Eric will you be the moderator?
Gil.

Good news, I was able to make digital modes work by bypassing HamLib and using FLRig for JS8Call!

Gil.

Great thanks, that's a lot of capacity..

Gil.

Great thanks. I just posted an update video...



Gil.

Hello, thanks. Yes, I will test it thoroughly, and of course especially CW, but also digital modes and SSB. Field test will have to wait of course, but there will be enough to explore for more than one video anyway! I should get it any day now...
Gil.

Hello,
Great info, thank you!
Gil.

You too! Albeit a bit late..
Gil.

Bonjour,

Certainly. I got the tracking number last night. I hope to get it before the week-end, but probably early next week.

Gil.

Hello.
I just ordered the QRPVer Minion SDR. The G1M was the other option. In the end, it's the surface-mounted jacks problem on the G1M that made me go for the unknown Minion. I ordered without the LPF, but last night emailed Yurii to ask him if it wasn't too late to add it.. The G1M also burns more current. The minion has all bands between 160 and 10m and also apparently does transmit on CB frequencies. If the Minion SDR turns out to be great, for only a little more money, I think it would be worth saving up for it.
We'll see... I should get in in about a month.
Gil.

Thank you. As to bringing it back solo, I don't have much of a choice... I will keep the coast in sight however, since I don't know the boat...

Gil.

Yep, it's done! I am utterly broke and a boat owner now :-)
Here is the video:


So I am already planning for radios of course, HF and VHF. VHF Marine with a Standard Horizon GX2200E and a handheld, which was included in the sale. There is a VHF in the boat but it does not have an AIS receiver, which I find indispensible for collision avoidance and to allow longer bouts of sleep while offshore.
I will also carry my Yaesu VX6 for HAM VHF/UHF. Maybe a tiny APRS 2m tracker as well, after what happened to my last boat...
For HF, I just ordered a QRPVer Minion SDR! That will be mainly for SSB.
https://qrpver.com/transceivers/all-band-10-band-hf-sdr-transceiver-minion-sdr.html
I hope to get it before I go get the boat in Spain on April 27th. Hopefully there won't be any travel restrictions due to the Corona virus.
I will have a PRC-320 on board of course, but not to bring the boat back, because of airline issues with batteries and military gear, you never know...
My main HF radio will be a QRP CW rig on 30m, which one remains to be determined.
Also on the way is a Raspberry Pi and 7" 12V display for digital. I am adding a GPS/Glonass dongle and VHF/UHF SDR dongle for backup AIS reception. For naviation I will install OpenCPN with an AIS plugin. JS8Call and FLDigi for digital, as well as weatherfax decoding. I don't know if there is a Winlink software for Raspberry. For all that stuff I will need solar power, but I don't have much deck real-estate, that will be a challenge. I'll see about that after getting back. For now the inboard Volvo Penta 10hp single-cylinder diesel will serve as generator for the two batteries.

I should leave Spain on May 1st for a ten-day trip back to Antibes. Frequencies will be posted here, along with a link to my inReach satellite tracking map. Contacts should be reported here.

After what happened last time I am a bit stressed out, having to bring an unknown boat back over such a long distance (around 400nm). I will follow the coast of course, but still... I am sure radio contacts will be great morale boosters. Most likely, I will stop at night if time permits. Hopefully I won't have to hunker down in some port for days because of bad weather. There is an autopilot on board, but of the electric/tiller type, and although it is a RayMarine, I don't trust these gizmos. Nothing better that a mechanical wind-vane.

Stay tuned...

Gil.

Thanks Robert!
Gil.

Quoteno matching needed on the most bands?

Hi, correct. I am talking about a half-wave end-fed with a 49:1 transformer, not a random wire with a 9:1 UNUN. I have built a Windom, albeit not this exact design, with a dual-core Guanella BALUN. Because the two legs aren't the same length, even with the BALUN, I had RF stray currents problems... Actually, I've had troubles with random wires and any antenna that was not fed in the middle or half-waves at the end. Now, I only use dipoles or HWEFs, sometimes quarter-waves with radials, but I avoid antennas fed somewhere in between... Too much trouble...

Gil.

Thanks Sparks :-)
Gil.

Great info Scott, thanks. Certainly, but I would not trust AES. There has been allegations of voluntary weaknesses introcuded to allow possible decoding. I don't remember the details. Bottom line is, I do not understant it enough to be able to determine its security. A one-time-pad is very simple and indeed does not require a computer. In the filed, it would be the simplest way to send an encrypted message. Anyone can learn to do it with pen and paper. The problem is if you have to explain to someone why you carry a long string of seemingly random characters on you... No doubt it would land you in jail forever in many countries, or worse. If I wanted to use a computer encryption cypher I might look at Blowfis/Twofish... That raised a stink when it came out, indicating that it did bother quite a few people... But a cypher sponsored by the NSA, no thanks. Anyways, I have no use for encrypted messaging at this time... If I ever do, and I hope not, a simple one-time-pad would do. Note that you may be able to transfer a long random key file now but not ten years later... For example, you could send a key file encrypted via PGP today by email, but in the event that the internet is no longer available in the future, you would be SOL.

Gil.