Why no voice capability for high seas emergency/distress situations?

[Jammer]

A finding from this poll is that many boats lack long-distance voice communications suitable for use in an emergency.

Of the poll respondents who make passages out of VHF/cellular range from shore, about half have HF-SSB (with some of these having satellite data capability of some kind in addition). The other half use various satellite services that either do not have a voice component at all (InReach etc) or that have a voice component that is not usable in an emergency (Iridium Go!, Starlink).


Help me understand the thinking. Are the myriad posters saying "HF is dead, use satellite" really depending on InReach? Are people working though medical emergencies or complex boat repairs via text message? Does everyone have a designated sailing buddy ashore to serve as their text-to-telephone intermediary? Are all the Inmarsat and Iridium satphone users out sailing rather than participating in the poll? Are passage makers depending on buddy boats or rallies to provide another level of communications support? Is this is indicative of a luddite return to 19th century sailing solitude?


I am trying to get my head around the idea that InReach is a sufficient replacement for HF-SSB and I just can't. Give me some therapy.

[wholybee]

For my circumnavigation I had an SSB which I ended up not using very much at all because the Iridium go worked so much better for weather and email. But I kept it for an emergency. Next time around I'll go without SSB. I did provide weather reports to buddy boats with only an inreach, and was surprised at the number of ocean sailors without even that. In every port there was someone that just checked windy before they left, and then left without any long-range comms. And the number of boats who had an inreach, and were ignorant of the difference between that and an iridium go. It is fairly common to think the text message point location weather report from an inreach is comparable to a grib.

In an emergency I think text is actually better. Before I got my Go! I had an Iridium 9575. The half dozen times I used it, I found it nearly impossible to understand. AFAIK the Iridium network isn't capable of voice anymore, now that all the bandwidth is allocated to data. SSB wasn't much better. I also struggle with the audio on a CB radio. It just isn't intelligible to me. FM is fine, but SSB/AM I really struggle to understand.

The Inreach does have some nice features that favor it over an SSB. You can have preprogrammed messages that will include you location, that with a button press go to a list of people. Either text or email. And you can take it in a life raft. In a Pan Pan situation, it's easy enough to send a text or email instead of voice. In fact, an email sent with the Iridium can be more informative than a voice call. And in a mayday, you need something that works in a life raft.

[HeywoodJ]

As a ham radio operator for more decades than I care to count, and as someone who carries not one but two HF radios aboard, I would guess one word - "reliability".

Texting by InReach or similar is nearly 100% reliable. HF radio not so much. I have spent hours at the radio on the boat, in emergency situations, and not been able to reach anyone. At other times the same radio, same boat, same operator can reach half-way around the world on 25W and have a conversation as if talking over the back fence. The level of skill required to find the right frequency, at the right time, with the right antenna configuration is not trivial.

[Tupaia]

We have an SSB and Pactor modem. Voice between boats while on passage is an on the spot picture of local weather aside from the social aspects. We have used HF to participate in rescues and arranging rendezvous at sea. The Pactor modem is far superior in downloading large grib files, where those using sat tech tend to be limited to smaller gribs due to cost.


We found our Iridium unreliable both voice and data and has impractical air time plans. We replaced it with an Inmarsat that we have used in a medical emergency enabling reliable voice contact over a period of six days.


Would maybe consider text based sat comms but would not give up HF.



IMO anybody that ventures across an ocean is missing out on a whole community if they don't have an SSB.

[HeywoodJ]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

...IMO anybody that ventures across an ocean is missing out on a whole community if they don't have an SSB.

20 years ago we talked with boats we were generally sailing in company with every day on HF. Had regular chat sessions, talked about cooking, weather up ahead, whatever. On our most recent circumnavigation (ended 18 months ago) I do not recall having a single HF radio conversation with other boaters over a five year period. Few had radios, and we mostly traded daily e-mails (ours went out via Pactor, but many/most were satellite).

I still carry the radios and use them regularly because I enjoy doing so, but I find fewer and fewer like-minded folk every time we get into a remote anchorage.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by HeywoodJ

20 years ago we talked with boats we were generally sailing in company with every day on HF. Had regular chat sessions, talked about cooking, weather up ahead, whatever. On our most recent circumnavigation (ended 18 months ago) I do not recall having a single HF radio conversation with other boaters over a five year period. Few had radios, and we mostly traded daily e-mails (ours went out via Pactor, but many/most were satellite).

Used HF this past year in eastern Atlantic.



Seven Seas Cruising Association host the west - east passage between Bahamas, Bermuda and Azores. Anyone welcome even non members.


SSCA also host HF nets covering the Caribbean again open to non members.


Creating your own net in Panama or The Canaries before departing for a crossing always attracts a good number of participants.



Most of the major rallies host radio nets although they tend to be isolationist and not open to non participants. I believe HF is mandatory for world rallies.

[Cheechako]

Maybe ...."no one is listening"...? at many times, at various freq's etc. How many possible permutations are there depending on time, freq, listeners etc....

[sv_pelagia]

We're not offshore (anymore), but we have short conversations on local (BC, Alaska, and Puget Sound) HAM net almost daily (often 2x daily), with net control(s) and other boats 10s to 100s of miles away.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

We have an SSB and Pactor modem. Voice between boats while on passage is an on the spot picture of local weather aside from the social aspects. We have used HF to participate in rescues and arranging rendezvous at sea. The Pactor modem is far superior in downloading large grib files, where those using sat tech tend to be limited to smaller gribs due to cost.


We found our Iridium unreliable both voice and data and has impractical air time plans. We replaced it with an Inmarsat that we have used in a medical emergency enabling reliable voice contact over a period of six days.


Would maybe consider text based sat comms but would not give up HF.



IMO anybody that ventures across an ocean is missing out on a whole community if they don't have an SSB.

I guess it's a YMMV situation with the Go!. I had the unlimited plan(which is pretty common with a Go!, but not available on a sat phone), with no limit on Grib size. I was even emailing pictures I took with my cell phone, right from the phone. Just open the Iridium email app and attach it. I will note that Winlink and Sailmail both do have a limit with a Pactor. Go! connections are reliable, and the Predictwind software for me is much easier and less of a hassle than airmail or winlink express. It is also much faster, because a 1km grib is used server side that includes tides, currents, and 9 different models. Then you download only the route data (small) and just the grib models and resolution you need to display it.(also small) I would often run it and not download a grib at all, unless the route results indicated wind or swell that justified it.


As for the community. That is really dependent on the person. Some people need and enjoy that social thing. However, if I did have that need, I probably would not have sailed off. When I was designated in a group to be the person giving weather reports (because I had Predictwind and much better reports than anyone else) it was painful for me to talk on the radio. I hate it.

Anyway, people are different and prefer different things. I had both on board, so I could compare and know what I liked.

[goboatingnow]

If your serious about “ over the horizon « comms then sat phones or sat text is the only reliable foolproof way forget anything to do with HF.

[chrisr]

we rely on epirb in case of emergency. voice might be handy but not essential

btw, i don't agree with yr base comment "...or that have a voice component that is not usable in an emergency (Iridium Go!, Starlink)." who says iridium go voice is not usable in an emergency ???

cheers,

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by chrisr

we rely on epirb in case of emergency. voice might be handy but not essential

btw, i don't agree with yr base comment "...or that have a voice component that is not usable in an emergency (Iridium Go!, Starlink)." who says iridium go voice is not usable in an emergency ???

cheers,

As I said sat comms is the best bet if you want reliable voice comms

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

As I said say comms is the best bet if you want reliable voice comms

Agree but the downside is that you can only speak to people you already know.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Agree but the downside is that you can only speak to people you already know.

You simply ring the relevant high seas Mrcc in an emergency , your not sailing to have fireside chats, clearly you can ring your mum or your buddies if you really feel the need.

The mrcc wilm issue long range distress alerts by Inmarsat C A or B or Mf HF as appropriate or simply directly communicate with rescue sssets

The days of just shouting “ help “ indiscriminately are over.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by chrisr

who says iridium go voice is not usable in an emergency ???

I have encountered multiple users and former users of Iridium Go! who have stated that the service is great for downloading data. But, calls that will not complete, and dropped calls, are enough of a problem that the voice service simply can't be depended upon.


Is their experience not representative?