Cruisers College

Single Side Band Radios: ICOM M802 Operation
2017-10-15 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Marine Technology Center, 1606 R Avenue, Anacortes, WA, 98221, United States
Instructor: Terry Sparks
Description

High Frequency Single Side band (HF SSB)is an excellent tool for anyone heading out of the United States or especially for off shore cruising. With HF SSB you can make long range radio calls, make marine phone calls, send and receive emails, get weather faxes, obtain Grib files, and even obtain Satellite pictures of the weather for your area. While an initial look at the M802 may seem complex when comparing the radio to a typical Marine VHF radio, this course will provide the basic tools and understanding of HF SSB and M802 operation such that it can become as easy to use as your Marine VHF radio. If you are planning international or offshore travel on your boat, you should attend this course.
Join us as we cover the following areas:

Icom IC M802 overview
Propagation & Tools
The Connections
Pactor Modems
Programming the M802
Operating the M802
Digital Selective Calling
Calls for Help
Making DSC Calls to Friends
Worldwide Group Numbers
Recommendations for Cruisers

Commander TL Sparks enlisted in the Navy in 1968 after he completed a three year Electronics program at Spokane Community College. His first assignment after boot camp was to the Navy’s Electronics Technician “A” school to learn how to operate and repair the Navy’s HF, VHF, and UHF communications equipment.
After almost nine years of active duty at a Communications Station, aboard two Submarines, and a Satellite tracking and injection facility, Terry left active duty and joined the Naval Reserves. After active duty Terry enrolled in a night program to attain a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering offered through Washington State University in Richland, WA. Terry Sailed his first boat over thirty years ago and was hooked at first sail. His years in the Navy where he learned Communications, Navigation, Radar, as well as the workings of the many systems involved with making sure that his two submarines both went into the deep and back to the surface clearly honed Terry’s skills for the cruising lifestyle.
After his retirement from the Navy and ABB in 2008, Terry and his wife went cruising on their sailing vessel Sunnyside. They continue to cruise in the Sea of Cortez and the Mexico Pacific coast.
After a couple of years of cruising, Terry started writing Made Simple for Cruiser books to help others get started living the dream, do it right and come home safely.

Check his cruising travels out at: http://sunnyside-adventure.webs.com/
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Outboard Motor Service, Repair and Maintenance
2017-10-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Marine Technology Center, 1606 R Avenue, Anacortes, WA, 98221, United States
Instructor: Matt Mardesich
Cruisers College will take you through the ins and outs of your outboard engine during this 3 hour class. Nearly every cruising boat has an outboard powered dinghy. These motors have been around for a long time and are very dependable if maintained properly. Ethanol in our fuel systems is creating more and more problems for outboard engines. This course will cover the basics for all outboard engines.
Sample of topics covered:

Oil Changes
Fuel care and handling
Lower unit testing
Water pump impeller replacement
Electrical systems
Routine Maintenance & Tune up
Winterization

After this 3 hours course, you will understand how to take proper care of your engine and keep it starting easily.
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Marine Communications
2017-10-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Marine Technology Center, 1606 R Avenue, Anacortes, WA, 98221, United States
Instructor: Terry Sparks
Marine communications is more than just talking on your Marine VHF radio. There are methods for long range marine communications and short range marine communications. This course will also discuss Internet and weather communications methods. Most importantly the course will cover the best ways to get help in an emergency. If you have a boat, you should have at least a VHF radio. If you have a VHF radio, you should attend this course.
Sample of topics covered:

RF Communications 101
Communications Planning
Marine VHF Radio
Marine HF Radio
DSC on VHF and HF SSB
Communications Nets
HF SSB Weather
Position Reporting
Talk Like a Pro
Internet Communications
Calls for Help!
HF DSC Distress Calls
Worldwide Group Numbers
Recommendations

Commander TL Sparks enlisted in the Navy in 1968 after he completed a three year Electronics program at Spokane Community College. His first assignment after boot camp was to the Navy’s Electronics Technician “A” school to learn how to operate and repair the Navy’s HF, VHF, and UHF communications equipment.
After almost nine years of active duty at a Communications Station, aboard two Submarines, and a Satellite tracking and injection facility, Terry left active duty and joined the Naval Reserves. After active duty Terry enrolled in a night program to attain a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering offered through Washington State University in Richland, WA. Terry Sailed his first boat over thirty years ago and was hooked at first sail. His years in the Navy where he learned Communications, Navigation, Radar, as well as the workings of the many systems involved with making sure that his two submarines both went into the deep and back to the surface clearly honed Terry’s skills for the cruising lifestyle.
After his retirement from the Navy and ABB in 2008, Terry and his wife went cruising on their sailing vessel Sunnyside. They continue to cruise in the Sea of Cortez and the Mexico Pacific coast.
After a couple of years of cruising, Terry started writing Made Simple for Cruiser books to help others get started living the dream, do it right and come home safely.

Check his cruising travels out at: S/V Sunnyside
Register via EventBrite

Solar Power & Refrigeration
2017-10-14 13:00 - 16:00 | WA
Cruiser College offers this combination course taught by an experienced offshore cruiser and local refrigeration/HVAC specialist, Woody Wentworth.
We all love our creature comforts and nothing transforms a boat from a ‘weekend camper’ to an extended ‘comfy cruiser’ quite like a refrigerator/freezer. When properly designed and installed you should enjoy 15-20 years of trouble free service. However, refrigeration is usually the single biggest drain on the batteries. Fortunately, improved solar panels, solar chargers and modern AGM batteries (all much cheaper in the past few years) means that you can probably eliminate running the generator/engine to charge the house bank. Did you know that a solar array can pay for itself in as little as three years compared to charging with an internal combustion engine? – and your batteries will love you for it!
Sample of topics covered:

Choosing the right refrigeration/freezer system for your boat
Review of new technologies in cooling
Advanced thermostats you can use to upgrade existing systems
Designing a solar array for any boat
Comparison of solar panels, costs, controllers and batteries
Cost analysis for these systems
Installation requirements and options

After this 3 hours course, you will understand how to improve or upgrade your refrigeration system and how to keep the batteries charged.
Woody is a retired military officer, offshore sailor and owner of ‘IceBoat Marine’ – specializing in marine refrigeration, solar and heating, and electrical. An ABYC Certified Master Technician, he is a factory certified installer and troubleshooter for most refrigeration/AC, and heating systems. Woody teaches Marine HVAC at the Skagit Valley Marine Maintenance Technology Program. When not fixing others’ boats, Woody and his family which includes three children, are out cruising (and of course, fixing stuff!) year-round.

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Understanding the Weather in the Pacific Northwest
2017-10-14 09:00 - 12:00 | WA
Understanding Northwest Weather is one of the biggest challenges when cruising in this area. It can make the difference between a good trip, or a trip where the crew is not sure they ever want to boat again!
Waggoner Cruising Guide Editor, Mark Bunzel, will take you through a proven technique for understanding the weather and making effective go or no-go decisions. He will take you through the many weather resources available on the Internet, cellular telephone or the WX transmissions on the VHF radio. He will share with you his Weather Checklist for recording the weather and which items are the ones critical to you for interpreting safe cruising conditions. Together, you will plan a trip and gather the weather information to predict what the conditions will be like. Mark will also discuss how the tides and currents for a days cruise need to reviewed together with the weather to identify safe cruising conditions. The Lunar Cycle will also be discussed and how it can factor into the days cruising conditions.
Power boat cruisers avoid the wind and sailors love the wind—to a point! Both will be reviewed.
After taking this course you will have a good understanding of NW weather and how you can determine the best conditions for your cruise.

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Marine Electrical Troubleshooting, Design, & Installation
2017-05-13 09:00 - 16:00 | Marine Technology Center, 1606 R Avenue, Anacortes, WA, 98221, United States
Cruisers College will take you through the ins and outs of a boat’s electrical systems. There is plenty of information every boat owner should know about these critical systems, whether they are doing improvements themselves, paying a professional for upgrades, or simply trying to understand the system on your boat and “Keep it Alive”.
Sample list of topics covered:

How an electrical system works
How to monitor electrical systems
Early warning signs of trouble
How to use a multimeter for troubleshooting
Sizing and care of battery banks
Proper wire selection, termination, and tools
Alternative energy such as solar and wind generation
How to make repairs to this critical system on almost every cruising vessel

This one-day course includes new technologies and how they might interface or be a solution for your energy needs. Let’s keep the light’s on ☺

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