Comms research.

[Gordon]

Hi All,
We are picking up a new 44' cat from La Rochelle to sail into the Med then across the Atlantic, Pacific and home to Sydney Australia. With the changes and advancement with todays comms what setup would those out there with the experience and knowledge recommend.
We have previously cruised up and down the Australian East Coast using VHF.
The boat has yet to be built and we pick up in April/ May 2013.

Thanks in advance.
Gordon.

[Wotname]

SSB (HF) and/or satphone should cover it unless you have real money to send.

[btrayfors]

I'd recommend both HF/SSB and an Iridium satellite phone for maximum flexibility.

Also, if you like to do email at sea, you could add a Pactor modem to the HF/SSB radio. The new Pactor 4 modem (the Dragon) is awesome.

In the scheme of things, the cost of both these systems is a tiny fraction of the cost of a new 44' cat.

If you don't already have a ham radio license, it would be well worth your time to get one. This would considerably broaden your HF/SSB potential as you travel halfway 'round the world.

Bill