Quick Start Guide!
Contents
1. HF E mail system You will be able to use your HF radio SCS Pactor modem and Commander to exchange electronic mail and text messages with other Internet users when the Internet is not available This document provides the minimum information you need to get started using the CruiseEmail system Benefits Commander provides a user interface specifically designed to work with a HF radio system Commander optimizes the user experience better than any other system on the market today For example Commander e Uses a unique work flow to spot SPAM before wasting precious HF air time e Interfaces directly with the Internet using standard Internet tools Filters SPAM before it gets to your account e Uses web mail to Send Recieve mails when connected to the Internet e Transmits user passwords securely for better protection of your e mail e Easily send and receive text messages using the e mail interface e Error free e mails Runs on multiple operating systems System Requirements Commander currently runs on a PC based system using either Linux or Windows The hard ware should have the following specifications 1 2 GHz Processor or faster 1 GB of RAM or more e Serial port with cable or USB Serial Adapter with cable e Internet connection for downloading software e SCS Pactor Modem any model e HF Radio and antenna tested and working properly The Pactor modem connects to your HF radio See the Pactor manuals for connectivit2. e Verifying user credentials e Access Authorized 6 messages waiting e Retrieving list of messages Headers Check Headers in Gateway Folder for list Progress Indicator The progress bar will provide an estimated indication of the overall all progress of the trans mission Receiving Mail It s a three step process for receiving e mail This reduces the chances of downloading really large messages SPAM or other undesirable messages This is almost as easy as sending a message e List Messages Press Get List e Mark the Messages for Download e Download Messages Press Get Send or Get Mail Listing Mail Pressing Get List will connect to the gateway and download a list of messages waiting on the server The message list headers will appear in the Headers box under the Gateway folder Note the message header shows the message size Don t download large messages 10 RECEIVING MAIL Commander CONTENTS Note ALL message headers are downloaded every time you press this button So it s very important to manage your e mail by downloading and deleting the mail to keep this list small Otherwise you will have to download a list of unwanted messages every time you Get List Mark the Messages for Download Click on the Headers box to show a list of message headers Highlight the one you want to download using the left mouse button Right Click right mouse button to bring up a
3. you select an item and Right Click i e press the right mouse button to bring up a menu For example to read a message you press the left mouse button to highlight the mail and then press the 6 GENERAL FLOW OF A CONNECTION Commander CONTENTS right mouse button to bring up a menu Then use the left mouse button to select read or whatever you want to do Looking at the Commander program you will immediately notice several main components of the interface e There is the button bar which contains buttons or icons which start the various functions of the program e g Write allows you to write a message The message folders contains two folders Gateway and Client These folders con tain the various mail boxes such as Inbox Trash etc e Menu Items such as File and Help These contain menus to access less accessed functions such as Configure which allows you to set up the client e Mail List which shows a listing of the messages It contains information such as from to date etc Note an asterisk before the message means the message has an attachment e Gateway call sign This shows the call sign of the gateway to connect e Modem Status box reflects the status of the Pactor modem e Status Box which is located at the bottom of Commander This box provides mes sages to let you know what s happening e The progress bar is located in the lower right han
4. Send to send the message to the gateway It s that simple Clicking the Write button will bring up a form Fill it in as you would with any other e mail package When you are satisfied with the message press the Post button to save it to the Outbox Attachments When the Write Mail form is up you can click on the Attachments button to add an attach ment Once the form pops up press Add which will bring up a file browser Navigate to the file you want to attach and press Open This will add the file to the attachment list You can attach as many files as you want Important the Total Size is listed on the attachment form If the total size exceeds 20KB it will show in RED This indicates you have exceeded the size limit Commander doesn t stop you from sending large files but it warns you After you attach a file press Close Note the Attachments button turns YELLOW indicating an attachment SENDING MAIL Commander CONTENTS Text Messaging To exchange text messages with somebody just use the Write form to create an e mail Address the e mail to their text message address For example to send a text message to a Verizon customer use phone number vtext com Users on shore can send text messages to you by address them to vessel call sign Ocruiseemail com Transmitting the Messages in Outbox Press Get Send or Send Action button to connect to the Gateway and send any messa
5. day to use one of the CruiseEmail gateways The gateway locations are published on our website Installation The latest version is available on our website The version number appears in the title bar Windows For XP Download Commander from the CruiseEmail web site Double click on the down loaded file and answer Yes then Install This will install the program set up a desktop icon install the program in the Start menu under CruiseEmail and start the program For Win7 and Above Download Commander from the CruiseEmail web site Right click on the download program and choose Run as Administrator Answer Yes and press Install to 4 REALLY QUICK START Commander CONTENTS install the program This will install the program set up a desktop icon install the program in the Start menu under CruiseEmail and start the program If you see a message about Access Denied you didn t install as administrator Linux Really Quick Start Configure Commander via File Config Enter Client Call Sign password Serial Port and Gateway Call Sign Commander will Register with gateway on first attempt which sets up the secrete session password for protecting the account password over the air So you have to connect twice the first time you connect to a gateway Once registered Commander will disconnect Reconnect and use one of Action Buttons Get List to retrieve a list of messages waiting on
6. menu choose Download with the left mouse button This puts the letter G next to the message on the right hand side of the message header Download the Messages Press Get Send or Get Mail which will connect to the gateway and download the message The messages will be in the Inbox after the connection completes A normal set of status messages looks like this e Downloading mail from sever e Connecting to Gateway s Pactor e Verifying user credentials e Access Authorized 6 messages waiting e Retrieving Mail 3152 total bytes Estimate e Acknowledging message e Waiting for the Gateway Received mail Check Inbox When Commander finishes the messages will be available in the Inbox Left click left mouse button on the Inbox box under Client folder Managing Messages There are several mail boxes under the Client Folder They are Inbox Incoming messages Outbox messages queued to send to Gateway Saved place to save messages for later Drafts messages you create but not ready for sending Sent copies of messages you sent from Commander Trash messages you deleted 11 RECEIVING MAIL Commander CONTENTS In general you click on the box and the messages in the box appear in the Commander mail listing pane To manage the messages highlight one of them or several right click brings up a menu and choose something from the menu For example to read a message i
7. or download the full user manual Action Buttons The action buttons are located on the button bar Press these buttons to do stuff e Write Create an E mail message e Get List Connect to the Gateway and retrieve a list of messages waiting on the e mail server e Get Send Connect to the Gateway and get any marked messages send anything in the Outbox and delete any marked messages e Send Mail Connect to the Gateway and send any messages in the Outbox e Delete Connect to the Gateway and delete any marked messages Abort Immediately stop all operations For example immediately disconnect from the gateway Quit Exit the program Registration The first time you connect to a gateway Commander will register you with the gateway This process sets up a session key known only to you and the gateway The key is used to encrypt the account password it can t be intercepted as it s transmitted over the air The Gateway Callsign field on the main screen will turn ORANGE when the Commander is registering with the gateway Messages will appear in the Status box at the bottom of Commander to let you know what s happening After a successful registration Commander will disconnect and you don t need to go through the process with that gateway again You can press any of the other action buttons to con duct a normal connection Commander Overview Important Commander uses context sensitive menus to do things In general
8. Commander Quick Start Guide Version 1 0 http www cruiseEmail com 31 October 2015 Contents System Requirements soi GS eed a ae a ie er ET EEE Ca tionary Notes SIA A o Greed Installatio gt o as oe as KE a aa a a elk Behe 3 Really OLNE SEALE weta tad ro e de ede e de A ee wt we a General Flow of a Connection o eee eee ACUON BUTTONS lt lt al ca A we ee eee a aa A RESISEFAUION wee a a Ads SEL ie Commander Overview te 4s Di A at a ae eed Configuration ze send nd ed EEE EE Bt ER E Sending Mail s reren ss A 6 WEINE en oe ds cage ae B in sme Be WE Be da oben de da EN Attachments rote Herten Bertone E AS Bd Worden A he TexEMessagildic o won ee o e rd A OR A BA SES Transmitting the Messages in Outbox o e Normal Connect Sequence sa aha ee daden des Ar we al Ar a Gateway Callsign BOX ves zo onee see te eere et arn e da Modem Status 6 2 an ater a et pow Bek UB ele WRR O OU O WW O 0 0 AON A A HD um u HoH A ARA PB 0 W WW CONTENTS Commander CONTENTS SAUS Box e re ts ts ls Ao 10 Progress Indicator e beamen RD o id 10 Receiving MALL rr E E a ben ed 10 Listing Mail A A AA A A E A 10 Mark the Messages for Download o 11 Download the Messages 00 o ls o a 11 Managing Messages a ou see Aa Soe eer ele 4 11 B RE 12 Getting SUDPOM ee s sos a som en ee We Be A BEE AE A A 13 WELCOME Commander CONTENTS Welcome Welcome to the CruiseEmail CE
9. E mail server The list in the Headers box will adjust accordingly once the gateway actually confirms the messages were deleted 12 GETTING SUPPORT Commander CONTENTS Getting Support For support go to http cruiseemail com and look for the support contact information Phone and E mail support are available 13
10. d corner of Commander It will show estimated progress of the transmissions It s only an estimate Configuration To configure Commander choose File Config On the Account tab e Enter the Client Call Sign This is the call sign of the vessel It s also the username portion of your e mail address e Password This is the password to access your account It will be assigned to you when you first register with CE Using the Internet based tools you will be able to change the password when connected to the Internet Gateway operators and CE support personnel do not have access to this password e Hide Password check to reveal your password e Enable Tool Tips check to enable tool tips which are short descriptions that pop up when you hover your mouse over a control in the program This helps you figure out what the button does SENDING MAIL Commander CONTENTS On the Modem tab Gateway Call Sign select the call sign of the gateway you want to use e COM Port select the serial port connected to the Pactor Sending Mail You can use Commander to send e mail including attachments Pay attention to the file sizes The larger the file the longer it will take to transmit If you try sending files larger than about 10KB 20KB the Pactor connection may time out before the transmission is complete Writing In general the idea is to Write a message and post it to the Outbox Then press either Send Get or
11. ges in the Outbox Normal Connect sequence HF Radio can be fickle It s important to know what normal looks like Here s what to expect when you press one of the Action Buttons to connect to the gateway There are four places to watch the Gateway Callsign the Modem Status the Status box and Progress Indicator Gateway Callsign Box e RED Disconnected e YELLOW Connecting but not Authenticated to the gateway GREEN Connected and authenticated to the gateway Modem Status These lights reflect the status of the modem It s based on the status messages from the modem They may may not precisely reflect the same condition as seen on the Pactor lights because the data is slightly delayed over the serial port SEND turns GREEN to indicate the modem is the sender i e sending data TO the gateway e Connect turns GREEN to indicate the modem is connect to the gateway s modem e Traffic turns GREEN when traffic is flowing between the Pactors e Error turns RED when the modem detects an error If you see this light often it means the radio path is poor RECEIVING MAIL Commander CONTENTS Status box This shows a series of messages to let you know what s happening It will give you a clue to the success or failure of the connection A normal connect sequence goes like this Using Get List as an example e Retrieving a list of messages from the Internet e Connecting to Gateway s Pactor
12. n the Inbox do these steps e Click on the Inbox e Click on a message in the Messages pane e Right click to bring up a menu e Click Read in the menu This work flow allows you to do things like reply forward or delete messages Note deleting a message moves the message to the Trash box Note once you delete a message from the Trash box it s gone forever Note there is no way to move messages to a different folder in the mail service located on the cloud Commander only interacts with the Inbox on the mail service Deleting It s very important to delete your messages on the mail service Remember mail is deliv ered to the mail service in the cloud on the Internet The gateway simply acts as an inter mediary to retrieve the messages for you and transmits them over HF If you don t delete them you will have to retrieve the message headers each time you press Get List To delete mark the e mails to delete and press Get Send or Delete action buttons To mark a message to delete do the following e Click on Headers box in the Gateway folder Click on the message to delete in the Mail List pane this selects the message and highlights it e Right Click to bring up a menu Choose Mark For Deletion An X will appear next to the messages marked for delete Press Get Send or Delete which will connect to the Gateway and delete the messages on the Cloud based
13. the Internet server List will be in Headers box which you can mark for download or deletion Write to compose a message Post it to the Outbox for sending Press Get Send or Send Mail to actually send the message to the Gateway Get Send does everything at once including retrieve marked messages send mail in the Outbox and delete marked messages Mark Messages by highlighting a Header right click to bring up menu and select Mark for Deletion or Mark for Download Watch Gateway Callsign Modem Status and Status Message box for clues about the progress of the connection It s very important to use the Delete function to reduce the number of e mails wait ing for you A list of all waiting e mail is downloaded each time you press Get List Log files are available via Help Log View General Flow of a Connection Let s start sending and receiving e mail In general there are two work flows sending mail and receiving mail You use Commander to send e mail through the HF radio system e g HF radio on your boat to an HF radio on the shore to a gateway system on the shore The gateway system relays the e mail to our cloud based Internet system which relays your mail to its final destination The following sections only provide high level instructions to 5 GENERAL FLOW OF A CONNECTION Commander CONTENTS get you started fast If you have questions you can either contact tech support
14. y Commander does not control the HF radio in any way Commander assumes the HF radio system is working properly INSTALLATION Commander CONTENTS Limits Sending e mail over HF radio is much slower than using a standard Internet connection So you must minimize the size of your e mails For example a 10 Kilobyte e mail will take several minutes to transmit over the HF radio Commander provides the size of the e mails with any attachments to help you decide which e mails to download Once you do this a few times you ll get a feel for how much data you can send and receive in a session In general keep the size of the e mails below 10KB 20KB This is large enough to allow you to send several paragraphs of text or a small JPEG picture Cautionary Notes HF Radio depends on the ability of the Earth s ionosphere to reflect radio waves back to earth This is known as propagation A path between your station and one of the gateways may not always be available CruiseEmail operates shore stations in strategic locations to attempt to provide 24x7 coverage but this may not always be the case You will need at least one S Unit or 1 bar on a Marine Radio above noise on your HF Radio signal meter to establish a reliable connection To measure noise look at your signal strength meter without a Pactor signal Present Propagation prediction software packages are available on the Internet but you can also experiment to find the best time of
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