Use an Iridium phone with Mac OS

British company Mailasail provides tools to connect directly an Iridium to Mac OS X. A driver specially designed by them now allows data to be transferred from a messaging application under OS, mainly Mail or Thunderbird, and surf the Internet.

We can make requests for weather files by mail from servers Mailasail, Saildocs, ocens.net or even Navimail. The subscription to Teleport-it provides several services : mail compression, access to the weather file server Teleport Weather (¹), Possibility of creating a personalized blog. In addition, there are two very useful applications : Teleport Firewall and Teleport Proxy.

Finally, Mailasail had the good idea to offer a free trial subscription, allowing you to carry out all the configuration that will follow, and to test mail sending/receiving following procedure described on its website.

The necessary equipment

Iridium 9505 / 9505a

These old models (1999 / 2002), still in use, can easily be purchased second-hand, or with individuals, or with specialized rental companies. It is essential, for optimal use, to add to them, either a dock station which includes an RS232 port for data transfers, A microphone and speaker for hands-free communications, either the Data Kit, Much cheaper but significantly less convenient, which provides the minimum accessories for data transfers. An external magnetic antenna with 5' cable is provided standard.

Iridium 9555 / 9575

The model 9555 (fin 2008) sold at a lower price than the previous one, Makes significant technical improvements. It can also be found second-hand. Featuring a USB data connector, it also comes with external magnetic antenna and AC/DC chargers accessories. As with the previous model, a dock station is recommended but not essential. Indeed, this model is supplied with an antenna connector and a USB cord, just like the latest Iridium 9575 Extreme.

Installation

If you are using the latest models Iridium 9555 or 9575 Extreme with built-in USB, You must :

1. Verify that the firmware is updated to the minimum version 10001 (Phone menu > Information).
2. Download and install on your Mac the Iridium driver All models.
3. Restart your Mac.

If you are using an older model, Iridium 9500/9505/9505a/9522, You must :

1. Connect a serial/USB adapter compatible Prolific (Note : don't use the Keyspan template that gives poor results).
2. Download and install the driver on your Mac Prolific PL2303 choosing right version depending your operating system OS X version.
3. Download and install on your Mac the Iridium driver All models.
4. Restart your Mac.

Mac configuration

1 – Iridium connection and operation

Connect your Iridium to a USB connector on the Mac, Iridium turn on and wait to have a link with a maximum of bars (3 minimum). The external antenna is essential.

In the Preferences > Network of Mac OS X, Create a new network configuration, Choose User Interface = « USBSERIAL® in the drop-down field, then enter a name for the service. Then :

The service's call number is always the same : 008816000025. Account name and password are indifferent. In the window accessible with the " Advanced… "Select the items above in the drop down fields, then click on " OK ”.

Then click " Connect ”. After a few moments, you see appear State: Connnected with the Packet Sent/Received Indicators. Configuration of Iridium is completed. Don't forget to check the " View modem status in the menu bar ”, This will allow you to connect again at any time easier.

2 – Creating the email account

In the following example, the account is created in Mail 5.0. The account settings would be the same for Thunderbird.

Account creation is classic. Both the POP receiving and SMTP receiving servers are mail.mailasail.com, the username and password are those provided when creating the account on the Mailasail website.

The receiving server is secure by default, The sending server must be authenticated (Name and password).

In the account Advanced settings, disable "Use SSL" for the POP receiving server, the port returns to 110. You need to set the SMTP sending server : SSL disabled, port = 587, Authentication = Password, Insecure transmission.

• NOTE : I advise you, in this window, to settle the Rejection of received messages > 30 KB. This will avoid unnecessary use of connection time with attachments as image. On the other hand, if you wish to make weather forecast charts requests, as Navimail PREISO maps (110-120 KB), or satellite images (50 KB), leave this field blank.

Simply close the window and save the settings. Proceed with all the Recommended tests by Mailasail before cast off, this will allow you to apply your settings and you will avoid disappointment.

My advice

• Install your Iridium in its dock near the companion way, aside chart table. This will allow you to easily take out the magnetic flat antenna (1M50) on the roof or in the cockpit. An external antenna on stern pulpit or stern hoist is highly recommended for file transfers.
• Experiment with different GRIB file requests you will use at sea. Do not exceed a size of 40-45 KB per file. File about 20 KB is 163840 Bits. A 2600 bps (Maximum transfer speed in the best reception conditions) that's 1mn03s of communication. Control the real time of receipt.
• Before each connection, make sure to close all apps running in the background on your Mac. Even better, Use the free app Teleport-Firewall offered by Mailasail which allows you to lock all outgoing connections on ports other than those of the email.
• If you have another personal email account, don't add it to Mail (or disable it during Iridium connections), choose another email like Thunderbird. Otherwise, this second account risks picking up mail at each satellite connection and saturating your bandwidth, preventing you to send/receive your emails with Mailasail.
• If you have the means to surf the web on the high seas, Install imperatively Teleport Proxy for substancial money savings.
  

Finally, you should know that I offer subscriptions directly to Mailasail's Teleport-it services, and I can provide advice, installation (on board or by remote assistance), training and support for France.

We talk about it on the net :

"Practice is the key to……………..- 23/08/2011 …

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(¹) MailaSail and Saildocs automatic query forms translated into French are available from my website.

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