SSB and Satphone offshore options - advice please

[NFCN]

Dear all

I am preparing for an Atlantic circuit, departing UK shores in July. I'm after some advice on SSB and Satphone options which are available to me on my yacht, and lack experience in this area.

She's relatively well equipped, as follows, so my future costs are linked only to airtime rather than installation:

ICOM M802 with AT-141 linked to bluetooth-enabled SCS DR-7400 Pactor 4 modem and insulated backstay / KISS ground system
Iridium 9522 TP fixed satellite phone
Thrane and Thrane Sailor TT 3026D Sat C

which are all linked to a modern laptop. I also have a Mailasail Redbox router and Wifibat system installed.

On the grounds of keeping costs down, I plan to use the SSB for the vast majority of offshore communication, to join voice nets, download GRIBs and email (text only). I'm due to do the LR certificate in the Spring. However, I'd also like a satellite backup to enable voice calls and email should the SSB go down.

My questions, based on my research so far, are as follows:

With the SSB, I'm inclined to use the Sailmail ($275/year) / Airmail 3 system but would appreciate recent experience and information on other alternatives.
For the back up, would people use the Iridium or Sat C system, or both, and if so, what advice to people have on the best airtime packages / software to use, to keep costs to a minimum?

I also have a Weatherfax system on board, but have never used it.

Many thanks

Nick

 

[KellysEye]

We had a SSB, Sat C and Satphone. The SSB was used all the time for weather, nets on passage, in marinas and bays and keeping in touch with other boats. We also used the Sat C for weather and at the time incoming emails were free. The Satphone we kept charged but didn't have a SIM card because the calls are so expensive but an emergency call is free. It was kept in a waterproof bag in the emergency grab bag. We didn't have email on board on passage but used our 12db Wi-Fi aerial tied to the boom (steel boat) when in a marina or anchored close enough to pick up a signal, hence the 12db it has the best range.

By the way the Kiss ground system doesn't have the range of a metal boat or a boat with copper foil lining the inside of the hull.

 

[gertha]

Everything is dependant on how much you need to be in touch with the world when you are sailing.
I use SSB for voice, never had a modem, my perception is the time and hassle of trying to get emails in and out when working to a schedule set up by your chosen base station with a poor connection is greater than a straight satphone data call.
I have a friend who sends me brief weather and advise on best route, we can do this by text to the satphone at no cost.
On an Atlantic we send a brief email everyday to update a blog, nd receive one or two email a day, total cost on iridium is about 100 dollars for a crossing.
Never bother with emails on a short trip of a few days.
WiFi is available free most places to keep us up to date, I am more than happy to use a bar, not that worried when we are at an anchor with no WiFi, if desperate I pay on my day to day mobile.
I pay for Iridium phone for the year and calls as I need them, this is expensive but convenient.
Serious sailors budget about 20 dollar a day for full weather and email.
This my experience and how I do it.
Simon

 

[emnick]

Hello,
We had similar set up, Icom 802 with a borrowed Pactor. We could talk to friends back in cape verde and also other friends is Antigua most of the way to Barbados. This was using thee KISS ground plane, which I think worked well for us (seems it works for some but not others)

We could only get emails via Trinidad and they worked well and downloaded quickly .

I estimated that using the Sat phone (9505a via redbox) used about 2 mins,/ day as I could usually email kids etc.

I was lucky as our borrowed (crew members) Pactor also came with sailmail subscription paid.

 

[NFCN]

Thanks for the advice so far. Anything on the best low use Iridium contracts and Sat C Contracts would be welcome, as would advice on software.

 

[KellysEye]

I'm not sure what you mean about software. I've tried to find the contract price for Inmarsat C but can't find it so I suggest you call them.

Pay as you go satphone per minute, check these, 0p is incoming.
Iridium £1.40 0p
Thuraya 78p 0p
Inmarsat 72p 0p

 

[NFCN]

Thanks Kelly'sEye. By software, I meant the merits of Airmail / Teleport-it and the other email / GRIB software available.

On Sat airtime, I'm more interested in the time the SIM lasts, and the £/MB data as well as the £/min voice rates.

 

[RobbieW]

Thanks Kelly'sEye. By software, I meant the merits of Airmail / Teleport-it and the other email / GRIB software available.

On Sat airtime, I'm more interested in the time the SIM lasts, and the £/MB data as well as the £/min voice rates.

Airmail is very useful as it can control the Pactor and tune the radio. Using an add-on app it can advise on the most likely stations/frequencies for a good connection, at least it does this in Ham mode so no reason why it wouldnt for Sailmail. Airmail is a standalone Windows tool however, I dont believe it integrates with any other mail client. I have no experience with Teleport-it so cant comment.

I use zyGrib and OpenCPN to display GRIB files, both of which seem able to cope with the variations in available data and packing algorithms used by the various suppliers.

 

[KellysEye]

>Thanks Kelly'sEye. By software, I meant the merits of Airmail / Teleport-it and the other email / GRIB software available. On Sat airtime, I'm more interested in the time the SIM lasts, and the £/MB data as well as the £/min voice rates.

I never used Airmail/Teleport software so cannot comment, for Gribs I used Ugrib: http://62.148.188.51/ I think the Sim lasts as long as your contract. I also think MBs of data would be seriously expensive on a satphone and I'm not sure why you would need it.

 

[chrisb]

Look at irridium go . Cheapest option . Suits the superb Predict Wind App .

 

[geem]

Look at irridium go . Cheapest option . Suits the superb Predict Wind App .

I have no first hand experience of Iridium Go but a couple we met have it and said it was painfully slow. Slower than a dial,up connection. They were not impressed. We use Garmin Inreach. Cheap to buy and use but text only