Iridium Go! with Ship's Computer (PC)

[Dockhead]

I'm a radio guy, but I am in awe of this excellent device. I've never had such an efficient work process offshore getting all kinds of weather information in a twinkle with no fuss or muss, and text email works brilliantly.

Now I'm in port for a few more days before setting out further North. I have a few thousand miles of offshore passagemaking ahead of me for this summer, and I'd like to perfect my Iridium implementation.

One thing I would like to do is to be able to connect my ship's computer (a PC) to the Go! and allow ZyGrib to connect and directly download GRIBs, instead of getting them via SailDocs.

I think there are two sub-questions here:

1. How to connect to the Go! There doesn't seem to be any kind of app you can use with a PC to control the Go! and make a data call.

2. How to isolate the connection (if it's possible to make one) so that we can control which processes have access to the connection. This is to prevent random processes and applications from trying to connect and jamming up the slow connection. Microsoft, you know who we're talking about

If anyone has experience doing this, I would be grateful to hear how you managed to do it.


The second question concerns mail clients. I am using the Iridium Go! app suite on a rugged Samsung Active tablet, and it works great, for what it is. I can use SailDocs and get GRIB files, and then transfer them by USB to the ship's computer. I can do the same with other email. But it would be nice to have a nice light mail client like AirMail which I could use on the PC and avoid all the USB transfers. AirMail does have a Go! connection protocol, but it seems you have to have a SailMail subscription to use it.

Any alternatives?


The third question is not related to using the PC -- is it possible to configure the Go! so that crew members each have their own mailbox? I understand that SMS messages are communal and can only go into a single communal box accessible by all, but what about email? The Android mail client is fine for this purpose and I would prefer crew using this rather than connecting their PC's, considering the risks of bandwidth breakdown.


Grateful for all tips!

[john61ct]

Following, just missed out on one on eBay, went for $450.

[conachair]

I've never even seen a Go so this might not be much help, but....

If the end result is mainly to get gribs the why bother with zygrib, opencpn can create a moving grib message with whatever parameters you want in the grib plugin, then it looks like to go creates an access point so with a little app on the tablet you should be able to get to the tablet filesystem with something like filezilla and copy/paste files over wifi. So maybe save the saildocs grib request in a file on the tablet using the PC over wifi, copy that into the tablet email then copy the grib back over to the PC when it comes in.

Sounds more complicated than it is, on android anyway.
For filezilla Android user is admin and think the password is admin as well. A filetransfer app will give you the IP address, I use this one -

https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/ta...c-using-wi-fi/

[john61ct]

It can be a generic WiFi, but the per-byte satellite costs are **very** high, bandwidth is very slow compared to even 3G cell data.

Therefore anything you can do via their proprietary apps to reduce bandwidth usage will save a lot in monthly fees.

And stop using it as soon as an alternative internet connection becomes available.

[2big2small]

Question 2: TripMode (for Mac and Windows)

I use it with 3 and 4G connections to not blow through dataplans.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by conachair

I've never even seen a Go so this might not be much help, but....

If the end result is mainly to get gribs the why bother with zygrib, opencpn can create a moving grib message with whatever parameters you want in the grib plugin, then it looks like to go creates an access point so with a little app on the tablet you should be able to get to the tablet filesystem with something like filezilla and copy/paste files over wifi. So maybe save the saildocs grib request in a file on the tablet using the PC over wifi, copy that into the tablet email then copy the grib back over to the PC when it comes in.

Sounds more complicated than it is, on android anyway.
For filezilla Android user is admin and think the password is admin as well. A filetransfer app will give you the IP address, I use this one -

https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/ta...c-using-wi-fi/

That sounds more complex than what I'm already doing. I leave the tablet connected to the computer, get the GRIB using the Iridium mail app, then just access the tablet file structure from inside ZyGrib


As to why ZyGrib rather than O, as you may know I am a huge O fan, but ZyGrib is just the perfect way of handling and viewing GRIBs. The whole reason why I'd like to be able to connect it somehow directly is because it is so beautiful and efficient the way it queries server status, sets the parameters of the GRIB file, then downloads the files. ZyGrib is really awesome.

[tomcat1]

I'm using Predict Wind for Grib Files which has a setup for Iridium Go! and OnSatMail for Email, both from my Laptop linked to the Go! through WLAN.
Martin

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That sounds more complex than what I'm already doing. I leave the tablet connected to the computer, get the GRIB using the Iridium mail app, then just access the tablet file structure from inside ZyGrib


As to why ZyGrib rather than O, as you may know I am a huge O fan, but ZyGrib is just the perfect way of handling and viewing GRIBs. The whole reason why I'd like to be able to connect it somehow directly is because it is so beautiful and efficient the way it queries server status, sets the parameters of the GRIB file, then downloads the files. ZyGrib is really awesome.

Guessing but I would think Zygrib will use more data/take longer than saildoc. Don't think it can do moving gribs either, O will set the parameters centered on boat, with course and speed it will produce the moving grib request. Sends email for you with a email client set up.
I much prefer the O grib plugin display these days, have both grib & wfax chart on the nav screen at the same time , spot gust speeds as well as the wind barbs makes the fronts much easier to view especially with rain turned on, mouse zoom, all the display options on screen instead of in a menu - zygrib I find really clunky nowadays. Used to use it a lot but hardly ever now.
Though with web access I have an online script set up which downloads the latest grib into dropbox so every time you open O it is looking at the latest grib.


Edit - just booted up the latest XYgrib, least it does a slow mouse wheel zoom - but no wind gust in display by the looks of it, reason enough to go with Opencpn

[fguptill]

I use my Iridium GO! with my PC. The light email client I prefer to use is RMS Express aka Winlink Express. It has a pull-down interface to Iridium GO!

The GO! can accept more than one wifi client connection, so different users can connect separately and use their own email class ends on their own devices.

[LongRange]

For question [2], if you are using a (software) firewall on your Windows machine, a combination of two firewall rules can achieve the desired effect:

A) Allow ProcessXYZ.exe outbound access to ANY IP address via ANY port. (Or lock it down to a particular set or range of destination IP addresses, if desired, but there is probably no need.)

B) Block all processes, to all destinations.


As long as rule (A) is higher up the priority order, it will be evaluated first, with the desired effect.

If using the in-built Windows firewall, running WF.MSC will bring up the GUI control interface. NetSh.exe has the 'AdvFirewall' context for command-line configuration, but if in doubt the GUI is easier.

Other firewalls will have their own control interfaces, but the principles are the same.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by fguptill

I use my Iridium GO! with my PC. The light email client I prefer to use is RMS Express aka Winlink Express. It has a pull-down interface to Iridium GO!

The GO! can accept more than one wifi client connection, so different users can connect separately and use their own email class ends on their own devices.

Great; thank you. I have RMS Express and will try to get it connected through the Go! Then I could leave the standard Iridium email client for the collective use of the crew. I don't want them connecting PC's.

Unless each user gets a separate mailbox using the standard Iridium client? I could figure this out by trial and error but awfully short of time as we go offshore again tomorrow.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by LongRange

For question [2], if you are using a (software) firewall on your Windows machine, a combination of two firewall rules can achieve the desired effect:

A) Allow ProcessXYZ.exe outbound access to ANY IP address via ANY port. (Or lock it down to a particular set or range of destination IP addresses, if desired, but there is probably no need.)

B) Block all processes, to all destinations.


As long as rule (A) is higher up the priority order, it will be evaluated first, with the desired effect.

If using the in-built Windows firewall, running WF.MSC will bring up the GUI control interface. NetSh.exe has the 'AdvFirewall' context for command-line configuration, but if in doubt the GUI is easier.

Other firewalls will have their own control interfaces, but the principles are the same.

Thank you! That's very useful.

[Alan N Crichton]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Great; thank you. I have RMS Express and will try to get it connected through the Go! Then I could leave the standard Iridium email client for the collective use of the crew. I don't want them connecting PC's.

Unless each user gets a separate mailbox using the standard Iridium client? I could figure this out by trial and error but awfully short of time as we go offshore again tomorrow.

Hi Dockhead


Did you manage to get RMS Express to work direct with Iridium Go ? I am looking for a simple email client to access Iridium Go from my PC which will allow me to drop my Predictwind subscription and use ZYGrib in OpenCpn
Regards Alan

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Alan N Crichton

Hi Dockhead


Did you manage to get RMS Express to work direct with Iridium Go ? I am looking for a simple email client to access Iridium Go from my PC which will allow me to drop my Predictwind subscription and use ZYGrib in OpenCpn
Regards Alan

I did not. I got busy with other voyage tasks and never got around to trying the excellent advice above, then sold the device when I returned from the Arctic as the new system was supposed to be coming out and I knew I wouldn't need it for a while.


My workflow using the Samsung tablet was actually very satisfactory. RMS Express would have been better, but the Iridium mail client is super light and super efficient and I doubt that RMS Express would be as efficient, although the mailbox itself would be more flexible and powerful.


You don't need a PredictWind subscription; you can just pull down the gribs with SailDocs via the Iridium client. I guess it would be easier to automate with RMS Express, but it is really surprisingly easy with the tablet. I was getting gribs, wefax, different text weather data, not to mention email traffic for my work, 4 or more times a day the whole summer in the Arctic; it was a snap actually.


The tablet was kept plugged into my onboard computer via USB (this does not conflict with the wifi connection to the Go), and I had OpenCPN pull the GRIB files right off the tablet as a mapped drive. A snap.

[jackdale]

Sail Grib WR integrates with Iridium very seamlessly. I have used it on a couple of crossings: Caribbean, North Pacific and South Atlantic. In the Baltic and UK I used a WiFi connection with success.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ilgrib_wr.paid