August 7, 2007 14:27
On my vessel I use a Keyspan 4 port serial-USB adapter with a MacBook, Boot Camp, Windows Vista Home, and the Keyspan Vista drivers, and Airmail.
On the Windows side I needed one serial port for the SCS PTC-IIe modem, and one serial port for Airmail to control the SSB radio. I knew that with Parallels I could make one serial port work as a socket via SerialClient application but I couldn't figure how to get a second serial port to work. (When I bought my SCS modem they didn't have a USB model which controlled the radio via the same port.)
On the Mac side, the two other Keyspan serial ports are GPS input and AIS receiver input to GPS NavX.
I must say after using Windows 98/XP with Virtual PC for many years this new set up is pure joy. Performance is excellent.
90% on the time my onboard computer is a Mac, but twice a day I check my radio email and it becomes a PC.
It is a shame, however, that we don't have a Mac version of Airmail.
Winlink now has over 11,000 users. SailMail a coupla thousand more. Judging from the positive postings to the Ham-Mac list over the past years, a Mac version would be well received.
I know, for one, that I would have been happy to purchase a native Mac/Airmail application instead of another version of Windows.
Capt. John
S/V On Assignment
Abaco, The Bahamas
On the Windows side I needed one serial port for the SCS PTC-IIe modem, and one serial port for Airmail to control the SSB radio. I knew that with Parallels I could make one serial port work as a socket via SerialClient application but I couldn't figure how to get a second serial port to work. (When I bought my SCS modem they didn't have a USB model which controlled the radio via the same port.)
On the Mac side, the two other Keyspan serial ports are GPS input and AIS receiver input to GPS NavX.
I must say after using Windows 98/XP with Virtual PC for many years this new set up is pure joy. Performance is excellent.
90% on the time my onboard computer is a Mac, but twice a day I check my radio email and it becomes a PC.
It is a shame, however, that we don't have a Mac version of Airmail.
Winlink now has over 11,000 users. SailMail a coupla thousand more. Judging from the positive postings to the Ham-Mac list over the past years, a Mac version would be well received.
I know, for one, that I would have been happy to purchase a native Mac/Airmail application instead of another version of Windows.
Capt. John
S/V On Assignment
Abaco, The Bahamas