We have our ham general class licenses that give us the right to use much of the hf spectrum the first level license, technician, is mostly for voice communications on vhf and uf. Dr7400 p4dragon pactor 4 modem with the dr7400 hf ssb pactor 4 modem, enter the pactor 4 world of ultra fast data over radio at a lower cost. Hf data modem codan 3012 high speed hf ssb data modem. We have our ham general class licenses that give us the right to use much of the hf spectrum the first level license. After lots of troubleshooting, we finally got our pactor iiusb modem to talk to our ssb radio and my macbook pro to send emails and receive weather reports. Atu, in the usual way and connect the pactor to the radio and the laptop. Which radio modem to buy pactor 4 vs pactor 3 there are two modem technologies from which to choose. As a result, there is little incentive to create a bare bones pactor modem. Pactoriiiii radio modem sales, fcc license filing, marine ssb.
The compact dr7403 p4dragon hf ssb modem adds class 1 bluetooth at a lower price compared to the full sixe dr7803. Relatively easy to use given the complexities of the subject to begin with. Ssb radio, icom m802, a critical safety precaution aboard. Pactor ii performs its initial link setup using pactor in order to achieve compatibility. Airmail 3 is compatible with all windows versions from xp on. To send and receive email over the sailmails worldwide network of ssb stations, you need a properly installed ssb and you will need to acquire an scs pactor modem, which is a special modem available from ham radio or marine electronics dealers that is designed to transfer data over radio. There are many communications options for the voyaging mariner. May 29, 2014 email at sea with ssb, pactor and your mac may 29, 2014 may 29, 2014 marco even in the era of highspeed internet and satellite phones, a single side band ssb radio with a pactor modem is still one of the most affordable ways to exchange emails while at sea. Email at sea with ssb, pactor and your mac may 29, 2014 may 29, 2014 marco even in the era of highspeed internet and satellite phones, a single side band ssb radio with a pactor modem is still one of the most affordable ways to exchange emails while at sea. Download and install a copy of sailmail software from. I just found this site on the hunter owners web site and hope someone can help me with my many ssb questions. But any conventional computer modem can do the same thing. To cope with this slow speeds there are a number of email compression services and software, compression helps speed up the throughput of data and reduces cost of satellite connections.
With respect to the radio modem, the top of the line is the pactor ii from scs. Modem repair return instructions pactor advanced data compression pactor 2 technical description pactor 3 technical description pactor 4 technical description. Weve revisited this topic in a new blog post where we dig even deeper into the actual costs of doing shiptoshore communications over hf radio vs. Pactoriiiii radio modem sales, fcc license filing, marine. Installing an hf ssb an d a pactor m odem oct 1, 2009. The cost of a pactor modem has gone up so much that it is beyond the means of the average ham operator. Sailmail is the commercial side of sending email with a ssb and pactor modem. Is it possible to run tests of the vara modem against the pactor 4 modem, can anyone. The upfront purchase price for your radio based email system is modest and more importantly the ongoing costs relative to satellite is low. With nearly a decade of actual realworld operation behind it, pactoriii is the gold standard for relatively speedy and reliable digital communications over hf ssb radio. Ssb singlesideband radio has been the gold standard in longdistance marine communication for 100 years.
We do have a ssb aboard and we heard of a way to download weather onto our ipad. The ptciiusb formerly ptciipro new in the ptciiusb. Furthermore a computer modem can transfer data at a lot higher rate than a pactor iii modem can, as it uses a much larger bandwidth than any pactor modem. Airmail email client software is provided on cd but is also a free download from. Use the pactor modems to send wireless email, transfer files, use realtime data links, and access weather information, all over your ssb or vhf radio. Marinenet radio networks ssb email installation download the marinenet installer and calypso wireless programs and remember where you put them. Our hf modem p4dragon dr7800 is the uncompromising advancement of the legendary ptcii which is designed for professional deployment and for the ambitious amateur radio operator.
Icoms new m803 marine ssb radio began shipping in early 2020 and is a terrific radio for use with sailmail. The program is a free download for radio amateurs from a linux repository provided by scs. One useful system boaties employ is sending and receiving email through the use of a pactor modem. More info downloads links airmail is a messaging program similar to outlook specifically designed for connection to a hf radio mailbox station.
Most current pactor ii modems are upgradeable to use pactor iii via a software update since pactor ii firmware accommodates the new pactor iii software. Send wireless email, transfer files, use realtime data links, and access weather information, all over your ssb or vhf radio. Take the fuss out of installing ssb radio in your vessel with this seatecheasy ssb package, which includes all the equipment, cabling, and connectors you need. Downloads broadcast weather faxes with pactor modem and airmail software amongst other ways. Ive done point to point tests using 1200 baud packet vs pactor 4 on 2 meters, and the p4 modems destroy 1200 baud packet in speed, especially when fm fails to reach the destination and the sideband p4 modem works.
Easy to use the codan 3012 hf modem interface is based on the at industry standard. Licensed winlink operatorsstations use both amateur radio and government radio frequencies worldwide. The software that came with the pactor modem is outdated and will not download on my. What i had to do to make ssb radio and pactor modem work. While radios, tuners and modems are offtheshelf items, antennas and counterpoise installations vary considerably. Installing an hf ssb and a pactor modem ocean navigator. Radio related technical support for the cruising sailor. Feb 28, 2017 ocean navigator marchapril 2017 demystifying ssb radio. The p4dragon line of modems are for people serious about moving data. This was written only a few days before untying the dock lines, more than 11 years ago. The german company says pmon now makes this possible without a modem and adds the ability to decode b2flzhufcompressed messages winlink email and others. You can use the airmail program with a pactor modem with ssb sailmail.
It has some good information on what i did to get the ssb radio and pactor iii modem finally working. Both use airmail software to download them, read our article about airmail, sailmail, and winlink to know how this will work for you. The dr7400 has been optimzed for use with the new highend data transmission mode pactor 4. Read an article about how to connect a pactor modem and other devices to your onboard laptop. What to do with a ssb life on a sailboat day 86 youtube. Features usb support, transceiver control, and gps connection. This one the say has been redesigned with a fast quadcore dsp allowing high data rates. Weather maps and grib files take two minutes or less to download with piii, and depending on message length, email messages can even be faster. Airmail is a radio mail program for sending and receiving messages via pactor over hf radio, either via the ham radio system or participating marine and commercial services. May 27, 2018 hi tony, as far as the hfchansim capability of the mdm3001 or mdmq9604 is concerned, you can use it with any hf modem with accessible base band audio inputoutputs. Dec 27, 2018 i think its my way of saying goodbye to my ssb radio and my modem. This course aims to provide basic theory, installation, operation, and troubleshooting of ssb hf marine radio and pactor modems for sailors, typically those leaving for offshore cruising.
As previously reported, scs has said that the number of general ham radio users has declined to the point they are a minority of scs business. Add a pactoriiiiiiv radio modem to your existing marine ssb system and begin. Although not the subject of this article, the other significant benefit of ssbs is that, when used with a pactor modem and sailmail, they allow for the transmission and reception of brief emails while offshore. Ssb email can be free using winlink ham radio, or you can use the. I have on board my hunter 40 legend a icom icm710 ssb radio and also a pactor scsptcii. The codan 3012 interfaces directly with a datacapable hf ssb transceiver see details under associated equipment and an ibm compatible computer, programmed with codan 9102 software. The compact hf modem p4dragon dr7400 offers a lowerpriced entry to the p4dragon modem class. Demystifying ssb radio ocean navigator marchapril 2017. There is a new firmware for all ptcii series modems except the trxptc the pactor modem that is on a pcb for installing inside transceivers.
This is the download page for the airmail 3 client program for sailmail. This offers unexcelled fast and robust data links via shortwave. When paired with pactor modem gives essential connection via email to family and weather data over thousands of miles. About pactor modems pactoriiiii radio modem sales, fcc. We called the us distributor for scs pactor modems, farallon electronics and sent the modem in for repair. Apr, 2016 along with all of the other projects going on aboard norna, we also need to figure out how to get weather offshore. Marine and areonautical fcc radio license filing services using dockside radio s simplified onepage application worksheet.
To download grib files sent over the hf radio using airmail or other software, you will need to be near shore to get internet, or use a pactor modem attached to your hf radio. What i did to make my ssb radio and pactor modem work. Email compression why email compression data speeds are very slow over hf radio and some satellite and mobile services. Episode 181 what to do with a ssb life on a sailboat. Email at sea with ssb, pactor and your mac kismet adventures. The program is a free download for radio amateurs from a linux repository. An ssb shortwave radio email system offers a low cost alternative to mobile and satellite phone systems and offers near global coverage. The download version of airmail is packaged as a self extracting zip file. Farallon dr7400 digital modems, dr7400 ham radio outlet. Dr7800 is softwarecompatible with ptcii which means that one may continue to use the existing software, such as airmail, rms express, alpha, etc. Winlink provides its users email with attachments, position reporting, weather and information bulletins, and is wellknown for its role in interoperable emergency and disaster relief communications. Noticeably improved performance with pactor 2 and pactor 3. My heart was in my throat because pactor modems are excruciatingly expensive much more so than the inital investment for a sat phone, but theres no monthly or per minute cost. Additionally, ssb users typically add an optional automatic antenna tuner and a pactor radio modem, the former of which simplifies operations while the latter allows for data transmission via ssb frequencies.
Scs pactor modems pactor is the protocol used to send and receive email via hf ssb radio. These can include low cost of ownership, access to email and detailed weather data using a pactor modem, and the potential for speedier rescues during an emergency. The ham radio community continues to use pactor 4 outside us shores with the primary use to send traffic files email, pictures, etc. Most grib attachments will download in less than a minute in my experience. The micom vocoderdata modem provides digital voice as well as milstd data capabilities. The use of pactor iv is permissible under part 97, section 309b as an unspecified digital code, as long as the transmission is not being made into a country where the united states lacks an agreement which permits that code to be used.
We do have a ssb aboard and we heard of a way to download. Seatech communicator hf radio email and weather package. One approach is using a high frequency single sideband hf ssb radio and a digital modem. The pactor hf data modems are field proven and very reliable. I am still a fan of software based digital modes like winmore. Scs noted in an october 11 news release that all scs pactor hardware modems include a command to allow pactor monitoring on the fly.
Download speeds over radio can also be faster than over a satellite connection, according to gordon west, a californiabased radio expert. Those of you traditionalists that use an ssb radio in conjunction with a pactor iii modem to receive winlink, sailmail and saildocs, may understand my frustration when i turned on our icom m802 radio for the first time this season, and heard no reassuring pactor iii modem beep. Martin dunsmuir, with more than 40 years of experience, is the principal of white squall consulting inc. Pactor iii is a software upgrade for existing pactor ii modems that provides a new data transmission mode for improved speed and robustness. Hf data modems are an upgrade to your hf radio station, they allow you to send email over an hf radio. This bluetoothenabled modem allows you to minimize wiring fuss, and connect your computer, phone, or tablet to the modem wirelessly over bluetooth. Easytofollow instructions, program information and documentation are provided on this scs web page. Ptciiusb modem w pactor iii upgrade the most effective data transmission over ssb. I think its my way of saying goodbye to my ssb radio and my modem.
This setup allows you to use the sbb for voice and for sending email. The dr7800 has been optimized for use with the new highend data transmission mode pactor 4. We send our email, conduct business, chat with friends, make free phone patches, and download weather faxes. Three components are needed to use sailmails worldwide network of ssb pactor radio stations. Hf data modems pactor royal communications international. Scs ptciii usb or bluetooth pactor modem seatech systems.
Pactor makes best use of this bandwidth offering a maximum speed 2722 bits per second using pactor 3 and 5512 bits per second using pactor 4. It is an adaptive mode that applies different modulation and encoding methods depending on the channel quality. Multimodecontroller for pactor iii, pactor ii, pactor i, amtor, navtex, rtty, cw, fax, sstv, audiofilter, packet radio and psk31. The pactor modem can remain connected to the ssb at all times but you need to be able to get at it in order to switch it off when you are not using the system. Along with all of the other projects going on aboard norna, we also need to figure out how to get weather offshore. Pactor 3 and 4s dynamic speed switching makes it a fire and forget appliance. The codan 3012 hf modem signalling protocol, designed to maximise performance over typical longrange channels, combines with internal data compression to give an effective data transfer speed of up to 6,000 bps. When it comes to purchasing a marine mfhf ssb transceiver the choice is a little limited. Read through this instruction manual completely before you attempt any. The petite dr7403 has been optimzed for the bestinclass data transmission mode pactor 4 p4. With the dr7400 hf ssb pactor 4 modem, enter the pactor 4 world of ultra fast data over radio at a lower cost. Package deal go to bottom of page for related items icom icm802 ssb hf transceiver icom at140 automatic antenna tuner icom opc1147 control cable from m802 to at140 pactor 1060 ptciiusb modem pactor 9090 audio cable pactor 8083 control cable icm802 digital marine ssb radio all new digital ssb with remoteable control head offers the clearest. Pactormodem with your radio and windows based laptop, download the airmail software. Back in the days of computer modems the maximum baud rate that could actually be supported by the phone lines.
The codan 3012 emulates fullduplex operation so that once a link is established, the modem acts as a transparent rs232 link between the two stations. So on phoenix we use our pactor modem connected to the icom 735 which can access both ssb and ham stations. Buy pactor 3 modem usb with bluetooth module brand new 1 yr. The p4dragon dr7800 is the latest and in the line of pactor modems. Then, get worldwide access to email and weather over ssb, all for one affordable price. Tom and nancy kk4hza zydler cruise aboard their mason 44, frances b. May 23, 2011 scs has posted a new modem for pactor 4. Class 1 bluetooth replaces the need for a usb cable between the pc and modem. To cope with this slow speeds there are a number of email compression services and software, compression helps speed up the throughput of. From a sailmail or winlink viewpoint, the primary differences between these technologies are. If you are contemplating the purchase of an ssb transceiver, the icom icm802 is worthy of consideration. Hf data transmission by radio amateurs uses medium power 100 watts over long distances 100 to 4000 km.
Three components are needed to use sailmails worldwide network of ssbpactor radio stations. Due to its nature ssb has a very limited bandwidth. Weather maps and grib files take two minutes or less to download with piii. Emails by hf radio franksweather the weather window. You dont need to pass a ham radio operators test to use a marine ssb. The reason for this is that marine equipment needs to meet the relevant type approval standards and marine radios both vhf and hf have to meet the gmdss requirements. Oct 01, 2009 combine this radio with the scs pactor modem, and worldwide email is a reality. Plus i can till use p4 on anything above 10 meters. Time and again, we hear from boaters who ask about using hf radio with pactor modems to. Airmail is a radio email program, this page is devoted to the sailmail client applications. Its published by cruising world magazine, and you can read it online here.
Successfully sending email via pactor modem and ssb radio. Toms article, staying connected at sea, describes how they use their pactor modem and hf ssb radio to connect to the internet for email and weather. How to install and set up a pactor modem with a ssb. Pactor is a set of standardized modes used by amateur and marine radio operators for fsk radioteletype transfer of digital information over shortwave bands.
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