SSB & VHF radio training | Yacht Communications page

* HF SSB Email and SCS Pactor modems

SSB shortwave radio email systems offer a low cost alternative to mobile and satellite phone systems and offers near global coverage. Most SSB email system work on an annual subscription, so there are no line-time or number of bits transfer charges as with mobile phone or satellite systems.

To use SSB Email you require an SSB radio such as the ICOM IC-M710 or ICOM M802, a radio modem and a computer running Mircosoft Windows 95 or above operating system.
Once you have your SSB radio to the correct frequency and connected up to your PACTOR modem, sending SSB email is as easy as sending email via your telephone line or mobile phone.

SSB Email

Frequencies & licencingThe frequencies used, in the main, are within marine allocated frequency bands and hence your ship's radio licence covers you for transmitting on these frequencies. Some USA stations do use private frequencies which may not be covered by your ships radio licence and you may find that your marine SSB transceiver will not transmit on some of the privately used frequencies.SailCom Marine can re-program the ICOM M710 to work on these frequencies.

Marine SSB and Email

SSB radio Modem and Transmission Media
You need to have a special radio modem to send and receive email via SSB. Most SSB email services providers transmit using a transmission media call PACTOR. PACTOR modems are manufactured by SCS in Germany.
Using PACTOR-III transmission speeds of 2.8 kbits per second or sometimes faster (3.6k max) can be achieved. For more information on PACTOR visit WWW.PACTOR.INFO

Click here for details on price
and ordering details of PACTOR modems

SCS PTC-IIpro

Global Link Network - Europe's leading marine SSB email provider
Global Link Network is Europe's leading marine SSB email provider.
  • Global Link Network SSB services includes:-
    • Receiving and sending email, up to 10 Mbs per year.
    • Receive weather information and send position reports.
    • Operates on marine allocated frequencies.
    • Software used is standard e-mail and web browser software such as Microsoft Outlook Express and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
    • Kiel Radio works with SCS PTC-IIe PACTOR modem using professional version of PACTOR III.
    • Secure link, Kiel Radio uses the professional version of PACTOR III which offers users security when sending or receiving messages.
SailCom Marine can provide you with the SCS PACTOR modem and connecting leads, click here for details. 		Stations within the network
Germany, Kiel DAO 5 Channels on air
Switzerland, Bern HEB 7 Channels on air
Philipines, Manila DZO 3 Channels on air
USA, Washington KKL 1 Channel on air

sign you up for the service.
Click here to visit the Kiel Radio web site

Sailmail - Global SSB Email service

Sailmail is a USA organization offering SSB email service to yachtsmen for just $250 year. Sailmail used a client software package called Airmail which is available free of charge. Sailmail coverage is very good, with a global network of stations, including a station here in Europe and the Red Sea.

Sailmail operates on a mixture of private and marine frequencies so do make sure that your marine SSB transceiver has been modified to cover the frequencies operated by Sailmail. The European version of the ICOM M710 will need to be modificated. For the M710 this is a simple software change, at YachtCom we have the software and tools and can do this for you.

The best modem to use with Sailmail is the SCS PTC-IIusb with PACTOR III. Using the SCS PTC-IIusb modem with the Sailmail software allows for remote tuning of your ICOMM710 or M802 transceiver.

SailCom Marine can provide you with the SCS PACTOR 3 modem configured to work with SailMail including connecting leads to your SSB transceiver, click here for details.

SSB Email frequencies for SailMail European Station

Station callsign: OSY
Location: Brugge, Belgium
Ship station dial receive frequencies in kHz. Ship station dial
transmit
frequencies in kHz.		 Channel ID
(Callsign given in morse code)		 Status
6329.0 6329.0 OSY ON AIR
8420.5 8420.5 OSY ONAIR
12579.0 12579.0 OSY ON AIR
16806.5 16806.5 OSY ON AIR

For further details on Sailmail visit
www.sailmail.com.

For further details on Airmail client software visit
www.airmail2000.com

HF SSB email and satellite or mobile phone or WiFi conection
SailMail - more then SSB eamil
If you have an internet connection into your computer
(e.g. a WiFi connection in port, or mobile-phone or sat-phone)
then you can connect directly to Sailmail via internet, instead of connecting via HF-Radio. This is very handy when you are ashore or in a marina where internet access may be available, and radio conditions are often very poor because of local electrical interference. 		SailMail - one email address many connections
Using the Airmail email software you can connect to the Sailmail server via internet and send/receive messages, the same as a radio connection except much faster. The same compression is also used, making this a much more efficient connection than a POP3/SMTP email connection- this is especially useful for cell-phones and sat-phones.
At SailCom Marine we can set your PC up for both SSB email & Satellitel or GSM or WiFi connection via
SailMail.

SailMail Station Locations

SailMail Sation location Callsign Frequencies in kHz
Brugge, Belgium OSY 6330.0, 8422, 12580.5, 16684.5
Red Sea, Abu Tig Marina, Egypt SSM678 2824.5, 4162.5, 6239.5, 8325.5, 12394.5, 16598.5, 18866.5, 22645.5
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada XJN714 4805.0, 7822.0, 10523.0, 13937, 18234.0, 21866.0
Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA KZN508 2656.4, 5876.4, 7961.4, 7981.4, 10331.0, 13992.0, 13998.0, 18618.0, 18630.0
Daytona, Florida, USA WPUC469 2807.8, 5818.0, 8009.4, 10366.4, 13921.4, 18381.4, 22961.4
Friday, Washington, USA WHV382 2794.4, 5830.0, 7995.0, 10315.0, 13940.0, 18277.0
Corpus Christi, Texas, USA WPTG385 2720.8, 5859.4, 7941.4, 10361.4, 13906.4, 13926.4, 18376.4, 22881.4
Chiriqui, Panama HPPM1 4071.5, 5731.5, 8181.5, 10446.5, 13876.5, 18436.5, 23046.5
Chiriqui, Panama HPPM2 4078.5, 5738.5, 8188.5, 10453.5, 13883.5, 18443.5, 23053.5
Chaguaramas, Trinidad 9Z4DH 2212, 5005, 7405, 10150, 13548, 17103, 18172, 20528
Palo Alto, California, USA WRD719 5881.4, 7971.4, 10343.0, 13971.0, 13986.0, 18624.0
San Luis Obispo, California, USA WHV861 2800.4, 5861.4, 8020.4, 10320.0, 10982.0, 13915.0, 13946.0, 18296.0
San Diego, California, USA WQAB964 2759.0, 5740.0, 7380.0, 10206.0, 13874.0, 18390.0, 23060.0
Maputo, Mozambique RC01 5212.0, 7957.4, 10335.0, 13930.0, 18264.0, 22212, 27888.0
Brunie V8V2222 5212.0, 6305.0, 8399.0, 10323.0, 13426.0, 14987.0, 16786.0, 18893.0, 20373.0, 22352.0
Los Logos, Chile CEV773 2828.5, 5266.5, 10620.0, 10623.0, 13861.5, 13875.0
Honolulu KUZ533 2701.4, 5836.0, 7957.4, 10325.0, 13930.0, 18264.0
Firefly, New South Wales, Australia VZX 2824.0, 4162.0, 5085.8, 6357.0, 8442.0, 10476.2, 12680.0, 13513.8, 14436.2, 16908.0, 18594.0, 22649.0

Click here to order your SCS PACTOR modem

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