Arnold Pieper wrote:

I am an experienced IT professional, 22 years in the business, but I'm at a
loss when it comes to "marine" access to the Internet.

The only option I've got so far is some type of Inmarsat that will give me
a lousy connection, good for text-only e-mail, and I can't seem to get a
better option, probably because I'm not talking to the right people.
I saw the VOR racers 2 years ago send mpeg videos and digital stills while
sailing in places as remote as the southern ocean.


They were probably using inmarsat. With it, a pilot channel
allows you to configure a user channel that can handle anything,
up to live video, etc. The channel charges depend on your
requirement for bandwidth.

Any satellite link will depend on this basic mechanism, with auto
configured voice phones possibly serviced on other satellite
links, but all will still charge 'buy the ton' of data.

What are you willing to pay for is the only limitation. You will
need to shop satellite service providers. All satellite links
require expensive satellite tracking dish antennae usually found
under pretty fiberglass domes housing fancy servo driven dish
steering devices.

An alternative is HF radio. SSB (Single SideBand) sets at about
5 -30 Mhz can communicate much more cheaply, but do not provide
the costly type of heavy data capacity you may wish to purchase
for text and pictures web surfing. SSB service is provided by
interested ham radio enthusiasts who offer signal relay services,
often at their own expense. I would expect there to be at least a
few commercial service providers. Someone here may post contact
info. Your local radio ham club is the place to start.

Does anyone have any suggestions as far as getting on-line while at sea, and
still be able to "surf the web", send/receive still pictures ?

Arnold

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