IridiumGO is our contact with the outside world once we are off shore and out of internet range. We can use it to communicate with family and friends, get our weather predictions and weather routing from predictWind and chart our course. It’s essential tech for any seafarer these days. In this episode we are making a customised bracket for our IridiumGO aerial out of fibreglass. We did buy a bracket to mount the aerial but it just wasn’t up to standard. The design needed to be improved.
Time to get out the tools and do the job properly. Shayne shows how he makes a quick foam mould to create a bracket that will hold securely and hide the messy wires etc needed to the aerial. It’s a pretty simple process and we are really happy with the end result. It’s neat and secure and works well in the position it has been mounted. For the first time in Paikea’s life, she has a way to access email, text messages, check weather routing and share our location with the rest of the world. We may use our devices a little differently while connected to the IridiumGo network – you’re not going to be able to watch Netflix on passage just yet- but the navigation systems we now have onboard have meant we can sail Paikea safely and with access to all the resources we need. Not bad going for an old girl.