r/RTLSDR • u/Zestyclose_Day101 • 1d ago
DIY Projects/questions Rtl-sdr on a cruise ship?
Hello i am going on a cruise in a few weeks and i plan to take my rtl sdr v4 along with me with a couple antennas:
1 quarter groundplane for ads-b
1 quarter groundplane for ais, flexible conductors held straight with 3d printed parts so i dont go carrying around solid half meter sticks of metal around
1 rubber duck for ais (didnt take a pic)
I am aware that i cant bring trasmitters onboard but there aint no rules for bringing radios onboard
Its an msc cruise.
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u/Feuerwerko 9h ago
For the cruises I’ve been on, ANY radios (transceivers, receivers, also specifically SDRs) were banned, but it’s extremely unlikely you get caught, and worst case they usually just take it and you get it back after the cruise.
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u/laterral 7h ago
Why do they ban all radios?! What don’t they want us to know!
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u/foxtrot7azv 4h ago
It's a safety thing. I'm a ham radio operator so I've heard the discussion of no radios on cruises a few times.
You could use a transceiver to interfere with maritime comms, listen in on the crew's radios, and various other things. Like planes, security is a thing on cruise ships, so there may also be concern about radios being used as part of an attack on the ship, either to coordinate with other attackers or as mentioned already, to listen in on crew radios.
(Crew radios could be encrypted, idk, marine radio itself certainly isn't)
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u/seasleeplessttle 2h ago
They don't want passengers to hear "deck clearing" orders that WILL happen in a SHTF scenario. The passengers aren't the paying customers when this happens.
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u/Zestyclose_Day101 8h ago
Can you tell me if you went on msc cruises or non msc? It may differ from company to company who knows
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u/monorailmedic 4h ago
Every cruise line has a prohibited items list on their website. Enforcement can vary, but that's a good place to start.
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u/Zestyclose_Day101 1h ago
Already had a look and it doesnt even ban walkie talkies or at least they dont mention that
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u/monorailmedic 1h ago
Then you're likely good. I've definitely had an SDR and an HT on at least oneSC sailing, if not several.
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u/olliegw 58m ago
on some cruises i think walkie talkies can be used with the permission of the captain, and iirc not too near other countries that use the bands for other purposes, e.g i think it's ok to use PMR446 near europe and in the atlantic with the permission of the captain on some cruises, but not if they're near america as they use FRS
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u/Joan_from_Dark 21h ago
Once upon a time, in my old days, there was a marconiste/radio officer. It was a boring job when all go right, very usefull in time of crisis onboard or bad weather ahead. So maybe AI or electro/auto take the job.
But if you are lucky, it may be still one part time officer for transmission and perhaps he could share with you a lot of things (only in sea?)
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u/Going_Postal 15h ago
Any chance you'd be willing to share the parts used on that groundplane?
I've purchased a bunch of those connectors, would love to know the screws, angle brackets etc that you used to get the clean build!
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u/Zestyclose_Day101 11h ago
Oh i just bought 10 panel mount sma connectors and for the adsb i cut up a coat hanger and soldered the pieces to crimpable ring tongue connectors, for the AIS i replaced the coat hanger pieces with simple rope conductor cable and to hold it straight i modeled 3d printed parts, super easy to carry around since when disassembled its just a ball of yarn made up of cables and a few pieces of plastic
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u/Complete_Life_903 19h ago
I would think cruise ships are rich in transmitted rf across a considerable amount of spectrum. Perhaps passive bandpass filters would prove useful to minimize SDR de-sensing and generation of interfering heterodyne mixing.
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u/ExtensionCordStrnglr 5h ago
Years ago I was able to hear FM stations crystal clear with RDS data hundreds of miles off the East cost when we went to Bermuda with my SDR and a small telescoping antenna
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u/olliegw 1h ago
Only thing i can imagine is that ship security might not like you hearing them, cruise ships are floating cities, and like most cities police don't like being heard, nor would they want you to hear if something went wrong.
This can't cause interference but they might not like the thought of being heard
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u/gabergum 17h ago
Probably fine. but good chance you are setting yourself up for the longest security check of your life.
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u/mightyduckduck 9h ago
dude u can’t even transmit with a rtl sdr so where’s the problem ? cheap chinese electronic devices are far more the real problem i get with emi emissions that on the other hand nobody gives a shit about
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u/Zestyclose_Day101 11h ago
I once brought my sdr and rubber duck on an airplane and it got through security just fine, hopefully it will be the same for cruises
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u/gabergum 4h ago
I once brought a rock of hash as big as my thumb, and human remains on an international flight.
99% of the time nobody gives a shit. 1% of the time somebody sees what looks like spy gear and decides they know what it is.
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u/roxtten 16h ago
Wait, where did you get rtl sdr v4 with type c instead of USB A port? I thought only v3 was type c? Did you modify it yourself?
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u/fullmetaljackass Kenneth, what is the frequency? 15h ago
That's a V4c, they're discontinued.
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u/LeftyClover 10h ago
Wat is dat met Amerikanen en cruiseschepen? Een van de meest vervuilende manieren op te reizen…
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u/Zestyclose_Day101 9h ago
First of all im not american im european, second its a short cruise, third its the first time in my life i get to go on a cruise
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u/monorailmedic 23h ago
I cruise a ton and sometimes set up an AIS relay from the ship. This is useful when not near relay stations (far from land). I've still found found a good and durable yet highly portable VHF dipole setup. You'll note that inside your room (even with a verandah) things are VERY attenuated, I suspect that in addition to the ship's structure the glass often uses a metallic tint to reduce heat.