I didn't miss the Internet in terms of surfing and never had access to these
newsgroups (a good thing). I did find having email very valuable both for
keeping in contact with family and friends but especially being able to
access hundreds of WEFAX and similar products on demand with
perfect images rather than poor images received over HF on a fixed
schedule.

Doug,
s/v Callista

"R.W. Behan" wrote in message ...
Thanks very much, everyone, for your comments. Maybe a holiday from the Internet will be a welcome respite, after all. Cheers.


"R.W. Behan" wrote in message ...
Greetings--

We're planning a trip to Alaska next spring via the standard inside passage route. Our boat is a Victory Tug 37. I'd like to have uninterrupted internet access along the way, aboard the boat. If this is possible, how do you go about it? Any advice or suggestions will be much appreciated. Sorry to be so computer-disadvantaged.

Thanks,

Dick Behan
LNVT "Annie"

Check out the Trawler World archives. There are groups of people on there
who have implemented high gain wifi antenna and use them on their boat.

East coast of Vancouver Is and up through Johnstone Straight has good cell cover. North of there there is practically nothing till Prince Rupert. SE Alaska has coverage in cities and a few other areas. Basically, you can't count on a cell phone for day to day communications.

Paul
www.jcruiser.org
"R.W. Behan" wrote in message ...
Greetings--

We're planning a trip to Alaska next spring via the standard inside passage route. Our boat is a Victory Tug 37. I'd like to have uninterrupted internet access along the way, aboard the boat. If this is possible, how do you go about it? Any advice or suggestions will be much appreciated. Sorry to be so computer-disadvantaged.

Thanks,

Dick Behan
LNVT "Annie"

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 23:20:27 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

"Getting Away From It All" does not generally mean abandoning one's
family, friends, and various other obligations. Most folks that go cruising
do still have a life.

I'm a writer by trade and my cruising life will be greatly facilitated
if in five years' time I can send and receive e-mail at a reasonable
cost, say, between 45 N and 45 S.

Weatherfax and SSB will do for me otherwise. The TV stays at home. G

R.

If you have Marine SSB, I suggest that you check out SailMail.
You can do commercial work such as your writings for a pretty
nominal flat fee ($250/yr now I think). Tool up is probably
around 1BU.

Doug
s/v Callista

"rhys" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 23:20:27 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

"Getting Away From It All" does not generally mean abandoning one's
family, friends, and various other obligations. Most folks that go
cruising
do still have a life.

I'm a writer by trade and my cruising life will be greatly facilitated
if in five years' time I can send and receive e-mail at a reasonable
cost, say, between 45 N and 45 S.

Weatherfax and SSB will do for me otherwise. The TV stays at home. G

R.

Thanks for the headsup, Paul. We lived in Ketchikan in the late '50's, so we understand the isolation and limited services. Enjoyed it. Will learn to do so again.

Cheers,

Dick
"Paul L" wrote in message news:uJKnd.159$TG2.151@trnddc01...
East coast of Vancouver Is and up through Johnstone Straight has good cell cover. North of there there is practically nothing till Prince Rupert. SE Alaska has coverage in cities and a few other areas. Basically, you can't count on a cell phone for day to day communications.

Paul
www.jcruiser.org
"R.W. Behan" wrote in message ...
Greetings--

We're planning a trip to Alaska next spring via the standard inside passage route. Our boat is a Victory Tug 37. I'd like to have uninterrupted internet access along the way, aboard the boat. If this is possible, how do you go about it? Any advice or suggestions will be much appreciated. Sorry to be so computer-disadvantaged.

Thanks,

Dick Behan
LNVT "Annie"

Last year our Verizon phones only worked in Prince Rupert. We tried them
in Sitka, Ketchikan, Wrangell with no success. Maybe they will work
better next summer when/if we do the trip again. We aren't planning on
'net access.

Capt. Jeff

Thanks, Jeff;

We have Verizon phones, too, so I guess we'll take them along to talk in
Rupert. And enjoy the blissful silence elsewhere.
Cheers,
Dick
M/V "Annie"

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
Last year our Verizon phones only worked in Prince Rupert. We tried them
in Sitka, Ketchikan, Wrangell with no success. Maybe they will work better
next summer when/if we do the trip again. We aren't planning on 'net
access.

Capt. Jeff

In article ,
Tamaroak wrote:

Last year our Verizon phones only worked in Prince Rupert. We tried them
in Sitka, Ketchikan, Wrangell with no success. Maybe they will work
better next summer when/if we do the trip again. We aren't planning on
'net access.

Capt. Jeff

Southeastern Alaska has two Cellular Providers, ACS and Cellular One.
Both are 800Mhz digital and analog and have Highsites that cover most
of the main trasit passages in the region. Verizon is mostly a PCS
Service, and PCS is only in Juneau at this time. AT&T Alascom is the
Longlines Carrier for thr region, and in talking with their Traveling
Techs a few weeks ago, I heard that PCS coverage will be added to most
of the Cellular Highsites sometime this next summer. I suspect that
coverage for PCS will be very limited to direct Line-of-sight from the
Cellsites, but it will be better than nothing. I am planning to add PCS
to my remote cabins comms suite when the new service is installed.

Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 17:44:38 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

If you have Marine SSB, I suggest that you check out SailMail.
You can do commercial work such as your writings for a pretty
nominal flat fee ($250/yr now I think). Tool up is probably
around 1BU.

I actually have zero equipment at this point in the offshore
communications department (OK, excepting VHF units).

I will qualify for SSB licencing before I buy in the next five years
(projected departure 2008-09) because the advancements are coming so
rapidly in this area I don't want to be stuck with the next Iridium
phone.

It is possible that cruisers will have more and./or cheaper options by
then. I certainly hope so. Writing for a living while offshore is
possible today (half the writers for the sailing magazines seem to do
it), but it's neither cheap nor convenient. I expect that will change.

R.