Satellite phone hire/buy

[dustie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dustie]

I'd prefer the Satphone and GPS, cos I can provide the rescue team exact co-ordinates.

Mate of mine who runs a 4x4 tag a long business had a member of their group suffer from a heart attack. With the satphone and gps they were able to get assistance from the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) by simply providing the co-ordinates.

[alternative Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close alternative]

THREAD DIG ! No point starting another one.

Has anyone got the Isatphone Pro ? Been tossing up getting a EPIRB/Spot type of device but for $700ish one of these phones can be bought with a pre-paid card that lasts for 2 years.... if it has not been used in that time it only needs a $25 recharge and all the credit has another 2 years expiry.

I can use this for remote trips and on MTB rides where coverage is limited.... seems a good idea.

Any thoughts or experiences ?

[mcsumway Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mcsumway]

I have one of these. They are a decent lower cost alternative.

The only issue for most is the slightly more complicated dialing system ie: you need to dial internationally. However if you program the memory with the important numbers it works simply.

HOWEVER you cannot dial 000 you need the phone number of the local or state police HQ.

The prepaid cost system is excellent for travelers like us as you only pay when you use it and can top it up at anytime.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Dialing the international code is standard on sat phones, They have certainly dropped in price since I bought mine around 5 years ago, the prepaid option sounds like a good way to go for the occasional user as well, so long as you have enough credit to cover you in a real emergency that requires lots of calls.

Not all satelite systems have teh same coverage though, what system does it run off?

Cheers Andrew

[big-trev Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close big-trev]

Mick Peter at Alltrack hires and sells,I noticed that he has a specials board out side.If you like more info send me a Pm and you,re email address and I will get him to email details to you.

[alternative Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close alternative]

Andrew they run off Immarsat.

I spoke to the guy from Alltrack and another company at the Adelaide show called MGL Telecoms, they had a better deal than Alltrack but none of them are near the online prices.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

When I bought mine there were 2 options really, Iridium or Globalstar. I knew a few people that had globalstar phones (because they were cheaper) but they were often not able to get a signal, eventually you would but you might have to wait for hours until the satelites were in position. The Iridium network is excellent though, we have never had an issue with reception, provided you had clear view to the sky.

Not sure about Immasmart, first I have heard of it, however research their coverage, if your phone doesn't get coverage the one time you really need it in an emergency, then it was a really expensive toy!

Cheers Andrew

[vscorsa Member Find all posts View Profile Close vscorsa]

Did anyone else see the advertising in 4wd Action for the $550 Satphone? At the time I didn't pay much attention however I was trying to find the article the other day because it also looked like a good option.

Cheers

[vscorsa Member Find all posts View Profile Close vscorsa]

Has anyone seen/used this model?

http://www.chsmith.com.au/Products/I...ite-Phone.html

[Sunshine Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sunshine]

I bought my used sat phone on ebay two years ago for about $650 and there are often some of the Motorola Iridium 9505A models at this price. I have just checked ebay now and there are some for sale. This phone, I think, is one of the best. I bought it mainly for emergencies so it isn't used often on a trip and second hand is good enough for that. I just take the SIM card out of my mobile phone which is with Telstra, put it in the sat phone and it works all the time. As said above; you do need a clear view of the sky for any sat phone to work.

[Davros Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Davros]

I bought my used sat phone on ebay two years ago for about $650 and there are often some of the Motorola Iridium 9505A models at this price. I have just checked ebay now and there are some for sale. This phone, I think, is one of the best. I bought it mainly for emergencies so it isn't used often on a trip and second hand is good enough for that. I just take the SIM card out of my mobile phone which is with Telstra, put it in the sat phone and it works all the time. As said above; you do need a clear view of the sky for any sat phone to work.

My Iridium sits in a cradle on the dash, and I have it hooked up to an external antenna. I still find I can have connection issues, even with the external antenna fitted. It works great out in desert areas, but for some reason, reception in Vic High Country is sporadic.

[vscorsa Member Find all posts View Profile Close vscorsa]

Thanks for the info, I was also thinking about the Iridium however they are very expensive when you buy new. I was also hoping to have the option just putting my telstra SIM card in as well.

Has anyone tried to gain the government rebate?

[Davros Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Davros]

I am not 100% sure, but I think you need to be in special circumstances to claim the rebate. Do you live in a remote area?

[cafiem Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cafiem]

Has anyone seen/used this model?

http://www.chsmith.com.au/Products/I...ite-Phone.html

I trialed this phone for my work. Took it away for the whole week and didn't get a signal the whole time.
I am in remote NT, not sure if they'd be any better in other locations.
We use Iridium for work and while they are not perfect by any means they are OK.

I would describe the ability for a sat phone to get a signal as being reversely proportonate to the importance of the call.
ie: If you desperatly need to use then they never seem to work properly.

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

http://www.campingaustralia.org/showthread.php?t=157