Iridium phones

I purchased one last year for our trip up to Alaska and down to Mexico.
I have never used it, and in hind sight wished I had used that money
to buy a PACTOR III modem for my SSB radio. You can recieve the same
info/emails via the pactor modem that you would with the iridium data
connection.

If your thought is that you would call someone if you got in trouble,
the nearest help to you is going to be contacted by radio no by a phone
call.

On 21 Dec 2006 00:13:34 -0800, "Mark R." <markread@sprintmail.com>
wrote:

>If your thought is that you would call someone if you got in trouble,
>the nearest help to you is going to be contacted by radio no by a phone
>call.

Yes but if you just want to find out how much SeaTow is going to
charge to pull you in from 60 miles out, it might be ideal. :-)

Hi,

I intend to sail from Trinidad and the Panama canal through the
Pacific back to Australia and New Zealand next year, unfortunately
solo.

I am contemplating the purchase of an Iridium phone to receive daily
emails such as buoyweather.

My question is- does anyone know how long the connect time taken
before the actual upload and download of email or data takes place.

I suppose one could call it "handshake time". I presume one has to pay
for this time.

Any experience using Iridium would be much appreciated

Peter Hendra
N.Z. yacht Herodotus

Wayne.B <waynebatrecdotboats@m> wrote in
news:c3iko2dinvel5hvpde887it0uulsfjaepv@:

> Yes but if you just want to find out how much SeaTow is going to
> charge to pull you in from 60 miles out, it might be ideal. :-)
>

What if it's "too much"? Do you just abandon ship?

Larry

Hi,
Has anyone any knowledge or experience of the C.A.R.D radar detection
system?

I have had a look at the web site but would appreciate any comments or
feedback. It seems as if it may be a way for me to be sensibly be able
to get more than 20 minutes at a time of sleep even though I know it
will not pick up any ships or fishinjg boats not using radar.

Several times at sea I have talked to shipping who could see me
visualy but could not pick me up on radar due to sea clutter
especially when seas were high.

Thanks

Peter Hendra
N.Z. yacht Herodotus

> Mine
> is currently inactive as the crystals got fried by an overdose of
> radiation, or so says the manufacturer.

You're not alone. A couple of friends have the same complaint about the
CARD. One unit was friend when he turned on his own radar.

I have a very old Combi unit (no longer made) which works great. But
AIS is so much better that I rarely turn the Combi on any more.

Jack

Would a car radar detector work?

I probably should know this answer but don't.

Car detector would not give direction or be as waterproof, but maybe
many times cheaper?

jack@ganssle.com wrote:
>> Mine
>> is currently inactive as the crystals got fried by an overdose of
>> radiation, or so says the manufacturer.
>
> You're not alone. A couple of friends have the same complaint about the
> CARD. One unit was friend when he turned on his own radar.
>
> I have a very old Combi unit (no longer made) which works great. But
> AIS is so much better that I rarely turn the Combi on any more.
>
> Jack
>