Internet access afloat
 

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"

R.W. Behan wrote:

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.

For all practical purposes it is still just wishful thinking. Cell phone
coverage is spotty at best and my luck with cell interfaces has been
stunningly slow connections that make a shoreside dialup look like a
DSL. Since I "upgraded" to a GSM phone I have lost even that service ...
digital data via cellphone is so expensive as to make satellite look
cheap. You could run up thousands of $$$$ in a few weeks just getting email.

Satellite access is your best bet but even that will be unavailable in
many areas due to high mountains on each side of your route.

Rick

In article ,
"R.W. Behan" wrote:

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"


There are a few WiFi hotspots in Southeastern Alaska. Mostly you have
to ask around at each Port of Call.

Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

I had very good luck with digital service on my cellphone. If I
recall correctly it ran at 115K baud and cost $9.95 per month
flat fee. I was able to surf the web quite comfortably along the
ICW. No service in the Bahamas, but I used Winlink for email
while there.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Rick" wrote in message
nk.net...
R.W. Behan wrote:

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.

For all practical purposes it is still just wishful thinking. Cell phone
coverage is spotty at best and my luck with cell interfaces has been
stunningly slow connections that make a shoreside dialup look like a DSL.
Since I "upgraded" to a GSM phone I have lost even that service ...
digital data via cellphone is so expensive as to make satellite look
cheap. You could run up thousands of $$$$ in a few weeks just getting
email.

Satellite access is your best bet but even that will be unavailable in
many areas due to high mountains on each side of your route.

Rick

On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:55:51 -0800, "R.W. Behan"
wrote:

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"

You might try

http://www.bbxpress.net/locations.asp

But I doubt if you will get uninterrupted access.


Sou;ldn't you be "getting away from it all" not taking it with you.

Jack

__________________________________________________
Jack Dale
Swiftsure Sailing Academy
Director/ISPA and CYA Instructor
http://www.swiftsuresailing.com
Phone: 1 (877) 470-SAIL (toll free)
__________________________________________________

My triband (Australian) GSM digital phone didn't work on a recent trip in
the Alaskan inside passage- neither did UK phones. I assumed that GSM wasn't
available there- ?CDMA.
Good trip- went on one of the small boats and stopped in a town each night.
Lots of whales (nearly as many as in Hervey Bay here in sub tropical
Queensland) and an infinitely greater number of glaciers!

My Iridium satellite phone is horribly slow and expensive- a few short
emails is all that it is reasonable to expect on such a trip.

Peter HK

"Doug Dotson" wrote in message
...
I had very good luck with digital service on my cellphone. If I
recall correctly it ran at 115K baud and cost $9.95 per month
flat fee. I was able to surf the web quite comfortably along the
ICW. No service in the Bahamas, but I used Winlink for email
while there.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Rick" wrote in message
nk.net...
R.W. Behan wrote:

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.

For all practical purposes it is still just wishful thinking. Cell phone
coverage is spotty at best and my luck with cell interfaces has been
stunningly slow connections that make a shoreside dialup look like a DSL.
Since I "upgraded" to a GSM phone I have lost even that service ...
digital data via cellphone is so expensive as to make satellite look
cheap. You could run up thousands of $$$$ in a few weeks just getting
email.

Satellite access is your best bet but even that will be unavailable in
many areas due to high mountains on each side of your route.

Rick

"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.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Jack Dale" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 22:55:51 -0800, "R.W. Behan"
wrote:

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"

You might try

http://www.bbxpress.net/locations.asp

But I doubt if you will get uninterrupted access.


Sou;ldn't you be "getting away from it all" not taking it with you.

Jack

__________________________________________________
Jack Dale
Swiftsure Sailing Academy
Director/ISPA and CYA Instructor
http://www.swiftsuresailing.com
Phone: 1 (877) 470-SAIL (toll free)
__________________________________________________

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 17:15:58 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

I had very good luck with digital service on my cellphone. If I
recall correctly it ran at 115K baud and cost $9.95 per month
flat fee. I was able to surf the web quite comfortably along the
ICW. No service in the Bahamas, but I used Winlink for email
while there.

What cel provider?



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC

Let's Put the XXX back in Xmas

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"

Sprint.

"Rodney Myrvaagnes" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 17:15:58 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

I had very good luck with digital service on my cellphone. If I
recall correctly it ran at 115K baud and cost $9.95 per month
flat fee. I was able to surf the web quite comfortably along the
ICW. No service in the Bahamas, but I used Winlink for email
while there.

What cel provider?



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC

Let's Put the XXX back in Xmas

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.

I'm sure that in 4-5 years the world will have changed alot. Right
now a SSB with Sailmail seems like a good solution. I don't consider
$250/yr to be prohibitive. But the up front cost of the equipment is
several BU. Then again it is multipurpose so not all that cost can be
applied to support the writing activity.

Doug
s/v Callista

"rhys" wrote in message
...
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.

Winlink limits attachment sizes to 50K normally. Not sure what
Sailmail's policy is now.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Dick" wrote in message
...
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.


A lot of cruisers use SSB to send email now. It is great not to have to
come to
town to use the email. How it would work on large documents I do not know.
But
it may be worth looking in to.

Dick

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 16:43:01 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

I'm sure that in 4-5 years the world will have changed alot. Right
now a SSB with Sailmail seems like a good solution. I don't consider
$250/yr to be prohibitive. But the up front cost of the equipment is
several BU. Then again it is multipurpose so not all that cost can be
applied to support the writing activity.

Agreed. I already have a SW receiver to monitor cruiser nets so I can
pick up on people like Herb H., and the etiquette/usage.

Cost: $20 at a ham swap meet. Oh, and $10 for 150 of antenna
wire...luckily I have a long yard!

R.

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 16:44:44 -0500, "Doug Dotson"
wrote:

Winlink limits attachment sizes to 50K normally. Not sure what
Sailmail's policy is now.

If you stick to basics like RTF files, 50K can be several pages of
"plain text". There is the option to send sequential attachments, too.
The problem would be if I were to do design work offshore. Such files
are prohibitively huge.

Another issue is sending pictures or audio back home to relatives...I
think that has to wait for a port.

So far. Things change fast. My club installed wireless access last
year and now I can get weather radar on board before I leave...which
is cool as I am near an airport and they have very good local wind
data.

R.

Dick,

You need to check out Skymate.com if all you need is email. Connectivity
is total via low earth orbit satellites. Cost is very competitive.

pander

"R.W. Behan" wrote:

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 BehanLNVT "Annie"

Thanks, Pete. I'll look into that.
"Pete Anderson" wrote in message ...
Dick,
You need to check out Skymate.com if all you need is email. Connectivity is total via low earth orbit satellites. Cost is very competitive.

pander

"R.W. Behan" wrote:

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 BehanLNVT "Annie"

I would hardly call Skymate competitive if all that you're looking for
is e-mail. Check out www.SailMail.com or www.airmail2000.com if you're
a ham.

-- Geoff

Pete Anderson wrote in
:

Dick,

You need to check out Skymate.com if all you need is email.
Connectivity is total via low earth orbit satellites. Cost is very
competitive.

pander

"R.W. Behan" wrote:

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 BehanLNVT "Annie"

Attachment decoded: untitled-2.txt
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Dick,
pYou need to check out Skymate.com if all you need is email.
Connectivity
is total via low earth orbit satellites. Cost is very competitive.
ppander
p"R.W. Behan" wrote:
blockquote TYPE=CITEstyle/style
font face="Arial"font size=-1Greetings--/font/font font
face="Arial"font size=-1We'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./font/font font face="Arial"font
size=-1Thanks,/font/font font face="Arial"font
size=-1Dick Behan/font/fontfont face="Arial"font size=-1LNVT
"Annie"/font/font/blockquote

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Attachment decoded: untitled-3.htm
--------------E9F4C15BD7B7EF83F1D182FD--

That Skymate looks pretty cool. The $1000 puts it way out of my
budget...guess I'll still be lugging my old notebook to the internet cafe.

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

"Pete Anderson" wrote in message
...
Dick,
You need to check out Skymate.com if all you need is email. Connectivity is
total via low earth orbit satellites. Cost is very competitive.
pander
"R.W. Behan" wrote:
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 BehanLNVT
"Annie"

It's the monthly access fees and the excess bandwidth charges that get me.

-- Geoff

"Glenn A. Heslop" wrote in
news:_fQsd.441391$%k.73274@pd7tw2no:

That Skymate looks pretty cool. The $1000 puts it way out of my
budget...guess I'll still be lugging my old notebook to the internet
cafe.

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

"Pete Anderson" wrote in message
...
Dick,
You need to check out Skymate.com if all you need is email.
Connectivity is total via low earth orbit satellites. Cost is very
competitive. pander
"R.W. Behan" wrote:
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 BehanLNVT "Annie"