You can’t use the SkyMate satellite system to surf the Internet. It can’t be used to watch TV. It’s not a satellite phone. However, using packet switching technology and message bursts that typically last less than one second, it can accomplish virtually every other communication task you might require, even where a satellite link or HF radio are the only ways to stay connected. Skymate’s communication trade-off decisions result in a system that is easy to install, is small enough to fit on almost any boat, is a miserly consumer of electrical power and is relatively inexpensive to buy and to use.

SkyMate will send and receive e-mail, however attachments to incoming e-mail are stored on their Web site for downloading when you have access to a landline or wifi connection to the SkyMate Web site. Incoming e-mail sources include your personal account in the SkyMate Web server or any POP3 mailbox you designate in the setup. In addition to normal e-mail messages you send, it delivers e-mails as a fax or converts them into phonemes and delivers them as a voice message to a telephone (in the same synthesized voice we are used to hearing from our computers or on the VHF NOAA weather channels). Equipped with its optional SentryMate kit, the SkyMate can monitor the bilge-water level, battery charge and availability of shore power. The system can send periodic routine status reports, plus immediate e-mail or voice alerts upon detection of a problem. The boat’s GPS position can be automatically e-mailed to a designated list of recipients on a set schedule or on command.

A wide range of weather information can be obtained via a request message. Almost real-time NOAA NEXRAD weather radar information can be requested for a selected radius centered on the boat’s position. All of the NOAA text weather reports— coastal, offshore, high seas and data from buoys—are available in addition to the 500 MB surface, wind and wave forecasts. The user has access to a full suite of up-to-the-minute weather data.

The SkyMate Web site provides a “weblog” on which users can post their observations for viewing by other SkyMate users. The system can also be configured to access user selected “Yahoo!” content, such as stocks, sports scores, news and the like, and e-mail the information to the subscriber when it becomes available or when he requests it.
SkyMate’s communication link is via the Orbcom Satellite system, a constellation of 30 low-earth-orbit (515 miles high) satellites, supported by 112 ground stations on 4 continents.

Communication between the shipboard equipment and the satellites is in the marine VHF band. There is no need for a gyro-stabilized radome-enclosed antenna, a simple VHF whip does the job. Whenever a satellite is in range of the boat and one of the ground stations, the communication path is a “bent pipe,” with signals instantly relayed by the satellite to and from the vessel and the terrestrial network. When out of range of an earth station, a satellite stores the messages it receives from vessels or earth stations until it comes into range of a designated recipient.

It’s easy to get the system working. (See sidebar for installation notes.) Load the program CD into the PC and install the program on the hard disc. Establish an Internet connection with the SkyMate Web site and register the system.

Once the hardware is in place, plug the data cable into the computer, apply power to the communicator and verify that the status LEDs confirm the availability of power and that the system is searching for a satellite. (An annuciator light that can be remotely mounted at the chart table indicates when a satellite is availability.) Open the SkyMate program on the PC and check that everything is working properly. A click on the “statistics” icon opens a data page that provides you with a great deal of useful information.

Preparing e-mail messages is a totally uncomplicated operation. Receiving e-mail messages is equally simple, just select the e-mail inbox and open the messages you wish to read. The system provides two means for controlling the receipt of messages, a keyword that must be present in the subject line or a list of approved addresses stored on the SkyMate server.

The cost of the hardware is reasonable, especially when you consider that the communicator is not produced in the vast numbers enjoyed by the builders of PCs. The total investment will range from about $1,200 to $1,400 depending on the options selected. As with all other similar communication systems, the real cost is in the message or usage charges. SkyMate charges $0.002 for each byte of data sent through the system. A typical line in an e-mail contains about 100 bytes. A 10-line e-mail, therefore, would cost about $2. The charges for the service plans begin at the very basic level and $5 and top out at the most complete level and $70.

Provided you understand the many attributes of the SkyMate and the things it cannot do, the system can be an effective, easy to install, dead simple to use and quite an economical answer to your need to reach out and touch someone.
SkyMate, www.skymate.com, 866-SKYMATE

Sirius Marine Weather
Raymarine, via its E-Series multifunction navigational displays, brings us detailed weather data from Sirius Satellite Radio. The new Raymarine SR 100 satellite weather receiver module brings to the helm WSI NOWRad weather radar, storm tracks, sea-surface temperature, wind, surface pressure, wave heights, lighting and more. The E-Series interface enables captains to view and animate weather forecasts in a full screen or within windows alongside the chartplotter, radar and fishfinder functions. The SR 100 is also compatible with Raymarine’s SeaTalkhs network, which allows a handful of E-Series displays to simultaneously access weather forecasts.

Available for purchase only in the U.S., Sirius Marine Weather Service coverage includes the 48 contiguous states, most of Canada, Mexico and waters extending hundreds of miles into the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. A subscription to the weather service is required to receive forecasts aboard your boat.www.raymarine.com