Evolution of Text Weather for Sailors

Robert Michelin
-
0

Rugged hardware is important. Marine devices need to need to particularly resistant to water intrusion at connections.

1. The Iridium Extreme 9575 satphone (see PS March 2013) remains a popular rugged satellite phone for cruising sailors. Offer-ing both voice and text options, it retails for about $1,1000. Voice and data plans begin at $55 per month.
2. LIke the Iridium Go, the DeLorme In Reach, first introduced in 2013, is a compact “hotspot” that synchs with other devices allowing you to send text messages using you at relatively affordable rates (see PS March 2013).
3. HF weatherfax printers are getting eclipsed by blackbox or satcom devices. It prints weather maps from government agencies using approved weather frequencies.
4. The Garmin InReach Explorer+ combines communication and navigation capabilities in a stand-alone device. The InReach sells for about $350. Bare bones, emergency service plans start at $15 per month.
5. The Iridium Go presents the most compact form factor of all the devices that we’ve tested to date.
© Belvoir Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved.