By Kevin

In a recent comment I was asked what we use for communications aboard. One of our goals has been to “get off the grid” for the year. Well, we realized pretty quickly that totally getting off the internet would deprive us of some important tools. For instance, certain weather resources, HOW-TO’s and manuals, and email and blogging tools for communicating with loved ones.

So, we started focusing less on getting off the grid and more on “getting off the time sucking social networks.” This was our original intention in getting off the grid. We want to spend our time reading novels, hanging out with our kids and each other, homeschooling, snorkeling, and watching sunsets. Not updating Twitter or Facebook or liking posts on Instagram.

With that in mind, here are the different tools we have available for communication.

VHF

VHF is a line-of-sight two-way radio system, similar to a marine CB. It is standard equipment on all but the smallest boats. It allows voice communication between your boat and other VHF stations (boat or shore) up to about 20 miles, depending on weather, the height of the antennas, and the wattage of the transmitters involved.

We use VHF frequently for hailing over vessels, bridges, dockmasters and even restaurants. Also, we can listen in on morning “radio nets,” which are group conversations each morning with the other cruising boats in the immediate area, where tips are shared and requests for help are broadcast.

We have three VHF radios. One is at the navigation station down below. One is in the aft cabin and is accessible from the cockpit helm station. The last one is a rechargable handheld that we take with us in the dinghy.

SSB

SSB (single sideband) is a long-range two-way radio system. SSB allows boats and shore stations to communicate over hundreds or thousands of miles. It is a HAM radio that is specifically designed for marine use.

We use our SSB almost every day. The primary use of SSB for us is to get weather reports. We listen to Chris Parker’s 6:30 AM weather reports on 4045. We also frequently download weather faxes using the SSB and MultiMode. Here are examplesof weather faxes that we review in order to plan our passages:

We have also listened to entertainment and news on the SSB from sources such as the BBC. 

Satellite Phone

We purchased an Immarsat IsatPhone Pro before leaving Fort Lauderdale. We also pre-purchased 500 airtime minutes and email and web browser compression software called Ocens.

The reason for the satphone, ostensibly, was for emergencies: to call our doctor back home or to call for a towboat, for example. We’ve used the satphone several times to call marinas for reservations when we were outside VHF range. We’ve also made some calls home to friends and family.

We set up the Ocens software so that we can send and receive emails while away from WIFI, which is most of the time. But, checking email is very slow on the IsatPhone Pro. It takes 3-10 minutes to send and receive a few emails.

We have successfully downloaded webpages using the satphone but we’ve had more success using a command line non-graphical browser instead of the Ocens’s modified version of the Firefox browser. (Check out Elinks or Lynx, if you have technical chops.) I’ve set up bookmarks to the specific pages that I need to download with the satphone so that I can retrieve just those pages without surfing around to any unneeded pages. Still, to download one simple page without the images will take 3-5 minutes.

WIFI

When we are in a marina or harbor that has a WIFI signal, we’ve found it absolutely essential to have an external WIFI antenna. The airport cards in our Mac laptops and iPads are just not beefy enough. We’ve chosen the Bear Extender products. Specifically, the Bear Extender Mini for Mac, 5dBi Antenna, and 16 ft USB extension cable.

When we need to we hoist the antenna partially up the mast with one of the flag halyards. Often we just need to put the antenna in the cockpit, with the USB cable going down through the companionway hatch to attach to my Mac laptop. Then, I set up internet sharing on my Mac laptop using my airport card. This allows the other laptops and iPads on board to share my laptop’s internet connection.

Mobile Phone

We have several mobile phones on board that run on the Sprint network. We were surprised to find out that they do work in the Bahamas when we are in range of cell towers. But, if we use them we are paying very high international roaming rates, which we want to avoid at all costs. So, we have them turned off and only use them as a last resort.