Hard to believe - but we have arrived at the 7 month mark before departing on retirement cruising. Just glass-blasted off VC17 bottom paint and preparing for new barrier coat and salt water paint. Also a ton of upgrades under way (air conditioning, power generating sources, lighting, instruments, Safety equipment, etc). We are now looking into communication options. Our plan is to leave Cleveland (OH) in July and head down Erie Canal. After spending some time with family and friends in NYC, will then make our way to Chesapeake, and then to Myrtle Beach SC. From Myrtle Beach, we plan to make a short offshore jump to the Bahamas (probably 3 to 4 days). From there we plan to do Island hopping (Bahamas, BVI, Netherlands Antilles, etc.) for the Caribbean cruising season. Not sure what we will do or where we will go for hurricane season - considering a number of options.
We are looking into options for communicating (including email and browsing). I already have an installed VHF with AIS receiver and 2 handhelds - one with DSC. We have an ancient SSB (ICOM M600) which will likely be going into the dumpster - too old to handle Pactor modem. I am reluctant to invest the $5K+ that would be needed for new SSB, tuner, antenna, ground and complete rewiring. With only planning one (3 to 4 day) off shore jump, I hate to think about the cost of sat phone communications. One option that I recently heard about from our boatyard owner was a cell phone booster. Last year he joined some friends in south Florida and Bahamas. With a booster, he was able to get good Verizon cell phone connectivity (including email and Internet) from as far as 20 miles from nearest tower.
I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with cell phone boosters and if so are there any particular brands or models/specifications that you would recommend. I would also welcome thoughts on the whole concept. I'm also needing to look into what kind of cell phone options are available in Bahamas, BVI, etc. If I buy an "Islands phone", will the booster work? Is there still a different cell phone provider for each Island group - or are there common providers for broader areas?
All comments and thoughts will be appreciated.
Bob