Worldwide communications

[steelfan]

Can anyone recommend a system to give access from a yacht anywhere in the world, to Europe (UK and Switzerland) with e mail? We expect to have VHF and SSB already aboard but no other communications equipment at present. Has anyone got recommendations for a rugged pc or laptop ?

steelfan

[rumrunner]

Steelfan,

JeanneP will know , however the answer is Yes... providing you have a million dollars to spend. I am not up with the latest ( they come and go a bit ) but there is a world wide communications scheme designed for motor yachts /ships etc , that are just too expensive for the average cruising yacht...lets see what others say.

rumrunner

[dnelson]

There is a satellite communications system for email called the Mini-C which is reasonably economical. The coverage is world wide, the equipment (satellite transceiver) only costs around $2000 USD, and you pay by the message/length. It is more expensive to use than Sailmail or Winlink for email, but coverage is global. They also claim an automated weather service, but that doesn't seem to be working yet.

The equipment is made by Sailor. A link to a sales brochure:

http://www.selexmarine.com/products/sailor...026S_Mini-C.pdf

I have some friends who used it and seemed happy with it.

[marktrupp]

Hi,

I just saw this info on sat comms on noonsite:

http://www.noonsite.com/Members/doina/R2005-08-22-1

Hope it helps.

Mark

[Charlie Jones]

Get your Ham license, which isn't hard now that they are dropping the code requirement (wasn't hard before, but people THOUGHT it was) and you can use that SSB and the Ham email system from anywhere, for free. It's called Winlink. There was a prolonged thread just a while ago on the CSBB about the system and the ham requirements- warning it's an INVOLVED thread.

http://www.cs-bb.com/forums/csbbarchives1/....cgi?read=14649

[Hamsailor]

Winlink2000 is the FREE Ham Radio answer to on-board global E-mail. Sailmail is the same, $200/year commercial answer. See my previous posts here:

http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/topic.asp...chTerms=Winlink

AND

http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/topic.asp...chTerms=winlink