Best Price on icom 802and/or pactor 4

[karabil]

Heading off from Australia via USA to St Maarten, so can collect via shipping to local address anywhere along the way.
Best sites to buy from? Have looked at Dockside.
Thanks

[DDabs]

http://www.sea-tech.com/sea_tech_communicator.htm

Complete package, not a bad deal.

[Scott Berg]

There is very little margin on these radios and modems so your choice is on support, not price. The two recommended (Dockside Radio and Sea-Tech) are your best bets. Both are run by cruiser friendly experts who support SSCA and other cruising organizations and both provide excellent post sale service.

Good luck, hope to hear you on the air,

73,
Scott
WA0LSS

[karabil]

Thanks Guys
Cheers
Karen

[ka4wja]

Karen,
Scott gave you the definitive answer!!!
And, I can also recommend both Gary at Dockside and Steve at Seatech...
Icom SSB Radio Kits & Components

Originally Posted by karabil

Heading off from Australia via USA to St Maarten, so can collect via shipping to local address anywhere along the way.
Best sites to buy from?

But, since your question was about getting the best price on an M-802 and a PACTOR-4 modem, I have an idea that can save you > $1500!!!

That is, not buy a PACTOR modem at all...

Unless you NEED e-mail when our at sea and in remote areas (away from Wi-Fi and away from cellular/3G/4G systems), then you do not need a PACTOR modem...

The reason I mention this is that many sailors are "sold" on a PACTOR modem, but are unaware of what it does, and what it doesn't do....i.e. what do actually need it to do??
Many sailors/cruisers do well without any e-mail when at sea and/or in remote areas...

(If you "need" is for weather data/forecasts, please be aware that a PACTOR modem is NOT needed to access the "gold standard" of offshore/hi-seas maritime weather...)
If your need is that of business e-mail connection, etc. while at sea, etc. then a PACTOR modem is a good way to go...



Karen, I hope you find this helpful....
(please let us know what you'll be using the PACTOR for, and we can give you a lot more info/detail....and maybe we can save you a lot of $$$$...)

fair winds..

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[tampahokie]

Are there any alternatives to a Pactor modem? I've got to think that there is some software that will do the same thing through an audio connection. I have a Xaxero Weatherfax 2000 to decode WeFaxes and I've used my cell phone as a modem with AOL software. It seems like the Pactor "box" is replaceable.

[Sthompson]

Sail Magazine
March 2014
Donald A. McLennan
A new app, HF Weather Fax Marine Radio Facsimile Decoder ($2.99) brings traditional offshore weather information to smartphones and tablets.

The app displays marine weather radio fax transmissions on your Apple iOS or Android device without a dedicated fax receiver or an expensive modem.

This app is brilliant, as it significantly simplifies the delivery of information from the National Weather Service (NWS) and displays it on your device automatically.

Just get the specified cord between the radio and iPad.

[ka4wja]

Tampahoke,
Without drifting Karen's thread too far...

1) Of course there are many alternatives to a $1700-$2000 PACTOR modem, but what alternative you choose depends on what you want to do...

Originally Posted by tampahokie

Are there any alternatives to a Pactor modem? I've got to think that there is some software that will do the same thing through an audio connection. I have a Xaxero Weatherfax 2000 to decode WeFaxes and I've used my cell phone as a modem with AOL software. It seems like the Pactor "box" is replaceable.

2) As you know, you do not need a PACTOR modem to receive hi-quality wefax charts (which are considered the "gold standard" of offshore/hi-seas maritime weather data/forecasts)....as there are many FREE (or very inexpensive) software programs and apps to receive wefax, navtex, sitor, etc. for free...

Here are some recent threads with a LOT of detailed info on this specific topic (best, easiest, least expensive, favorite way, etc. to "get weather" when at sea and/or in remote locales...
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1479096

SSCA Forum • View topic - Offshore / Hi-Seas Weather data / forecasts

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ea-103555.html





3) If you are looking for an alternative to a PACTORII, III, or IV modem, for e-mail connectivity....then there is Winmor (a "soundcard" mode) which is not quite as robust as PACTORII, and whose speed is about the same / a little slower than PACTORII...Winmor is supported by some (many/most??) Winlink stations, but not Sailmail, as Sailmail's primary goal is faster speeds, rather than lower modem costs...
(Sailmail stations now support PACTORIV, as well as I, II, and III...)

There is also PACTOR I, which is NOT a proprietary mode, and can be done with a simple cheap (< $100) modem...but it is pretty slow....

If you just want occasional e-mail connectivity, any of the above will work for you.....or you may even consider a sat phone and data kit...




I hope this helps..

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[ka4wja]

Actually, there are some guys reporting right here, that they are using the built-in mic in their tablets...with the tablet sitting next to the radio's speaker...

Originally Posted by Sthompson

Just get the specified cord between the radio and iPad.

And, are getting good wefax images....

I've not seen it first-hand, but I have no reason to doubt them...

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[SimonV]

I would love one of the new pactors, mine is a pac lle without the 3 upgrade. But will next year. Pac 2 can be had for around $500. The biggest reason and my most used is for grib files admittedly l only get 10kb files which are fine, but for a $100 upgrade to a 3 you get 30kb grib files.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[socaldmax]

Or you could buy an $8 RTL USB receiver, hook it up to your VHF antenna or buy a discone antenna, use free software such as SDR# and download full color satellite images direct from the satellites. These include surface temps, cloud cover, wind speeds, storms, etc.

Here's an example.

[carstenb]

So now I'm totally confused.

I want to be able to send and receive e-mail in out of the way locations, I want to receive weather files including weather maps.

I have an Icom 802

[socaldmax]

You already have the most expensive part. You can either get an amateur Ham license and use WINMOR, which is free but slow; or buy a PACTOR modem and use sailmail. The PACTOR modem is the more expensive route, the faster you want to send/receive, the more expensive the modem is. The models are the II, the III and the IV. II is really slow, III is reasonably priced and twice as fast as II. IV is twice as fast as III but looks like almost three times the cost, but it will be the future of the line, unless some new higher data rate modulation scheme comes along for free. I'm hoping that happens before I buy a boat. LOL In the meantime, I bought an HF radio and am getting my ham license shortly. This will serve as one of my backup radios, along with other receivers that can be used to download GRIB flies without tying up an expensive HF transceiver.

I like to have a backup system for everything, so an $8 USB RTL receiver and free software is a cheap way to get satellite images that look a lot better than GRIB files. I don't own a boat yet, but I'd use every bit of weather info at my disposal to guide me.

[ka4wja]

SORRY ABOUT THE THREAD DRIFT!!!!


My apologies to all, I think I inadvertently opened a can of worms here!!
My intent was just to make sure that Karen (the OP) knew that were options other than a PACTOR modem for getting weather while at sea...
(Although she did not mention her intended use of the modem, many cruisers, new and old, are under false understanding that a PACTOR modem is necessary to obtain weather info/forecasts while at sea..)



carstenb,

Originally Posted by carstenb

So now I'm totally confused.

I want to be able to send and receive e-mail in out of the way locations, I want to receive weather files including weather maps.

I have an Icom 802

Sorry about the confusion....
If you want to send/receive e-mails when away from Wi-Fi and away from cellular/3G/4G, then your choices are:
a) a PACTOR modem connected to your M-802, using PACTORII, PACTORIII (or PACTORIV, with a P4 modem)
and subscribing to Sailmail...using Winlink...
b) Winmor and your laptop soundcard, and connect thru Winlink....which is cheaper, but MUCH slower than most PACTOR connections (typically slightly slower than PACTORII)
c) a sat phone, data kit, and e-mail compression service (such as UUPlus, XGate, etc.)



Again, sorry about the confusion...

Fair winds..

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[Scott Berg]

I've successfully decoded CW, RTTY, SSTV, and WFAX with my iPad and the built in mic but it works better using the head phone jack… For e-mail it's hard to beat a SCS Modem and they have the patent for years ahead… expensive but very well made and, as John says, you NEED HF email then you pay your money and enjoy some very well made gear. WinMor is good technology (uses an EXTERNAL sound card, not built in) but does work, if slowly and HAM only… Good luck