* Original Area: ZN_INTERNET
* Original To  : All (173:6177/101)
Hi,
        I need a big hand here so please throw any ideas that you have at me 
:). My parrents are currently building a sailing yacht (13M Reinke). Which 
should be finished in about 9 months. We intend to sail it down the coast 
during the holidays in 1997/98 (from Innisfail where it was built), do the 
Sydney to Hobart race (in Dec. 1998), then go to Tahiti, Samoa, Palmeyra etc. 
via New Zealand for a one year trip. My parents have conned me into coming 
with them but now I can't imagine a year without a PC, even though we have 
sailed for four years before without any electrical equipment apart from 
radios (amateur & VHF) and lights. This leads me to two questions one. What 
type of pc system would I neeed, 2 how can I get internet access from 
ANYWHERE on this world, using either amateur radio or sattelite, this would 
mainly be newsgroups and e-mail but normal net access would be a BIG bonus.
        For the computer system, it would have to be able to run on a 12V or 
24V power system (we haven't decided which one yet), would have to have 
minimal power usage and stand up to the conditions experienced on a boat ie. 
wild & erratic sudden movements and air with a high salt content. A laptop 
seems the obvious choice at first to me, but I want a screen of reasonable 
size and I need to be able to connect quite a few devices via com & lpt ports 
(GPS, autopilot, amateur radio modem, printer and the means of connecting to 
the net if its not via amateur radio). Does anyone have information on the 
new flat screens avai
        For the internet the two options would be amateur radio and sattelite 
system. My worries about the sattelite system are that it has to work 
basically anywhere on the world, the receiver has to be less than 50cm in 
diam. has to withstand rugged conditions ie. salt spray, waves soaking it and 
constant swaying, it also has to be able to work while the boat is swaying. 
If the amateur radio system would be the way to go I would like to know where 
I could get one, how much they cost and who you can link to for how much and 
what services are offered, I would also be willing to purchase the modem now 
(I have an amateur radio already) so I can have a play with it. 
Thanks a LOT, ) * Origin: My Place BBS (3:640/739)