SCS is the German company who developed the PACTOR modes of communications. Contrary to old modes like Morse code, teletype, ... Pactor mode insure 100% error-free communications. SCS modems are the standard of multi-mode controllers, they are very reliable and are used all around the globe. Whether you live in a remote location being far in the forest or jungle, or you travel the 7 seas on a boat ... a Pactor modem used in conjunction with a SSB/HF radio and a computer will be your link to the outside world! You can communicate at no cost directly with others using the same equipment or you can subscribe to a special email service provider like Sailmail or Winlink for example. Approximate Costs: 1>   Radio > between  US$ 600-3,000 (either ham, either marine) depending model and store. If you have a radio already, we can tell you if it will work well or not with a Pactor modem. Our favorite pick if you are looking to buy a new radio (ham) : ICOM 718 (check on Internet for best deals) 2>   Pactor modems > between  US$800-1,500 depending model and dealer. As a long time SCS dealer in the South Pacific, we offer the most competitive prices with free full technical assistance included. 3>   Laptop or PC > from US$ 250. Nothing fancy needed! As long as you can run Win98 or higher and have either a USB or Serial COM port. Note: have a spare computer available as with computers it is not IF but WHEN it will fail! You now need a shore server you can access with your SSB signal to relay emails to/from Internet. 2 main choices: 1>   Sailmail : annual membership US$ 250 for 90 min/ week; connection to their 17 stations covering 100% of the globe. 2>   Winlink: for amateur- radio operators only (hams). Cost: none! Between 30 and 60 minutes of daily connection to more than 50 stations in the world covering 100% of the globe! Hope you will appreciate the dedication of these volunteer hams offering such a GREAT service! Software needed: Airmail (free download on Internet). We are all thankful to Jim Corenman for developing such a perfect tool and to offer it at no cost to private users like us! We have personally been using this PACTOR system since it’s inception in the early 90’s (used to do beta testing). Rarely did we have days when we couldn’t connect to get our daily wx bulletins and emails from friends and family (from the Caribbean to the South Pacific!). Once the system is set up properly (!), it is very user-friendly … but sometimes it takes a lot of expertise and time to set it up correctly. We recommend buying the modem from an experienced dealer who will help you through the set up (in person, by email or phone). He has to be experienced as much in radios as in computers! We met more than one unlucky cruiser who couldn’t get the system to work after countless friends tried to help them for months! Test your new system before you set out for the jungle or the high seas! >>> Airmail pour les Nuls en All products described here are used by us personally and many happy customers - www.remotelifestylesolutions.com