The KISS-SSB is a US Patented marine SSB ground plane system. This Icom endorsed principle is the one and only complete counterpoise system. It does not require any holes under the water-line in the hull for a bronze plate, copper foil or copper mesh. The system has many feet of exact length wire radials built in it.
Click "How It Works" above
HOW IT WORKS
Maintenance Free
After a normal installation time of less than thirty minutes the KISS-SSB is completely maintenance free. Unlike the bronze plate that requires constant cleaning, and the copper foil that is subject to constant corroding.
The KISS-SSB let's you enjoy Paradise!
Designed for all the Marine SSB frequencies, Winlink & Sailmail frequencies, Emergency Coast Guard HF frequencies and NOAA Weather Fax frequencies plus the 2mhz through 29mhz Long range Ham frequencies.
1,000's of satisfied customers world-wide
Affordable
Check out the June, 2012 issue of the
Blue Water Sailing Magazine
http://bwsailing.com/cc/2012/05/23/the-ssb-radio-demystified/
A paragraph taken directly from the article:
I have seen exactly one product for the marine market that does the same thing ham operators have been doing for nearly a century and I haven’t a clue why it’s not on every single SSB-equipped boat. The KISS-SSB is a collection of radials designed specifically for marine frequencies. It’s dead simple to install—it looks like a short garden hose that you connect to your antenna tuner and then unwind anywhere you like. That’s all there is to it. Reports are extremely favorable.
Captain Marti Browns
New edition of SSB for Idy-yachts is now out
With two full pages dedicated to the KISS-SSB
www.idiyachts.com
Commander Terry Sparks
New edition of Icom IC-M802 is now out
With a few pages dedicated to the KISS-SSB
http://www.made-simplefor-cruisers.com/
Our KISS-SSB is used by NOAA research vessels, US Navy, US Army, Private Aircraft, most all world wide racing vessels.
thT
The KISS-SSB is proudly represented at the coveted site of NEMAtm (National Marine Electronics Association)
Copy and paste this link:
www.marineelectronicsjournal.com
Works perfectly with Sailmail and Winlink along with your Pactor Modem
The three most complemented features are:
1-Stronger Signal both sending and receiving
2-faster speed with Sailmail and Winlink,
3-Less RF Interference onboard.
Meticulously Handmade in Beautiful North Idaho
Patented
No matter if your installing your SSB Marine radio or your having a marine electronics professional do it for you, always ask for the KISS-SSB Ground / Counterpoise.
The KISS-SSB works better than the old fashioned way with copper foil and a bronze plate that requires holes in the hull under the water line or an electrical connection to a bronze thru-hull valve. This can corrode the thru-hull valve due to the slight charge at an area where you can not see it before it's too late. We know that there is at least one installing dealer out there that would much rather realize the larger profits of doing a haul-out and running hundreds of feet of copper foil though out your vessel, your the boss, tell them what you want, risk free!!
Full two year money back warranty if you are not happy with the KISS-SSB
Over 10,000 sold and installed and not one returned due to an unsatisfied customer.
btrayfors
Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Chesapeake Region and Maine
Boat: 42' Bob Perry sloop
Posts: 4,041
Images: 4
Like Auspicious, I've been installing the KISS-SSB ground on clients boats recently. They are very well made and take advantage of what experienced hams have known for a long time, i.e., that radials work very well. Especially tuned radials (usually, 1/4 wavelength long at the operating frequency).
This RF ground solution has a lot going for it, and works very well in my experience. Don't let the size and apparent simplicity fool you: there are hundreds of feet of wire of varying lengths stuffed inside that 10' long hose. I have found that the advertised claims are valid: the KISS-SSB ground allows easy tuneups on all the marine and ham bands, it is very easy to install, it is well constructed and robust, and IMHO a very good solution for many situations.
BTW, it is a MYTH....let me repeat that loudly....
I T I S A C O M P L E T E M Y T H ...
...that it is necessary to connect or couple an RF ground to seawater in order to be effective.
There are lots of other solutions which work equally well or better, including radials, tuned radials, aluminum toe rails, pushpit/pulpit/lifelines, s/s rub rails, hull-to-deck aluminum strips (some boats have 'em), etc. etc.
Any ham who's played much with radials knows that elevated radials are more effective than buried radials.
Any person who's studied the physics of seawater knows that RF is greatly attenuated in just a few inches of seawater. It ain't the direct connection or "capacitative connection" to seawater which boosts the signal. The role of seawater is to serve as an effective mirror medium help radiate and to bounce signals up to the ionosphere.
Bottom line: radials and other such solutions work very well. So, IMHO, does the KISS-SSB ground.
Bill
__________________
Here is a copy and paste from a Cruiser's Forum directly from a Marine Electronics Engineer
New and improved version 2.0
Full one page testimonial for one of the most famous cruising magazines, Latitude & Attitudes Winter edition 2019/2020, tested and written by Mr. Bob Bitchin himself. In this article Bob shares his direct results of using our KISS-SSB for over ten years with perfect results. In his words he states: After years of using copper foil through out the bilge he came across the KISS-SSB ground plane. A simple-to-install, no-maintenance ground plane that made it so my SSB was actually clear.