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View Full Version : Local place for Iridium parts?



BobJ
06-26-2008, 03:03 PM
Edit - GMN is sending the part I need but since I'm not the only one using one of these, is there a local place for Iridium parts?

Eric Thomas
06-27-2008, 07:35 AM
Bob, How often do your GMN emails fail? I have about a 20% success rate!

ET:(

BobJ
06-27-2008, 08:51 AM
Hi Eric,

(You must be about to "hit the road?")

If you mean e-mails via Iridium and XGate, I don't know yet - I'm still werkin' on it. There are so many bits that I feel like I'm adapting my adapters. The people who make this stuff need to talk to each other.

I WILL CONFESS, the SSB is looking pretty good right now.

Paul Elliott
06-27-2008, 11:22 AM
FWIW, in 2006 I used GMN Xgate and Iridium almost exclusively going to Hawaii (PacCup) and back, and if the satphone connection stayed up, the email went through. With GMN, even partial messages were resumed when I reconnected. I recently sent a test email from the Sausalito slip, and it made it through with no problem.

Are you having trouble with the satellite connection, or with the GMN server? If it is the satellite, it really helps to have a clear shot at the sky all around, and a well-placed antenna. It will be better at sea than in the marina. Dropouts get a little more common as you get closer to the equator, but it is still quite usable. I regularly received 100KBytes worth of email per day (grib, wfax charts) in 2006, and most of the time without dropouts.

Eric Thomas
06-27-2008, 08:03 PM
I will confess that the most problematic session I have had is on the deck at my house with the trees around. I got all the adapters with the phone from Louis at GMN and he did say you had to have all the right pieces to get them to fit just right. I had a friend set it all up and he made a few calls to lous and macenc to get it dialed in. I hit the road on Sunday am, just hauled the boat and packed the gear, put on the self tailors, got a hair cut....Having a general family Last Supper tomorow. It would be nice to sit down when we get their and sort out the Iridium/mac stuff.

Eric

BobJ
06-27-2008, 08:57 PM
Eric, were you able to get a spot at Marina Village?

The General arrived on Monday and is just down the dock from me. He was up to his elbows in diesel this afternoon, working on his fuel pump. Then about 1900 I was putting things away and there was a knock on the hull - Jim (Haulback) had just pulled in. It will be great to have these guys around over the next couple of weeks, with more of you to come.

Eric Thomas
06-28-2008, 08:47 PM
I will be at marina village later this week, they said they would have room for me and to call a couple days out, where did you say Don was launching?

Boat is all loaded and strapped sitting in my driveway, running a few erands then on the road.

ET

Warriors Wish
06-28-2008, 09:32 PM
Warriors Wish arrived Friday afternoon at Sverduson(sp).
Missing bottom 4 " of rudder due to a altercation with Tractor Trailor, no protest filed.

I wish someone would please turn on the heat....if it gets any colder I will need to put on my foul weather gear.

Glad to be here though.

BobJ
06-29-2008, 08:28 AM
Hey Don, welcome to town. I'll come over to Svendsen's and look you up.

The thing with the temperature around here is that if it gets hot in Alameda it's because the wind has shut down.

I really need some help with these computer trinkets, guys. I still can't plug the Iridium's data adapter into my Keyspan USB/Serial adapter because the plugs won't go together without serious modification of one or the other. What I need is a short (they make 1-ft) serial extender cable, M/F 9-pin. Where in the East Bay is the biggest repository of this stuff? The cable (if I could find one) is less than $5, but UPS overnight from places who have them is $50!

ChrisH
06-29-2008, 10:28 AM
Hi Bob,

Have you tried Al Lashers Electronics in Berkeley?
1734 University Avenue
(510) 843-5915

Chris H
Carroll E

John Hayward
06-29-2008, 03:13 PM
Hi Bob,

I have several spare serial cables and I would be happy to give you one! They are all about 3 or 4 feet long. I will be heading back to my boat tomorrow in Sausalito and could buzz by Alameda if you are going to be around or can tell me where to leave it. I will have my satellite phone with me too and can see if my setup is any different than yours. I have had no problems with mine. It does Airmail (I use this for email with both Satellite phone and the HF) and voice just fine.

Let me know.

John
Dream Chaser

BobJ
06-29-2008, 07:21 PM
Thanks, Chris and John. I would have driven to Al Lasher's but they aren't open on Sundays. I found a 6 footer at Fry's and although it's 5.9' more than I need, it should work.

My daughter really wants to see Wall-E tonight (actually I do, too - a friend is an animator at Pixar), so testing the sat phone will have to wait for tomorrow.

Thanks for the offer, John. I'll let you know how it goes.

tiger beetle
06-29-2008, 07:28 PM
What I need is a short (they make 1-ft) serial extender cable, M/F 9-pin.

You can make one up yourself with simple parts from Radio Shack - takes a couple of minutes to build. You do need to know the pin in/out for a straight through M-F serial cable - which is readily available from the web.

- rob/beetle