Doing boat WiFi right
I’ve learned a lot about how boaters are using WiFi along the our coasts, and it’s darn exciting. Savvy folks are using the Internet to the max for fun, work, and even cruise planning (weather, slip...
Category: Communications
Thanks to a cruising communications scout
I was talking to the anchorage in Key West again last night, only this time I was using the remarkable over-the-Internet phone service Skype. I just had to dig out an old computer headset/mic, download...
Rescue 21, and magazine life
Last night my May PMY electronics column went up on the magazine’s Web site, one of the first up for this issue for some reason (probably random). I don’t think there’s another boating magazine on the...
AquaFix PLB + SarSat = fast rescue
ACR sent out a press alert about the first rescue credited to its relatively new GPS equipped Personal Locator Beacon. I can’t find any other Web references to the incident, which involved a pair of divers...
SkyMate Versus A Connection-Based System
Over at Ocean Navigator, SkyMate’s CEO John Tandler has a few things to say on the cost of using a system like theirs. “First, SkyMate transmits text email files much more efficiently than connection-based...
Wi-Fi In Boating
Check out this article if you’re thinking about Wi-Fi enabling your boat. Also have a look at HauteRoute’s Distance Calculator… “When used in conjunction with extended range base station equipment such as the HauteRoute...
Inmarsat’s BGAN For Leisure Yachts
Unfortunately we will have to wait for another two years before Inmarsat’s BGAN service will be available (pdf) for leisure yachts. But at that time all you need is a mini-M terminal, like the...
The Nokia 5140, A Sailor’s Phone
Last week I had a post on the potential of using your phone as a chartplotter. Nokia has just released a new phone, the 5140, which comes with a digital compass. Once calibrated, it...
First Ship-To-Shore Satellite Radio Message
While I was writing about Marlink’s Fleet F33 solution, I came accross this historical fact. That’s just 38 years back…. We’ve come a long way so to speak. “1966 – First ship-to-shore satellite radio...
Marlink’s New Fleet F33 Solution
They are definitely not the first, but Marlink has a new Fleet F33 MPDS solution. Especially geared towards smaller vessels. “Fleet F33 MPDS uses Internet Protocol (IP) technology and time-shared channels to allocate network...
