Support & Help
Current for PassageMail Weather 3.0 / mobile documentation build 302.
Getting started
- Connect the phone or tablet to the Iridium GO! Wi-Fi.
- In Connect, log in to the GO! and start its data connection.
- Browse or choose a chart preset, add products to Queue, and tap Send Request(s).
- Run Sync in Connect. Accepted requests leave Queue because they are no longer waiting to be sent.
- When chart data is ready, watch received KB / total KB. Open complete files in My Charts.
Queue and delivery
What belongs in Sync Queue?
Only queued email and chart requests that the server has not accepted. Deletes, folder moves, read flags, maintenance, accepted requests, and expected downloads are not sailor-facing Queue items.
Where is an accepted chart request?
It has left Queue correctly. NOAA and the PassageMail server may still be preparing it. A later sync downloads the file; My Charts lists it only after the complete file is verified, saved, and viewable.
What does received KB / total KB mean?
It is the exact compressed server response currently being transferred. At 100%, PassageMail still verifies and stores the response before reporting final success.
Does new mail include its body?
Yes. “Body not yet synced” means the transfer is incomplete and another sync is required; it is not the normal completed state for new incoming mail.
What happens to mail composed offline?
It remains safely in Queue across app restarts and connection drops until a sync sends it and the server accepts it.
Charts and presets
Are preset sizes exact?
No. They are planning estimates based on current catalog sizes, selected link speed, and successful prior deliveries. Product sizes change and satellite performance varies. Estimates are not caps; the active transfer counter is authoritative.
Why can imagery be large?
Some JPEG and satellite products are hundreds of KB. Catalog v3 replaced uniform placeholders with NOAA-published sizes where available, and each device improves its estimates from successful deliveries.
What does Stop All Chart Downloads do?
It cancels outstanding chart requests, discards the partial chart response locally, and tells the server to remove its prepared chart download. Email and charts already saved in My Charts are unaffected. If offline, the server command waits for the next sync.
Satellite sync
What if the link drops?
PassageMail preserves the partial response and resumes from the saved byte position. Productive partial transfers continue without an added five-minute delay; zero-progress failures use backoff. There is no sailor-data size cap or fixed retry cap.
What travels over satellite?
Queued email/chart requests and authorized incoming new email, requested charts, alerts, acknowledgements, and small control metadata. Bulk catalog payloads, maintenance backups, full settings restore, and historical rebuilds wait for regular Internet unless a critical catalog update shows its estimated cost and the sailor approves it.
Why does signal rise and fall?
Iridium satellites move through low Earth orbit. Handoffs, rigging, cabin structure, boat motion, antenna placement, and blocked sky can cause pauses and speed changes. Give the GO! a clear all-around sky view.
Weather alerts
How is the tropical basin selected?
Automatic uses a valid timestamped GO! GPS fix. Selected Regions provides manual basin choices, and All Regions requests all tropical basins. An explicitly followed storm remains included until the follow expires or is removed.
What about nearby thunderstorms?
Within the United States, PassageMail can deliver active NWS severe-thunderstorm warnings within 50 nautical miles of the current GO! GPS fix. Location sharing and a current valid fix are required; targeting fails closed without one.
Backup, restore, and replacement devices
Is this a full account-history backup?
No. Settings Backup covers operational preferences such as link speed, schedules, presets, alert targeting, connection settings, and calibration. It does not back up or rebuild old mail bodies, attachments, history, or chart files.
What if a device is lost overboard?
Sign in on the replacement device with the PassageMail email and password to regain operational access. The satellite recovery path stays lean. Request new charts as needed, then use regular Internet later for full settings restore.
Connection tips
- Connect to the Iridium GO! Wi-Fi and disable active VPNs.
- On iOS, allow Local Network access and disable Private Wi-Fi Address for the GO! network if troubleshooting directs you to do so.
- Use the Connect troubleshooter for device-detection, registration, or data-call failures.
- Account creation, subscription actions, password changes, and full restore require regular Internet.
Support
Email [email protected]. You can also compose a support message from the in-app Help tab.
Chart-data disclaimer
PassageMail requests and delivers official NOAA weather products. Dates and validity periods are supplied by NOAA on the product. Users are responsible for reading and understanding every chart and forecast, including its validity information.