LESSONS LEARNED WHILE CRUISING Jamie & Behan Gifford


Niall Gifford doing a relay on the Southbound Net, while underway to Isla Isabella.


phone and were surprised at how often we could not connect. As satellite phone costs have come


down significantly, they’ve become more common on cruising boats. For boaters starting from scratch to acquire hardware, the initial cost for sat phones can be lower than an SSB setup. Variable service costs, on the other hand, can add up significantly and generally exceed SSB costs over time. In addition to ongoing monthly service fees, usage minutes are purchased; if the phone is used for weather or email, it’s easy to burn through minutes as a result of the slow transmission rates.


Phoning Home


Choosing a long range communication system that fits your needs and budget.


For most boaters who aspire


to bluewater cruising, long range communications equipment is a presumed part of gear on board. Minimalist sailors may disagree, but few choose to go without the ability to get weather information, handle basic email, stay in touch with other cruisers out of VHF range, and call for help in an emergency. In cruising from Puget Sound to


the South Pacific, most boats have single sideband radio (SSB), a satellite phone, or both. A few use other, costlier services, but this represents the vast majority. On the surface, SSB radio and sat phones have much in common. Each offers the ability to handle email, receive weather information, make emergency calls, and contact shoreside telephone stations. Hardware, plus ongoing usage costs, put the expense of either option in the same order of magnitude, based on a couple of years of use. For typical cruising budgets, how do you choose what makes sense?


Satellite phone basics


A satellite phone is much like having a cellular phone that works 48° NORTH, JULY 2010 PAGE 34


at sea. The familiar form and use can make it a more comfortable choice: with some variability for satellite footprint and signal strength, it really can be as simple to use as placing a phone call. Accessing weather information is


handled by using the phone as a data modem for an on board computer. Files requested from NOAA, saildocs, and other sources provide forecasts, raw weather data in the form of GRIB files, or information from other sources such as a weather routing service. Email functionality puts the phone into service as a modem as well. On board email enables updating publicly posted position reports, sending personal messages, or updating a blog. The biggest difference with the familiar shoreside cell phone is the rate of data transmission. Remember the old dial-up modem days? These are even slower! In an emergency, a sat phone


may put you in direct contact with appropriate marine or medical support. However, neither sat phone nor SSB replace an EPIRB. While sailing Totem from San Francisco to Seattle a few years ago, we had borrowed an Iridium


SSB Radio basics SSB radio may seem more


intimidating to the uninitiated, but new users will find local radio and boating clubs with experienced radio operators who are ready to lend a hand. While contacting friends or family at home on their telephone is not as simple as with a sat phone, it is still possible to call home. Ham radio operators are happy to assist boaters at sea with a shoreside phone patch. Using the radio for weather and


email requires additional hardware and software. A modem, (PACTOR is a popular choice) allows the radio to drive data communication. Transmitting data has similar mind-numbingly slow rates as satellite services, and is subject to radio propagation. On the other hand, there aren’t variable costs associated with the added time to send and receive data. Winlink is an organization that, among other resources, offers free email services. Winlink does require that you have a general class Ham license; however the licensing process is easier since knowing Morse code is no longer required. Sailmail is another email service and does not require a Ham license, but has an annual fee of $250. Both services share a catalog of pre-programmed products for weather to request. In the event of an emergency, SSB radio nets are well practiced at


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