Radio Prepper Maritime Mobile!

[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.

[rah]

Nice video, Gil.  I would say nice looking boat, but I know very little about boats.  Good luck this time around.  Any way we could talk you out of taking it back solo?

[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.

[Ea3hvg]

Hi Gil. Nice boat and nice adventure. Tomorrow I'll try to call you from my flat building roof. QTH is Molins de Rei 20 km to the south of Barcelona. Pity I haven't seen your vid a few days ago because I have friends at Vilanova i la Geltru marina.
Have a nice voyage and 73. EA3HVG. Jesus.

[NCGunDude]

watching I Survived now. nice video. I'm looking for a trailer sailor now, maybe a com-pac or catalina.

following seas!

[gil]

Thanks guys :-)

Gil.