Satellite Phones

“I know this is a long shot, but I am betting a few people out there own sat phones. They are a big dollar item, but I am seriously considering purchasing one. Any tips, suggestions, references anyone that owns one can provide?

The new Iridium 9555 looks like a sweet package for the backcountry. Not a lot of features compared to modern smart phones but rugged and relatively light... on weight not on price.

I would probably pay the basic pay-as-you-go service plan. I think it's about 40/month but almost $2/minute to make a call. That's not too tough given I won't be using this to replace my cell phone.”

“Yogi the question is,"WHY?"

if it is for emergencies..there a a slew of new "emergency contact" systems. From SPOT to others.

Normally (LOL) I look forward to NOT being contacted in the backcountry.”

“In the back country I totally prefer 'low tech' solutions. Smoke signals, for example.”

“Or.............a bit of wine and a nice view?”

“My daughter manages a oceanographic research project and boats crew carrier a sat phone . Last month, after using the phone, the crew member didn't turn the switch--Over $10,000.oo before someone discovered it.”

“for the record, SPOT has a new model out that is 30% lighter, has a GPS acquisition indicator light, a better GPS antenna, and a "send custom message" button (that sends a pre-configured custom message to a list of contacts). it also has "safety covers" over the 911 and Help buttons to prevent accidental pressing of these buttons.

my reasons for buying one are my own. you hike your hike and i'll hike mine.”

“Ask Fridge, didn't he use one on his Alaska trip?”

“actually, i am hoping that he will chime in. i am pretty sure he either owns one or has rented one multiple times.”

“Fridge's reminded me of a Gordon Gekko brick. I cannot see Yogisan carrying one of those. The Iridium 9555 looks nice.

Taking cost out of the equation, the Sat Phone is the way to go if you want/need communication from the bush. The SPOT is nice as a cheap alternative and should perform well as an emergency beacon.

You just cannot ask someone a question with a SPOT. In Alaska we had some trouble finding the landing strip at the end of our trip (It looked so easy to find from the air). We knew we were close but just couldn't find it. A simple call from the Sat phone and we had the coordinates.

Different trips have different needs.”

“doubles as a bear deterrent. you can call in an air strike...”

“My brother-in-law was hiking in the Sierras in July. Co-hiker broke a leg.

He hiked 5 miles to find someone with a sat. phone to air-lift the guy out.

He says he will never hike (in that area) without a sat. phone.

You can rent them.”

“iridium 9555 weighs 9.4 oz. costs 15-hundo but works everywhere pole-to-pole. the form factor is not bad either.”

“Euro, how do you make smoke signals in the Alps?”

“I usually wouldn't smoke signal in the Alps, because the cell phone coverage is complete, any valley , any mountain, anywhere.
Last summer some Brits fell into a crevase and called the rescue from inside the glacier, saying they were stuck inside the Jungfrau.
Anywhere else I would set fire to the bush. I think that should guarentee to get me some attention. If only that of the poor sob whose bush I set on fire.
last edited: 8/25/09 11:25:28 AM”

“in the porkies last week i got 3-4 bars of signal at most high points in the park. yet i could not make a call or get data. cell phone coverage is definitely not something i would want to count on in the backcountry. in colorado last year we got cell phone coverage on some peaks but more often than not got none. the coverage depends on who your provider is, who the local provider is that picks up your signal, what make/model phone you have, weather conditions/signal strength. also, with a cell phone you have to be able to see the tower, but the tower also has to be able to see you. it's typical that a cell phone can see a nearby tower, but the signal from the phone isn't strong enough to be picked up by the tower. both have to work, obviously, for a phone to function. normally this would mean your call would be passed to a different cell, but in backcountry areas odds are the the cells are not connected or there is only one cell you can see.”

“Euro, what if that poor SOB had no bush?”

“It's Europe. They ALL have bush.”

“well, as expected, a serious gear thread has finally degenerated to the lowest common denominator. lol! welcome to tt!”

“The iridium is nice. We use them as a backup for emergencies. Not sure what model but they are reliable (hell we bust everything) relatively light and small and get service ANYWHERE.

*edit And you should buy one cause we'll need it for our paddling trip when I get home.
last edited: 8/25/09 12:54:37 PM”

“Sorry Yogi. It was a softball I tell ya, a softball.

Glad birch has brought it back to topic.”

“AT&T is coming out with a new 3G cell/satellite phone combo in the near future.

http://dvice.com/archives/2009/04/new-satellite-p.php”

“RIGHT ON BIRCH!”

“...prolly gonna get an iridium 9555 from roadpost. they let you roll minutes over, incoming calls are "free" (not sure what that means) and you get a US/Arizona 1+ dialing number so people don't have to use two-stage dialing and pay international rates.”

“IRIDIUM 9555 is the best out there. I have tried Globalstar and they suck for total coverage.”

“incoming calls are FREE to me -if- people two-stage dial and then they pay the terrible rates. incoming calls are at standard us long distance rate to your callers if they use the 1+ dialing and $1.69 to me. so it's best to give people the 1+ number and to basically forget that two-stage dialing number. it would mostly be used for making calls anyway. also, text messages are free so someone that wanted to talk to you could send you a text and then you could call them back.

globalstar is a little scary. hope they get squared away when their new sats get up.”

“with fridge's glowing endorsement i ordered an iridium 9555... no more screwing around with cell phones on the trail again.

last week in the porkies i had a bit of a meltdown at work. my cell phone snagged some signal at some point and downloaded a few emails that informed me of this. my job is my #2 priority (next to my family) and i am very focused and driven. i could not get a call out for anything for four days... all i needed to get out was one like of text... a list of files... but could not manage that. i finally got over it but i won't be in that situation again.

my employer gives me a LOT of freedom and i have a lot of respect for them. i pay them back with a LOT of hard work. i do not mind having to take calls and other petty annoyances on vacation. they treat me very well and i feel privileged to work here.”

“I would hope they would give you the incoming calls for free since it's gonna cost you to just leave the phone turned on to receive them...”

“there is no cost to leave the phone on to receive calls, dub. i called and asked about this. where did you hear this?”

“...and at the per minute rate they charge for a no-contract phone call, saleboard's $10,000 bill equates to a 429 day long phone call. so i suspect something is wrong with that story.”

“They will bill you if after you make a call do not terminate the call and you think you have just because the other party hashung up. When I use mine, I make sure and remove the battery every time I am finished with using, or I am moving or Backpacking. It is possible to have the phone actually turn on while packed away if you have an object pressing on the button. Easy to do this too and that's why I remove the battery. Another note Yogisan...you may want too purchase a 2nd battery or a solar array to keep up the charge.”

“thanks fridge. note to self: hang up the phone when done using it. lol! no doubt i'll have a bit of a learning curve.”

“du hu.....don't forget to hang up.”

“where can i get one of those?”

“Iridium is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mobile satellite phone system consisting of 66 orbiting satellites at an elevation of approximately 600 miles above the earth in polar orbits. The constellation has cross-linked satellites plus multiple in-orbit spares. The system operates as a fully meshed network and is the largest commercial satellite constellation in the world.
Iridium Service is the only satellite service available on a worldwide basis. Iridium is the only provider of truly global handheld satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth (including oceans, airways and Polar Regions). Iridium delivers essential communications services to and from remote areas where no other form of communication is available.”

“yep. that's the sh*t.”

“Iridium 9555: The new Iridium 9555 satellite phone weighs only 9.4 oz and is the smallest phone Iridium has made so far. An internally stowed antenna makes it sleek compared to the older 9505A model, but it retains the 9505A's ruggedness and has excellent water, shock and dust resistance. The 9555 won’t play MP3s or take pictures but it does incorporate the important features Iridium users have demanded: including an integrated speakerphone, improved texting and email capabilities, a Mini-USB data port, and a redesigned and intuitive user interface. Internet access is relatively slow at 2400 bps (direct dial circuit switched) but compression software such as SkyFile can be used to significantly improve the effective data rate. The standard kit includes: a universal AC charger and international plug kit, battery, mag-mount car antenna with 1.5 meter cable, antenna adapter, DC charger, belt holster, hands free earpiece, and manual. The older Iridium 9505A weighs 13.2 oz and is slightly larger than the 9555.”

“yep. that's the one.

2400 bps... lol! i won't be using this for internet access! i remember when i was stoked because i got my first phone modem that was smokin at 2400 bps. i don't care about that. i only want to have text messages and voice calls. prolly will get a second battery and that solar charger sounds like a good deal too.”

“Well I for one think that if I have a job good enough to pay $1,500 for a phone they deserve to be able to get a hold of me anywhere. LOL!

I applaud your work ethics Yogi.”

“I rented an Iridium phone for two summer trips and it worked great...like being on a cell phone. Last summer I borrowed my friend's SPOT. I found SPOT to be somewhat of a mystery because you don't know what it is doing. I only managed to send 3 good OK signals in 6 days out of 10 attempts. Just my 2 cents.”

“my reasons for buying one are my own. you hike your hike and i'll hike mine.”
Yogisan
8:39:00 AM
8/25/09

Yet you are looking for "tips, suggestions, references" on TT.

So, is that like, "I am not telling YOU why I want it, I want YOU to tell me why I want it"?”

“it's like that, but totally different”

“I'm wondering when sat phones will be as common as cell phones today.”

“hey fridge, i don't know about your phone but i checked and the iridium 9555 has a keyboard lock feature with a pin to unlock it. as long as you hang up calls after they are done and lock the phone that would totally eliminate the risk of it accidentally dialing someone when a button was pressed inside a backpack, etc.”

“Nice feature Yogisan....I'm calling for an upgrade now...”

“you will be pimpin' in alaska in 2010 what that gizmo!”

“new phone got here today. i have to laugh. it looks and feels like the analogue phone i got from Ameritech some 10 years ago... my first cell phone.

they say it needs a clear view of the sky, but it seems to work fine from the downstairs floor of my 2 story house. i bet this is very time-dependent.

basically... it's a phone. not a lot more than that. it will be nice to have.”

“Iridium is comming out with an even smaller more powerful phone very soon yogi. I recieved an e mail survey from them asking me as a long term customer would I be interested in trying one end of 2010.
More features and small, lighter, built in solar panel etc,... Prolly cost more too. I gots to have one so I will trade my older phone in on it.”

“Nice. Love my phone. Works well.”