Sat phones...plans..

[mapples]

Geday all,we are looking into satphones.
They seem about the best portable remote coms thing out there.
Would love to hear which way people have gone.
It seems iridium are the go,on a plan...pricey but could save your life.
  Stay safe all....

[luke]

To help guide the discussion, what would you like to use it for ?

We use our InReach Explorer on and off. 
The plan was through Pivotel and moved to garmin, and is pretty bare bones.  It's cheap ($25 pm), and allows the plan to either be suspended ($5 pm) or disconnected, with a reconnection cost next time you use it.

While it doesn't voice calling, internet, etc, it's got all the safety features and is more than enough peace of mind when travelling with my wife's medical condition and young kids.

My parents travel with an old iridium phone and it's pretty hit and miss.  You need to find a decent spot to call from, and want to stay still while you're making the call.  Hopefully later models are more forgiving.

On the other hand we have friends that do a bit of travelling and lug around a Starlink system instead.
Absolutely no safety features, but they can watch youtube video's and what ever else they want wherever they are.   

Depending on use case it may also be worth looking at the new mobile phones with 'Emergency SOS via satellite'.
I haven't looked into these, so I'm not sure what's available, or what the coverage is like.

[Ray]

We bought the Inmarsat Isatphone years ago, vouchers are expensive so we just carry it to make free emergency OOO calls and receive free sms messages from kids.

Ray

[mapples]

Hi luke,fair question.
My wife and i like remote travel.
For a couple of months here and there(we are about to head away soon..first trip in the van)Hopefully for a longer period next year.
We are thinking of covering both bases,that is voice call for help if broken down,so we can talk to people and they can ring us back.,or sos button.
We dont want the west pak chopper comeing for a mech. proplem.
The sat phone shop in Victoria,
Have a plan for $65 amonth (min two months)
You can stop the service and restart when needed,with the same sim card,no 'pause fee'.
 It seems the iridium is the pick of the dear bunch.But you need good sight of the sky,and be out of the car to make a call, unless you pay up for an external ariel.
I don't suppose there is a perfect system for all.
Sorry i'm a bit late in responding,i didn't have allerts on..i think it is on now. thanks for your responce ..mark

[mapples]

Hi Ray,we haven't come across the voucher system yet.
There seems to be plans with a set amount of $ for calls.
Or a flat monthly fee,then pay per call.No plans from different
company are the same...typical.
But as i said before,we like the idea of makeing calls(quick ones)and or pressing the sos button.
The Satphone company,seem about the best deal.$65/month,min 2 months.Then after that, monthly.
If cancelled no pause fee.
And you can use the same sim(for now) for reactivation at a later date.There doesn't seem a lot of choice,but it's a dear thing to start.Not many people with a sat network.Sorry for late reply,i think i have the alerts on now..
Did i mention what ever i get needs to be idiot proof?

[dt]

Chaps, we have an Iridium phone (9555). Had it for 10+ years. Use Pivotel. Cost is around $65 per month but there's a $50 connection fee. Calls out cost a fortune (around $2 per minute I think) but calls in are at the callers mobile rate, i.e. free. We normally are away for two months so the near $200 is worth it for safety. Mind you, the phones are expensive now.
I'm off on the bike soon (then in the car to WA) and have found it better than the text only options as you can have a conversation. Like when we were stuck on the bikes on the Tanami.
One issue to investigate with the plan provider is whether it is an international number or a local mobile number. as I said above, people can call in at not cost but on an international number they must use "global roaming" that is international calls which are usually limited or expensive on our mobiles.
I hop this helps.
david

[mapples]

I'll have to keep that in mind Dave.New to this stuff,so i will make sure it's not an international number.
Iridium have long model runs,if it isn't broke,don't fix it...
Most plans are around what you are paying.
They are dear,but like most,we only want it for peace of mind.

[jakasspeech4]

Chaps, we have an Iridium phone (9555). Had it for 10+ years. Use Pivotel. Cost is around $65 per month but there's a $50 connection fee. Calls out cost a fortune (around $2 per minute I think) but calls in are at the callers mobile rate, i.e. free. We normally are away for two months so the near $200 is worth it for safety. Mind you, the phones are expensive now.
I'm off on the bike soon (then in the car to WA) and have found it better than the text only options as you can have a conversation. Like when we were stuck on the bikes on the Tanami. erp sistemi
One issue to investigate with the plan provider is whether it is an international number or a local mobile number. as I said above, people can call in at not cost but on an international number they must use "global roaming" that is international calls which are usually limited or expensive on our mobiles.
I hop this helps. Shopsy
david

Thanks for sharing your experience