SAT phones--What are you using?

[RobG]

They use the same satellites but it's a different band or something... sorta like half duplex vs full duplex. And it's the band that the phones use that is having trouble, not the other one. Somebody posted a link to a guy who reviewed SPOT and he explained it better.

Rob

 

[Wade]

Just think of it this way. To establish a voice communications link, you need 10,000 - 40,000 bits per second continuous. To send your GPS coordinates (which is akin to sending a blackberry pager message), you need a couple hundred bits spread over 10's of seconds. Another words, you just need to be able to see the satellite, not have it perfectly positioned very close. The only other requirement is that the satellite can see a base station on the ground. That's why the coverage chart looks so funny. Oh, and the satellites are on a 54 degree orbit, meaning they don't orbit any further north than 54 degrees lat.

There's trade offs in radio communications. The faster the data rate required, the more powerful the radio transmitter required. Also, the farther you want to communicate, you can either make the radio transmitter stronger, or make the data rate a lot slower. That's why this still works, when Global Star admits their phones suck right now.

 

[sledheadd]

Global Star admits their phones suck right now.

Funny you should mention this as a couple weeks ago I bought a Globalstar phone online through Globalstar.ca.
The next day they call me up and tell exactly( well almost exactly)what you said. That their phones don't work very well now or until 2009 when they launch more sats. Then they recommended an Iridium phone. I have recieved it but not used it yet. I will report back after some trail calls.

 

[Fordman]

Globalstar doesn't even work on the Ice Cap in Whistler!!!

 

[WHISTLER HELISLEDDER]

Here is the deal! If you REALLY need to... in a Emergency.... get some help immediately....it is the Iridium...the heli companies have gone to that brand cause their insurance requires them to do so and they get a break from their local 911 on the deal...That said ...Globalstar in the WHISTLER area .. and on the ice cap has steadily gone downhill over the last few years... although just recently over christmas it seemed to get a lot better....although in an emergency a lot better may not be good enough...if you really need the weapon to work in a life and death situation it is Iridium.

Helisledder

 

[Wade]

So, I took the SPOT up into the mountains snowmobiling yesterday. Put it in track mode, and stuck it in the top of my backpack. Didn't think about it the rest of the day. The mountains were mainly to the south of me, so it's a pretty good worse case test. It should have sent a message every 10 minutes. But, there were gaps. Now had I been sitting there, with the thing pointed up, tilled to the south, I'm sure it would have done better. My body position, and terrain may have had a lot to do with it. But, I actually expected better. It's good enough to save your life though. I'll try mounting it better next time. Note: time is GMT.

01/02/2008 12:46:28 AM Track
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01/01/2008 07:27:57 PM

Wade

 

[Supplicate]

Okay... so I've gathered the suggestions are don't go globalstar but do get a spot.

Now, how about a different company that does SAT phones? I've really been thinking about one. I don't really want to go the rout that Mule has (even though I already have a radio) because I don't want to spend the time learning all the stuff. Just want radios for helmet/helmet communications.

Have been seriously thinking on SAT phones for a week or so now, but need suggestions on who to look into. Am seriously looking at the Iridium line of phones, they sound like they are pretty sweet (when you have service).

 

[Flange]

Tee-Kay and I purchased a used Iridium 9500 phone and have it activated through Roadpost. Works well.

 

[RGM]

So I have finally had it with Globalstar, after hearing how the service is going to improve for the last year now and it hasn't I phoned them up to cancel my service. They tried to sell me spot at 40.00 bucks off which for a lot of people would be good enough but I need something more than that. So instead of closing my account they have dropped all fees and if I use the phone it is 49 cent/min. I you are not happy with their service phone them and cancel your account and they will make you that offer.

 

[Scott]

I want one.

 

[Ox]

So I have finally had it with Globalstar, after hearing how the service is going to improve for the last year now and it hasn't I phoned them up to cancel my service. They tried to sell me spot at 40.00 bucks off which for a lot of people would be good enough but I need something more than that. So instead of closing my account they have dropped all fees and if I use the phone it is 49 cent/min. I you are not happy with their service phone them and cancel your account and they will make you that offer.

THAT was exactly what I was hoping to find out - if someone had gotten them to make a deal for whatever reason? SUPER - the search feature is a good deal! LOL!

I have had mine since fall of 2000 and for yrs it werked great, but then a few yrs ago it started to git spotty, and for two yrs - if you couldn't git signal - if you tried aggin in 2 hrs you would git full bars! For most applications I could live with this - under the assumption that they were puting up new sats the next spring....

This last season I went one day aboot 12 hrs before we got signal! Good grief!

I use the thing so little that I actually forget how bad it sucks untill I go to use it the next time... I needed a cell phone yesterdy and of three in the familly - I couldn't have one for a cpl hrs. So I go scrounge through the sleds 'til I find the SAT phone (that should have been in the glovebox of the truck in the first place) and try to git signal. Nadda. Wifey says to swing by my G-mas and grab hers on the way. (She's on our plan anyway eh?) By the tyme I got near her place I started to git a bit of signal, so I drove on past. I did git it to werk when I needed it to, thank GOD.

I tried the cell service that is on it too. I thought that I could just use a Credit Card, but the recording on the other end kept saying I had to buy this "minutes card and PIN number" thingy. I hung back up. I guess that's an emergency only thing too eh?

So I have been paying big $ for poor service for FAR too long! One of these days I am gunna need it - and it won't be there! We are s'posed to call in each night when we head off into the bush, but there are nights that we just kant. And I am sure that on the other end of the call that doesn't come in is worse knowing that it is sposed to be there - rather than back in the day when we didn't have it. Although she is now on board the fact that it sucks these days!

Like I said - the 2 hr thing was livable if it was git'n fixed the next summer, but next summer came and went and this season was WAY worse than ever!

I have used mine for dooing HOT quotes on parts from the bush and landing the work that I may have not been able to git just doo to the tyme thing, so I really want more than the SPOT thingy, although that sounds like a good bang/buck! (If it werks!) Is that basically the same thing as the Billy Big Rigs use? (It's all Qualcom eh?)

So what's it cost to git into Iridium?

Is there anyone that has any inside info as to why our sats didn't git replaced as they said they were gunna? (I have been told that "The Gov is using them for the war", but I think that is likely just BS.... ???

Someone had posted "Untill 2009" earlier in this thread. So that means yet another winter... Is there any reason that we should believe that they will git better? I mean we have already went through the 2nd winter and now we are looking at a 3rd? Is there really light at the end of the tunnel - or is that a freight train? Should we suck it up and tough it out? Or bail?

Essentially I am lookin fer someone with a snow globe that aint frosted over to forcast the future if someone is "in the know" aboot this....


BTW - it was also posted that SATs were only good to the 54th. ??? When I bought mine I was told that it should werk up to Victoria Island (I think the name is right?) I just might hafta wait a cpl hrs for a good signal is all... I know a fella that has ridden up to Resolute Bay ... Maybe I'll ask him what he used there and how it werked. (Not that I intend to ride quite that far north - I'm just plannin on Atawapiskat or Churchill.)

 

[EricW]

Son #2 just got back from a week in Mexico with the Iridium. As always, it worked really well, crystal clear and no delay. I think the phone was $800 and $29/month with 30 free mins. then $1.35 after that. EW