The first question which needs to be asked is where are you planning on
using this? Next, what are your needs? What are you going to use it
for?


wrote in news:1130722988.556888.251390
@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Hi,


I've searched the newsgroups for any real world opinions on Skymate
(http://www.skymate.com) - but, can't really find anything that seems
persuasive.


Is there anyone out there who has experience with the system, or has
heard opinions from other cruisers who use Skymate.


hoping to avoid the negatives of other systems.


Globalstar - poor coverage in eastern Carib.

Had terrible problems last year in the western Caribbean with no
coverage. Comperable in cost to Iridium.

Iridium - expensive

No more than Globalstar. I pay $1/min with no monthly fees. If you're
using this to send e-mail, either satellite system might get pricey.

SSB/Pactor - expensive and long waits for a connection

Which part is expensive? You'll probably need an SSB for general
communication, so that should be removed from the equation. Then
compare the cost of a Pactor to a satellite phone. You'll probably find
the Pactor cheaper. AirMail is free and SailMail is $250/yr.

As far as long waits...Well, if you're receiving weather faxes from the
NWS, there's no waiting. They come on schedule. If you're downloading
the weather charts or GRIB files from SailDocs or a similar service,
then yes, you you'll have connect to AirMail or SailMail and download
the images. However, with Pactor 3 this is generally a fast process. I
can typically connect to SailMail within minutes. I'm not a ham, but my
ham friends can connect without much problem. Note that you can't
conduct business on AirMail.


Cell phone - can't lose sight of land

Cell phones in the eastern Caribbean are a waste of time in my opinion,
unless you're going to spend a lot of time in 1 island/country. The
problem is that every island/country seems to have its own phone service
and you can't simply roam between islands. If you do, you'll find that
the costs are astronomical. I must admit that I haven't been in the
Eastern Caribbean since 2001, so things may have changed, but I doubt
it.

--- What would be the best suggestion if starting from scratch.

In reality I think that you need a SSB/Pactor for boat to boat
communication, e-mail, and weather faxes. A satellite phone is very
nice if you want to make calls from anywhere. I'd forget a cell phone.

Thanks,


Mike.

-- Geoff