New ~ SPOT Satellite Phones

[_DJ_1]

Seem reasonably priced. Anyone have one?

Couldn't get the link to work.

[tatest]

Dusty R wrote:
How much were Cell Phones when they first came out?

About $4000 and it was a handset combined with a transceiver in a briefcase. That was also the price of first handheld, about the size of a military walkie talkie in the same era.

[silversand]

Though I haven't heard of cases when a person activated PLB but nobody received a signal

....the ACR ResQLink communicates with Cospas-Sarsat (triangulated by ground station LUTs, then, in the US, NOAA and/or USAF command centers are notified and inform deployment team(s)) is a completely different animal when comparing to the SPOT/GOES (SPOT and the GOES Alliance command center, where a response (or, non response!) is set in motion) satellite system PLB (etc).

The ResQLink (requiring NO on-going subscription fees whatsoever, however requiring registration with NOAA, where a sticker with user ID is issued to you after registration) is purely a dedicated "life-threatening emergency" notification system that transmits on a much lower frequency/wavelength (406MHz, at 75 centimeters wavelength) than the SPOT's 1,600 MHz, at ~19 centimeters wavelength.

There are a few very detailed technical reviews on both devices (A/Bing them); and I encourage anyone contemplating the purchase and reliance on a PLB "life-threatening emergency" device to do your serious due diligence! After all, it's your life on the line.

[Almot]

ktmrfs wrote:
Sometimes I have had to move the {SPOT} device around to get it to hit the sat. So I don't expect it to be a true emergency contact method.

With SPOT device, same as with any email, you can only verify that email has been sent (and for that, as I read, you might need as long as 20 minutes for SPOT to complete some "cycle"). You never know whether this message did arrive anywhere. On more than one occasion I had emails sent from my PC or my friend's that never arrived, even when PC didn't show automatic notification that message was "undelivered". This is the nature of internet and email.

Then there is such thing as PLB 406 by ACR and others, for distress signals only, with GPS coordinates sent at the same time. There is no monthly subscription, but they will kill you - financially - if you activate PLB for reasons other than rescue. Again, there is no confirmation that the call has been received. Though I haven't heard of cases when a person activated PLB but nobody received a signal. Since it is sending a distress call automatically every 30(?) seconds after you've activated it, the chances to hit the satellite are pretty high.

[ktmrfs]

Almot wrote:
Don't know how old is this "update", but this store was so unhappy with Globalstar that stopped carrying it.

Globalstar service update:

"The Globalstar system has recently lost several satellites that has now affected the reliability of the service ... Please only consider Globalstar service for casual, non-urgent communications". (my bold fonts).

Pretty strong words.

None of them is perfect, and in the area that I'm interested in - Mexico and Central America - even the famous $$$ Iridium have some dropped calls. Inmarsat (aka Isatphone) have dropped calls too, and take longer to connect than Iridium, and, like any geostationary system (which includes Globalstar too), is sensitive to where you point the antenna. Not to bash any particular provider, just to note that none of them will guarantee the connection. Some are better, some are worse.

Yup, none are perfect by any means. There is a common misconception that a sat phone will guarantee you a phone connection. Far from the truth. Weather, obstructions, sat locations etc. can and do affect the service. So don't expect to rely on a sat phone to get you coverage in an emergency. For those you need a true emergency transponder.

A friend has a Iridium phone, travels a lot into places w/o cell coverage. He says it's not uncommon to have trouble or a long wait to get a connection. And there have been times when he cannot make or recieve calls.

If your only looking to be able to let someone know of your status/location etc. so they don't get worried, the spot communicator is an option. It allows sending SMS messages from your phone and the device. However, again it uses the Globalstar sat's so it may take a while to get a sat fix and send the message. I have one, cost/year is in my range. Sometimes messages are delivered in a few minutes, sometimes the next day. Sometimes I have had to move the device around to get it to hit the sat. So I don't expect it to be a true emergency contact method.

[Almot]

Don't know how old is this "update", but this store was so unhappy with Globalstar that stopped carrying it.

Globalstar service update:

"The Globalstar system has recently lost several satellites that has now affected the reliability of the service ... Please only consider Globalstar service for casual, non-urgent communications". (my bold fonts).

Pretty strong words.

None of them is perfect, and in the area that I'm interested in - Mexico and Central America - even the famous $$$ Iridium have some dropped calls. Inmarsat (aka Isatphone) have dropped calls too, and take longer to connect than Iridium, and, like any geostationary system (which includes Globalstar too), is sensitive to where you point the antenna. Not to bash any particular provider, just to note that none of them will guarantee the connection. Some are better, some are worse.

[Bill_Satellite]

Geostationary satellites are all located around the equator. Unlike the constellation of satellites mentioned above that orbit +/- 70 degrees, the geostationary orbit at only one location/elevation.

[96Bounder30E]

Moved from Tech Issues

[Almot]

Correct. Geostationary orbit doesn't necessarily mean that the sat is on the equator.

And yet, I don't see any prepaid cards with low minutes, say, 30 or 60, valid for one year - except for Isatphone. How much the help is worth in emergency? This is not a "help", this is insurance. You pay it every year and maybe will only use once in a lifetime, except for when you intentionally use your minutes because they will soon expire anyway. How much you should pay for insurance? As little as possible, if this doesn't compromise the result.

[StewB]

I have had Global star for about 6 years. Poor reception is a thing of the past. It had nothing to do with the location of the sats, it was a technical problem with the sats that could not be fixed from earth.
A whole new constelation of sats is now up and running. Service is now very good. I live in Northern BC and have used my phone as far North as Fort St John with no issues.
When reception was poor, a person could use a sat availability program on the globalstar website. It predicted sat availability at a given location for three days. When service was at it's worst, I would get a few minutes at best of sat time one to three times an hour. Now I turn the phone on and if at sat is not there it is in a few seconds and lasts as much as an hour.
Used phones can be picked up for as little as $200. Cheapest package in Canada is $39 a month with 40 free minutes. Which is what I have as it is for emergency use only.
Also, the orbits are not on the equater, they swing above and below the border. I just checked one at the link below and it's orbit is as far north as the Northern end of Japan and as far south as the southern tip of Africa. The sats orbit allows for service from 70Deg North to 70Deg South.

http://www.n2yo.com/satellites/?c=17

[_DJ_1]

Thanks all. Even tho I have a $100 rebate I think I will pass. I have had the SPOT messenger for about 4 years and it is good enough so far.

[nevadanick]

How much is help worth in an emergency ?

[Dusty_R]

How much were Cell Phones when they first came out?

[Almot]

Yes, $400 a year sucks, if used for emergencies only. Isatphone still have good deals for such a scenario, but you have to shop around:
Here is a 1-year prepay cards from $85, or $2.40 a minute:
http://www.satphonestore.com/airtime/isatphonepro-airtime.html

[ktmrfs]

Almot wrote:
Do you own research.

3 most often used providers are Iridium, Isatphone and Globalstar. Iridium is the most expensive - usually, both handsets and plans. Isatphone - a little cheaper, $650 for handset.

Isatphone and Globalstar use geostationary satellites, so if there is a coverage in your area, the satellite is always there. If there is a poor coverage due to mountains, for example - then it is always poor in this location.

Most common complaint on Istaphone is - it may take too long to lock on satellite, up to a few minutes, and there is a "delay" in receiving - they hear you and respond a few seconds after you've said something.

Iridium has "moving" satellites, they come and go on the horizon, so there is no "bad" location, unless you're deep under ground. At any given moment there "should be" at least one of them in view, but in reality you may have intermittent signal at times.

All of them have raised the prepay rates recently - you can't get 60 minutes prepay card valid for 2 years like in the past, to use it in occasional emergency.

excellent summary and sums up my research as well. One other issue with Globalstar in Inmarsat is the GEOS sat being on the equator mean no coverage in the far north/south. I was looking at Iridium prepaid, problem was best deal I could find was for 200 minutes/year and $400. A friend, similar needs to mine says he only really needs and uses about 20 minutes/year on his Iridium phone. I figured about the same. So the 20 minutes needed end up cost about $20/minute!

So I stuck with a good 3W cell phone amp and yagi antenna and my spot connect to send messages if needed for the few times/year we end up out of cell range. A good 3W cell amp and yagi antenna will set you back about $400 with no ongoing costs.