short, hundreds of MHz. Usually the first call is issued in channel 16
both in the local language and in English. Easy to receive with almost any
fixed or portable transceiver/receiver. Main problems: we just do not listen
the messages, radio noise, hard to understand the local language, the
proficiency of the radio operator trying to speak in English is not the best … so recording the messages would be
a must.
SafetyNet/EGC
Several types of safety and other useful messages available
through the satellites of the Inmersat network. Mandatory for certain vessels. UHF,
GHz frequencies. There are dedicated receivers used in large vessels and very
expensive offshore leisure or racing boats. For the rest of us a portable satellite
phone coupled with a data reader/display is
the most common approach. Nevertheless, even the cheaper satellite
phones and communication fares are considered still quite expensive by most
cruisers and its use is almost restricted to offshore navigation.
Wifi/3-4-5 G
Yes, lots of useful maritime and meteo sources, web pages and apps.
Readily available for coastal navigation, at least in the developed countries.
Easy to receive by ordinary mobile phones, idevices and computers. Not part of
the mandatory maritime safety networks. Always staying close enough to the
coast to receive such “terrestrial” GHz radio
frequencies might not be wise nor safe.
Not the scope of this blog anyway.
So, repeating the initial
question of this post, why a SDR
approach to portable radio reception for cruisers?
First, let us face it, even the “fixed” systems often found in
leisure vessels are not satisfactory. Navtex commercial receivers are useless.
SSB maritime transceivers and related modems to transmit/receive text and
images are expensive, difficult to install and power hungry; and surely
overkilling if used to “just” receiving
information. It seems even that nowadays it is impossible to get a new SSB
transceiver compliant with the European legislation. Satellite fixed systems
are regarded as too expensive for must of us.
Second, there is no such thing as a conventional piece of
hardware, a portable classic radio receiver able to cover the entire spectrum
for the sources listed above. My Sony
ICF-SW7600G, and similar radios used by sailors, are honorable pieces of
technology. Only for SW/MW/LW or FM. As many old school sailors I almost always
travel with mine. But for a similar price tag of these old radios we can now buy
a far better SDR.
Therefore a SDR, mid range unit with a price tag of 100-300 Euros,
seems the best option. Several models in this range are able to cover all the
spectrum from the low/medium to the ultra high frequencies. Furthermore, for
each radio broadcast frequency we could select the best, built in
filter/amplifier. No need to play with several small pieces of hardware,
connectors and cables as with those so called “cheap dongles”. Finally, paired
with the proper antennas such SDRs could receive all the voice and data
messages of interest for cruisers. With a quality that matches higher-end
transceivers (check Ham forums, the Akos blog radioforeveryone.com and other commendable
reviews).
For example, SDRplay RSP 1A (for single antenna coupling) or the 2
or Dx models, that might be paired with up to three antennas simultaneously,
thus really covering all the spectrum of interest for us. Ie., (1) a simple
wire antenna for navtex, rtty, weatherfax and M/L frequencies in general, (2) a
VHF one for well … receiving/recording vhf channels and (3) a patched or
equivalent antenna for receiving data from satellites.
(more on technical specs,
examples and tests of SDRs, antennas and
software in future posts).
Wednesday 18 December 2019
Meth1_Background_Background or why a blog of a sailor on radio, why SDR, why starting now
Meth1_Background
Background or why a blog of a sailor on radio, why SDR, why starting now?
My firm belief : the
best sailing boats are those of friends and charter companies.
However, as a skipper or
co-skipper, by 2006, I had become more and more concerned with safety and
reliability issues of the navigation tools. Of course, I put questions in
advance on the availability of official updated charts, both in paper and
electronic, availability and specifications of plotters, AIS and Radar receivers,
radios, safety equipment, etc. The usual answers were always quiet assuring on
each and all topics of enquiry. Nevertheless, the reality in the first day in
the boat was always frightening. Both, the paper and electronic charts were
outdated and/or just fancy commercial ones with no traceability. Yes, the boat
had even an AIS transponder but just for sniffing your coordinates and sending
the data to the charter staff; not for your own use. If you want to be
proficient with the plotters, radios and all the essential navigation gear in
the boat you would need to spent days reading the manuals, testing, asking for
help … instead of enjoying your sailing holidays with your friends or family.
So, I decided to
build my one portable pack of navigation tools with two maincriteria:
- safety, reliability, ease of deploying and using in any sailing boat I intended to skippering;
- compact enough to be carried in a cabin case.
By 2007 I was very happy
with almost all of my own set of navigation tools. The notable exception: radio
hardware and software to receive timely safety warnings, notices to marines and
other useful information. So I continued following the usual path as most
cruisers: (1) just before leaving the marina I rushed to find a WiFi spot to
check and download the relevant information (2) praying during the coastal or
offshore trip for stable meteo conditions and no bad surprises of any kind. And
what about the VHF messages issued by the local marine authorities? Let us also
admit it: we did not get it because we were very busy changing sails (or just
relaxing), messages were scramble by lots of noise, the radio operator
had a weird accent, etc.
Therefore, I decided to
start a systematic search and test of possible solutions. First decision: the
best approach would be to experiment with mid range SDRs. Not those cheap
dongles (but see my previous post on AIS) nor the high-end systems used for
military, scientific and ham communications. Instead, the ones which are
serious pieces of radio hardware/software (check radio ham reviews) in spite of
its funny names. For example, HackRF, AirSpy or SDRplay with tag prices in the
range of 100-300 Euros. (more on this option in a future post). Unfortunately
by 2008, I started facing severe personal problems. And both, my sailing
holidays and radio equipment tests have been postponed.
So, in short, the
motivation for starting this blog and post maybe a half dozen of messages, is
quite simple: to share the results of my past research on portable radio
solutions for skippers. No, I did not reach a “definitive solution” but at
least my test results might be useful for other skippers and maritime radio
hardware and software developers. And hopefully, I’ll be able to post further
and new tests in a foreseeable future.
Tuesday 17 December 2019
Tech4_SDRBookmarks_Marine MF-HF-VHF bookmarks for CubicSDR
Tech4_SDRBookmarks
Marine MF-HF-VHF bookmarks for CubicSDR
Update:
Here is a direct link to open and download my marine MF/HF (Navtex, RTTY_DWD, WeatherFax_DWD_Northwood_Boston) and VHF bookmarks for CubicSDR
Here is a direct link to open and download my marine MF/HF (Navtex, RTTY_DWD, WeatherFax_DWD_Northwood_Boston) and VHF bookmarks for CubicSDR
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aoV0rCXgapQdkG6p4TingDhGm9DyJwI5
Not fully tested; to be used at your one risk. Keep in mind common sense, etiquette rules and regulations when listening to marine radio channels.
Some time ago I (1) collected information on MF/HF and VHF UK and PT marine frequencies ( relevants for my navigation goals) and (2) made a few preliminary tests with the VHF bookmarks ready to be used under CubicSDR. Screen shoots below.
Not fully tested; to be used at your one risk. Keep in mind common sense, etiquette rules and regulations when listening to marine radio channels.
Some time ago I (1) collected information on MF/HF and VHF UK and PT marine frequencies ( relevants for my navigation goals) and (2) made a few preliminary tests with the VHF bookmarks ready to be used under CubicSDR. Screen shoots below.
These bookmarks can be used to
-
a fast scanning of radio channels with information
on the expected content (instead of the “blind” experience with a marine VHF or
Ham radio)
-
to record at scheduled times the notices to
mariners, safety or other useful information (channel 16 …)
-
to use in conjunction with data/digital modes
software (Fldigi, other free or paid digi mode apps) to see/record navtex,
weather fax, etc.
Sunday 15 December 2019
Tech1_ais_A long over-due report on the feasebility for skippers of a AIS/RTL-SDR receiver
Tech1_ais
A long over-due report on the feasibility for skippers of a AIS/RTL-SDR receiver
Portable setup: commercial AIS antenna
-> coaxial cable -> LNA, linear amplifier -> USB RTL-SDR v3 dongle
-> USB cable -> portable computer | AIS decoder, rtl_ais / OpenCPN v4x|
-> WiFi hotspot of the portable computer -> iPad |SEAiq
Tested during a charter of 15 days. each morning,
just needed a couple of minutes to had everything up and running. Fast,
reliable data for ais tragets up to 20 miles. The linear amplifier, by
providing a stronger signal, seemed to
reduce the load and heating of the dongle.
RTL-SDR v3 dongle far better than
an older v2 dongle, not sure why.
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