# E-Mail while crusing



## OfftheGrid (Mar 9, 2013)

This has probably been covered before, how do you stay connected with your kids and sailing friends while at sea and crusing. I have been reading about SSB Radios and there E-Mail capabilities, dose any one use this method?

Thanks in advance
OfftheGrid


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

Email over SSB - sailmail. costs a few bucks a year. equipment costs $$

Email over HAM frequences - winlink. free, but ham license is a few bucks. equipment costs $$

Email over Satellite - $$$$ service and equipment


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## copacabana (Oct 1, 2007)

The other option is internet cafés which you can find in virtually every corner of the earth. It's cheap and practical.


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## OfftheGrid (Mar 9, 2013)

Thanks that answers our question.


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## ebs001 (May 8, 2006)

Really depends where you are cruising. Wireless Internet is available throughout the USA. In the Bahamas it is available in a lot of areas through Betelco and most marinas have free wifi. Out at sea it's not so convenient and then you are into SSB or satellite. Satellite has come way down in price and is a cheaper option than SSB.


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## nkamper (May 15, 2012)

email over SSB, is that $$ for the SSB, or is there something additional that is required? And I take it there is a service that you are referring to that enables this, and that is fairly reasonable? This presumably would not require being on land to check email either.
Thanks.


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## ebs001 (May 8, 2006)

To send and receive email via SSB you also need Pactor


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## nkamper (May 15, 2012)

Thanks!


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## sailvayu (Feb 3, 2013)

If you are coastal cruising I would invest in a good wifi radio like the Ubiquity Bullet, also a cell phone internet adapter would be useful. use the bullet when you can to save cell costs and the cell when you are out of range of a wifi signal. For anything beyound 15-20 miles offshore you have 2 choices, Satellite or SSB. Satellite you pay by the minute and it adds up fast I think I last saw 1.35 per min but it changes. It is not cheap I have heard some spend 300 a month for just a daily download. SSB is expensive to start but if you do a HAM license it is free for the service, without on sailmail it is 250 a year so worth getting the license. A basic SSB installation with used gear will run you about 1500. New closer to 4000. SSB has a learning curve but it is not rocket science and even a technically challenged old fart like me was able to do it. Personally I love the SSB as you can use it for tracking, email (mainly text) and weather so very useful. Also there is a community on the SSB nets of cruisers who share information and that is helpful as well. Another option is the Sat trackers like Spot and INreach. inreach is limited 2 way but not cheap either. I used it for a trip to Bermuda and figured the 1 month cost came to about 500, hardly worth it but if you are going full time and out there for more than a year your monthly cost would be closer to 50. I plan a long voyage in a couple of years so SSB is a good investment. If you are going out for a month or 2 renting a sat phone could be a good option. You have to weigh all the factors and costs and pick what is right for you. 

KJ4WXF


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

check out sailmail web site. other advantages of ssb is getting weather and being able to communicate to other boats. still a good option. once you have it doesn't cost. fees for services are low c/w satphone. probably won't obsolete for awhile as commercial boys use it. can rent satphone for a given trip. Once service fees come down satphone probably will be major way cruisers communicate but not there yet.


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## ebs001 (May 8, 2006)

I am currently checking in to Globalstar and their voice and data rates are considerably cheaper than Iridium. Coverage with Globalstar is also a whole lot better than it was even a year ago. With the costs for phones and voice and data plans coming down dramatically it's certainly beginning to look like the way of the future.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

night0wl said:


> Email over SSB - sailmail. costs a few bucks a year. equipment costs $$
> 
> Email over HAM frequences - winlink. free, but ham license is a few bucks. equipment costs $$
> 
> Email over Satellite - $$$$ service and equipment





ebs001 said:


> Really depends where you are cruising. Wireless Internet is available throughout the USA. In the Bahamas it is available in a lot of areas through Betelco and most marinas have free wifi. Out at sea it's not so convenient and then you are into SSB or satellite. Satellite has come way down in price and is a cheaper option than SSB.





ebs001 said:


> To send and receive email via SSB you also need Pactor


True as far as it goes.

We can break e-mail and Internet communications down into three categories: very short range, short range, and long range.

Very short range is dominated by WiFi. You can make WiFi more convenient with a range extender. The Ubiquity Bullet dominates the market here, although Alfa makes some decent products. Most of the best known marine WiFi range extenders from IslandTimePC, RogueWave, WiFiforSailors are repackaged Bullets. Cost is nominal for hardware and WiFi is readily available in most places for reasonable fees; sometimes local businesses make WiFi available for free - if you use such services it is polite to buy a beer from the restaurant whose connection you use, or otherwise support the business that supports you. Effective use of WiFi is generally limited to anchorages and marinas.

Short range is mostly cellular in nature. You can use many cell phones to connect to the Internet through the phone or use a MiFi device for a dedicated cellular connection to the Internet. For ICW cruisers you can generally get decent coverage from Norfolk to Key West. Depending on your service provider you may find some dead spots through North Carolina.

Long range is the province of e-mail over SSB and satphones. You can get some web service over satphones but it is such an expensive exercise in frustration that you should not count on it.

Hardware for e-mail over SSB is a bit more expensive than e-mail over satphones. Running costs for satphones are much much more than for SSB. The breakeven point is less than two years.

Don't get sucked in by handheld satphones and "portable" data kits. You will end up doubling your hardware costs with a car kit and external marine antenna to get decent performance.

You have options for e-mail over SSB. With a Pactor modem (about $1800US over the SSB) you can use commercial services like Sailmail, CruiseEmail, and Shipcom AND the Winlink ham service (General class license or above in the US). Winlink offers free software for an alternate protocol called WINMOR that only works on their network but does not require a Pactor modem. WINMOR service is still in its early days and coverage can be spotty depending on where you travel.

Note that to use Winlink or ham radio in particular outside the US you'll need a local reciprocal license. In some countries (including the Bahamas and BVI) you'll need a country specific license. In other places that the US has treaties with you reciprocity is automatic or nearly so. In some cases including much of Europe you need a US Extra Class license for reciprocity.

In my opinion, absent the regulatory information that is easy to learn, all the technical information required to pass a US General class ham license and most of what is in the Extra class license is necessary for a responsible self-sufficient cruiser anyway.


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

ebs001 said:


> To send and receive email via SSB you also need Pactor


False. There is now software that you can use software to modulate and plug into SSB. Pactor is faster for sure though...but worth the big money??? hmm, not so much. Research Winmor


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## MarioG (Sep 6, 2009)

We use an aircard, so anywhere a cell phone works our air card does. Verizon works well, Clear only seems to work around bigger cities.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Wifi is almost always available in port FOC in bars and sometimes in anchorages and broadcast to many anchorages for a fee. I am in Bequia on HOTHOTHOTSPOT service at 50 $ US a month just now using an Alfa 36H booster and am getting 5 bars at about 1/2 mile. 

If I was making a long offshore passage I would rent a Sat phone for the passage.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

night0wl said:


> False. There is now software that you can use software to modulate and plug into SSB. Pactor is faster for sure though...but worth the big money??? hmm, not so much. Research Winmor


See my post #12 in this thread. You are best served to use a Signalink USB external sound card (about $100US). YOU WILL NEED A GENERAL CLASS HAM LICENSE OR BETTER TO USE WINLINK. For reciprocity in Europe and most of the Far East you'll need an Extra Class license.



MarioG said:


> We use an aircard, so anywhere a cell phone works our air card does. Verizon works well, Clear only seems to work around bigger cities.


Right. Keep up with changes. The RV crowd have this locked. Even in the US the Verizon lead is fading. Outside the US you are much better off with the GSM compatibility AT&T offers - you'll want an unlocked data card.



TQA said:


> If I was making a long offshore passage I would rent a Sat phone for the passage.


We all make our own choices. I wouldn't go offshore without SSB. Satphones are for those with elderly parents, other dependents, or business interests that require direct dial. Otherwise the performance and safety support of SSB dominates.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

i have found wifi readily available and free, or very low fee. 
i also have banda ancha for when i cannot get wifi. 

all this for less than 500 pesos for 2 gigabytes plus a free 1 because they like my money. only thing i cannot get done is picture loading and sending and posting. oh well.....

when i am at sea--i show momma where i am with spot tracker--my brother makes a picture of the map for her so she can see where i am. i will not email at sea. not necessary for me to do that.
computer is for when i am in port somewhere.


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## ebs001 (May 8, 2006)

SVAuspicious said:


> See my post #12 in this thread. You are best served to use a Signalink USB external sound card (about $100US). YOU WILL NEED A GENERAL CLASS HAM LICENSE OR BETTER TO USE WINLINK. For reciprocity in Europe and most of the Far East you'll need an Extra Class license.
> 
> Right. Keep up with changes. The RV crowd have this locked. Even in the US the Verizon lead is fading. Outside the US you are much better off with the GSM compatibility AT&T offers - you'll want an unlocked data card.
> 
> We all make our own choices. I wouldn't go offshore without SSB. Satphones are for those with elderly parents, other dependents, or business interests that require direct dial. Otherwise the performance and safety support of SSB dominates.


I spoke to a fellow about a month ago who had just completed a solo circumnavigation of the world and he told me he got his weather by downloading grin files via his satphone. It also meant he had voice communication from wherever he was back home just by dialling like a cellphone.

With the advent of Delorme inReach Satellite Communicator using the Iridium network texting, tracking and SOS could never be better nor easier and at a fraction of the cost. Hardware $250 and plans from $10 per month.

Close to shore I have found fewer and fewer free and unlocked wifi stations. It's pretty much pay only now.


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## El Rubio (Mar 31, 2013)

As an amateur radio operator, I have used Winmor, the free soundcard digital program for accessing Winlink email. It doesn't have the speeds of PACTOR 3, but is free and does work. I used to maintain a Winlink gateway on VHF at my home, but it didn't get much use besides me and another ham or two. Amateur radio also offers the ability to have a conversation with someone, even if just for conversation. Most hams will forward a message for you too. There are other lowbandwidth modes that will get through when other high bandwidth modes like voice or pactor can't. It's effective for emergency communications for the same reasons, but mainly, it's fun. A license is much easier than it used to be and no longer requires that you learn to copy morse code. I wouldn't suggest it be the only communications aboard, but it is the most versatile.


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

You can pick up a Pactor 2e or 2usb for less the $500 if you want to speed things up a bit buy a Pactor 3 license for @$120. I have the 2e and have no problems anywhere.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

ebs001 said:


> I spoke to a fellow about a month ago who had just completed a solo circumnavigation of the world and he told me he got his weather by downloading grin files via his satphone. It also meant he had voice communication from wherever he was back home just by dialling like a cellphone.


That would be grib files, not grin files. The GFS computer model that is used to generate gribs has an issue. For those inclined to mathematics, it assumes a continuous second derivative over the pressure surface. The impact is that gribs do not show fronts. Fronts are where weather is often unpleasant and significant wind shifts occur.

You can still call home over SSB radio. I do quite regularly on both the ham bands (bless the MMSN) and commercial bands (thank you Shipcom).



ebs001 said:


> With the advent of Delorme inReach Satellite Communicator using the Iridium network texting, tracking and SOS could never be better nor easier and at a fraction of the cost. Hardware $250 and plans from $10 per month.


The Delorme inReach is not life safety equipment. Just ask Delorme. It is no substitute for an EPIRB.


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## ebs001 (May 8, 2006)

SVAuspicious said:


> That would be grib files, not grin files. The GFS computer model that is used to generate gribs has an issue. For those inclined to mathematics, it assumes a continuous second derivative over the pressure surface. The impact is that gribs do not show fronts. Fronts are where weather is often unpleasant and significant wind shifts occur.
> 
> You can still call home over SSB radio. I do quite regularly on both the ham bands (bless the MMSN) and commercial bands (thank you Shipcom).
> 
> The Delorme inReach is not life safety equipment. Just ask Delorme. It is no substitute for an EPIRB.


Yes Grib not Grin

You may be able to call home on your SSB and or HAM but I have a great deal of difficulty understanding what is being said a lot of the time because my hearing is not that good. My wife has more of a problem and for our mothers it would be absolutely impossible.

I agree that the Delorme is no substitute for an EPIRB

SSB/HAM will be around for sometime to come but as satellite communication improves both in cost and available information it is just a matter of time before it takes over communication at sea just as GPS has taken over from sextants.


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