Re: Alternatives to Starlink
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 8:22?AM, Peter Tollini via groups.io <sabre30@...> wrote:
I detect a powerful odor of politics infecting a sailing group. It¡¯s happened before and rarely ends well.? Pete On Feb 25, 2025, at 10:42 AM, James Wilson via groups.io <jameswilson29@...> wrote:
? The difference is one of attitude.? It seems a lot of new sailors cannot tell the difference between an inconvenience and a true emergency.? Your boat is sinking or on fire = emergency.? You lose electrical power, the engine won't start, there are big waves and strong winds, and you have some water ingress = inconvenience. Old school sailors believe in self-reliance; new sailors cry for help at the drop of a hat.? Old school sailor rescued themselves in the event of a dismasting?or took to a liferaft if the boat was really sinking; new school sailors are a bunch of babies who call for help when the freezer and a/c don't work, then think the USCG will take them back out to their boats to retrieve it.? New school sailors need internet access and satellite phones. **
James H. Wilson, Jr.
Attorney & Counsellor at Law By appt. only: 4860 Cox Road, Suite 200 Glen Allen, VA 23060 804-740-6464 jameswilson29@...
** On Tue, Feb 25, 2025 at 10:17?AM PIOTR SERWIK via <cuivier1= [email protected]> wrote: EPIBR and PLB simply send an SOS/Mayday, and VHF is very limited distance-wise. So not compatible at all. Regardless, I'm not about to extoll virtues of Starlink, but I was in situations without ability to communicate in a State-wide emergencies, and would have paid any price to be able to communicate.?
--
Allison
S426 Kingfisher
SF Bay/Pacifc Northwest
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
?Michel, ?
A good cell booster might be the ticket for you. We have Wilson booster with a bullet antenna and heavy antenna cable. ?It gives us a pretty good hotspot in sight of land usually.?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 4:20?pm, Michael Grishman via groups.io <mgrishman@...> wrote:
? OK.? I'm almost sorry I started this thread.? I did not bring this subject up to start any kind of political
discussion.? We only coastal cruise and only within the state of Maine.? We are never out of sight of
land and carry a VHF, two cell phones, and an EPIRB.? We do not think of Starlink as a piece of safety
gear but as a convenience to access email and the internet.?? I will say that the Starlink worked very well
for our intended purpose at anchor.? We have never used it underway and have no intention of doing so.
The antenna is stored below deck and brought out only at anchor.? We also find that the power drain
is a bit much.? We have to run either our charger/inverter or our genset to power it up therefor we
tend to use it sparingly.
Michael
Wind Walker
S402-097
On 2/25/2025 11:51 AM, Jonathan Ganz wrote:
Thank you! EPIRB or PLB. Sat phones are a good idea also.
--
Randy Drummond
Dazzle S38 mk2 206
Miami
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
The same with the garmin tracker as well. I get text right to my phone.?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 6:08?pm, Carter Brey via groups.io <carter.brey@...> wrote:
?
I suppose it's fair to say that Michael is seeking an Alternativ f¨¹r Sabre.
?
Seriously, if you don't need high bandwidth, I've had a great experience with Iridium Go Exec. Yes, it's much slower than Starlink. But a great safety advantage is the fact that you can simply bring it along with you should you need to abandon ship, sending
texts or making phone calls.
?
Carter Brey
T40 Lyra
City Island, NY
--
Randy Drummond
Dazzle S38 mk2 206
Miami
|
Re: Electric Head with Macerator
Yes we used the Dometic basic model. I forget the model number but it was chosen because it fit not because it¡¯s the best. It does work but you will want to add a shut off valve on the intake side.?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:00?pm, Tim Rivard via groups.io <tarivard@...> wrote:
?
Has anyone converted to an electric head with a macerator on a 38 MKII?
?
Tim R
38MKII in refit
--
Randy Drummond
Dazzle S38 mk2 206
Miami
|
Not really. The damper plate absorbs torsional "vibrations" between the flywheel and input shaft of the transmission to reduce the impulses of the cylinders firing. The torque limiter breaks free and slips when one gets a chain wrapped around the prop. :)
--
Bill Lloyd
River Plaza, NJ
1974 Chris Craft 22'
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
I agree. ?
And AST Mobile will be a great alternative soon. ?Possibly much better and less costly solution. ?Less power demand too.?
Please consider the environment before printing this email. Thank you.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 3:08?PM, Carter Brey via groups.io <carter.brey@...> wrote:
? I suppose it's fair to say that Michael is seeking an Alternativ f¨¹r Sabre.
?
Seriously, if you don't need high bandwidth, I've had a great experience with Iridium Go Exec. Yes, it's much slower than Starlink. But a great safety advantage is the fact that you can simply bring it along with you should you need to abandon ship, sending texts or making phone calls.
?
Carter Brey
T40 Lyra
City Island, NY
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
I suppose it's fair to say that Michael is seeking an Alternativ f¨¹r Sabre.
?
Seriously, if you don't need high bandwidth, I've had a great experience with Iridium Go Exec. Yes, it's much slower than Starlink. But a great safety advantage is the fact that you can simply bring it along with you should you need to abandon ship, sending texts or making phone calls.
?
Carter Brey
T40 Lyra
City Island, NY
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
Recently I gave the password to our Starlink to a friend. Unlike Shearwater we are not as well endowed with battery capacity, so we shut Starlink off when not being used. One night we went to bed and shut it down. The next day our friend mentioned he was watching a movie and then suddenly he wasn¡¯t. Shortly there after he saw a Gen 3 dish at Costco for $199 CDN. He did not deliberate for long.
Dave Second Star S362 #113 Fair Haven, NY/Lake Ontario
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 4:38?PM, Jim Starkey via groups.io <Jim@...> wrote:
We have a gen 2 dish mounted on a stern rail.? It's powered by 48
volt DC/DC converter and a POE injector.? It's plugged into a
Raspberry Pi 4 running Linux configured as a wireless router.? The
whole rig draws 3.5 to 4.5 amps (generally on the low side).? We
also have a masthead Ubiquiti Bullet configured as an access point
so our friends can share the internet. Running the cable was a major PITA, but that was mostly the fault
of our very non-standard boat.? Post 600 Ah LFP conversion, we
keep it on 24/7 just 'cause we can. If anyone runs into Shearwater in Maine (we're a drop-dead
gorgeous flag blue 42' sailboat without a traditional cove
stripe), come over for an adult beverage and WiFi password. We got our gen 2 Starlink when Starlink was still losing money
hand over fist, so I was taking money out of his pocket, at least
at first.
On 2/25/2025 4:20 PM, Michael Grishman
via groups.io wrote:
OK.? I'm almost sorry I started this thread.? I did not bring this
subject up to start any kind of political
discussion.? We only coastal cruise and only within the state of
Maine.? We are never out of sight of
land and carry a VHF, two cell phones, and an EPIRB.? We do not
think of Starlink as a piece of safety
gear but as a convenience to access email and the internet.?? I
will say that the Starlink worked very well
for our intended purpose at anchor.? We have never used it
underway and have no intention of doing so.
The antenna is stored below deck and brought out only at anchor.?
We also find that the power drain
is a bit much.? We have to run either our charger/inverter or our
genset to power it up therefor we
tend to use it sparingly.
Michael
Wind Walker
S402-097
On 2/25/2025 11:51 AM, Jonathan Ganz
wrote:
Thank you! EPIRB or PLB. Sat phones are a good idea also.
--
Jim Starkey,
AmorphousDB, LLC
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
We have a gen 2 dish mounted on a stern rail.? It's powered by 48
volt DC/DC converter and a POE injector.? It's plugged into a
Raspberry Pi 4 running Linux configured as a wireless router.? The
whole rig draws 3.5 to 4.5 amps (generally on the low side).? We
also have a masthead Ubiquiti Bullet configured as an access point
so our friends can share the internet.
Running the cable was a major PITA, but that was mostly the fault
of our very non-standard boat.? Post 600 Ah LFP conversion, we
keep it on 24/7 just 'cause we can.
If anyone runs into Shearwater in Maine (we're a drop-dead
gorgeous flag blue 42' sailboat without a traditional cove
stripe), come over for an adult beverage and WiFi password.
We got our gen 2 Starlink when Starlink was still losing money
hand over fist, so I was taking money out of his pocket, at least
at first.
On 2/25/2025 4:20 PM, Michael Grishman
via groups.io wrote:
OK.? I'm almost sorry I started this thread.? I did not bring this
subject up to start any kind of political
discussion.? We only coastal cruise and only within the state of
Maine.? We are never out of sight of
land and carry a VHF, two cell phones, and an EPIRB.? We do not
think of Starlink as a piece of safety
gear but as a convenience to access email and the internet.?? I
will say that the Starlink worked very well
for our intended purpose at anchor.? We have never used it
underway and have no intention of doing so.
The antenna is stored below deck and brought out only at anchor.?
We also find that the power drain
is a bit much.? We have to run either our charger/inverter or our
genset to power it up therefor we
tend to use it sparingly.
Michael
Wind Walker
S402-097
On 2/25/2025 11:51 AM, Jonathan Ganz
wrote:
Thank you! EPIRB or PLB. Sat phones are a good idea also.
--
Jim Starkey,
AmorphousDB, LLC
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
I think it is fine to bring this up. It shows there is demand for broadband connections while cruising down the coast or across oceans. What is lamentable is there is only one option, there is no competition which leave us at the whims of the provider. At the moment, it is a monopoly, and that is never good for the consumer.
Dave Second Star S362 #113 Fair Haven, NY/Lake Ontario
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 4:20?PM, Michael Grishman via groups.io <mgrishman@...> wrote:
OK.? I'm almost sorry I started this thread.? I did not bring this
subject up to start any kind of political
discussion.? We only coastal cruise and only within the state of
Maine.? We are never out of sight of
land and carry a VHF, two cell phones, and an EPIRB.? We do not
think of Starlink as a piece of safety
gear but as a convenience to access email and the internet.?? I will
say that the Starlink worked very well
for our intended purpose at anchor.? We have never used it underway
and have no intention of doing so.
The antenna is stored below deck and brought out only at anchor.? We
also find that the power drain
is a bit much.? We have to run either our charger/inverter or our
genset to power it up therefor we
tend to use it sparingly.
Michael
Wind Walker
S402-097
On 2/25/2025 11:51 AM, Jonathan Ganz
wrote:
Thank you! EPIRB or PLB. Sat phones are a good idea also.
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
OK.? I'm almost sorry I started this thread.? I did not bring this
subject up to start any kind of political
discussion.? We only coastal cruise and only within the state of
Maine.? We are never out of sight of
land and carry a VHF, two cell phones, and an EPIRB.? We do not
think of Starlink as a piece of safety
gear but as a convenience to access email and the internet.?? I will
say that the Starlink worked very well
for our intended purpose at anchor.? We have never used it underway
and have no intention of doing so.
The antenna is stored below deck and brought out only at anchor.? We
also find that the power drain
is a bit much.? We have to run either our charger/inverter or our
genset to power it up therefor we
tend to use it sparingly.
Michael
Wind Walker
S402-097
On 2/25/2025 11:51 AM, Jonathan Ganz
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Thank you! EPIRB or PLB. Sat phones are a good idea also.
|
Re: Electric Head with Macerator
Tim,?
I installed a Raritan SeaEra electric toilet several years ago. ?It has both sea water and freshwater flushing options and a Smart Toilet Control. ?I use the fresh water at the dock to minimize odors and sea water when cruising. ?
The toilet has a built in macerator. ?I also installed a standard macerator/overboard discharge pump to pump the holding tank when in legal discharge areas. ?Waste is double macerated in this mode.
The fit is perfect on the 38-1, and the Installation is pretty straightforward. ?Factory tech support is excellent. ?Other than replacing the Joker Valve once, it has been
working fine for at least ten years.
No sign of Elon tracking the unit, as of yet.
Don Fleming
Duet
S-38-1 #77
Hudson River
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
And is the macerator connected to Starlink ?
Charlie McMillan
McMillan Group Inc
25 Otter Trail
Westport, Ct ?06880
203-227-8696 office
203-291-9764 mobile?
Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help myself. Nothing against macerators here.
On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:00 PM, Tim Rivard via < tarivard@...> wrote:
Has anyone converted to an electric head with a macerator on a 38 MKII?
?
Tim R
38MKII in refit
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
Ultimately the issue with StarLink is the lack of affordable broadband internet on a boat. As a result whether you like Elon¡¯s Politics or not or like his personality or not you are forced to either go without or go with StarLink.
As already listed there multiple avenues for sending emergency notifications and affordable satellite texting that don¡¯t rely on StarLink. That is more than enough for many, but for those of us who need reliable broadband while traveling or live in remote areas, there is not viable option at this time.?
Dave Second Star S362 #113 Fair Haven, NY/Lake Ontario
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:31?PM, Len Bertaux via groups.io <lbertaux@...> wrote:
Predict Wind weather app now has gps position and tracking on your own web accessible page, no need for additional equipment and subscriptions for those who need to share their location. It comes along at no added cost with your standard weather subscription. Your starlink connection will provide the data. Len Bertaux On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:22?PM, Steve Ellis via groups.io <stellis75@...> wrote:
?On 2/25/25 13:07, Jim Starkey via groups.io wrote:
Electronics keep getting cheaper, better, more reliable, and easier to use. Hurray! ?Hurray!
and unrelated ?(to boating) vendors keep making up new services. I just saw the latest from T-mobile advertised last night, T-Mobile/Starlink with a free betas period open to all cell phone users who sign up.
Steve Ellis
Cloud Nine, S34MKII
|
Re: Insurance Survey Req - Annapolis
Hi all, I got a letter from Geico that I need an acceptable condition and evaluation survey this year to renew my boat insurance. Based on the suggestion in this forum?I contacted?
United Marine Underwriters? To get the quote I had to enter how long I owned it and a value of the boat at purchase, but in 2018, it was?a hand me down boat from my family so I entered $0. I requested $300,000 liability and $10,000 medical to each individual. They replied, NO, due to the age and their response was as follows: Re: 1978?34'?SABRE CORPORATION ? | ? Thank you for the opportunity to provide an insurance quotation.? Due to the age of the vessel, we do not have a market and will be unable to provide you with a quotation.? Sorry we could not be of assistance. |
Guess I'm going to be looking for a surveyor too, since that is what Geico requires.
Nancy Rybicki 1978?34'?SABRE Galesville, MD
On Mon, Feb 24, 2025 at 8:30?PM David Lochner via <davelochner= [email protected]> wrote: Comparing insurance premiums without providing information about the amount of coverage and the kind of coverage is pretty meaningless. Liability only coverage is much less expensive than Agreed Hull Value. We¡¯d need to know the deductible, oil spill coverage, liability levels, etc to render an informed opinion about the insurance premium.
Dave Second Star S362 #113 Fair Haven, NY/Lake Ontario
I've been with Progressive for about 10 years, my 34 is 46 years old.
Premiums are very reasonable, never had to provide a survey.
Been boating for 60+ years with no claims.
For me the insurance is about liability coverage, the hull coverage
is a bonus.
--
Phil Horn
S34 #67
Huntington, LI, NY
|
Re: Electric Head with Macerator
It should be to ensure the boat outside the 3 mile limit. A simple program could monitor the macerator use notify authorities if discharged in a no discharge area.?
?The Raritan Elegance is reported by many to be the most reliable and easy to use electric head.?
Dave
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:20?PM, Charlie McMillan via groups.io <charlie@...> wrote:
?
And is the macerator connected to Starlink ?
Charlie McMillan
McMillan Group Inc
25 Otter Trail
Westport, Ct ?06880
203-227-8696 office
203-291-9764 mobile?
Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help myself. Nothing against macerators here.
On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:00 PM, Tim Rivard via < tarivard@...> wrote:
Has anyone converted to an electric head with a macerator on a 38 MKII?
?
Tim R
38MKII in refit
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
Predict Wind weather app now has gps position and tracking on your own web accessible page, no need for additional equipment and subscriptions for those who need to share their location. It comes along at no added cost with your standard weather subscription. Your starlink connection will provide the data.
Len Bertaux
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:22?PM, Steve Ellis via groups.io <stellis75@...> wrote:
?On 2/25/25 13:07, Jim Starkey via groups.io wrote:
Electronics keep getting cheaper, better, more reliable, and easier to use. Hurray! Hurray! and unrelated (to boating) vendors keep making up new services. I just saw the latest from T-mobile advertised last night, T-Mobile/Starlink with a free betas period open to all cell phone users who sign up.
Steve Ellis
Cloud Nine, S34MKII
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
On 2/25/25 13:07, Jim Starkey via groups.io wrote: Electronics keep getting cheaper, better, more reliable, and easier to use. Hurray!? Hurray! and unrelated? (to boating) vendors keep making up new services. I just saw the latest from T-mobile advertised last night, T-Mobile/Starlink with a free betas period open to all cell phone users who sign up. Steve Ellis Cloud Nine, S34MKII
|
Re: Electric Head with Macerator
And is the macerator connected to Starlink ?
Charlie McMillan
McMillan Group Inc
25 Otter Trail
Westport, Ct ?06880
203-227-8696 office
203-291-9764 mobile?
Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help myself. Nothing against macerators here.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 1:00 PM, Tim Rivard via < tarivard@...> wrote:
Has anyone converted to an electric head with a macerator on a 38 MKII?
?
Tim R
38MKII in refit
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
Agree Kim,
And I can speak from first person regarding your heart surgeon analogy I really don¡¯t love my surgeon (very arrogant) but I¡¯m alive;)
We need starlink for medical and work while sailing in remote places. It is enabling us to be able to sail where otherwise we would not be able for both financial and medical reasons.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Feb 25, 2025, at 8:13?AM, Kimberly Paternoster via groups.io <kim@...> wrote:
?
Not to mention Ronnie Simpson dismasting on the other side of the horn last year, and Starlink saved his life. Our friend Andy Schwenk, who almost went septic on the way back
from Hawaii last year specifically told me this year he would be installing Starlink as part of his safety equipment. He almost lost his life, and he believes firmly that had he had Starlink, he would have been able to send the doctors pictures of what was
happening while he was getting sicker and sicker.
?
And for some of us, Starlink is necessary because we are still working.
?
kim
?
?
I beg to differ.? Here are three examples where better communications led to better results:
Arguing against better communication is always a losing proposition.
On 2/25/2025 10:00 AM, James Wilson via groups.io wrote:
Your best chance of survival in an emergency is an EPIRB, or secondarily a PLB, or thirdly a portable VHF radio in a liferaft.? Internet access and satellite phones are a joke.
**
James H. Wilson, Jr.
Attorney & Counsellor at Law
By appt. only:
4860 Cox Road, Suite 200
Glen Allen, VA 23060
804-740-6464
jameswilson29@...
?
?
In that case you better give up your cell phones and stop watching streaming services, because SpaceX is putting up a lot of commercial satellites. Not to mention start avoiding many marinas and boat yards, because there are plenty of arrogant
jackasses there. And bars. And restaurants. Not defending Musk (albeit he is the ONLY person that keeps the US space business going), just trying to point out futility of such gestures. And if you are in trouble without the Starlink, now you are putting lives
of potential rescuers at risk. Maybe should rethink your approach a bit.?
--
Jim Starkey, AmorphousDB, LLC
--
?
|
Re: Alternatives to Starlink
Wooden Ships. Iron Men!
-- Gerald (Jerry) Brecher SIRACH 1982 Sabre 38 Mk I
488 Pleasant Street
North Andover, MA 01845 USA
mobile: 617-510-5133
|
Carter Brey
Jim Starkey
Nancy R
Len Bertaux
Velina Barnes
Jerry Brecher