Gizmodo is reporting on the Grundig Yacht Boy. Not because it is such a special or unique device, it isn't, but because it can be used for things you might not have known about.
"The Grundig Yacht Boy 400PE is ostensibly a portable marine device for tuning in AM/FM and shortwave radio stations (as the 'Yacht Boy' moniker might have tipped you off to.) For those that want to explore the darker side of radio reception, however, the Yacht Boy becomes a indispensable tool for discovering and monitoring 'Numbers Stations', the shortwave radio stations that broadcast mysterious streams of five-figure number blocks throughout the night."
As long as real and flat-rate broadband satellite internet is not ubiquitous at sea, there will be a need to handle data traffic as efficient as possible. A detailed article in Digital Ship's February newsletter (pdf, p.8-13) looks at the various compression methods that are being used in order to optimize the throughput for satellite internet. There are different ways of doing it, and systems deployed by KVH, Inmarsat, Iridium, Seawave, Accelerator from Expand Networks and Globalstar are being reviewed and explained.
"Much attention is given to the compression of data, processing documents and image files so they use the minimum data possible, to reduce the ship shore communications cost. The choice is not whether to compress, but how well and how easily it can be achieved."
"While compression itself is important, preventing unwanted transmissions, repeat transmissions and making full use of available resources is perhaps even more important. Prevention coupled with superior compression remains the best approach to reducing costs."
It furthermore discusses the future of shipboard internet access as well, 'warning' Inmarsat that it will have to match its offering to that of the VSAT service providers. And, if that happens, we might be surprised about the market uptake of these services. Another development putting pressure on Inmarstat is of course the Boeing announcement that they will introduce their Connexion service to the maritime market.
"According to Worldlink, internet access onboard vessels will not happen with MPDS, but will only happen when VSAT like tariffs are available from Inmarsat. "If you consider downloading the CNN front page is 200-300 kilobytes that's about $12.0 at current going rates for MPDS," comments Asad Salameh, CEO of World-Link. "No compression or caching is going to reduce this number enough so that a crew member can relax on the internet."
Long article in Great Lakes Boating on the spread of Wi-Fi in marinas and on boats. The author makes a nice comment with regard to sailors and computers : "...and for the most part, people who are good with boats aren't necessarily good with computer science." He feels this is one of the reasons Wi-Fi isn't as widely spread as it could or should be.
"If your marina offers a Wi-Fi service, and you are not a computer nerd, I would recommend that you get a wireless network card, plug it into your computer, and see if you can see the Wi-Fi service. If you can, good. If you can't, remove the card and take it back to Best Buy and forget about the whole issue. Life is too short to hassle any further with it."
Came across SeaWave's Integrator 3.0 solution in combination with Inmarsat's Fleet 55. What I really like about this solution is that it provides 'least-cost routing' for all your voice and data traffic, depending on your location and availability of different (satellite) communication networks. Such a system can be created by anyone with enough expertise, but this one works out of the box. It does have some proprietary elements in it however, which makes the system somewhat inflexible.
"The Satcom Fleet 55 communications system automatically provides optimum performance at a minimum cost, without the need for a professional communications specialist. Those who enjoy the complicated process of managing communications may at first miss the romance of being the 'Sparks' on their yachts, but I suspect that romance will fade. After all, it's tough to beat the convenience of contacting anyone, virtually anywhere, at any time."
Good article over at Boating World explaining the configuration of a good VHF set-up by detailing the workings of the different components. Do not focus too much on the radio itself, understand the importance of the antenna and cables. Click here for an overview of good, but more expensive, antennas at Amazon.
"The basic rule of VHF communication is to buy the best antenna that you can find and install it so that it provides the maximum range and reception for your boat. Dave's friend, on the other hand, had saved some money by taking a different approach. He bought a good but inexpensive VHF that had the channels and features he needed, and then he used the savings from that purchase to add a high-performance antenna and top-grade connecting wire. The result was good range at a reasonable price. It's about the best mix you can get for your VHF needs. So before you buy your equipment, you should take a look at some antenna facts to see how to get top performance."
Today's Wall Street Journal discusses a problem many wi-fi users will recognize. Dead spots around you property where you can't get a signal. The same problem occurs at marina's offering Wi-Fi. Depending on your berth, you will or you won't get a signal. There are a couple of solutions to this problems, amongst which repeaters like this one and antennas like this one.
"But it turns out the popular Wi-Fi systems that beam the Internet throughout the home can have the same dead spots that drive cellphone users mad. "It's the wireless-network equivalent of 'Can you hear me now?' " says Doug Hagan, spokesman at Wi-Fi manufacturer Netgear. Now, computer companies are catering to this fixation with a new range of gadgets meant to stamp out those dead spots."
Technology is entering the boating world in many ways. The city of Amsterdam just announced (in Dutch) they will collect harbour/water taxes by SMS, cutting back on administration efforts and increasing ease of use. A similar system would of course be great for collecting mooring fees as well, in the same way that you can pay for your parking tickets in many European cities already.
In Ocean Navigators' eNewsletter EPIRBs (emergency position indicating radio
beacons) are explained. A very interesting read (not online yet), and a necessary one if you're thinking of buying/using one. It stresses the importance of registering your beacon for verificaton purposes. More then 90% of calls are false, and without any verification there is little hope you will be rescued.
"Let�s look at how 406 and 121 EPIRB signals are handled. A 406-MHz signal is picked up by a worldwide network of orbiting satellites generally within a couple minutes of activation. The 406 transmits the electronic serial number of your EPIRB. A GPS EPIRB adds GPS position of the unit to the transmission. Without GPS information, additional satellite passes are necessary to triangulate the location of the distress signal.
Think of it this way: The 121 says, "HELP." The 406 EPIRB says, "This is the vessel Serenity, and I need HELP." The 406 GPS EPIRB says, "This is the vessel Serenity; I�m at 40 degrees 50.223 minutes, 61 degrees 19.456 minutes, and I need HELP." Position can be determined without the GPS information, but it may take 30 minutes or so for 406 and several hours or more for 121."
Straightforward column in Yachting that discusses the different options for connecting your boat to the internet. As we know, different options are available depending on your specific requirements. Expect more developments in the near future...
"In response to year-round professional demands, more and more yachtsmen are equipping their boats with technology that enables them to cruise off the beaten path while making phone calls, exchanging e-mails and transferring files of all sizes. These communicat"ion capabilities, once enjoyed only by those aboard megayachts, are now available for midsize vessels."
Several companies are offering solutions that allow users to seamlessly roam between different types of (data and voice) networks, based on availability, but also preferences like bandwith and cost. Typically these solutions are hardware oriented (PC cards), but for offshore (30m+) use other types of connectivity (i.e. satellite) should also be included via a software solution. However, when sailing close to shore and with more and more marina's offering Wi-Fi access, these PC-cards can be a very interesting solution.
"'Seamless' to us means that the user isn't necessarily aware which wireless technology he or she is connecting by, and as he or she passes from one coverage zone to another - hotspot to GPRS, say - the system performs a smooth handover."
Gizmodo is reporting on the Grundig Yacht Boy. Not because it is such a special or unique device, it isn't, but because it can be used for things you might not have known about.
There are different ways of doing it, and systems deployed by KVH, Inmarsat, Iridium, Seawave, Accelerator from Expand Networks and Globalstar are being reviewed and explained.
Long 
Came across SeaWave's Integrator 3.0 solution in combination with Inmarsat's Fleet 55. What I really like about this 
"The basic rule of VHF communication is to buy the best antenna that you can find and install it so that it provides the maximum range and reception for your boat. Dave's friend, on the other hand, had saved some money by taking a different approach. He bought a good but inexpensive VHF that had the channels and features he needed, and then he used the savings from that purchase to add a high-performance antenna and top-grade connecting wire. The result was good range at a reasonable price. It's about the best mix you can get for your VHF needs. So before you buy your equipment, you should take a look at some antenna facts to see how to get top performance."
Today's Wall Street Journal 
Technology is entering the boating world in many ways. The city of Amsterdam just 
"Let�s look at how 406 and 121 EPIRB signals are handled. A 406-MHz signal is picked up by a worldwide network of orbiting satellites generally within a couple minutes of activation. The 406 transmits the electronic serial number of your EPIRB. A GPS EPIRB adds GPS position of the unit to the transmission. Without GPS information, additional satellite passes are necessary to triangulate the location of the distress signal.
Straightforward 
However, when sailing close to shore and with more and more marina's offering Wi-Fi access, these PC-cards can be a very interesting solution.