Sailmail

Sailmail is our choice of communication because it comes over the HF radio and it is able to be received mid-ocean. A great option when out of internet and phone range.

In 2016 we paid $270 for 12 months subscription.

The SailMail Association maintains its own world-wide network of SSB-Pactor private coast stations in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service.   The use of this network is available at no extra charge to SailMail members, but of course requires the member to have a SSB and Pactor modem. 

The SailMail system implements an efficient email transfer protocol that provides compression and message format conversion to minimize data charges, and works efficiently over communications systems that have high latency, such as satellite based communications systems.   The SailMail email system’s custom protocol implements compression, virus filtering, spam filtering, and attachment filtering.

SailMail also have a tool for requesting GRIB files through the system.  Once the GRIB file is received the program has a good GRIB viewer that's simple to operate. By having the one program for mail, GRIB and receiving weather fax's along with text weather forecast requests and viewing GRIBS, Faxes and HF/modem control  functions is a great time saver because it means we only need to maintain one program.The program  has a simplified interface to generate and send position reports.

We do not have a Sat Phone however if we do get one down the road we will subscribe to sailmail for data transfer. SailMail is now a certified application for the Iridium GO! Mobile Hotspot.  The Iridium GO! is a portable satellite terminal that provides Iridium voice and data access via WiFi connections to smart-phones, tablets and computers at more attractive rates than charged for similar data over Iridium phones.

ICOM  710 HF Radio

Pactor modem