Communication on Ocean Crossing

[meyermm]

The extras like weather grib files made seamail via SSB an excellent service and well worth the money. I found the Sat phone unreliable and more importantly charges always seemed to exceed my calculated figure.
Markj - I am disappointed as I thought you were a budget sailor, with a sat phone????

[barnakiel]

Expensive, but quality and part of the GMDSS.

The new Inmarsat phone rumoured at 600-700 with 1USD per minute calls. No data at first.

b.

[fishwife]

Whatever way you go to get GRIBS and emails etc, make sure you never publish your email address somewhere where a bot can harvest it off the net and start sending you spam. Make sure your friends understand the score as well.

P.

[SoonerSailor]

Fortunately, when using the amateur radio Winlink system, you have some spam protection. Winlink will not forward an email to you unless you have either sent an email to that address yourself, or you have manually placed that email address on your whitelist. And if you start getting spam from an email address you had previously sent email to, you can always remove it from your whitelist.

[barnakiel]

Hi All,

And no matter which comm you use do not stop at GRIBs - do make yourself a service and get those NOAA 'radiofaxes' or even text - they are just GREAT source of weather info. In my own and very biased opinion - better than the grib (and sure if both can be had - bliss...).

The NOAA server sends them by request, free of charge as e-mail attachement - very easy, very, very fine stuff. GBA! ;-)

barnie

[Paul Elliott]

Some people don't know this, but with Saildocs (Home Page) not only can you "suscribe" to GRIB files, but also the the NOAA wfax charts and text forecasts. The wfax charts are compressed versions of what you can download from the NOAA website -- still very readable and quite a bit smaller.

You *don't* have to be a member of SailMail in order to use the Saildocs service. They will email them to a satphone account, for example. The Saildocs subscription sends you your selected files automatically, which is pretty convenient. It's free, too.

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Hi All,

And no matter which comm you use do not stop at GRIBs - do make yourself a service and get those NOAA 'radiofaxes' or even text - they are just GREAT source of weather info. In my own and very biased opinion - better than the grib (and sure if both can be had - bliss...).

The NOAA server sends them by request, free of charge as e-mail attachement - very easy, very, very fine stuff. GBA! ;-)

barnie

I may be wrong but NOAA do not cover the world as in The World not the US World We found Grib files more accurate as they covered smaller area, but for longer range the faxes are the way to go.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by meyermm

I may be wrong but NOAA do not cover the world as in The World not the US World We found Grib files more accurate as they covered smaller area, but for longer range the faxes are the way to go.

As far as I read the original post correct, the boat is sailing Florida to Sweden.

You say you found the grib files more accurate. More accurate than what? You are not comparing gribs with radiofax, are you? Too me, they are complementary, NOT "either / or" sources.

IMHO, funds and technical equipment permitting, the weather analysis should always start with reading the radiofax analysis and then go on to overlaying the gribs with the map / our position, and seeing what the numerical prediction models "think" the situation will develop into. I also compare the grib information with radiofax forecast - if only to see what the alternative scenarios are.

But to each their own - if you resolve to use gribs solely you simply have one source of information less.

barnie

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

As far as I read the original post correct, the boat is sailing Florida to Sweden.

You say you found the grib files more accurate. More accurate than what? You are not comparing gribs with radiofax, are you? Too me, they are complementary, NOT "either / or" sources.

IMHO, funds and technical equipment permitting, the weather analysis should always start with reading the radiofax analysis and then go on to overlaying the gribs with the map / our position, and seeing what the numerical prediction models "think" the situation will develop into. I also compare the grib information with radiofax forecast - if only to see what the alternative scenarios are.

But to each their own - if you resolve to use gribs solely you simply have one source of information less.

barnie

No that is not what I meant if that's the way you read it!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by meyermm

No that is not what I meant if that's the way you read it!

No offence meant! none take either ;-).

Just discussing the point.

Love,
barnie

[roverhi]

If you want cheap, Ham radio is by far the lowest cost long range communication. You can be up and running for under a $1,000 with new equipment or less with used. Email capability is another $800 or so for the modem. Email service is free. You do have to pass a test but it's useful information that you'll need to learn for it. No longer a code requirement.