"Bobsprit" wrote in message

Hey, Max....while I'm bleeding you for newbie info...I'm told I MUST have
an
Antenna tuner (200 bucks) to run any of these rigs, especially with a
backstay
antenna. I'm starting to get discouraged by what this will all
take...radio,
antenna, tuner, power supply for winter base use....ugh!

Thanks much for all the help...

Yeah, you'd need an antenna tuner all right. A good one--one that will tune
up an insulated backstay, which isn't easy--will cost a minimum of $200.
You'll also need a counterpoise--in this case a copper foil ground plane
installed against the hull beneath the hull liner, connected to the braided
conductor of your feedline coax. And you'll also need some rugged
batteries--I recommend a couple of group 31 AGMs minimum--if you want to run
any wattage, such as 100W, on 10M while on the hook. The radio is just the
tip of the iceberg.

My recommendation: get your tech license and work 2M repeaters. Unless
you're going offshore, SSB isn't necessary.

Max