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quiet storm · 24-04-2011, 11:10

As part of my ongoing, slow motion preparations to prepare both my boat and crew for my eventual offshore adventures which will likely start in the Baja, I'm looking for the best, stable off shore satelite system for internet. I'm not looking for phone or TV but if they are part of the package, so be it.

Does anyone have a good offshore experience with any of the mainstream products???

zeehag · 24-04-2011, 11:21

lol..offshore--abstinence is the word on my boat--i wait until in port for internets and do not miss at all the using of my computer, as i am having fun at sea..... i know there ar e systems for use offshore, very pricy... gooodluck!

quiet storm · 24-04-2011, 11:35

I hear you, but planning my navigation to various anchorages I have quickly found that google earth may be my best navigation tool and for that I'll need internet access. The 1:600,000 charts combined with the "charlets" in various guid books in conjunction with google earth may very well be my navigation tools.

barnakiel · 24-04-2011, 12:00

Inmarsat Fleet broadband,
Iridium Openport,
Iridium or Isatphone via modems (built in) (slow).

b.

quiet storm · 24-04-2011, 12:03

Do you have experience with these systems??? Are they truely stable and have coverage where they say they do???

**Hud3** · 24-04-2011, 12:05

Hi, quiet storm and welcome to CF.

I used SSB, so I can't really help you other than point you to our archives. Try using the custom, Cruisers Forum-specific Google search feature located in the small "Search" pull-down menu, upper right on the page. Or click on the link in my sig line. There's a fair amount of info in past threads to get you started. Use search terms like satellite communications, offshore communications, Internet offshore, and the like.

Aussiesuede · 24-04-2011, 12:13

If you plan on using google earth, then be well prepared for monthly access fees north of the $250 mark. Also, the sat hardware is designed for somewhat stabilised platforms. You'd realistically need to be sailing a 40ft+ cat, or a 55ft+ mono, for the consistent level of connection needed to successfully download file sizes associated with google earth. That being said, the KVH Tracfone V3 offers the most bang for the buck in a proven platform imo. The hardware will run about $15,000us. The marginally cheaper systems don't perform very well on smaller sailboats & are realistically too slow if you deem Google Earth a "necessity".

quiet storm · 24-04-2011, 12:18

perfect - this is exactly the type of info i was looking for. Google Earth isn't "esstential" but certainly a nice to have.

We're on a 65 foot motor yatch so hopefully we'll be stable enough of a platform.

thanks for your thoughts.

Patient · 24-04-2011, 12:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Inmarsat Fleet broadband,
Iridium Openport,
Iridium or Isatphone via modems (built in) (slow).

b.

This is right on, with BGAN being the current "cat's meow".

The other thing to keep on the radar is WiMax, which is now becoming more and more abundant around the world (Singapore has the first %100 seaport coverage of WiMax). If you plan on being near a major coast often a subscription might be worth it.

Wi-Sky which also serves the airline industry has started to take aim at vessels as well.

Hotel L · 24-04-2011, 18:56

For the money maybe consider setting up a light GE enterprise server and update the earth while in port?

JJB · 24-04-2011, 19:28

We have Inmarsat Fleet broadband FB250 terminal, we pay $2500 per month.. Using google earth while possible will suck up your internet transfer quota too fast, it would be gone in a day or two, we use it to transfer kids school work back and forth, my trading and some plain text emails, we used to get 750mb download, but recently that increased to 900mb.
It is fairly reliable when not in motion at an atoll, but while under way it can be a little hit and miss if satellites aren't in ideal places. It does the job well for us even though it is rather expensive, right now there really isn't anything else available.

Someone mentioned the TracPhone, that's a great product but has fairly limited coverage, we need full coverage of the Pacific, check out the coverage of any product before you dive into it, right now Inmarsat is the only one that has decent speed with full global coverage.

**boatman61** · 24-04-2011, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJB

We have Inmarsat Fleet broadband FB250 terminal, we pay $2500 per month.. Using google earth while possible will suck up your internet transfer quota too fast, it would be gone in a day or two, we use it to transfer kids school work back and forth, my trading and some plain text emails, we used to get 750mb download, but recently that increased to 900mb.
It is fairly reliable when not in motion at an atoll, but while under way it can be a little hit and miss if satellites aren't in ideal places. It does the job well for us even though it is rather expensive, right now there really isn't anything else available.

Someone mentioned the TracPhone, that's a great product but has fairly limited coverage, we need full coverage of the Pacific, check out the coverage of any product before you dive into it, right now Inmarsat is the only one that has decent speed with full global coverage.

Thats blown the $500/mth budget right outa the water.....

quiet storm · 24-04-2011, 23:06

Ok - that does it - I don't need live streaming that badly!!! I'll try to cheat and devise a way to store the Google Earth data for the areas in question onto a portable hard drive and see if I can't work it that way. Thank you all for your ideas and knowledge.

catchcryhamm · 25-04-2011, 03:58

Just read your post from a while ago and it prompted me to join.
A very good write up by Frank of Tahina Expeditions on how to use Google Earth offshore with out internet. Basically how to save the maps when you have internet and then view later. The satelite option sounds way too expensive for me, you could cruise for months on that budget. Here is the link. http://www.tahinaexpedition.com/2010...r-sailors.html