Internet at Sea

W

wavering

New Member
Joined
27 Aug 2006
Messages
15
Visit site
I have an Orange USB Modem that just about connects up to the internet when in a reasonable coverage area (it claims 7Mb/sec but that is just an outright lie) . It costs about £20 per month and I use it when I am away from home (and boating on the Norfolk Broads). Before that I had O2 which was totally and completely useless - I could not even connect right in the centre of Manchester (a big city up North with a football team)

So, my question. If I am wandering artound the sea (eg Med ) or crossing the Atlantic (dream on) how do I get reasonable connectivity (sufficient for email and small file transfers)?

This topic must have been covered but I can find very little here or Googol ...
 
A quick summary:

In port local mobile data service or Wifi Hotspots or Internet cafe

Outside of Mobile range you need either HF which will allow e mail over a Pactor modem or Satphone - which varies widely in cost and capability depending what you want and what your budget is e.g.
- for calls plus low data rates (a few kb/s) iridium seems to work. You would need to check coverage for Thuraya and Globalstar for the Med offshore and they don't cover the atlantic

If your are crossing the atlantic and want the SAFETYNET messages you need Inmarsat C (poss Mini m)

If you want data at bband rates (actually 100-500kb/S) you need Inmarsat Fleet (ouch! andfairly large domes!)

There is only scratches the surface
 
[ QUOTE ]
So, my question. If I am wandering artound the sea (eg Med ) or crossing the Atlantic (dream on) how do I get reasonable connectivity (sufficient for email and small file transfers)?

[/ QUOTE ]

Mobile phone type internet is fine for coastal and Med boating. You will rarely be more than one overnight sail without a connection and, most of the time, you will be within a few miles of the coast and will have a mobile connection.

I've found Orange, T-Mobile and O2 fine via a datacard or USB modem, (Manchester, Glasson Dock, and Grantham, amongst others), so I could suggest that there may be a problem with the modem or its' settings.

Across the med I use an unlocked Vodafone datacard that I got on ebay, (you could buy from the manufacturer www.option.com), and I have a little aerial which attaches to the card and velcros to the lid of my laptop. This has worked fine below decks all the way from Glasson Dock to Malta, using a variety of PAYG mobile internet services in UK, (T-Mob & Orange), Spain, (YOIGO), and Italy, (TIM and WIND).

Satellite stuff is somewhat over the top until you start crossing oceans but, if you have the money, may be worth pursuing from the start in an attempt to move your knowledge up the learning curve before you need it in anger.
 
------------may be worth pursuing from the start in an attempt to move your knowledge up the learning curve before you need it in anger. ------------???



A thrane and thrane handset is the same a a normal 'phone, on the box there is a D9 serial port for the modem connection, France telecom email compression software gets you a grib file in seconds and looks like outlook. You get the option to stop an incoming mail if it's too big.

http://www.shamrock.de/inm_engl.htm

Ian
 
What do the panel think of a Mac iphone for the internet; obviously in coastal waters.

I was thinking of one to give me access to internet weather (no navtex) and email
 
An expensive item for those trendy people amongst us? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Plenty of cheaper options around.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Whatever happened to 'Getting away from it all?'

[/ QUOTE ]

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

there's always one isnt there??

some of us dont do it to get away from it "all". I like to keep in touch and watch UK TV. Live and let live?? Each to his own??
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Whatever happened to 'Getting away from it all?'

[/ QUOTE ]

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

there's always one isnt there??

some of us dont do it to get away from it "all". I like to keep in touch and watch UK TV. Live and let live?? Each to his own??

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I guess the need to tell everyone (via the internet) that I'm on my own, happy and away from all the technology, is a bit paradoxical.

I shall think about that while I am fishing with a beer in my hand.

Cheers
/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
I'm a Mac user but an IPhone is expensive to purchase plus £35pm in the UK and presumably much more in Yerp.
Look at the Pocketsurfer as well, must be cheaper to run. On the Roadpro website.
However local sim cards will always be cheaper, but then you have to connect your unblocked mobile to the laptop. Which someone will have to show me how to do, extremely slowly in non techie language. The wizz kids are like ski instructors, they've forgotten wot it's like to start from scratch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top