Iridium Go

TimeZero can use an “Iridium Go” to download weather data at sea, where Wi-Fi or Cellular connection is not possible. The Iridium Go is a satellite communicator that creates a Wi-Fi HotSpot for your computer:

Although very slow (2Kbps), the Iridium Go offers an unlimited data plan for about $150 per month that can be a very good solution to download weather anywhere. To setup the Iridium Go in TimeZero, open the Weather Options and set the weather download method to "Iridium Go". You will then be able to enter your Iridium Go login and password and test the connection:

IMPORTANT: Make sure to connect your computer to the Wi-Fi HotSpot created by the Iridium Go before testing the connection or attempting to download weather data.

Once setup, the "Update" WorkSpace download button will change to display the current status of the Iridium Go (satellite connection status):

When pressing the "Download" button, TimeZero will automatically establish the Iridium Go satellite connection (dial up), data download, and finaly close the connection (to save power). In case of interruption during the download, the progress bar will turn orange. Do NOT press on "Cancel" to try to relaunch the process manually, TimeZero will automatically attempt to reconnect and resume the download at the point where it left off. Note that for data download to start, the satellite status needs to have at least 3 bars.

Note: The real world speed of the Iridium Go is about 10KB/minute. A weather download of 80KB will take a little less than 10 minutes in average. The default maximum size is set to 100kB (from the Weather Options), but you can increase it to up to 1MB (but it might take as long as 2 hours to retrieve 1MB).