SailMail

SailMail Email Service for Yachts via Iridium, Inmarsat, or SSB

[SailMail Primer] [Downloads] [Terms and Conditions] [WebMail] [Application Form] [Contact Us] [FCC Licenses]

 SSB-Pactor Station Locations Worldwide

Highlights: 

Pickup SailMail messages via any type of Internet access:

Airmail software allows SailMail members to easily take advantage of SailMail's efficient email protocol, compression, and spam/virus/attachment filtering over any communications system that provides access to the Internet (e.g. Iridium, Inmarsat, Globalstar, WiFi, 3G, GPRS, cellular...) in addition to providing email communications via SailMail's own worldwide network of SSB-Pactor radio stations.  To get details see www.sailmail.com/saildocs/internet  or send a blank email to internet@saildocs.com

New SailMail station in the Tuamotus:

We are pleased to announce a new station in the South Pacific. The location is Manihi atoll in the Tuamotus, Polynésie Française-- "Manihi" in Airmail's station list, callsign FOHXM. The station was established and is operated by Xavier Michel who has put in many years of hard work on Mahini,  and in obtaining the necessary permits and licenses from the French Government.

Please understand that this station is new, there are still some details to work out, and the station may be off-air occasionally for additional work.

If members want to receive an email that will automatically update the information on SailMail stations and frequencies that is used in their AirMail software, send an email to stations@saildocs.com

The SailMail Association is a non-profit association of yacht owners that operates and maintains an email communications system for use by its members.  SailMail email can be transferred via SailMail's own world-wide network of SSB-Pactor radio stations, or via satellite (Iridium, Inmarsat, Globalstar) or any other method of internet access (cellular networks, WiFi).   The SailMail system implements an efficient email transfer protocol that is optimized for use over communications systems that have limited bandwidth and high latency.  Satellite communications systems and SSB-Pactor terrestrial radio communications systems both have these characteristics.   The SailMail email system's custom protocol substantially reduces the number of link-turn-arounds and implements compression, virus filtering, spam filtering, and attachment filtering.  The combination of the protocol, compression, and filtering dramatically improves communications efficiency.

The SailMail Association also maintains its own world-wide network of SSB-Pactor private coast stations in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service.   Email that is sent to a SailMail member's email address can be seamlessly retrieved via SSB radio, via satellite, or via any other access to the internet.

Many budget-conscious SailMail members primarily use SailMail's network of SSB private coast stations to enjoy the most cost-effective email communications worldwide.  Other than the membership fee to join the SailMail Association and the initial hardware cost of a SSB and Pactor modem, there is no cost per message for use of the SailMail radio network.

Other SailMail members use the SailMail's world-wide network of SSB-Pactor radio stations, but also carry Iridium or other satellite communications in addition as a backup and for urgent communications in times of difficult HF propagation. 

Finally, some SailMail members primarily access the SailMail email system via their satellite system, taking advantage of SailMail's efficient communications protocol, compression, and filtering to minimize their satellite time and cost.   Some of these members also carry a Pactor modem for use with their SSB as a backup communications system to their satellite system.

The SailMail Association's network of HF private coast stations provides worldwide coverage.   Every SailMail station provides service in Pactor, Pactor-II and Pactor-III.  SailMail's stations and their frequencies are as follows:

(if members want to receive an email that will automatically update the information on SailMail stations and frequencies that is kept in their AirMail software, send an email to stations@saildocs.com)

For registration and other information, scroll down this webpage or click here.

Background of SailMail

Stan Honey WA6IVA organized the SailMail Association, obtained the necessary FCC licenses, begged, borrowed, and bought the necessary equipment, wrote the internet gateway/multiple-station synchronization software, and assembled and installed the initial SailMail radio stations.  Jim Corenman KE6RK wrote the AirMail program that serves as the email client running on PC's aboard member vessels and also is used at the SailMail stations.  Jim and Sue Corenman installed the stations in Rockhill, Honolulu, Texas, Florida, and Chile.  Steve Chamberlin was the first member and user of the SailMail system and helped finance the founding of the association.  Shea Weston of Offshore Outfitters, one of SailMail's most experienced dealers, provides SailMail's tech support phone service (619) 980-6215, and provides much of the hardware maintenance for SailMail's US stations.  Sally Lindsay Honey, Jo Boynton, and Sue Corenman manage membership registration and help run the network.  The current directors of the SailMail Association are Stan Honey, Jim Corenman, Sally Lindsay Honey, Steve Chamberlin, Sue Corenman, and Shea Weston.

All users of the SailMail service must join the SailMail Association in order send and receive email via the SailMail system and to access the stations.   The SailMail Association pro-rates the expenses for the email system and station operation among the members of the Association.    The membership assessment is $250 per vessel, per year.  This assessment is subject to change in the future as the number of members, the cost of station operation, and the cost of setting up additional stations vary.   Any membership assessments received by the Association in excess of the funds required will be refunded to the members, pro-rata to each member's paid-in fee's.   

The SailMail Stations could not be operating now without support from Chuck Hawley and the Rockhill, Palo Alto, Honolulu, Corpus Christi, South Daytona, and San Diego staffs of West Marine, Shea Weston of Offshore Outfitters,  Mark Robinson of Pactor Communications Australia, Richard Spindler of Latitude 38, Don Melcher of HF Radio On Board, ICOM, Sally Lindsay Honey of Spinnaker Shop, Eric Steinberg of Farallon Electronics, and Martin (DL1ZAM) of SCS Inc.  Please take lots of business to these companies in thanks for their support of SailMail.  

Many thanks to the operators of overseas stations that handle SailMail traffic: Derek and Jeanine Barnard of Penta Comstat in Firefly NSW Australia, Justice Malanot of Bushmail in South Africa, William Latter of LMR Communications in Lunenburg Nova Scotia, Allan Riches of Brunei Bay Radio in Brunei Darussalam, Philip Cazaerck in Belgium, Craig Owings commodore of the (late) Pedro Miguel Boat Club in Panama,  Ian and Maggy Staples in Los Lagos Chile,  Philip Jones and his staff at the Abu Tig Marina in Egypt, Aaron Hutchinson in Trinidad, and Xavier Michel in the Tuamotus.  We would also like to thank Mark Robinson who has been instrumental in setting up many of SailMail's international stations.

In addition, a number of others contributed to the effort:   Jim Jennings W5EUT, Hans Kessler N8PGR, and Steve Waterman K4CJX were supportive and their work on Netlink, Winlink, and the Ham networks paved the way for the SailMail Association system.

What are the advantages of using the SailMail email system and AirMail software via my Iridium, Inmarsat, or Globalstar system?

SailMail's email system implements a communications protocol that is optimized for low-bandwidth and high-latency communications systems.  Satellite and SSB-Pactor communications both have these characteristics.  The SailMail protocol minimizes the number of link-turn-arounds, provides virus/spam/attachment filtering, and compresses the data.  The result of this processing is a dramatic increase in the efficiency of email communications over satellite.  The SailMail protocol can transfer about 10 times the email messages in the same satellite time as can a conventional pop3/smtp communications protocol.

The use of the SailMail email system over satellite is seamless with email communications using SailMail's worldwide network of SSB-Pactor radio stations.  This means that you can pick up or send messages to or from your SailMail email address via any of SailMail's worldwide SSB-Pactor stations or via any satellite communications system or via any other system providing internet access.  You do not need to check multiple email addresses.

What kind of email services does SailMail provide over the SSB-Pactor radio network?

Depending on propagation, the quality of your radio (especially grounding system) installation, the type of equipment used, and the distance from the station, members are able to send and receive internet email at a rate varying from 10 to 500 characters per second using Pactor-III.  These rates approximately compare to sending and receiving text on a PC using a modem of between 110 and 4800 baud  (remember those days?).

Clearly this does not allow "browsing the Internet."  The objective of the SailMail station is not to provide "Internet Access" in any general sense but instead to allow sailors to send and receive Internet email from the high seas.  These transfer rates, while stunningly slow by modern standards, are sufficient for sending and receiving email messages.  For example an email message that could fit on one half of a type-written page would comprise about 1000 characters, and would take 2 to 90 seconds to transfer. 

A half-page email is plenty long enough to send an update to family and friends, to order parts, to arrange travel, or to handle other logistical issues.  A half-page email is a typical example, but the station will allow email messages that are up to 10kBytes in length for members using Pactor-III.   For reference, 10kBytes is about 5 type-written pages.  There is no additional cost beyond the membership fee; i.e. there are no per-message fees.  Members are required, however, to limit their use of the SailMail stations to a running average of 90 minutes per week, calculated over the previous week.  Members can send email to any Internet email address, and can receive email from anyone, addressed to:  CALLSIGN@sailmail.com     (where CALLSIGN is your boat's marine callsign which should look something like WXY1234)

For example a typical email address for a SailMail member vessel could be:  WXY1234@sailmail.com

The SailMail Association has frequency allocations from 2 to 22 MHz at the stations.   These frequencies provide communications at distances up to about 5000 miles from each station.  SailMail has worldwide coverage and a number of members of the SailMail Association have circumnavigated and have used SailMail throughout their circumnavigation.

What does it cost to join the SailMail Association and to use the email system and the stations?

All users of the SailMail service must join the SailMail Association in order to use the system.   The SailMail Association pro-rates the expenses for email system and station operation among the members of the Association.    The membership assessment is $250 per vessel, per year.  This assessment is subject to change in the future as the number of members, the cost of station operation, and the cost of setting up additional stations vary.  Any membership assessments received by the Association in excess of the funds required will be refunded to the members, pro-rata to each member's paid-in fee's.   

There is no per-message fee or connect-time fee for the use of SailMail's radio stations, although members must limit their usage of the SailMail radio stations to 90 minutes per week. 

There is no per-message fee and no limit on the number of messages sent through the SailMail email system and picked up via satellite or other internet access, although the member will have to pay separately for their satellite time and/or for their internet access.

Membership assessments pay for membership for one year from the date that the assessment is received.

Memberships are only available for one year periods, and are not refundable for any reason, including changes in a members cruising plans, or difficulties in using SailMail.

Can I receive weather information via the SailMail system?

Yes, there are lots of options.  

You can use the SailMail system itself to receive text or grib weather forecasts at no charge.  The easiest way (free) is to use SailDocs.com   For information send an empty email to info@saildocs.com     It is also possible to request no charge text forecasts directly from the US National Weather Service.  For information, send an email to  ftpmail@ftpmail.nws.noaa.gov  and in the first and only line of the message put "help".  

Several commercial services format and email text and grib weather forecasts for a fee.  BuoyWeather, Ocens, MaxSea, MovingWeather, Météo-France, and many others are in that business.

You can use SailMail to communicate with a meteorologist or commercial weather service (e.g. Commanders Weather), who can advise you on reasonable departure dates and routes, and can send you periodic routing advice during your passage.   We highly recommend this, particularly for new cruisers who have not yet become confident in their ability to interpret weather data.  See the FAQ section of the SailMail Primer for a list of meteorologists and commercial weather services who are expert at advising cruisers. 

Finally, there are fax weathermaps and SITOR text weather forecasts that are broadcast by the US Coast Guard and by other HF stations around the world.  Your SCS PTC-II modem can be used in conjunction with your laptop to receive these broadcasts.  See the FAQ section of the SailMail Primer, and the Downloads page of this website for more details.

How do I sign up or renew my membership?

1. Read the Terms and Conditions of the SailMail Association.
2. Download and print  copies of the FCC Licenses for the US SailMail stations, and keep the copies aboard.  While you are at it download and print a copy of the SailMail Primer and any relevant Application Notes from the Primer and keep them aboard  for reference.
3. Go to the Application Form on this website and follow the instructions.
4. When your account is set up or renewed, you will receive a confirming email to your internet email address and to your SailMail address.  This often takes up to a week; sometimes shorter when things work out conveniently, and sometimes longer when the sysops are out of town on their day jobs or off sailing themselves (it is only fair).  Do not leave registration or renewal until the last minute.  It is easier to do your installation when your registration is already complete and you can immediately test your system.
5. If you are renewing, there is no advantage in waiting until the last minute.  Your membership will be extended for one year from the time that it would have otherwise expired.

How do I contact the SailMail Association?

See the Contact Us page on this website.
 

How do I set up the gear to access the SailMail SSB-Pactor stations?

You need to acquire a Pactor-modem, which is basically a special modem available from ham radio or marine electronics dealers that is designed to transfer data over radio.   The SailMail system works best with the SCS PTC-IIpro or SCS PTC-IIusb. The SCS  PTC-IIex is cheaper but does not have the ability to set the frequency on your radio, which is handy.  The PTC-IIpro, costs approximately $1200 (including a Pactor-III license).    Both the PTC-IIpro and IIusb have a radio control output which enables those modems to remotely set the frequency on certain radios (i.e. Icom 700Pro, Icom 710, Icom 802, Sea235, SGC2000).   If you have one of these radios and want your laptop to set the frequency on it (highly recommended) you should buy the PTC-IIpro or IIusb.  If you get a PTC-IIex and want your laptop to remotely set the frequency on your radio, you will need to go through the hassle of adding a second serial port to your laptop (the first serial port is used by the SCS PTC-IIex itself).    Any PTC-II modem (II, IIe, IIex, IIpro, IIusb) can be licensed for a fee (to an SCS dealer or to SCS, not to SailMail) to use the  Pactor-III protocol.  If licensed to use Pactor-III, the modems are capable of data transfer rates up to 500 characters per second.  There are no other differences between the modems and elsewhere in this documentation the terminology PTC-II will be used to refer to both modems.    Note that SCS used to build a modem with the model designation SCS PTC-II (with no suffix).  This modem also includes a radio interface with most of the features of the SCS PTC-IIpro (and IIusb), but with different wiring on the radio remote control cable. 

The SailMail system will also work with older design Pactor-I modems, such as the Kam+, Kam98, PK232, MFJ1276, or MFJ1278B, although we recommend against it.    If you use one of these modems the distance at which you can connect, and your data transfer rates will be dramatically reduced.  The SG-7200 HF modem is not compatible with the AirMail software.

Members should limit their use of the SailMail stations to 90 minutes per week.  So if you intend to send or receive more than one or two short emails per day you will need to use Pactor-III.  SCS PTC-II modems that have been licensed to use Pactor-III transfer data 3-5 times faster than Pactor-II.  Finally, the SCS PTC-II modems make terrific DSP-based weatherfax demodulators, using software that is available off of the internet (see the downloads page on the SailMail Website).

Once you buy your Pactor-modem, there is still much to do:  you will need hook up the Pactor-modem with your radio and laptop, download the AirMail software, set it up, and learn how to operate the system.   This can be tricky unless you get help.

You have two choices: 

1. You can buy the Pactor-modem yourself, figure out and make the interface cables, download the software, read the documentation, and sort it all out.  If you want to take this approach, there are instructions on this website in the SailMail Primer and in application notes referenced from the SailMail Primer.    Alternatively...
2. you can get help from your marine/ham radio dealer who will sell you the Pactor-modem, supply the special cables to connect it to your radio, hook it up, load the AirMail software in your laptop, and show you how to operate it.  The radio-specific cables with ferrites etc. and installation will typically cost about $200-300.    Even if you take this approach, you should print out the SailMail Primer, and keep it aboard as a reference.

Unless you either like sorting out details of interfacing laptops and radios, or you are bored to tears and looking for a challenge, we suggest that you contact your marine/ham radio dealer.  It may turn out that you will need changes made in the configuration of your marine SSB in any event.   If this is the case, then you will need the help of a  licensed marine radio technician to make these changes.  If you (sensibly) decide to get the help of a dealer, you may find it helpful to refer to the SailMail Installation Checklist, when you contract with your dealer, to make sure that no steps are overlooked.

There are many radio dealers who can sell and install an Pactor-modem for you.  They will obviously charge you for their services to do the installation, but they are earning their money; the installation requires skill.   Some of these dealers are:

CANADA

UNITED STATES

CARIBBEAN

EUROPE

AFRICA

SOUTH PACIFIC

ASIA

If other dealers are interested in being listed here, please email sysop@sailmail.com .

Again, if you do use a dealer and arrange for a professional installation, be sure to refer to the Installation Checklist that is posted on this website.  Discuss with your dealer in advance the cost and which steps on the checklist he or she intends to complete.  Be sure to watch the installation and checkout to gain familiarity with the system and installation.

How does SailMail's SSB-Pactor radio network compare to Ham Radio?

SailMail is not a Ham Radio system.  You do not need a Ham license.  All you need is to have a properly licensed marine SSB and join the SailMail Association (see the Terms and Conditions for eligibility).  

The Pactor-modem that you purchase, however, can be used on digital networks run by Ham Radio operators.  Thus if you are a Ham, or if you become one, you can use your Pactor-modem on the Ham networks as well.  Many SailMail members have developed an interest in radio from their use of SailMail and have subsequently become licensed Hams and use the Ham WinLink system as well as SailMail.  Conversely, many Hams who use the Ham WinLink system have joined SailMail in order to use SailMail for business-related communications that cannot be handled via Ham radio.  

SailMail members use the AirMail software to access the SailMail network, which is the same software that is used by Hams to access the WinLink network.  Therefore cruisers who use both SailMail and WinLink can conveniently keep all of their messages in the same set of folders on their onboard PC, and only have to deal with one software program.

The Ham networks offer greater geographic coverage and contain more stations than SailMail or any other HF network.   Further, the ham networks do not have any limits on connect-time, and permit users to send and receive file attachments like images and binary executables.  By comparison, SailMail has usage limits of 90 minutes per week and only passes certain attachments (e.g. weather data).  Note, however, that while it is appropriate to send business-related messages over the SailMail system, business messages are not permitted on the Ham networks.

The SailMail system does not incorporate either a Ham Radio style bulletin board system or a land-line bulletin board system.  Instead, the SailMail system only forwards plain-text internet email messages (and certain attachments) via SSB radio.  (Note, however, that SailMail can be used to retrieve weather data by using the SailDocs auto-responder)

The SailMail stations are set up in the same configuration as that used on the Ham Radio digital networks for many years; each transceiver is hooked through an automatic antenna tuner to a single antenna.  Each transceiver scans a dedicated set of frequencies and can connect to only one user at a time.

Can I use my Pactor-modem on other commercial marine email systems?

Yes, the SCS Pactor Modems can be used for other commercial radio networks in addition to the Ham networks.   KielRadio modems can be used on the SailMail system if set up correctly.  See the application note on the SailMail Primer.

I want to run my business from my cruising boat and need reliable communications throughout the day; is SailMail the right solution?

In part.  Use SailMail for the email processing, filtering, and compression, but also get either an Iridium or  Inmarsat system because there are some times of day where propagation is not suitable to allow SSB communications, depending on your distance from the nearest stations.

Iridium offers voice and 2400 baud data service worldwide for about $2.00 per minute.

KVH Tracphones are a good choice for Inmarsat.   The KVH Fleet33 Inmarsat system has nearly worldwide coverage and costs about $33 per Megabyte of data transferred.   The KVH FB250 Inmarsat system covers the Atlantic and Indian Oceans now, and will have Pacific Ocean coverage in the fall of 2008.  It costs about $13 per Megabyte of data transferred.

Globalstar, in spite of their name, only offers terrestrial and coastal coverage (i.e. on land or within 200 miles of land).   Globalstar offers voice and 9600 baud data access for about $1.00 per minute. 

Whichever satellite system you use, consider joining the SailMail Association and using the SailMail system and AirMail software to send and receive your email via satellite.  The efficient protocol, compression, and virus/spam/attachment filtering of the SailMail system will dramatically reduce your satellite costs.  If you additionally install a SCS Pactor modem for use with your SSB you can also send and receive email via SailMail's network of SSB-Pactor stations at zero cost per message as a backup to satellite or to reduce your communications cost.

Are translations available for the SailMail documentation?

http://babelfish.altavista.com/ is a website that can translate anything.  It isn't perfect for technical instructions, however, so for tricky technical bits it would be best to find somebody who can read English.

[ SailMail Primer ] [ Downloads ] [ Terms and Conditions ] [ WebMail ] [ Application Form ] [ Contact Us ] [ FCC Licenses ]