Satphone at sea- The How When Where and Why

by Georgie Roberts on 27 Aug 2010 Deciding you need satellite communications on a boat is a no-brainer - great to stay in touch with loved ones, and another vital safety link when you go to sea. But deciding the best solution in terms of cost and value is a little trickier. NOT getting it right can be very expensive.

Here Georgie Roberts, of British satellite communications provider, MailASail, advises sailors to invest time into choosing the correct piece of equipment to suit their needs and to educate themselves in doing so:

Give yourself time.
'Too many customers come to us a couple of weeks before setting off,' says Ed Wildgoose, Managing Director of MailASail. 'They are under the impression they know what they need and that they’ll be set up and ready to go in a maximum of 24 hours! It’s rarely the case. We always repeat the same message – allow yourself plenty of time to find the right equipment and to learn how to use it to the best of its ability.'

Ask yourself the right questions:
So if you’re thinking of investing in a satellite phone, or satellite internet, where do you start? First you need to determine what you want this equipment for. Do you want to make telephone calls with shore? How often? Do you need to be able to send emails? How many per day? Maybe you wish to have internet access for small jobs like reserving a table at a restaurant, or booking a flight? Or perhaps you need to be able to run your office from your boat? There is something out there for everyone, to suit all budgets.

Different scenarios means different solutions:

Let’s see if we can help with a few scenarios...

Scenario number one:
You’re fairly new to long distance sailing, and are looking forward to your first mid-ocean voyage in your new yacht. You’ve heard you won’t be able to get mobile phone signal all the way out there so need to find a solution!

Firstly, you’ve heard correct – mobile phone coverage fades out some miles off shore and the only real alternative is satellite connectivity. Your best option would be some sort of satellite telephone, geared up for ‘data’ (i.e. email capabilities). There are a few on offer varying in price and reliability.

In the handheld market there are three main players; Iridium, Inmarsat and Thuraya. With fully global coverage, Iridium wins hands down on the coverage front. Inmarsat will cover you nearly everywhere, whereas Thuraya’s coverage is a little more complex, but would just about suffice for Mediterranean sailing. Price follows a similar pattern, with Iridium being at the higher end of the scale, but not without reason, the Iridium 9555 is a reliable unit. Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro is still unproven, but admittedly attractively-priced and with good voice quality.

Scenario number two:
You have entered into a rally to cross an ocean somewhere, maybe Darwin to Indonesia or heading for the Caribbean. You are required to have automatic position reporting, but you would also like to be able to send daily emails and to keep those back home up to date on your progress. You’ll need some form of weather forecasting to plan your fastest and safest route, and you’d like a phone on standby for that ‘just in case’ scenario.

Iridium offer the best signal coverage with their global satellite system, and they currently have two main phones on offer; the portable 9555 and the fixed install 9522P. Both equally competent systems, the fixed version has the added convenience of neatly installing itself below deck, with easy data connectivity. The portable satellite phone offers all the convenience of a mobile phone, but can become slightly fussy when connected up for data, with various wires protruding. If budget is a factor, you’re looking at marginally higher prices for the fixed install with everything included. Once you include the external antenna and accessories required for the 9555, the price is merely a couple of hundred shy of the fixed. Get either of these two set up optimally and you’ll have no trouble downloading small daily weather forecasts and sending multiple emails. Plus, with pay-as-you-go airtime on offer, you don’t have to spend more than you need!

Scenario number three:
You’re planning a circumnavigation, expecting to be away from home for at least a year. Your day job involves overseeing your own business and you would like to have close contact with the office while you’re away. Casual web browsing would be desired.

For a complete marine broadband internet service, you’ve got two main players; Inmarsat and Iridium. Coverage is as described previously, and you’ve got the Iridium OpenPort, and the Inmarsat FleetBroadband series. The FleetBroadband series covers all users with the FBB150, FBB250 and FBB500 units increasing in speed and capability.

With higher start-up costs than handheld phones, there are no monthly line rental charges. Fantastic for moderate web-browsing, the FleetBroadband units come with everything in the box, including a handset and there are wireless handset options available. Plug and play technology at its best, it really is a no hassle solution to your on-board internet needs. Iridium OpenPort throws up fair competition, but seems to be similar money for a slightly slower system.

In conclusion:
Satellite communications as a general rule, are not as advanced as the broadband we’ve all become used to. They’re perceived as slow and expensive, but the most important message MailASail would like to put across is that this doesn’t have to be the case! It is possible to make them work faster, and to save some money, but it will require proper guidance and support from a good marine specialist service provider.

So make sure you don’t get fooled into buying the cheapest sat phone you can find from a 'sat phone supermarket'. You need to be talking to someone who understands the implications of using satellite communications at sea and how to get the best value and signal for the money you spend.

For more information about satellite communications solutions including airtime, hardware and support contact MailASail Satellite Communications http://www.mailasail.com/ . Alternatively, call the MailASail office from anywhere in the world on +44 (0)20 70 432 832. (To save the expense of calling internationally, Skype is a particularly excellent system for sailors everywhere)