Practical Sailor's gear and boat reviews take the guesswork out of your buying decisions.

Volume 30
Number 10
May 15, 2004

Globalstar Satellite Phone—Round One

A 'learning round' with Globalstar last year will, we hope, prepare us for a 'playing' round this coming summer.

Contributing Editor Scott Rosenthal attempts to send and retrieve e-mail in the far-flung Bahamas. The Globalstar phone leans against the cockpit coaming with antenna up. Data transmission was never as easy as voice communications.

While off cruising, sometimes you want to pretend that no one else exists except those in the private little universe on your boat. While offshore we often like to think that we're the only folks within the 30-square-mile "bubble" around our boat. Sometimes, though, we need to stay in touch with the the world outside the bubble.

There are many options. Radios, such as single-sideband (SSB), work well enough if the ionosphere cooperates. In the past, we've also reported on e-mail through SSB, PocketMail, and Orbcomm.…

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