Hi Kate,
We have a recent model modem for our SSB - the Dragon it's called... It's considerably faster than the old one I had and works over bluetooth - so I can actually do emails etc while sitting at the salon desk! It's still not able to stream but getting weather info and text emails is easy and fast. I'm lucky in that we are HAMS so can use Winlink, but Sailmail works well from what I remember, and hooking up to the best signal for sending/receiving is very simple.
I don't have a sat phone so can't compare it's use.
Good luck with your preparations!

Bill Balme

Hi Kate,

This can be a complex and, at times, controversial subject.
I have, for decades been a user of marine SSB (WCZ-7716) and Amateur/ham (KC2HKW) and I have used a sat-phone for the last 3 years or so.
The bulk of the last 2 decades, I was full time live-aboard and received all weather (gribs and text and, occasionally, voice) by SSB radio. I got a sat-phone only to go to N latitude destinations (Iceland and Greenland) where I thought SSB would have difficulties (I was right, it did).
The following is my take on the current state of long distance comm:
For purely safety considerations, the sat phone (I do not know what you have and some coverage is better than others, we have Iridium) is the choice to have. SSB has its place (and you will hear stories about SSB facilitating safety and I have used it in this manner), but, in an emergency, for dependability and reliability and quick response, the sat-phone is hard to beat. And some models are portable which means they can be taken onto a liferaft or carried in back-country hiking. With a data connection and a good shore-based interface to compress emails, gribs and wx charts (UUPlus works for us and are great to work with)
SSB is not a black art no matter what anyone says, but there is a learning curve and many installations have limitations and quirks at the beginning and professional installation is only marginally more successful (in my experience and observation) than a patient, well-researched DIY installation. And when you do it yourself, you know what is there and where.
When thinking of SSB, move away from considering it primarily for safety and data (email/weather etc.) and think of it instead as a way of being connected to a wonderfully diverse cruising community which can enrich your cruising significantly and convey local knowledge of where you might be heading. And there are weather routers on the far side of the Pacific on a regular sked.
The Carib has robust nets also while Europe is a veritable wasteland for SSB marine nets: ham nets yes, mostly land based.
Modems have become impressively expensive from what I hear. You can download a lot of data on a sat-phone for the cost of a good radio, modem and installation. And there is a somewhat steep learning curve for SSB use, particularly Sailmail/Winlink. If your email usage is heavy, and timely (you do not want to wait till port) then a SSB modem may be worth it.
I would suggest, as you are already getting a SSB, waiting on the modem and collecting information from other cruisers as to its usefulness, especially from those who also have a sat-phone. Do a lot of voice comm and have fun with it. Set up skeds with those who are going the same direction as you. The down side is that it may be harder to find a modem especially a used one, in the Pacific.
Please write again if you go the SSB/modem route and I will make a few suggestions to jump start the learning curve.
Come back with questions/comments,
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Congratulations on making the decision to add an SSB. A satphone is no substitute. Make sure the installation is done hy someone who knws what they are doing. The most common mistake is to underrate the power cable. When transmitting you are using about 25 amps so the power cable must be rated accordingly.

Re the Pactor modem. Not essential if you can get data by satellite but you can use it for weatherfax and grib files for free and if you subscribe to Sailmail, once you have paid the annual $300? Fee all your emails are free. There is, of course, a restriction on transmission times depending on where you are in relation to the receiving stations and propagation but when ocean sailing you normally maintain a 24 hour warch so you can store emails abd then send/receive when prpogation is best, normally at night. Pactors are expensive but are available on eBay. If you can afford one I woukd say go for it. As with all marine electronics there is always a benefit in having some redundancy especially when ocean cruising.

Hope I am posting this in the right place. If not can someone let us know

We are adding an SSB to Our boat in preparation for a Pacific crossing. We are wondering about adding a Pactor modem also. We already have a sat phone that we use sparingly for calls and data. The move for data seems to be towards satellite. Is there real benefit in having both the sat phone and the Pactor modem or should we just focus data on the satellite? Thanks in advance for any responses.

Kate and Graham Walker, SY Barracuda.

[quote=Charles.Griffiths][quote=John Franklin]Our 15 year old Pactor III modem aboard Al Shaheen has died. Does anyone know of a repair facility in the UK, or have experience of repairing a Pactor modem?[/quote][/quote]

I will get the hang of this in a minute....Bob Smith - mail@yachtcom.co.uk - tel 44 1489 565100 is expert on this subject and guided me to my short wave cert.
Regards
Charles

I must be doing something wrong again! I tried the website [font=sans-serif]www.sdr.hu while the OCC's Caribbean net was running on 6227. I logged onto the node in Virginia (K1RA/KW4VAA) and then changed the frequency to 6227 and the band to USB using the panel on the right - but all I could hear was static. I was expecting to hear the net... What am I missing?[/font]
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[font=sans-serif](I could hear the net very well on the SSB...)[/font]
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Bill Balme

Hi John,
Firstly, I would inspect/test all connections/terminals etc. to ensure that the modem is the bad apple, especially if the unit has been sitting unused for a while. They are really pretty bulletproof if in a dry place. It sounds like the transceiver is working well.
It is possible to get Pactor Modems repaired. Farallon Electronics does so in the US as they are the distributor for the German based manufacturer (as I understand things). So, it might even be easier to get repaired in your part of the world. Make sure they install all the updates/upgrades at the same time as I found them complicated on my own with the limited internet the boat often has.
Thanks for the heads up on the SSB testing procedures.
Let us know how this unfolds.
My best, Dick

Our 15 year old Pactor III modem aboard Al Shaheen has died. Does anyone know of a repair facility in the UK, or have experience of repairing a Pactor modem?

I was introduced to a useful facility yesterday by Bob Smith of YachtCom for testing SSB sets. You need to have a Windows computer connected to the internet. It involves the use of SDR (software determined radio). There are dozens of SDR "listening" stations around the world which a user can tune to a particular frequency and mode from a laptop. You can select a station location, tune it to a suitable frequency, then tune your SSB to the same frequency and transmit a test message whilst at the same time listening to your transmission being received by the remote station on your laptop.

Procedure:
1. select www.sdr.hu and review the stations available. Each one will show the number of users allowed (usually 3 or 4) and the number currently using the station
2. select a station within the distance you expect to be able to transmit
3. in the panel on the right side of the screen, enter the frequency on which you want to transmit (example 6227.0 kHz) and select the mode (example USB)
4. Tune you SSB to the same transmit frequency and mode (example 6227.0, USB)
5. Transmit a test message on your SSB and listen for the message being received via the SDR station on your laptop.

Yesterday we tested Al Shaheen's SSB very successfully on 6 and 8 Mhz bands talking to SDR stations in Switzerland, Holland and Sweden and hearing good reception on the laptop.

I have ordered a replacement Mic from Hong Kong for £30 (ebay) so hoping it will work. I also came across a broken m-710 on eBay where the owner had replaced the Mic only to find that the output amplifier had failed but it's still worth the gamble.
Simon