Visit our Popular Forums

schoonerdog · 13-08-2010, 07:59

My sole question is access. These all look like great sources of data, but moving that data to and from a boat at sea would be my question. Were I to simply want a mechanism for doing short SMS type emails, and receiving compressed weather data perhaps on average say 10 days per month (it wouldn't need voice), could these sources be reliably recieved via SSB or would it really need something like a satellite connection. It would be wonderful if there was some sort of affordable $30-$50 max per month satellite system for just relaying small amounts of data.

MarkJ · 13-08-2010, 08:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by schoonerdog

short SMS type emails, and receiving compressed weather data affordable $30-$50 max per month satellite system for just relaying small amounts of data.

SkyMate. Wherever you are. Whatever you need.

Skymate seems the go.

We will be getting it sometime. Cost about US$1000 to set up and then $18 to $35 per month and weather is free.

jpiebrig · 13-08-2010, 10:25

If you already have an SSB, there is Sailmail (SailMail) for $ 250 per year, including mail and weather and practically unlimited. You must buy a Pactor modem, which is not really cheap, but ...

schoonerdog · 13-08-2010, 10:40

Thank you, both are excellent responses. When I used SSB before, we found the SSB was affected by a lot of different things, and really had a hard time getting noaa weatherfax. I'm wondering if sailmail is the same, sometimes you get a connection, sometimes you don't depending on time of the day, whether there are sunspots, etc.

jpiebrig · 13-08-2010, 10:50

Yes it is right, with Sailmail and a Pactor modem, you need a good installation.
But if you have that, you will not have problem anywhere. Lot of cruisers are using it around the world and I think that if you already get the SSB, it is, more or less, the cheapest way to get forecasts and mails around the world.
For the Pactor modem you can look here or see a local dealer :

http://www.scs-ptc.com/shop/categories/modems-en

Jean-Pierre

schoonerdog · 13-08-2010, 11:12

Just looking at both systems, the pactor modem looks like it would be about $1100 or so, roughly the same cost as the skymate system. Skymate this year is contructing a South African ground base giving them global coverage now. With the skymate system, it can be used on demand and will send you weather data (I don't think its free though). I'm guessing that with the SSB, it seemed more or less an art form trying to find the right frequency to recieve the right signal at the right time of day.

jpiebrig · 13-08-2010, 11:38

Anyway, Skymate is not a bad choice. A little more expensive to use.

Jean-Pierre

barnakiel · 13-08-2010, 16:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Skymate seems the go.

But their e-mail solution does not serve attachments.

So how do you get your gribs?

barnie

jpiebrig · 13-08-2010, 18:14

They have good forcasts :

SkyMate | Wherever you go. Whatever you need.

mails are a little bit expensive, but if you have quite nothing to tell friends...

Jean-Pierre

MarkJ · 13-08-2010, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnakiel

But their e-mail solution does not serve attachments.

So how do you get your gribs?

barnie

Thats the problem I see too, Barnie. I would have bought one by now if they did.
Its been on my shopping list for ages, but coming up the indian ocean and red sea they didnt have coverage and so it couldnt be used. I had the Satelite phone instead. After I get a new dink, new oven and a few other tid bits I think I will be skymating

LeaseOnLife · 14-08-2010, 00:14

I think they charge too much money for little service.

The "Platinum Plan":
Send or receive 50,000 characters per month for just $69.99. Additional data costs only $1.40 per 1000 characters.

Lets think about 50kbytes for a moment. I transfer (send and receive) this (little!!!!) amount of data about every day at sea, via SSB and Pactor, or every other day when at anchor to watch text weather forecasts and a 3-5 day grib for the area, plus some emails, position reports...

Their coverage does not cover portions of the barefoot route: French Polynesia is out, the trip across the Indian Ocean to South Africa is out.

You will probably want a good SSB on the boat anyways. The pactor-III modem costs a boat-buck. You will need a HAM radio license to allow you to transmit on HF frequencies, then the data transfer will be free. Or you buy the sailmail service, mentioned above, and transmit on marine-ssb channels for $200/year. There is no vodoo involved to get this working, just some basics. These basics are good to know anyway, in case you need to call someone (SAR?) via SSB in a really bad situation.

We do have a Iridium SatPhone on the boat, another one of these "just in case" backups. Current plan is some $1.20/minute. Transferring data thru the Iridium looks competitive compared with SkyMate. I do not understand their business plan and question long term viability.

MarkJ · 14-08-2010, 03:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeaseOnLife

We do have a Iridium SatPhone on the boat, another one of these "just in case" backups. Current plan is some $1.20/minute. Transferring data thru the Iridium looks competitive compared with SkyMate. I do not understand their business plan and question long term viability.

Think about it in another way. We don't have SSB. So the start up cost is higher.

Sat phone and Skymate have an ability to send an emergency text message torescue authorities that HF now can't do because few countires monitor it, and also storms often generate electrical activity that stuff HF signals but let radio get to satelites.

It is a bit of an interesting time where there are holes in the market.

We have never had weather information on our passages (except for some HF receiver stuff we got near Australia) and sailing in the correct season dont believe we really need it.

But it would be lovely to have all information at ones finger tips

barnakiel · 14-08-2010, 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkJ

We have never had weather information on our passages (except for some HF receiver stuff we got near Australia) and sailing in the correct season dont believe we really need it.

We had weatherfaxes nearly everywhere (actually everywhere, but not everyday).

Gear: a cheapo SSB receiver and a laptop.

What would make me happy would be the weatherfax files over a cheapo and power-efficient solution like Skymate.

But Skymate is NOT clear at all on what this means:

"... Text reports from NOAA, weather charts from NOAA, color radar reports from NEXRAD and point forecasts from Buoyweather. All weather reports are upon request for anywhere you are or are going..."

And this relates not only to what is available (their online 'demo' demoes nothing) but also to how they charge for graphical data (since their 'plans' seem to be based on 'characters'.

Etc.

So, big potential, but with many ifs.

b.

cagney · 15-08-2010, 04:48

Just because it's possible, I converted the Pilot Chart for April in Indian Ocean to a kap file (bsb2). Is there anyone out there that think this is useful? I wish I could get a bit better resolution though.

Thomas