null
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Post by null on Apr 23, 2020 2:25:34 GMT -8
I currently own a Globalstar Satellite Phone unit and have a yearly Globalstar air plan. I use about 2 hours of air time per year (120 minutes). The minimum plan they offer is 1800 minutes which after taxes and fees costs $1300+/year. That's good on a per minute basis but I don't use nearly that much time.
In order to save money, I am considering other options such as Iridium Go, but their plans jump from 5 minutes per month (affordable but not enough time) to 75 minutes per month (more time than I'll use and the price is close to Globalstar).
Does anyone know of a way to continue having satellite service and lower the costs? A monthly plan (say 20 minutes per month) is great if I can carry over unused minutes and pay maybe $60/month. Of course this may not exist, but that's why I'm asking.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Apr 23, 2020 3:34:53 GMT -8
Must it be a phone? InReach offers a variety of plans and prices for 2-way satellite text-based communications.
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Post by johntpenca on Apr 23, 2020 3:47:27 GMT -8
Why do you need a sat phone?
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Apr 23, 2020 5:20:33 GMT -8
What are you using it for; is it for trips? If it's discrete trip use, you might consider renting.
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null
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Post by null on Apr 23, 2020 7:45:21 GMT -8
If it was just me, I wouldn't carry the phone. I don't really like having it along as it is.
But I take paying clients on backpacking trips. Some of them have never been backpacking before, some are older and some are not in the best shape. So I have a responsibility to be able to communicate with the outside world, not only to call out but to receive messages.
I have rented in the past, but run about 30 trips per year so it's not cost effective just in terms of shipping.
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Apr 23, 2020 7:55:59 GMT -8
I think messengers like InReach and SPOT have 2-way systems now. Are those not robust enough?
You might try the Grand Canyon river runners forums. All trips are required to carry satellite phones, even the private ones. Maybe the best group with a lot of experience.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Apr 23, 2020 13:15:00 GMT -8
Ah, leading novice backpacking tours, I understand the need. I agree you are better with a sat phone because of the responsibility and even potential liability you carry -- if a client has a medical need or is freaking out then 30 minutes in between sending a message and receiving a reply (as could be the case with InReach) is not good enough.
I still don't have insights on sat phone plans, but I do see that $1,300 spread across 30 trips is only $43 per trip, and since this is a business expense whatever you spend on the sat phone is tax deductible. Might you be able to boost your fee by a few bucks per person to make up some of this cost?
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null
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Post by null on Apr 23, 2020 13:51:14 GMT -8
ut I do see that $1,300 spread across 30 trips is only $43 per trip Very true. I actually look at a sat phone more as (unreliable) insurance than a necessity. I only bring the phone on maybe 15-20 trips because in many locations (Great Smoky Mountains / Florida Trail) a cell phone is much more reliable than a satellite phone because of all the tree cover. Even in places like Big Bend where it's almost all sky, you'd be surprised how difficult it can be to get a sat signal.
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Post by trinity on Apr 23, 2020 16:15:32 GMT -8
Given the use you are describing, I would think you'd be better served with an Inreach Mini which, paired with your smartphone, would give you the ability to text, and to send out an emergency message. The biggest drawback of these devices is that they rely on satellites for transmission, but sounds like they are no different from satellite phones in that regard. They offer different subscription plans, and are very lightweight. I've been carrying an Inreach SE for years, and it is a great device, though I use it independently of a smartphone. The mini is similar, but much smaller, and with a shorter battery life.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Apr 25, 2020 13:40:48 GMT -8
I can understand your wanting a calling out capability but not call in. If a client desires that for business or whatever surely it’s their responsibility? Unless, of course you advertise that as a feature of your business. Glamping of a sorts. For callout in an emergency life threatening situation there’s always the FCC certified personal locator beacon: one time purchase, five year battery replacement and no service charges. For more nuanced emergency communication the Garmin Intrach kind of communicators offer the nuance to more precisely communicate to emergency responders. Plus, if the Garmin 66i is chosen, eliminate the weight of a separate gps display device if you already carry one. Garmin offers quite a few plans all of which are cheaper than those satellite phone ones as being digital text the required bandwidth is far less than voice communication. For the government serviced FCC certified personal located beacon route NOAA Cospas-Sarsat is the place to start. www.sarsat.noaa.gov/Blue water ocean and the more robust EPIRB have long been a standard piece of my gear, for the last 15 years I’ve had an ACR PLB through it’s allowed battery replacements and have recently moved to the Garmin 66i for better precision in emergency calls, shaving weight as I’ve carried a gps as a compass map backup for a while now (with texting I can communicate whether I’m simply delayed, delayed by a minor injury but I’m self extracting it in need of the full SAR callout, thus being efficient with the responder resources whereas a PLB is all or nothing, perfect for life threatening but not at all for a modest delay that still is going to exceed my return safety margin enough to trigger a response). ETA: Another feature the some of the tracking communicators offer is a feature where location fixes are posted to a webpage map so people who are interested can “follow along from home”. That’s the sort of thing I’d expect would offer some level of reassurance to clients significant others.
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null
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Post by null on Apr 26, 2020 6:16:57 GMT -8
there’s always the FCC certified personal locator beacon: We actually do carry a Spot sometimes although our needs are often more nuanced than requesting a $14,000 helicopter airlift, so it's nice to see that the Garmin 66i has a few (pre-programmed?) text options. As trinity recommends, an InReach might be a good compromise. I'll run these by my staff to see what they think.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Apr 26, 2020 6:36:53 GMT -8
there’s always the FCC certified personal locator beacon: We actually do carry a Spot sometimes although our needs are often more nuanced than requesting a $14,000 helicopter airlift, so it's nice to see that the Garmin 66i has a few (pre-programmed?) text options. As trinity recommends, an InReach might be a good compromise. I'll run these by my staff to see what they think. Though SPOT isn’t an FCC certified personal locator beacon (they were sued by FCC to cease implying they were in advertising). Spot does not connect to the Cospas-Sarsat international network as personal locator beacons do (such as ACRs). Spot is more like a home alarm system, you pay s service fee to a commercial service provider who operates its own satellite receiver system (in Spots case they rent from Globalstar, Garmin InReach rents from Iridium). Iirc the texting capability from InReach isn’t limited to preset phrases, Spot has a similar feature from what I remember, PLBs are the callout only devices , presets are simply one of its options that offers less data use. www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/gpsmap66i/EN-US/GPSMAP_66i_OM_EN-US.pdfAnd their LiveTrsck festure looks like a reassurance builder. “ LiveTrack You can use the LiveTrack feature to record track points and transmit them over the Iridium satellite network at the specified send interval. Starting LiveTrack From the LiveTrack page, select Start LiveTrack. NOTE: Starting the LiveTrack feature also starts the recording controls. Stopping LiveTrack From the LiveTrack page, select Stop LiveTrack. Sharing Your MapShareTM Web Page You can share a link to your MapShare web page with other people. The system automatically adds text, including link information, to the end of your message. 1 From the LiveTrack page, select Send MapShare > Share. 2 Choose recipients from your contacts list, or enter a recipient's contact information. 3 Select Send Message. LiveTrack Settings Select Setup > LiveTrack. Auto Track: Sets the device to start tracking when you turn on the device. Moving Interval: Sets the frequency at which the device records a track point and transmits it over the satellite network when you are moving. If you are a professional customer, you can specify the interval when you are stationary. SOS During an emergency, you can contact the GE”
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Post by trinity on Apr 26, 2020 8:07:58 GMT -8
Iirc the texting capability from InReach isn’t limited to preset phrases That is correct. You can send customized texts from, I believe, any Inreach device (I carry the SE). But the texting interface is pretty clunky. The other nice thing about the Inreach is that it lets you know when your message has been sent. I carried a Spot for 5 years or so, and I consider the Inreach superior in every regard.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Apr 27, 2020 5:21:08 GMT -8
I am just curious but please feel free to decline for privacy reasons.
Could you give an example of something that needed the sat phone?
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Apr 27, 2020 9:55:58 GMT -8
Just saw an ad for this device and thought of this thread. $200 @ Amazon. Got reasonably good reviews. NOT a standalone device, however - it works with a cellphone. Small, weighs 5.3 oz. Plans range, as the Amazon site says: ... satellite messaging plans at $20, $35, or $50 (25, 250 or unlimited messages) with cellular, Wi-Fi and SOS messaging included. After the initial 3-month commitment, suspend your plan when not in use for just $4/month. Gearlab: "ZOLEO Satellite Communicator Review"
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