Close hauled
Well-Known Member
Anybody got experience of using Zap email compression software and Zap Weather GRIB files on a Motorola 9505 using Iridium satellites?
Zap
- Thread starter Close hauled
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woody001
Well-Known Member
not to sure, but have just seen that the zap software is 11.5mb, impossible if over satelite?
BrendanS
Well-Known Member
You'd download onto your pc before you set off, not once you're at sea.
Jeannius
Well-Known Member
I found getting grib files over email to need quite a long connection using zap and my Motorola 9500. I came up with another way that gets the files direct from places like www.GlobalMarineNet.net and RayMarine without having to go to the web page.
Basically my method uses old fashioned DOS batch files and will work on any PC from WIN98 onwards. Tell me which sea area you are interested in and I'll send you the files you need to make it all work.
Basically my method uses old fashioned DOS batch files and will work on any PC from WIN98 onwards. Tell me which sea area you are interested in and I'll send you the files you need to make it all work.
alanhanson
Well-Known Member
we use zap and have done so for 18 months
you get a free phone to ring from the sat phone for technical help which is really good if in middle of ocean with problems
it is not a cheap service but we have found it very reliable.
you set it up prior to leaving and on ours we just use it with outlook express as normal
cheers alan
you get a free phone to ring from the sat phone for technical help which is really good if in middle of ocean with problems
it is not a cheap service but we have found it very reliable.
you set it up prior to leaving and on ours we just use it with outlook express as normal
cheers alan
MailASail
Well-Known Member
This is a bit of a late reply, but here goes:
Beware that ZAP pricing is extortionate and it costs you far more to use their service than you save by using their service. By all means correct the observations below, but here are the fact as I'm aware of them from AST themselves:
- Zap charge you by the amount of data that you send and receive
- The charge is $0.50 for every 1Kb of data that you send.
- Iridium satellite phone, for example (which is slow), can send around 20Kb or data per minute
- ....So it's costing you $10/min roughly to use Zap.... With a mobile phone it would be vastly more expensive...
- But it only costs you $1.50/min to use your satellite phone normally!! Even if the compression were infinite and you have NO phone bill at all, you would still pay an effective price of $8.50 per min to use their service?!
So I don't see that Zap is a great service to be honest.
Now the caveat is that I offer a competitor service, so you should assume that I am biased... My service is a flat fee per month or per year and you can send as much data as you like for that price. It also works just as well over mobile phone or sat phone or in the internet cafe, or over broadband, or whatever.
I don't believe that the forum rules allow too much commercial plugging, so if you are interested in a totally free trail so that you can compare systems for yourself, then follow the link in my signature or send me an email and I will set a trial account up for you (and send you as much info as you like)
Ed Wildgoose
Beware that ZAP pricing is extortionate and it costs you far more to use their service than you save by using their service. By all means correct the observations below, but here are the fact as I'm aware of them from AST themselves:
- Zap charge you by the amount of data that you send and receive
- The charge is $0.50 for every 1Kb of data that you send.
- Iridium satellite phone, for example (which is slow), can send around 20Kb or data per minute
- ....So it's costing you $10/min roughly to use Zap.... With a mobile phone it would be vastly more expensive...
- But it only costs you $1.50/min to use your satellite phone normally!! Even if the compression were infinite and you have NO phone bill at all, you would still pay an effective price of $8.50 per min to use their service?!
So I don't see that Zap is a great service to be honest.
Now the caveat is that I offer a competitor service, so you should assume that I am biased... My service is a flat fee per month or per year and you can send as much data as you like for that price. It also works just as well over mobile phone or sat phone or in the internet cafe, or over broadband, or whatever.
I don't believe that the forum rules allow too much commercial plugging, so if you are interested in a totally free trail so that you can compare systems for yourself, then follow the link in my signature or send me an email and I will set a trial account up for you (and send you as much info as you like)
Ed Wildgoose
