On board internet communications

[Michael Heintz]

Does anyone have information dealing with onboard internet communications? Such as E Mail and uploading & downloading files while at sea.



Mzenith@aol.com

[yves feder W1UX]

Does anyone have information dealing with onboard internet communications? Such as E Mail and uploading & downloading files while at sea.

While there are commercial (satellite) systems that are quite costly, a lot of the cruising community relies on ham radio, particularly the WINLINK system. Using your HF SSB transceiver (with a ham radio license!) you can use digital communications modes to handle internet traffic. There is no "connect" cost, but you do need to buy the equipment - the HF transceiver, and a special radio modem to handle the digital (PSK31 usually) mode.

A lot of cruisers get their ham licenses in order to use systems like Winlink, which rely on volunteer hams ashore to provide the link/gateway to the internet. System works great, I use it to keep in touch with cruising friends at sea. I found that a lot of friends in the Seven Seas Cruising Association had gotten their ham licenses and keep in touch that way.

E-mail and even file attachments are handled via Winlink.

You can learn more about Winlink at http://www.winlink.org/k4cjx/What_Win.htm

Getting a ham license is far easier than it used to be, with morse code requirements dropped to an insignificant 5 w.p.m.!!

Good luck and hope you find some good leads from this.

Yves



saltwater@tinyradio.com

[Dan VanWinkle]

I've been thinking about starting towards a HAM license. Any tips on how to get started?

Does anyone have information dealing with onboard internet communications? Such as E Mail and uploading & downloading files while at sea.

While there are commercial (satellite) systems that are quite costly, a lot of the cruising community relies on ham radio, particularly the WINLINK system. Using your HF SSB transceiver (with a ham radio license!) you can use digital communications modes to handle internet traffic. There is no "connect" cost, but you do need to buy the equipment - the HF transceiver, and a special radio modem to handle the digital (PSK31 usually) mode.

A lot of cruisers get their ham licenses in order to use systems like Winlink, which rely on volunteer hams ashore to provide the link/gateway to the internet. System works great, I use it to keep in touch with cruising friends at sea. I found that a lot of friends in the Seven Seas Cruising Association had gotten their ham licenses and keep in touch that way.

E-mail and even file attachments are handled via Winlink.

You can learn more about Winlink at http://www.winlink.org/k4cjx/What_Win.htm

Getting a ham license is far easier than it used to be, with morse code requirements dropped to an insignificant 5 w.p.m.!!

Good luck and hope you find some good leads from this.

Yves

dwinvan@aol.com

[yves feder W1UX]

I've been thinking about starting towards a HAM license. Any tips on how to get started?

A great place to start is at the American Radio Relay League web site - a nice page for newly interested people is at

http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html

Tests aren't given at FCC field offices any longer. Local clubs with volunteer examiners do the whole thing now. So much depends on where you live!

If I can help let me know.
Yves
CD27 #4 "Alphee"
W1UX (in ham radio for a looooooooooooooooong time!)



saltwater@tinyradio.com

[Murray Glue]

There are a number of ways to acheive this on the Inmarsat system. I
have installed a number of Mini M systems which use the internal
modem at 2400 baud to access either marine communications providers
( such as marinet, super-hub etc ) or for simplicity there are AOL
acccess numbers which will accept slow speed dial-up connnections and give you full internet access.
Mini M is not really expensive nowadays, being the standard for most
commercial vessels ( around US$2.95 per minute ) and the flash sessions available with the email software will send a fairly large
packet of mails out and in in less than 2 minutes including the handshaking time required to establish the connection.
A Mini M system and a laptop running Win98 will take up very little space on a yacht. It is worth checking the local Mini M satellite
footprint with the dealer to make sure you have coverage where you sail.

Murray Glue
CD30 Dayspring
Nelson
New Zealand



106452.2173@compuserve.com

[Skip Medeiros]

Gordon West offers an excellent set of course materials for each of the HAM licenses. Among the materials in his study set are text books with all of the FCC exam questions, answers, and explanations as well as cassettes and floppies or CD ROMS with the course material. He has course material for morse code, technician class, general class, and extra class.

He offers a short cut to the licensing process whereby he mails you the course material ahead of time and then teaches/reviews it in a three day class given at various Sail Expo boat shows. During that period you take three exams and by the end of the three days it is possible, with due dilligence, to leave having earned/passed the FCC exams for morse code, technicial and general class.

We are in the midst of this preparation and find that his course material is very focussed and easily followed, but there is certainly a lot to learn. If you would like more detail, he can be reached at
2414 College Drive (at Nassau), Costa Mesa CA 92626, 714-549-5000, M-F 1000-1600

Skip Medeiros
1984 CD 33 Alosa



Whmedeiros@aol.com