Best Sat Phone for Sending and Receiving Email

[bulabro]

I'm leaving in March to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti. I want to be able to send and receive emails all the way. I'm not a "techie" so I'm looking for the easiest and most reliable satellite phone for the trip. Any suggestions on phones and software?

[Laughing Buddha]

Surprised you've no answers just yet.

My thoughts and our background. We are a bit "old school-tech." Used Globe Wireless in mid-late 90s then Airmail and Sailmail. Slow, useful to keep in touch, but was bundled with its own very low "Impatience Quotient" for many younger folks, signal strength, the vagaries of weather and solar flares, and all influence propagation, reception and contacts.

If you can get by with short messages on a pay as you use, - you might consider the DeLorme inReach. We will be using for our "gap filler" providing our position data and pre-planned messaging as we cross the Indian Ocean. Friends family can send emails but we pay - so ask them to keep short, concise,and "important." The inReach has a weather option, and drops "bread crumbs" of you passage to keep them updated. You can subscribe and put on hold when not using. It slips (Rolex) to the next time you "activate" your subscription.

It is Iridium based, so gets world-wide coverage.

Hope that helps.

CHeers - Jim

[Safari38LH]

Look at the Iridium Go.