Will the Icom M700 marine radio TX on all bands

The question comes up from time to time but untill yesterday I had never seen the full answer, in the past we have read that a secret internal switch had to be moved, some said a thin blue wire needed cutting, read on to find out the truth.

This radio has been around a very long time, twenty five years and more I guess? When it came out it was seen as a strong set and easy to program its 48 memories. Icom had also made the set workable on frequencies other than the genuine marine bands, or did they?

I have read and been told that all Icom M700 will tune and transmit on the ham frequencies, I have Just found the at least some of the truth of  this information on the web.

This board that may need attention is underneath the main part of the set, the old but refurbished Philips soldering iron was really handy here.

Right click on the photos for a larger view and clearer picture.

Check near Q3 and to the right of which is a small white unit. to me that looks like it  has had its wire burnt through to restrict the Icom M700 transmitting on all bands.

Not so neat but check that the solder now connects the wires and the circuit works now as it was intended to when it left the factory.

The set now works as it should do, the LSB can be accessed on the mode switch, fully to the left there is a blank space, thats LSB, the next to the right will be USB, both as required on the ham frequencies.

Roy

Note, we owe this valuable information to Joachim.

Joachim's Ham-Radio and Radio-Frequency Blog (A Solderful of Secrets) - from Longwave to Microwaves.

Saturday, November 21, 2009 Icom IC-M700D mod .

Despite what is told on the internet, there are version of the Icom IC-M700 which actually block out transmission on frequencies outside the marine bands.

Recently, I obtained one of those, the IC-M700D. This radio has got a "Posthörnchen" on it, meaning that the FTZ (Fernmeldetechnisches Zentralamt) gave its blessings. This however means, the radio does not do what it is not supposed to, i.e. transmit outside the marine bands.

Luckily, there is a service manual for the IC-M700 (no D!) available on the internet.

Browsing through the circuit description reveals that LOGIC CIRCUITS holds on control of the receive and transmit frequencies. The manual further recites that IC1006 outputs signals "mute signals for outside the marine bands to P40 and P41. Ah! In the schematics diagram, P40 and P41 (pins 7 and 8 of IC11006) enable a voltage called "TMU" via transistor Q1003. The schematics diagram further shows a wire bridge W1037 shorting the base of Q1003 to ground. Hmmmmm, with W1037 installed, the transistor is never engaged to release the TMU voltage. Could TMU be an acronym for Transmitter Mute?

Let's have a look

http://draaggolf.blogspot.com/2009/11/icom-ic-m700d-mod.html


Joachim, many thanks, your blog and information in it has been long searched for by many!

Roy

The Web

Saturday, November 21, 2009 Icom IC-M700D mod

Yanmar 1 GM10c diesel, water temperature alarm fault

After a service and water soluable engine cleaning, I found that the audible alarm and red warning light was tending to go off, this was not all the time to start but soon became permanent.

I emailed our local Yanmar agents for methods to do a test on the sender unit.

The new sensor and its packing box.

Locally they are well priced and not a bad buy even as a spare? I found that local Yanmar support was good and the various workshop manual pages were scanned and then emailed to me.

Hi Roy,

Please view the attached - the unit can be tested by placing the water temp senders probe in boiling water.
Once the water reaches between 97 – 103 degrees.C for 60 seconds you should get a 12V / 1amp reading form your multi meter.

Kind regards,

Jamie.

I thought about this a bit and having already removed the unit to check that it was not just dirty, then finding it clean replaced it, I was prepared to just buy a new one and try it out.

The sensor will only work when its reached the above stated temperature, or if its got a closed and shorted circuit. With the sender unit wire off, the alarm did not go off, so in normal use the sender had to switch in to make the alarms work, that or when it developed a dead short as was the case on my engine.

The new sensor is now in place, I used PTFE thread tape to stop any leaks and the nice clean brass main body has been coated with Fluid Film to keep it looking that way.

A nice new Yanmar  1GM10 ready for shipping, its available right now at a discounted price. The sender unit to the raw water cooling can be found just below the injector and to the rear of the cylinder.

Note, this engine has since been sold.

This is Yanmars no frills basic panel (not the gauges) in normal use and when the key is turned, the alarm will sound and two lights will come on as seen. In my case the water sensor light was also working and when the engine was started it stayed on, while the oil and charger lights went out.

This was a simple fix for me, I hope it helps someone.

Roy

Note, as Yanmar agents we can supply parts to order and often ex stock, thats anything from gaskets,anodes, pistons,rings and bearings to sender units.

Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies Builds a Didi Mini Transat kit from CKD Boats.

Hello All-


Attached are a few more photos from the Erie build...I want to thank you
Jeff for the excellent page on the MINI Class US website and to you Roy for
everything on your end.

The first picture is our McDowell High School class which comes every Friday
(as long as I buy doughnuts!)

These are a couple of the McDowell students looking over the plans and
learning how to use a scale.

The last two picutre are kids from the ABRAXAS Learning Center who work very
hard and are lining and leveling the stem. We have installed the backbone and are starting on tangents and stringers.

Thanks again!
stu

Jim Stewart
Executive Director
Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies
7 East Dobbins Landing
Erie, PA 16507
USA

814-456-4077

www.bayfrontcenter.org

Bayfront Didi Mini 6.5 meter build

Another shot of the Didi Mini Transat we shipped to the USA.




Roy and Dudley,

Attached is the latest photo. That's Rich Eisenberg on the left, boat builder extraordinaire, and me on the right sighting down the centerline. Station 10 is in place as of today. Hurrah!

This was the Didi mini transat kit we sent to the Bayfront Maritime guys in Philidelphia, USA, they really made a great job of the build.


Roy-

Apologize for the tardiness of the photos. We are in a frenzy!!! #10 will be
up in about an hour! Fabulous kit honest to god this is just fun!!! Very
little head scratching we love it the kids love it.

Buzz is the resident pet, looks like he is checking out what comes next?
Note on the pics: the kids are from a local middle school 7-8 grades, there

were about 60 in the group looking for an after school opportunity I pitched

the MINI about 52 signed up! Also note that the supervisor is in the side by
side picture. Buzz is my loyal and faithful companion, he has enough sea
time to sit for his Master's Exam and the kids love him.

Well, got to get back to it...more later
Thanks again for everything!!!

stu

Jim Stewart
Executive Director
Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies
7 East Dobbins Landing
Erie, PA 16507
USA.

AIS from a black box connection

All of those we have supplied the Watchmate AIS to have raved over its performance, its a life saver they tell me. Now companies are selling the black box reciever side only, the idea is you link it to your laptop or chart plotter, the thinking is then you have AIS but whats not said is how good (bad) it can be to go this route.

Right click on the picture above, it should open to a size you can then read.

The Watchmate 670 display only, this will connect to your existing black box type signal supply. It uses a very low 3 watt 12volt supply, thats really low!

When advising customers about AIS its worth reminding them that AIS is about safety information and they should ask two key questions about any AIS device;

1. How do I ensure I don't end up with so many targets (boats) on my display that I cant make good decisions about the safest course to take?
2. How do I ensure that I don't have so many AIS alarms going off that I end up ignoring them all and tuning my AIS alarms off?

These are two questions that anyone experienced with AIS ask us on a regular basis.  The less experienced are in danger of simply buying a black box AIS transponder, connecting it to a chart plotter and saying they have "AIS"; unfortunately they are missing out on the key safety benefits of AIS when they do this.

Demonstrating the WatchMate filtering features addresses question 1 as WatchMate filtering declutters the screen and leaves only the high priority boats on display.  The second question is addressed by showing customers the four separate Alarm settings that the WatchMate has for each of the Profiles it can be set in (Anchored, Harbour, Coastal, Offshore). The flexibility of these Alarms simply means that the system is configured to only provide alerts in real danger situations not when every boat comes in to a set range.  A feature that is unmatched by any other AIS product.

Another way to highlight the difference between an AIS device with a dedicated display versus a black box AIS is to discuss the table above.  This table compares the WatchMate 850 with the ICOM transponder and a generic black box transponder.  As the table graphically highlights if customers choose a black box AIS transponder the safety functionality they get is variable at best and in many cases nonexistent.

However if they have already invested in a black box AIS device and don't want to upgrade there is always the option to provide customers with a WatchMate 670 Display which instantly provides them with a much more intelligent dedicated AIS safety device that addresses the questions above.

We can supply new Watchmates direct from the factory, they in turn supply the exact parts you will require for your boats system, they also have a downloadable update program which can be accessed from their web site for free.

Roy

Will a real boat builder please stand up?

Thats if we can find one these days! I guess its all about the ebb and flow of orders and keeping the factory doors open, plus as far as the word REAL is concerned, just how many genuine boat builders in South Africa can we find?

Here is a genuine boat builder, its Peter Randle on Nandi, a Didi 34 that was owner built from one of our kits.

This is one real boat builder and as we can see he is standing up!

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2010/02/peter-randle-boat-builder.html

I have asked Peter to do a costing on building one of our Proteus 106 kits, this will be a good time to ask him as he is doing the finishing touches to one of our Cape Henry 21 kits right now, Peter tells me it will be launched and moored at Hout Bay.

This boat was built from plans and has the optional longer transoms which cover the rudders.

When we have prices from Peter we can offer our kit as a Hull Deck and Bulkhead completed unit, right up to a sailaway package and ex Cape Town.

In Thailand and launched with a used set of spars and sails, the owner is still really happy with the boats performance.

Owner, Rick with his boat, at 35 feet this boat is made to cross oceans as a cruising boat.

http://www.lavranosyachtdesign.co.nz/sc_10m-multi.htm

The interior consists of four berths (two doubles + 2 singles), a saloon settee, a practical galley with icebox, and a toilet compartment, all with standing headroom . She is totally functional, and all that is needed for comfort at sea. She is configured with two machinery and keel variations: A 4 stroke 20HP outboard on a hinging nacelle is fitted for economy, as is tiller steering, with "kick up" rudders. If the motor starts to make trouble it is easily replaced. I haven't worked out how many times you can relace it to equal the cost of diesels. However saildrive "single cylinder baby diesels" can be fitted, as can fixed mini keels. Other "choices" in the "gilded lily" approach stretch to installed toilet & holding tank versus chemical / fitted bucket , installed water tank versus fitted 20 lit container storage. However with the outboard and daggerboard combination, and simplest accommodation gear, we have the fastest boat AND the shallowest draught for the smallest outlay. People lose sight of the fact that comfort at sea revolves round some very simple "basics", a dry bunk with good ventilation, a place to prepare hot food, a place to sit out of the sun & elements, a private toilet, standing headroom. The rest is "bells & whistles" which all come at a price of increased cost, maintanance, and degrading performance.
The rig is the simplest possible, with a pair of cap shrouds and headstay triangulated, single diamond. The sail inventory is essentially a mainsail, a roller furler jib, and a storm jib. Optional: Genneker.

LENGTH OVERALL 10.600 Meters
BEAM 6.360 Meters
DRAUGHT 0.370/1.75 Meters (dagger up/dwn)
DISPLACEMENT 2800 Kilograms (light)
MAINSAIL 48 Sq Meters
ROLLER FURL JIB 24 Sq Meters
GENNEKER 58 Sq Meters
FRESH WATER 140 liters (installed or 20 lit containers)

Roy

Shadow of Lothian at the Royal Cape Yacht Club

We first met George Faquarson when he arrived at the RCYC on Shadow and as a single hander, this was around September/October 1979, as the slide I have copied is dated October 1979.

The event was The Parmelia Race, it was to recognise the days of the clipper ships that sailed between Great Britain and Australia.

Thats George in the blue oilies, a friend is blowing up a display bottle of scotch whiskey, George is very much a scot!  Thats me in the blue jeans and jacket, with George Dore standing behind me, who is the guy behind George wearing those huge platform shoes though!

Roy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmelia_Yacht_Race

A stern tube inner fitting for a 32mm propellor shaft

This bronze stern tube fitting has a new rubber bearing fitted, it will take a 32mm shaft as it is but the fitting can also be down sized to take a 30mm shaft size as well, you would need to press the existing bearing out to do this ( remove the small stainless steel grub screw first) . The short piece of bearing in the brass pipe is the offcut from the new 32mm rubber bearing, which would be handy as a sample when you next want to fit a new bearing.

The packing in the fitting looks good still, the spare packing was sold this morning, its a 3/8" size and a half meter in length. This type of stern tube screws into a 45mm tube which then carries water along the shaft and to the Cutlass bearing at the propellor end of the shaft. The flow of water comes from the raw water cooling side of the engine, which then passes to the tube hole fitting and then out of the back of the stern tube.

Roy

Building Roys boat

This is the boat I designed for myself after going cruising to Brasil, by then I was back in Liverpool. I had ideas to build at home but took up employment at the Shepperton Film Studios and for an interior design company. The building place was on an island on the River Thames, I could make frames and rip plys at work, they all traveled on the roof of my 850cc Mini to the boat yard about twenty miles away.

 I had worked out that a boat around 34 feet was plenty for my needs. The idea of a self built laminated plywood boat appealed to me, each and every one of those planks you see had to be hand fitted to each other with hand tools, as we had no AC power on the island! I am using bronze Gripfast ring nails to glue the planks together.

I named the design the Bahia 34, the picture was ( i think) taken by my dad Robert Henry McBride, using Kodachrome slide film, he probably used my own Canon FT film camera?

The design was self taught and working from a scale model, made from balsa wood, I sorted out the final shapes to things like shear and freeboard. I ended up selling the bare hull on and eventually returned to Cape Town after a tour of work in Sudan. I still have the drawings and a model boat kit could be prepared in 6mm MDF for you if anyone wants to build one?

I might do well to add that since I built the hull in the picture, designs and methods have changed in a big way. Today and thinking of the Dix Design radius chine construction method, hulls can now be built with far less skills and effort and in a fraction of the time my boat hull took me.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2009/02/self-design-and-build-of-my-bahia-34.html

Design rights to this set of plans are held by Roy McBride.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/08/designs/bahia/index.htm

Made as a model, the design could then be viewed from all angles untill I was sure the design would work when built.

My mother has climbed onto the boat  and can be seen on the hull under the canopy.

Roy