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From: Rick H Kennerly (no email)
Date: Sat Dec 06 2003 - 12:56:00 EST
.:.
.:.One specific question that I have is what is the most affordable
.:.way to communicate via phone / email. Should I invest in a KVH
.:.track net system for the boat?? Or is there a wireless /
.:.cellular service that will have service in the Caribbean /
.:.Bahamas area? Is a satellite phone necessary or a good idea?
.:.
.:.
Why go to sea if you're going to take your landsman ways with you?
Of course, a lot depends on how much money you've got and what your real
needs are.
The very cheapest option is to do without all together. You're seldom more
than a dinghy ride from a telephone booth or internet cafe. A lot of folks
do very well with pocketmail www.pocketmail.com --go ashore, hook up the
acoustic coupler, dial up the 800 number (which may or may not be free,
depending on where you are), down load, and go back to the boat. The next
time they are ashore, they'll do it again and upload.
Simple, cheap, always works.
The major players are pretty well represented down here. Verizon, Sprint,
Cellular One, Centennial--most seem to be on every island, but a different
flavor dominates on each rock. I've got a Sprint Sanyo 8100 that, with a
bit of extra software and a cable, is a pretty good wireless modem. But in
the islands, coverage isn't consistent down here. Sometimes you have to
shift anchorages or even switch islands to find a your brand of cell tower
(which you need for modem connections, but if you have a dual band
analog/digital phone not for voice). When you use your phone this way the
minutes come off of your total plan minutes, unlike a straight wireless
modem that all the companies sell, but it's cheaper.
There are any number of really expensive satellite systems (both in terms of
initial buy-in and on a per character charge) available, But none fit the
budget of any mom & pop cruiser I know. You can lease voice/modem satellite
phones for passagemaking, if you want. But I don't see them as particularly
useful for Caribbean cruising.
Rick NH2F
Westsail 32 Xapic
Cabo San Juan, Puerto Rico
www.mouseherder.com/xapic/sleep.html
www.westsail.org
Sail like a Kiwi
Anchor like a Canadian
Live like a Texan
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