Internet

[colemj]

Am I missing something or not counting correctly? Our Pactor modem via SSB is faster than that device. Certainly I have a decimal place problem?

Mark

[Tom and Maje]

Onefastdaddy, I need a system that allows me to do social media and send and receive email from my publisher and agent. I also do most of my research on-line. I love writing, and still have time to ponder life.

Thanks, Kevin. I'll check that out as well.

Maje

[onefastdaddy]

Originally Posted by Tom and Maje

Onefastdaddy, I need a system that allows me to do social media and send and receive email from my publisher and agent. I also do most of my research on-line. I love writing, and still have time to ponder life.

Thanks, Kevin. I'll check that out as well.

Maje

I have spent a career in IT and have experience with everything but SSB. However reading what's required and speeds along with SailMail information I have a better idea now.

I read this last night. It helped me put things in perspective: SailMail Primer

Using the little Iridium Device will likely be about the same expecations for usage but with the following benefits over SSB:
1. Multi-user. No waiting for the other guy to hang up before you can connect
2. Infinitely simpler setup and use. Plug it in set it on the table or counter and use it.
3. Unlimited usage. Send and receive as many emails as you can get/send over 2.8kbps (incredibly slow but hey it's something).

I hope someone gets one and posts here a first hand account. I am curious, you SSB users, do you use a web browser once connected? Shop online? Every watch a YouTube vid? I'm being serious because I've heard someone here post the speed was more than adequate.

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by onefastdaddy

I have spent a career in IT and have experience with everything but SSB. However reading what's required and speeds along with SailMail information I have a better idea now.

I read this last night. It helped me put things in perspective: SailMail Primer

Using the little Iridium Device will likely be about the same expecations for usage but with the following benefits over SSB:
1. Multi-user. No waiting for the other guy to hang up before you can connect
2. Infinitely simpler setup and use. Plug it in set it on the table or counter and use it.
3. Unlimited usage. Send and receive as many emails as you can get/send over 2.8kbps (incredibly slow but hey it's something).

I hope someone gets one and posts here a first hand account. I am curious, you SSB users, do you use a web browser once connected? Shop online? Every watch a YouTube vid? I'm being serious because I've heard someone here post the speed was more than adequate.

geez

perhaps its that I'm posting it wrong...

Or perhaps its the equipment cost making in inpalletable.

I watch you tube videos.

I download large photos

2 mega bits per second. Super reliabe service $0.99 per megabyte (thats less than 1/6 the cost of irridium).

Service anywhere in the world.

24X7 live tech support that can actually remote into my boat and check my terminal out.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by onefastdaddy

I have spent a career in IT and have experience with everything but SSB. However reading what's required and speeds along with SailMail information I have a better idea now.

I read this last night. It helped me put things in perspective: SailMail Primer

Using the little Iridium Device will likely be about the same expecations for usage but with the following benefits over SSB:
1. Multi-user. No waiting for the other guy to hang up before you can connect
2. Infinitely simpler setup and use. Plug it in set it on the table or counter and use it.
3. Unlimited usage. Send and receive as many emails as you can get/send over 2.8kbps (incredibly slow but hey it's something).

I hope someone gets one and posts here a first hand account. I am curious, you SSB users, do you use a web browser once connected? Shop online? Every watch a YouTube vid? I'm being serious because I've heard someone here post the speed was more than adequate.

I was the one posting my confusion with speed. You certainly cannot use a web browser or shop online or watch youtube with a Pactor SSB connection. However, the speeds attainable from the device posted seem like they would not allow that either.

But I still think I got a decimal point wrong in this comparison.

Mark

[onefastdaddy]

@ksanders: I see that unit for sale at WestMarine for 14k (KVH INDUSTRIES TracPhone V3 | West Marine)

Probably no trivial install cost either.

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by onefastdaddy

@ksanders: I see that unit for sale at WestMarine for 14k (KVH INDUSTRIES TracPhone V3 | West Marine)

Probably no trivial install cost either.

WM is a little hi, probably by a K or two. Installation isnt that difficult. About a days work, depending.

Its not a system for someone on a tight budget, but for example with us, the system paid for itself several times over in income we were able to generate while at sea.

Cruising and working from the boat is part of the plan.

[onefastdaddy]

Originally Posted by colemj

I was the one posting my confusion with speed. You certainly cannot use a web browser or shop online or watch youtube with a Pactor SSB connection. However, the speeds attainable from the device posted seem like they would not allow that either.

But I still think I got a decimal point wrong in this comparison.

Mark

Yes, that was my exact point in saying: "Using the little Iridium Device will likely be about the same expecations for usage". Said another way I expect the two are likely the same experience but then added the benefits I saw with the new device.

I really want to be clear. I know now this stuff is expensive. The satellite one ksanders bought is 14k from WestMarine just for the unit. Add install and accessories and I can imagine the system installed is the price of some of the cruising budgets of many members here (boat included).

This is not personal in any way I hope if you spent 15,20k on your setup I'm not calling it slow and if you have SSB I'm not saying you made a poor decision. I'm trying to help people who are not technical and do not have either to have some expectations before investing.

I think I'm succeeding though in more than just getting people to defend their purchase decisions, which BTW is completely not my point. I'm getting you all to say what using it is like so someone with 20k or 5k or in between or less can expect when they buy and get it hooked up. The more you spend the faster it is. However this little device promised in June is about a 1k investment and would be a good consideration for anyone who was ok with SSB type of connection but put off by the single user at a time and very technical and complicated setup.

Making progress. Maybe I can summarize it better in some sort of table of cost and performance with numbers matched to things like Web browser ok above this speed, txt only, attachments ok etc. Non techie type jargon to just let people pick their experience.

[onefastdaddy]

Originally Posted by ksanders

WM is a little hi, probably by a K or two. Installation isnt that difficult. About a days work, depending.

Its not a system for someone on a tight budget, but for example with us, the system paid for itself several times over in income we were able to generate while at sea.

Cruising and working from the boat is part of the plan.

That is actually something maybe you could share to add perspective? Not many of us would disagree with your point about making money on the water.

I think we are again in need of that perspective...Is your business on the boat with you ore are you more of a floating executive office guiding a land based business remotely?

In my case and some of the people here we are the business so this is more like capital outlay not an expense for office supplies.

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by onefastdaddy

That is actually something maybe you could share to add perspective? Not many of us would disagree with your point about making money on the water.

I think we are again in need of that perspective...Is your business on the boat with you ore are you more of a floating executive office guiding a land based business remotely?

In my case and some of the people here we are the business so this is more like capital outlay not an expense for office supplies.

My business is not boating related.

I have own a electrical supply business specializing in the power switching, generation, and measurement industry.

I'm also a Cisco network engineer and am doing value added network engineering as it relates to the electrical products I sell. This same technology is applicable to vessels. Call it micro networks if you will, but the concept is taking a piece of equipment and making it accessible in non network friendly locations. And or to take non traditional equipment like a backup generator for example and make it report its status via a network.

Its not that difficult to a networking type, but the traditional sales and installation channels for heavy electrical equipment do not involve networking staff.

[Littlechay]

Originally Posted by onefastdaddy

A great idea (the device). Looks to be a Sat version of a MiFi cellular device. 2.x kilobytes a second. How can they even do voice over that little bandwidth?

They don't VOIP is very inefficient. The VOIP part is just from the Iridium device to your smartphone. Then they are transmitting the audio in analogue form over the Iridium connection I think, or at least transcoding it into using the normal Iridium transcoder algorithm.

Back in the day, and if you make a traditional international phone call, the chances were that your analogue voice call was transmitted over a 64kb/s channel (56kb/s for US systems). This gave very good quality voice calls. Later (in the 90s) smarter trans-coders were used that gave very similar quality with 32 or 16kb/s then we took a step backwards (in bandwidth efficiency terms) and started using VOIP.

I don't remember the Iridium native speed but it's very low, maybe 4.8kb/s which is why Iridium calls make you sound a little like Donald Duck.

Iridium Openport ( or it's new marketing name) is OK for basic web browsing as it uses four Iridium channels in parallel; however every installation that I know of has failed with a power amplifier failure in the outdoor unit; they are replaced under warranty but what a PITA! As you know it's going to happen.

With a good connection I get faster up/down speeds over Sailmail with Pactor 3 than I do over Iridium .

Whatever amplifiers you use the maximum distance from cell towers that you can get, on the GSM system, is 32km. Cells can be set to provide a long range service but at greatly reduced capacity so hardly anybody does that.

WiFi works best but of course only when within a couple of km of wifi hotspots.

BGAN services are the way to go if you want anything like a home experience. But can't afford it!

Chris

[goboatingnow]

fleetbroadband s the way to go

dave

[robert644]

Great info in this post.

So with the KVH system, if I want to download the latest tv show of piratebay @ 330 mb in size, this would cost me $330. But I would be free of piracy accusations because I am in international waters ?

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by robert644

Great info in this post.

So with the KVH system, if I want to download the latest tv show of piratebay @ 330 mb in size, this would cost me $330. But I would be free of piracy accusations because I am in international waters ?

Yes, its a standing joke that you can watch a $1500 movie at sea. We never do that.

I do have a revelation though. On the one day last winter when the cellular system was down, and the system switched over to the satellite...

My Apple TV decided on that particular day to do a 820MB download.

I got an alert from KVH saying I has exceeded my plans data usage by 3X (I keep the system on in the winter for the alarm system only).

I called KVH right away and the tech on duty looked at my system and said, "yep Apple TV update"

That update cost me $820.

I was livid! I called customer service, and they said, sorry, we hear this all the time. Turn off automatic updates. All very pleasant and understanding. Unwilling to give me a one time freebe.


So, I put a rule in my router that if it uses over 250MB in a month shut the satellite off until I get to the boat and reset it. And I unplug the Apple TV and the HP printer, and everything except the alarm system when I leave the boat.

[chubby]

practically all international versions or rooted 3.5G or 4G android phones have a hotspot function.
working well so far in my very limited cruising in the southwestern carib.

oh, for downloading those latest episode of game of thorns
i present the pineapple..presented without much comment.
(supposedly useful to umm...test your own network)