EMAIL ON BOATS by Arretec; Arretec Publishing, 1999; 2nd ed.; ISBN none available; £ none available; CA 15631

An American comb-bound A5 monograph published in UK, primarily concerned with US-based services but probably the only hard-copy text on this topic of such importance to the cruising yachtsman.

The first section covers email via ham radio, SSB, mobile phones, satellite services, ordinary phone lines and internet cafés, followed by details of the 8 major players. One is for “hams”, one an expensive commercial service, two are US-based with Pacific and Atlantic coverage, one Australian-based, two are expensive satellite services, seemingly leaving GSM as the only economic service for coastal use. Section 2 deals with installation and operation.

Section 3 covers “advanced” techniques including the useful and free email-to-fax (TPC) and fax-to-email (jfax) services, and two services provided by the publisher’s company STO_P.com. These are an email service that returns requested (image-stripped) web pages, and a subscription weather forecast by email service.

Although there is much padding in its 75 pages, including a surely unwanted directory of yacht’s email addresses and three on dolphin listening systems, this text fills a serious gap and provides some practical and up-to-date information. RMG

Page prepared 22nd November 1999

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