I have made repeated references to the "Skipper 150" in my posts and have been asked to elaborate on what exactly it is and does do for us on s/v "Bremer Speck". The Skipper 150 is an Inmarsat FleetBroadband terminal, which provides worldwide voice, SMS and Internet data connectivity at speeds of up to 150 kbps. While we were underway, we have had several Internet web sites open on an overhead monitor. We surfed the web for news etc. and researched a few things. At the same time, we also made phone calls. Domestic and International. All this while we had up to 3 PC running on a WiFi network. While having cable modem service at home is a lot faster than what I have here on Bremer Speck, the data speed throughput via the Skipper 150 terminal is surprisingly blazing fast, when compared to other solutions such as an Iridium or Globalstar satellite phone. I have attached 3 photos, showing the Skipper 150 antenna pod, which is mounted on an arch over the transom, as well as a product photo showing the brains, the "black-box", together with a corded handset. The black-box has another phone plug to connect a wireless telephone handset. I have a beta test unit on board, courtesy of Inmarsat and Addvalue Communications Pte Ltd, Singapore, the manufacturer. The Skipper 150 is going into production very soon and will be available sometime in mid July. Contact me if you would like to know more.
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