Globe Wireless still seems to be marketing HF based data solutions. I was curious if anyone is still seeing this kind of technology out in the fleet? I’m curious because I’m an amateur radio operator and HF is still an area of interest for me. I suppose most things have gone to satellite or terrestrial cellular networks. On the other hand, HF might be cheaper for global, low throughput communications. Thanks for indulging my curiosity.
Best,
Robert
As part of the required GMDSS Equipment for most cargo vessels HF/MF Equipment is included . Google search GMDSS PowerPoint slides. If you’re interested in amateur radio, you’ll probably enjoy learning how the system behind marine communications works.
I have some books on the subject, GMDSS A User’s Handbook by Denise Brehaut and GMDSS A study guide for the Global Maritime Distress Safety System by Richard K. Bass. I also have the GROL + RADAR study guide by Gordon West. The Bass book goes into NBDP radioteletype as part of the GMDSS coverage. I’m assuming that what Globe Wireless Digital HF is doing is more sophisticated than radio teletype, but I don’t know that for a fact.
Best,
Robert
Looks like INMARSAT gobbled them up in December and I can’t find much about the service. A webpage exists for the system on the company site (http://www.globewireless.com/network/hf) but nothing actually directs to it from anywhere else, leading me to believe it’s now defunct. From the description there though, it seems pretty limited.
As far data delivery on ships outside of the GMDSS suite, my company mainly uses VSAT for data at sea, as well as FleetBroadband mainly for phones. Aside from (filtered, slow) internet access and email, we’re partly networked with the office on shore and are also required to have access to an online company system for use with a lot of day-to-day tasks. We have our own servers on board that run a lot of the internal stuff, and updates pushed from the office. (We’re pretty much at the edge of my knowledge about how any of this stuff works…) For us at least, I don’t think an HF system can cover our needs.
It sounds like the HF offerings might be getting trimmed down in the fleet, perhaps just to voice SSB (A3J/J3E) on the GMDSS side. That wouldn’t be surprising, given the inmarsat bias toward satellites. Do the mates still monitor 2182 KHz when they are on watch, or is that limited to channel 16 VHF monitoring now? I can really understand the move to things like VSAT and FleetBroadband. There’s a lot of focus on “always on” connectivity. It wouldn’t surprise me, if shipboard engineering departments are publishing their plant metrics to some analytics cloud service, so the vessel owners can check the status of their fleet engineering anytime.
[QUOTE=rbc;139725]Do the mates still monitor 2182 KHz when they are on watch, [/QUOTE]
I know that the USCG has suspended 2182kHz monitoring themselves and I don’t believe that any GMDSS station monitors voice transmissions but only DSC. However I believe 2812kHz is still the voice distress calling freq for HF voice. In Alaska, it was always 4125kHz that we used for any distress traffic with COMSTAKODIAK but wonder if that is still being monitored by them? Can anyone confirm?
perhaps some older vessels still have the old watch receivers in use?
Small boat cruisers are still using SailMail (a WinLink derivative) over HF. I’ve been able to follow friends sailing across the Pacific who were sending emails or updating their blogs via an email gateway.
A friend of mine runs a VHF WinLink node. I’m not surprised that SailMail is based on it. Does SailMail make it to the big ships?
Not cloud based per se, but it’s out there: http://www.shipcs.com/eng/ocean/combine_vps.aspx
I haven’t come in contact with it yet, but given the systems already employed like ICMS (Integrated Control and Monitoring System) and the ability to send/receive lots of data, it’s the next logical step to combine the two and feed that info ashore too.
[QUOTE=wafinator;139747]Not cloud based per se, but it’s out there: http://www.shipcs.com/eng/ocean/combine_vps.aspx
I haven’t come in contact with it yet, but given the systems already employed like ICMS (Integrated Control and Monitoring System) and the ability to send/receive lots of data, it’s the next logical step to combine the two and feed that info ashore too.[/QUOTE]
I suppose it would be a mixed blessing for the Master and Chief Engineer, to have the shore side looking over their shoulder.