Internet/email comms

[Magic_Sailor]

All

Having looked into getting connected whilst afloat - to stay in touch etc it would appear that

1. PC + mobile is difficult and could be expensive to use.
2. SSB + PC - I don't understand SSB

So - does anyone have any experience of the ease of use AND importantly coverage of "cyber cafes" in France. The idea being to bang your email down on a disc - nip into the cafe and send it - at the same time checking websites etc (like this one - I'd hate to lose touch! - Ahh).

I rarely go into towns these days so I've never even seen one in England although I've heard talk of them. They seemed to be on every corner when on holiday Bahamas.

TIA

Magic

 

[snowleopard]

internet cafes are common on the continent and a lot cheaper than here generally. almost all allow you to take a floppy with your pre-written letters. we use hotmail which is pretty reliable but tends to come up in local language which is ok until you get error messages!

 

[Magic_Sailor]

Thanks Fatipa and Snow Leopard.

Sounds very encouraging!

Magic

 

[mpprh]

Hi

This may be of use to you : http://tlp.netfirms.com/tour7.htm

Peter
Languedoc, France

 

[colvic]

Proper internet cafes will alow you to download stuff, usually via their control disk and quite often offer CD copying to take back to the boat if you have a PC.

We have used a full blown PC for 4 years now using the internet for weather forcasts, e-mails, faxes etc. as well the Chart plotter and ARcs Charts, DVD and CD playing, and a TV card which you can retune for different regions and countries. Digital photography is dirt cheat with a PC and a printer and scanner is the final touch. We are only 8 mtrs but have found room for the lot.

I use a Nokia 6110 via Nokia Data 2 or 3 to connect to a local ISP. In Spain I pay under 10p a minute and with the weather forecast as the home page I can go on line, download the map and switch off in under a minute. If your going that way I have a spare SIM card for Movistar Telefonica and a floppy with a Spanish ISP called Telepolis. Even over here can send and receive mail via Telepolis.

Hotmail has changed a bit and you have to subscribe if you want some of what were the basic features until a few months ago.

Colin Jones, he posts here and has a Colvic Watson web site knows a lot about France and is about to go over for a few days to ddo some definative research into the best phone network and ISP to use over there.


Phil

 

[MedMan]

Have a look at my website (link below). There is a 4 page report on 'Communication in European Waters' on the site that looks at many of the different options available.

Don't give up on the idea of using a laptop and mobile phone. I have done so for 5 years now and it need not be too expensive if you choose your ISP and TeleCo with care. I do all my email via mobile phone and pop into an Internet Cafe if I want to surf the Web. My monthly Mobile bill when cruising is rarely over £20.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/yachtretreat/>http://www.geocities.com/yachtretreat/</A>

 

[pheran]

Please excuse a very basic question, but with a laptop/mobile set up, does the laptop need a modem installed or does the mobile phone do all that work?

 

[smb]

Only yesterday i was looking at something called a gprs card to fit in a laptop. I am not an expert but i think it is next generation gsm or something. Take a look at www.telegraphgprscards.co.uk

I believe you have to sign up (£14 per month) and then get charged £2.35 per MB of download in the uk, or £9 something when overseas. Is that good value compared to laptop via mobile link ups?

At work we trialled a small device called a Blackberry which uses this technology and i have to say it was very efficient and quick, but this particular unit is designed to feed from the office network.

Steve

 

[FlyingSpud]

Some, but not all, mobiles come with an in built modem. If yours does not have a modem, then you will need a modem card between the ‘phone and the computer

 

[pandroid]

GPRS is quicker (33k) than normal mobile comms (9600) and great for email but its a complete and utter rip-off for the web. Each web-page'll cost about 25p!

 

[petery]

R-BGAN

Try R-BGAN. You just connect the modem/aerial to your PC via Ethernet or USB and it communicates with the Thuruya satellite at 144kb/s.

The aerial is built into the case.

The modem costs $1500 and data is $12 per megabyte.

I'm buying one as at last I can keep in touch with my clients at better than ISDN speed and they needn't know I'm on the boat.

Of course it's pricey but the charges will come down.

No connection with any vendor.

www.stratosglobal.com/solutions/product/mobileSatelliteServices/ inmarsat/bgan.html

 

[mldpt]

I have been useing my laptop and mobile for many years to connect to the internet and collect E-Mail, I have tried all kinds of connection, I was useing an 0845 connection to Lineone but Vodafone stopped me useing 0845 numbers as part of my free minutes, so now I am useing GPRS connected to Vodafone account, it cost nothing to be connected but you d need a GPRS enabled phone, and it cost about £2.00 per Mb but there is a lot of e-mails in 1Mb its also a lot quicker than GSM. But and this is a big But how far off shore can you get a mobile signal. Satalite has to be the answer but at what cost.
Mike. www.sailingforfun.co.uk