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+--- Thread: xGate for Mac? (/thread-190.html)
xGate for Mac? - jagasail - August 2, 2006
Feeding off some comments in other strings, I understand Globalmarine's XWeb works on a Mac, I assume via satphone of some sort, but what about their xGate/xNet allowing access via HF (SSB)? Does anyone know if it is potentially an alternative to Sailmail that would work on a Mac without having to use VirtualPC?
I finally have my SSB working on Jaga and am now looking at HF email options. I'd sure like to avoid using VirtualPC, and while I have two ibooks, the price of upgrading to one of the newer Intel Macs is the same as a new sail or new winches or new...
GPSNavX - searching the archives I saw where you were looking at writing a Mac sailmail client - what became of that?
Scot
- GPSNavX - August 2, 2006
Yes I had planned to develop a SailMail client when Jim Corneman was going to provide a SSB and Pactor modem. That never happened. Since then I have learned about XGate and would see it as a much better solution since it does not require the user to run a specific email client and it works with sat/cell/HF devices.
What I would advise for the time being is not running VPC, but using BootCamp on an Intel Mac. Put the HF comm stuff on the Windows boot and do the rest on the Mac.
For those who want to use a Sat Phone than Iridium does work on the Mac and one can use the normal OS X Mail app and use XWeb to speed up loading of web pages.
Isn't Sat really the future?
- jagasail - August 2, 2006
The issue is basically one of cost and priorities
HF will be critical for some time to come for safety, cruiser nets and many other reasons that one-to-one communications can't handle.
SAT is great but that's a cost on top of, not in place of, HF, and it's still not cheap.
Adding on to the other costs, an Intel Mac is just not an option for a good while.
If I add all these up I'd have to go back to work rather than cruise. A cheap throw-away WinPC and Sailmail would be a lot cheaper and give me both email and weather, but that's what I'm trying to avoid (the WIN issue).
Scot
- lsoltero - November 23, 2006
Check out this posting.
http://www.macsailing.net/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=290&sid=57f3190850f9d2472d01974c5788fd00
we run XGate under VMWare every of the week here. Works perfectly!
--luis
Luis Soltero, Ph.D., MCS
Director of Software Development, CTO
Global Marine Networks, LLC
StarPilot, LLC
Tel: 865-379-8723
Fax: 865-681-5017
E-Mail: lsoltero@globalmarinenet.net
Web: http://www.globalmarinenet.net
Web: http://www.starpilotllc.com
- adamcfrench - October 21, 2008
can you point me to specifics on using iridium phone with existing Mac mail software?
thanks,
Adam
r/v Magnet
- GPSNavX - October 21, 2008
I would not recommend using an Iridium phone directly with Mac OS X "Mail" application. I do recommend using GMN XGate as the go between.
Configure OS X Mac "Mail" application for use with XGate.
Note that XGate comes bundled with the Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail client which works out of the 'Box'. The following steps are only necessary if you prefer to use the Mac OS X "Mail" client instead of Thunderbird.
1. Run XGate
2. Go to preferences and click on the e-mail settings tab and confirm that the pop and smtp port numbers are set to the following POP3 Port #: 1100 and SMTP Port #: 2500. Click OK and then Exit and re-run XGate only if the POP and SMTP port numbers were changed from their default values.
3. Run the Mac "Mail" Application and select File->Add Account
4. Set the Account type to POP
5. Enter XGate or GMN for the description
6. Enter your Full Name
7. Enter your e-mail address (lsoltero@gmn-usa.com or some such thing).
8. Set the Incoming Mail Server to 127.0.0.1
9. Enter your GMN/XGate assigned username and password. (this must be the same as the username and password entered above when configuring XGate).
10. At this point you will get an error that states that the pop server is not responding. Dont worry and hit continue.
11. On the next screen leave the 'Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)' unchecked and set the Authentication to Password (the default)
12. Enter 127.0.0.1 for the outgoing mail server. The 'Use Authentication' should be left unchecked. You will receive an SMTP server not responding error when you hit continue. This is expected. Hit continue.
13. On the next screen leave 'Outgoing Mail Security' unchecked.
14. Finish the wizard.
15. Next go to Mail->Preferences. If you have more than one account listed then move them around so that the XGate account is at the top. You will want to 'disable' all accounts except your XGate account. This will prevent the "Mail" application from trying to check non XGate (i.e. non compressed ) accounts when using the mail program.
16. Now click on the XGate account and under the Account information tab click on the "Server Settings...†button. Set the server port to 2500 (the value entered in the previous section for SMTP port number. Hit OK.
17. Next click on the "Advanced†tab. Set the POP port number to 1100 (the value entered above for the POP port number). Also check 'Remove copy from server after retrieving a message:'
18. Finally click on Signatures and then on the XGate account and enter a signatures that will let your users know that you are using a satellite phone to send you e-mail and that care should be taken with attachments and other content.
19. Back in XGate execute "Tools->Launch Default E-Mail Client" to bind the E-Mail toolbar icon to Mac Mail.
Test your e-mail settings by composing and sending an e-mail in the Mac OS X "Mail" application. You should see the flag on the XGate icon on the launch bar start to go up and down. This means that you have an e-mail message ready to be sent out.
Bring up XGate and push the "Start" button to send your e-mail.
http://www.globalmarinenet.net/email.htm
- CMiles - November 10, 2008
I used XGate / Thuderbird with GMN on a recent transatlantic crossing (with Iridium) and couldn't have been happier. Fought for hours trying to get Iridium to work with Mac at first, then called GMN an was up in minutes. Wouldn't go any other way!