Who uses what? why?
SS, Ham, Satellite, VHS, yelling, bull horn :D, etc? all?
This'd be a good place for a "poll."
I don't have any comm equipment on the boat at present. I am considering adding a hand held VHS for bridge-to-bridge and weather info, as well as bridge openings on the ICW.
I use VHF—and have two handhelds as well as a ship's radio. I also have an GPIRB, for offshore use that I hope never to need... Eventually, I'd like to get an SSB unit, but not for a while. For sound signalling, I have two horns—one is a refillable compressed air horn, that uses a bicycle pump to fill it; the other is a lung-powered horn—both are reasonably loud.
I also carry a set of signal flags...as you never know when they might come in handy.
We have a fixed VHF with masthead ariel, and 27meg.
A handheld vhf that lives on a clip just inside the companionway and a dinky pair of walky-talky headset thingies so we can quietly talk to eachother if one is on the bow and the other is in the cockpit. It is nicer then shouting when they work...but they are kind of random. We originaly got them because it was asier and cheaper to just give a call when one of us arrived in the carpark and the other could then go and let them into the marina...because for love or money, our yacht club only issued one gate key per membership.
Having a fixed VHF with the full 25watts of power and a masthead ariel with low-loss cable gives you amazing reach for the VHF (which is basically a line-of-sight transmission). A 5watt (those are the GOOD ones) handheld VHF with the ariel about five feet above deck level just does not begin to compare.
The 27 meg is mostly a holdover from the old days...but it is a short wave radio of sorts in that its signal can bend or bounce off the atmosphere...and since we cannot afford an SW/SSB transceiver at this time, it has been spruced up and retained in the com systems.
We have one of the older EPIRBs (121) and are definately going to upgrade to a 406 with inbuilt GPS when the boat is back in the water and the serious cruising starts. 406 EPIRBs were close to $3000 only a couple of years ago...we can now get one with inbuilt GPS signal and update button for $350.
Alex.
Alex.
I've got VHF and am working on my HAM license.
Alex-
The GPIRBs that are about $350 are usually personal locator beacons, not really full EPIRBs. The main difference is that a full-size EPIRB has a much longer battery life, works in greater temperature ranges, and usually has a strobe on it. Also, a PLB is registered to a person, an EPIRB is registered to a vessel.
Dan
Yes, Aware of all of that, Dan.
The GPS based EIRB I am reffering to is made under license in Australia and is a GME version of the standard Paines Wessex largish 406. It is vessel specific and is cheap because of a government subsidy...Because around here it is cheaper to make sure that boaters have an epirb that lets them be located to a 1km radius then a 10km radius. Someone actually decided to be pro-active about SAR expenses.
The personal epirbs (called PLB's, personal locator beacons) are still sadly in the $1100.00 range as they are not covered be the subsidy or manufactured under local license (yet).
If I was to spring for the personal 406epirb I would go with one of the new wireless teather systems. This involves a little transmitter that sits just under the boom gooseneck. Every few seconds it sends out a ping and all of the personal epirbs on board "reply" in a way that apparently causes no power drain (not sure of the specific method). The transmitter has a field that is only a little larger then the boat length.
If one of the epirbs fail to chirp back in response an alarm is sounded inside the boat as it assumes that the person has been washed overboard.
The personal epirb unit then works just like a standard epirb and calls for help.
The more sophisticated (I can never afford it) racing version of the system also has a secondary long range sensing feature on the transmitter box that you can switch over to. This allows you to know when you have come within X number of meters of the "missing" epirb (and thus crewmember), which is usefull for night searches and such.
Margaret once described one of her nightmare scenarios for sailing being that she wakes up, comes up on deck to relieve me of watch and finds that I am not there...and she would have no idea how long ago I was lost or where to begin looking other then the obvious reverse course.
Personally, having needed to do two MOB retrievals in earnest now (one deadly serious and one that was a breeze by comparison) the excercises are worthwhile but do not begin to cover it. Personal epirbs take one of the nightmares out ...but are not a cure all by any means.
Alex.
Lucky for you that they're subsidizing full-size GPIRBs...but it makes sense...cuts down on the costs of SAR work. Sounds like your government actually works once in a while. :D
Staying on the boat is key... even if you have someone else on the boat. Sailing as a couple was once described as sailing single-handed for half the time... and it is probably a good idea to think of it that way... as you describe in Margaret's nightmare... you would effectively be single-handing, since she's down below and asleep.
Hi all, I'm new to the dock but have been sailng for a while. In two years I'll be heading off for a year in my little boat and am considering skipping the SSB in favor of a sat phone. The more I think about it the better I like the idea. Once I factor in the cost of batteries and charging system, radio and installation I can get a sat phone that friends and family can contact me with. Any thoughts?
Quote from: pura vida on September 24, 2006, 08:56:13 PM
Hi all, I'm new to the dock but have been sailng for a while. In two years I'll be heading off for a year in my little boat and am considering skipping the SSB in favor of a sat phone. The more I think about it the better I like the idea. Once I factor in the cost of batteries and charging system, radio and installation I can get a sat phone that friends and family can contact me with. Any thoughts?
Welcome to the Sailfar Marina! I too am looking at SSB receivers and now have decided to check into Sat phones. I am interested in the feedback on your question.
So far the big boat cruisers don't like the idea. There is a "club" atmosphere to the HAM SSB crowd. It sounds like a lot of fun but I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night hunting for better signal propogation. Also If I want to call land based friends or marinas a sat phone makes more sense. It also makes more sense in a ditch bag. The Globalstar seems to have the best price point but a buddy racing across the Gulf said it dropped the signal pretty regularly. For the price of a good SSB installation I can get 20 minutes airtime per day for a year.
Yes, but SSB doesn't have the on-going costs associated with satellite phones. Satellite phones charge you per minute as a general rule, and per megabyte for data services. SSB-based e-mail is much cheaper, and SSB-based communications are free, unless you're going through a ship-to-shore operator.
Globalstar doesn't have full global coverage IIRC, as you can see at http://common.globalstar.com/images/coverage/coveragemap_nolegend_gusa.jpg
Inmarsat & Iridium both have full global coverage, and most important for me, 95% of the Pacific Ocean with internet and phone coverage.
True Zen, but prices are a bit stiff. :(
Quote from: pura vida on September 27, 2006, 09:34:46 PM
So far the big boat cruisers don't like the idea. There is a "club" atmosphere to the HAM SSB crowd. .....
I would expect that to change now... the code requirement to get a ticket has now been dropped.
====> Link to the story here. <==== (http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/12/15/104/?nc=1)
Official FCC New release;
Link here (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-269012A1.doc)
QuoteFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
December 15, 2006 Chelsea Fallon: (202) 418-7991
FCC MODIFIES AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE RULES,
ELIMINATING MORSE CODE EXAM REQUIREMENTS AND
ADDRESSING ARRL PETITION FOR RECONSIDERATION
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration (Order) that modifies the rules for the Amateur Radio Service by revising the examination requirements for obtaining a General Class or Amateur Extra Class amateur radio operator license and revising the operating privileges for Technician Class licensees. In addition, the Order resolves a petition filed by the American Radio Relay League, Inc. (ARRL) for partial reconsideration of an FCC Order on amateur service rules released on October 10, 2006.
The current amateur service operator license structure contains three classes of amateur radio operator licenses: Technician Class, General Class, and Amateur Extra Class. General Class and Amateur Extra Class licensees are permitted to operate in Amateur bands below 30 MHz, while the introductory Technician Class licensees are only permitted to operate in bands above 30 MHz. Prior to today's action, the FCC, in accordance with international radio regulations, required applicants for General Class and Amateur Extra Class operator licenses to pass a five words-per-minute Morse code examination. Today's Order eliminates that requirement for General and Amateur Extra licensees. This change reflects revisions to international radio regulations made at the International Telecommunication Union's 2003 World Radio Conference (WRC-03), which authorized each country to determine whether to require that individuals demonstrate Morse code proficiency in order to qualify for an amateur radio license with transmitting privileges on frequencies below 30 MHz. This change eliminates an unnecessary regulatory burden that may discourage current amateur radio operators from advancing their skills and participating more fully in the benefits of amateur radio.
Today's Order also revises the operating privileges for Technician Class licensees by eliminating a disparity in the operating privileges for the Technician Class and Technician Plus Class licensees. Technician Class licensees are authorized operating privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30 MHz. The Technician Plus Class license, which is an operator license class that existed prior the FCC's simplification of the amateur license structure in 1999 and was grandfathered after that time, authorized operating privileges on all amateur frequencies above 30 MHz, as well as frequency segments in four HF bands (below 30 MHz) after the successful completion of a Morse code examination. With today's elimination of the Morse code exam requirements, the FCC concluded that the disparity between the operating privileges of Technician Class licensees and Technician Plus Class licensees should not be retained. Therefore, the FCC, in today's action, afforded Technician and Technician Plus licensees identical operating privileges.
Finally, today's Order resolved a petition filed by the ARRL for partial reconsideration of an FCC Order released on October 10, 2006 (FCC 06-149). In this Order, the FCC authorized amateur stations to transmit voice communications on additional frequencies in certain amateur service bands, including the 75 meter (m) band, which is authorized only for certain wideband voice and image communications. The ARRL argued that the 75 m band should not have been expanded below 3635 kHz, in order to protect automatically controlled digital stations operating in the 3620-3635 kHz portion of the 80 m band. The FCC concluded that these stations can be protected by providing alternate spectrum in the 3585-3600 kHz frequency segment.
Action by the Commission on December 15, 2006, by Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration. Chairman Martin and Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, Tate, and McDowell.
For additional information, contact William Cross at (202) 418-0691 or William.Cross@fcc.gov.
WT Docket Nos. 04-140 and 05-235.
– FCC –
News and other information about the Federal Communications Commission
is available at www.fcc.gov
Hello all,
As a regular coastal cruiser, living on a 27' boat full time, with plans to extend my voyages in the near future, this has been a topic I've been interested in. Kudos for the poll.
For me, space, power consumption and cost are of primary concerns. I would love to own a SSB. Access to accurate weather and joining the cruisers net while travelling would be awesome. I may yet opt for a receiver, but for now, the learning curve and the return on the afore mentioned 3 concerns is not great enough.
I have upgraded Solace's VHF to a DSC radio (digital selective calling) though I haven't yet registered the DSC. Something I intend to look into in the new year. This radio also includes a WHAM mic. My handheld radio (which was at the helm) proved insufficient once my buddy boats were out of sight. Too many times this meant leaving the helm to use the radio at the Nav station for short messages confirming I was still ok during harrowing sea conditions. The WHAM mic is considered a must have on this boat.
John
Just remember that SSB radios aren't all that power hungry, unless you are transmitting with them. In receive only mode, they're relatively low wattage... and with the dropping of the Morse Code requirement, it might be worthwhile to get a Ham license, and an SSB that is type accepted for both ham and Marine SSB use.
Ive been away for awhile..is there a post somewhere for Computer comms on the water..What works for not alot of cash
Iceman
Hay Yawl!
For those of you thinking about SSB, for long distance comm it is a very good idea. Because of it's type of wave propagation (AM instead of FM), it is over-the-horizon - actually around the world if the conditions are right.
When I was in Viet Nam I carried a PRC-47 SSB radio on a number of operations. The frequency range of this radio was 2 - 12 Mhz and the power was 20W low to 100W high and the units weighed over 50 pounds. We carried them on our backs until we set up to broadcast with either a whip or a wire antenna. We used these radios to talk to the Cruisers and Destroyers off shore for Naval gun support and occasionally even practiced sending code to the Swabs at sea since we didn't actually use it in operational status.
Step ahead almost 40 years and we have units now that have a frequency range of 500Khz to 20Mhz and power at 150W. With added modules you can get e-mail, you can talk to other boats thousands of miles away, and you can even interface with land-bound HAM operators to make telephone calls home. The license no longer requires Morse code although 5 words a minute is really very easy if you wanted to try it.
To get out of radio school, we had to send "code" at 24 words a minute and receive it 26 words a minute. If I could do that, anyone can do the 5 wpm for the unlimited license. Anyway, a little anectdote and I will go: In the Fall of 1968 I was on an operation South of An Hoa combat base carrying my trusty PRC-47. One night while scanning freqs for traffic, I heard a decidedly civilian callsign being broadcast. I answered with my operation call sign and got into a conversation with a fellow (who to this day probably thinks it couldn't have happened) in the States. He asked where we were located and I told him we were about 15 kilometers inland from the South China Sea and about 30 kilometers South of Danang. He allowed as how it was impossible for that to be true but went on talking to us anyway. Anyway, the reason you can get this kind of range is that SSB is AM broadcasting and it bounces off the Ionosphere instead of being line-of-sight like FM (VHF). Also, we were talking using only 100 Watts of power on my end.
Anyway, fair winds to all of you...
Grog, Grampian. Thank you for your service, and for a neat story. :D
And BTW, you aren't the only jarhead here. I won't reveal who exactly it is, but will have 'faith' that you can figure it out, or that he'll tell you... lol ;D
Check out Skip Gundlach's set up for wifi on board on the SSCA board: http://64.70.221.24/DiscBoard/viewtopic.php?t=1505 . He's still working bugs out, but I think he is on the right track.
It's about time ;)
XM and Bushnell get busy, create first GPS device with XM Radio and Satellite Weather
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/xm-and-bushnell-get-busy-create-first-gps-device-with-xm-radio/
Sorry, but not me. I've been bit to often with "combined" electronics or electrical gear. When one goes bad, while it's being fixed, you lose the other(s)
On board my boat anyway, I want individual, stand alone gear I can power several ways.
I'm with charlie... I like to keep things simple as possible. I also don't like to lose something, just because something else went south. Besides, Garmin already does make GPS chartplotters that will display XM weather radio data on them. The 376, 378, 478 and a bunch of others will do it.
I also don't believe in anything that has ongoing monthly costs, if I can avoid it at all. XM weather Radio is a subscription service, that only really covers the Continental USA and is fairly expensive from what I remember. Once, I'm out cruising long-term...I want as few ongoing costs as possible. GRIB and WX files are free via SSB or shortwave radio.
Simple is good. ALL my items onboard take the same batteries.Hand held,flashlights,gps and CD player.....but then again...I confuse easily ;D
Frank-
That also means you can buy batteries in bulk. :D I like the Energizer PhotoLithium AA batteries. They're not rechargable, but they have a great shelf life (about 10 years) and last about four times as long as the alkaline batteries do. They're also a bit lighter, which is nice, when weight is an issue.
Based on 2 years with a Pacific Seacraft Flicka in Florida:
I used handheld VHF in the cockpit - easy to talk to bridge tenders that way when requesting openings or staying aware of local happenings. The batteries for the handheld were NiMH and recharged fast from the house 12 volt supply as necessary. A masthead antenna and a built-in VHF was also installed for more general communication purposes.
For long range communication and email, I used a Ham radio with the SCS Pactor interface to a laptop computer.
I can only say good things about having this mode of communication aboard. With only a Five Watt Ham transceiver (Elecraft Model K2), I was always able to maintain email communication with the folks at home. From the Florida Keys, I generally passed the email through a land based portal located in Memphis, TN. Yes, this is limited to text based non-commercial email, and if you are always in range of a cell phone tower, you have other options - but even sailing down the west coast of Florida, there are significant areas with no cell phone coverage - however, SSB email always worked when I wanted to report my location. Once you get out of range of the Key West cell phone towers (like the Marquesas Keys), SSB email is the ONLY way to go!
Also, don't let the "professionals" give you a song and dance about needing to change your rigging to install a backstay antenna with the very expensive (and failure prone) insulators. A simple Ham Stick antenna attached to the stern rail is more than sufficient for SSB email communication (I did prefer the 30 meter band - but 20 and 40 meter bands may be better depending on locations and boat installations)
Just my experience
Jobst
I am going to the Bahamas and was looking at an SSB. The more I read about it the more it seams like an extra expense where a Sat phone would be better for a 3 to 5 year cruise.
Sat Phones have come a long way with text messaging and email.
For those who have been there. How far can you be get weather on the VHF?
Exumas and Georgetown are my destinations.
Can you get weather text on the Sat phone? email OK?
For those of you who have SSB, would you do it again?
Is it really a toss up?
Thanks, Lynx
Most ereas have weather on 'cruisers net' at a designated time on VHF. In the Abacos it is ch68@8.15am. With WIFI being more and more attainable you will have nooa and 'barometer bob.com'..plus local fm radio at 8.30 on ch 1350 (abacos). I have a sony SSB reciever.Reception is much better with the clip-on ariel attached to a shroud. I rarely used SSB as the others were so attainable and clearer to hear...again mine was a reciever only. Some cell phones seemed to work well too.Talk to your USA providers as to what company works best/cheapest.My Canadian phone didn't work and I understand that if not set-up correctly is VERY expensive. As always....get a bigger anchor ;-) http://barometerbob.com/
As Frank has pointed out, the islands have fairly decent wifi, VHF and cellular phone coverage. Provided you get a local "SIM" card for your cellular phone, making phone calls via it should be relatively reasonable in price. Weather data can always be gotten via a good SSB-reciever, when not in Wifi or cellular range of the internet.
If you're going to stay relatively close to the islands, I don't necessarily see either SSB or Satphone being a necessity. However, if you need to get one or the other, I would recommend getting an SSB setup.
While you can get e-mail and weather, primarily via e-mail, over a sat phone, I would highly recommend that you get an SSB instead. I don't believe that there are any weather services that are free that transmit over the sat phone... From what I understand the only real way to get weather data over the sat phone is via e-mail, but I could be wrong. If that is indeed the case, you are risking getting timely weather information, as internet e-mail is not exactly bulletproof—a recent case study said that about 40% of all e-mails are never delivered.
Another reason I say go with SSB, is that it doesn't incur a large monthly expense, like a sat phone does, nor does it require you to pay for every minute of usage or megabyte of data downloaded, as a satellite phone does.
SSB is also a multipoint broadcast technology—not point-to-point like a sat phone, which means that you're not limited in an emergency to being heard by just the one person you've called. If you have a serious medical problem, it is often possible to get medical advice over SSB, which is far less likely to be the case over sat phone. If you have to broadcast a mayday over ssb, your chance of getting a response from someone physically near you is much higher than if you use a satellite phone, as the satellite phone has to go to a landstation, unless you know and call another boat.
Also, in the case of piracy, which is not an unheard of thing unfortunately, the use of an SSB has resulted in the alleged pirates sheering off to hunt other prey, as the boat was in contact with the authorities and they pirates knew it. In the case of a satellite phone, that would not be the case, even if you knew the correct phone number to call to speak to the proper authorities.
Finally, one of the satellite providers that had the best rates and coverage for the Caribbean, Globalstar, is currently having serious financial and technical difficulties... and I would recommend not doing business with them until they straighten things out—if they survive.
The boat down here from Panama City, Naked Lady has a SSB and they swear it is the way to go. I have to agree totally with them. They get weather faxes, communicate with family, participate in nets, stay in contact with other sailors including a friend who was sailing to Guatamala. They would do a regular timed updates with them. They can send emails etc through it. Expense is up front, but then no minutes to contend with and pay extra for. They can communicate with folks all over the world. I have talked with numerous folks regarding Sat phones and they communicated that (esp in the Bahamas) connection issues, staying connected and very expensive to operate, if you can even get connected. SSB seems to be the best choice all around IMHO
Connie...you are totally correct in all you say. I met an English couple (really nice folks) and Graham LOVED their SSB for all the reasons you mentioned. If I was doing the Carribean a SSB would be given very serious thought. My 'comfort level' in the Bahamas would make it a 'luxury' to me in those waters. Plus 1-I love simplicity 2-I'm a techno phobe and HATE electronics 3-I'm thrifty (OK..cheap) I should note that a HUGE part of my fear of electronics is just plain hating to learn ??? how to use them!! Having said all that..on a extended cruise with lots of offshore passages to different ports and countries,I think a SSB would be great.
Quick thought before getting back to work here (gotta hate reality at times) With wifi SO available now in so many islands you not only have access to weather etc but many cruisers I met are set up with 'Skype' so they can call home for next to zip !! If you both have built in cameras you can even see each other as you talk. Judy and I are doing that for next year. Sure beats cell phone bills and expensive payphones.
2 other questions about the SSB
Amp draw, I have 2 wet cell small series 97 batteries. I think that they are 90 amps each. What is transmitting going to do to them?
How close can you transmit? Can I talk to someone 25 miles away?
Lynx-
On standby or receive, the SSB radio is relatively conservative in its power use. In transmit... it's a huge power hog—25-30 amps during transmission, and this doesn't include the antenna tuner's power draw.
As for distance, Generally, SSB radios work better over a very long distance or a very short distance. There's a range in-between that gets skipped, due to the way the radio waves from an SSB radio propagate. I am going to guess that 25 miles is probably on the very far end of the short distances...
The short distances are covered by SSB-ground wave, and is basically line of sight, like VHF. This is where the signal goes from the transmitter directly to the receiver. The outside range is going to be about the same as VHF... and 25 miles is pretty close to it. The SSB radio signal can be attenuated (weakened) by heavy folilage, fog, cloud cover, and things like that.
The longer distances are covered by the sky-wave transmission...which travels upwards and then "bounces" off the ionosphere and is reflected down to the receiving antenna. The distance this sky-wave can travel is dependent on many conditions, including solar activity, and the frequency used—in general, the higher the frequency, the further it will travel. Also, you generally need to use higher frequencies in the daytime, as the sun causes interference in the atmosphere, and the lower frequency are affected most heaviliy. Electrical storms and other forms of electrical interference can also create radio noise that can drown out an SSB transmission. SSB signal propagation is much better at night as a general rule.
In-between is an area that is too far for the ground wave to reach, and too close by for the sky-wave to bounce down to.
Frank - What type of antenna do you use for your Sony SSB rreceiver?
What do you think of the Sony SSB Antenna?
It is a portable Sony..much like the typical 'Grundig' models. The antenna is an extendable one that folds flat on top of the radio.There is also a long wire antenna that plugs in and clips to a shroud for more range.The sony was 'best buy' the year I got it but 'techno phobe' here finds the controls are very complicated and not very 'intuitive'.Before buying one...play with a few models out there to see which one you 'get along best with'
I had read that my cingular cell phone would work here in the Bahamas. The word was that BTC had worked out a deal with Cingualr / ATT that allowed roaming on thier network for $1.00 a minute. No such luck, get a signal, but all calls end in a busy signal (local, to USA, or 1800 numbers).
Downloaded Skype (http://skype.com), and have had some luck with it. Made a couple of necessary business calls on it today... kinda sketchy but at .21c a minute it works better then the alternative.
I am looking at a 'sat phone' to call home and get internet while away this year.Globalstar has a $75 mth unlimited minute plan and phones on sale for $550. Expensive getting 'in', but cheaper than a cell along with internet as a bonus.I'm told internet is VERY slow but the thought of phoning from anywhere appeals to me....especially from the outislands.Anyone have thoughts/ideas? Remember....keep replies simple..I'm not a techie ;)
Globalstar has had a lot of reliability problems lately. They lost a number of satellites so coverage is no longer continuous -- that means you may not be able to make calls or connect to the Internet when you want to, or may be cut off in the middle of something. They are working to launch new satellites and promise full coverage "soon" but for now there are issues.
Iridium is better, but still has coverage gaps, particularly as you get further offshore.
:-\Admittedly Globalstar has a pretty sad reputation although I understand they are putting up more satellites and from what I have been able to ascertain they are beginning to improve with their service. I would look at a program (called a loyalty program???) in which the price is $29/month through 08 and $20/month thru-6/10 with unlimited time. I just purchased a 1600 on ebay (vitually brand new for about $200 (with a case). Based on my research I don't think you'll be able to do much internet unless things dramatically change. good luck gene
I wouldn't get a globalstar phone, given their current satellite problems and their financial problems. Given the cost of a satellite phone and the cost of the air time, you probably want to stick with Iridium, since their at least in relatively good financial and technical health.
Last I checked, Iridium, even if they are in better financial shape, charges quite a bit more. It's hard to find prices though (they don't quote directly, you have to go through one of their vendors) so maybe things have changed. $75 for unlimited service sounds awfully hard to beat for a satellite phone, even with gaps in coverage (even my cell phone occasionally hits gaps). I don't think globalstar has planet wide offshore coverage, yet; but they do make ok in the us coastal and Caribbean waters, I believe.
It's funny, I've been keeping my eyes open for an affordable satellite SMS system (I'm actually surprised at my lack of success). I think if I where to cross the horizon for a spell, I could get along just fine sending the occasional 70 character message. Just enough for a position report, eta or landfall updates, and to let folks know I'm in good health. You know, to keep loved ones happy.
[edit]
A quick google search turned these pages up:
http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/satellite/services/globalstar.html
http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/satellite/services/iridium_service_plans.html
Frank,
This is opinion, hopefully educated opinion, but opinion none the less.
Get an SSB for voice contacts offshore, and a serious Wifi antenna for anchorages. Get a Skype account for voice contact when you have a Wifi connection.
sail fast, dave
I've thought of SSB...they have a ton of benifits.But.. I would need a license,they are expensive,must be wired in and hooked up properly and lastly..I'm a techno phobe.The thought of simply picking up a phone and dialing home appeals to me.I have checked into SSB but it seems complicated :-X.
Frank-
Technophobes don't mix well with Skype, Wifi, SSB and Pactor modems, or satellite phones... May I suggest a really long string and two tin cans. :)
For the technically challenged, the satellite phones are really the best way to go. Some of the newer ones can also be used as a "modem" for your computer, so that you can at least check e-mail. I wouldn't websurf on them though—since most charge by the megabyte and are fairly slow. :
If I could get a string long enough...I'd try ;D But, joking aside, that is why I thought a sat phone may be the answer.Simply dial home ;) The dealer here said I could also check e-mail but as you stated..it is slow. At an outisland anchorage, it does seem to be a luxury even I could figure out. The SSB route intigues me tho and if I planned a really long cruise crossing oceans, it would be worth the time/money to figure it out.The thought of cruisers net,weather fax,emergency calls etc make it a worthy consideration.As Lynx stated..the Bahamas are doable in a 16fter (with care and planning) so the sat phone seems to 'fit'.Have you tried e-mail with one?
I used to set reporters up with satellite phones so they could file stories and photos from the middle of nowhere... so, I've probably got a bit more experience with sat phones than the average person. :)
Frank,
Forgive me, but I forget where you are. If you are North of me heading for the Bahamas, stop on by and I'll show you my SSB/Pactor/laptop setup (including weather fax). If you come to Annapolis (or Rock Hall or Solomons) and want to fit a radio I'd be very happy to help.
regards, dave
Thanks...apprec. that. I would love to see 'how' it all works. Jubilee is at Green Turtle Cay Bahamas and I will be going directly to her but I would love to stop by late march on my way home.Thanks again.
Listen for Far Niente (a Jeanneau 40) on the Cruiser's Net. Jay and Diana are good friends of mine. They are currently in Georgetown, but should be up in the Abacos before you leave. Jay has the same hardware setup that I do, although he is a little less technical (unless you have engine troubles in which case you couldn't ask for anyone better). He uses Cruise-e-mail for e-mail over HF SSB with great success.
If you find them, tell them Auspicious referred you to them and ask Jay to show you his radio set up.
Communications requirements depends on your needs and cruising area. In the Abacos you are never farther than 30 miles from town and internet south of Green Turtle Cay is easy to get. I had orginally thought about getting an SSB but the battery drain was to much as well as the cost.
My life is set up so that I just do not need it. There is services that people can call on a land line and leave you a message and when you call your number you can receive the messages.
As of now, Cell phone coverage is not good enough.