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Thread: Sat Phones

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by GQtdauto View Post
    Our plan is costing $15 a month which just covers connection to service.
    Cost to connect was about $40 , but there's no ongoing hidden fees , if you disconnect or opt out you pay the $40 again at time of connection whenever down the track , no time limit as long as you have contacted them to opt out .
    If we make calls or texts we just get that direct debit along with the $15 monthly charge .
    People calling in are calling a 0400 mobile type number so it's just like their calling a mobile not a satellite phone , outgoing calls are $1.99 , can't remember exactly if thats per two minutes .
    No yearly fees , but I think there is a two year limit on the opt out .
    That all sounds just like the deal I've heard about, it may be slightly dearer than other options but at least I can understand it ;-)

    Thanks everyone for all the info.
    ..

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    GQtdauto (28th February 2017), stevemc181 (28th February 2017)

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  4. #32
    Legendary GQtdauto's Avatar
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    Just to confuse you even more , I liked Cuppa's setup if I was only ever going to use it for emergencys , but I know it will get used to see how things are going at home .
    So now I know I'm up for standard mobile phone charges but texts are a bit dearer and I'm more than happy with that , if we were on the road full time I would ditch all the other phones and just use the sat phone , remembering we don't use the phone much at all .

  5. #33
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    Just a suggestion based upon the choice I made for remote Comms.

    I looked at sat phones both new and second hand, and considered a spot device, as I wanted an epirb device too.

    In the end I came across and decided on the Delorme Inreach unit. It works on satellite, to any number but not for calls, only for text, but is two way meaning you can also receive messages, so carry on a two way conversation if required. Additionally, when you send a text, it sends a pic of a map with your GPS coordinates to the person you are messaging.

    My reasons for this choice were, minimal maintenance plan cost per month, the battery lasts ages on standby, cost about $550 to buy new (from memory, it was a while ago), and it also has an epirb like feature, where the user can unlock a button, hit the emergency button and the monitoring centre will contact local emergency authorities. (I haven't tried this feature as I guess they wouldn't be too keen if I summoned emergency services for a test run).....

    I have sent and received many messages without a drama, and whilst messages aren't cheap, I primarily have it for a quick trip position updates to family when away and in case I need help somewhere (hoping not to have to use it for that though). Touch wood!

    Anyway, just my experience, opinion, choice etc, but maybe food for thought.
    93 GQ wagon, RB30, extractors, 2 inch tough dog lift, 5 spd, A/T KO2 32's, steel winch bar, rated recovery points, red arc dual battery set up, rhino roof racks, UHF etc etc. Slow and steady might not win the race but it gets me there eventually...

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  7. #34
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    A viable alternative for sure , not sure why I bought the epirb and satphone together when the satphone can call 000 anywhere in oz . Just backup for backup I suppose , the missus does pine for the kids when where away on a long trip so being able to talk to them in person will mean longer trips .

  8. #35
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    I've decided I'm going to hire a Thuraya XT-Lite for 2 weeks. I'll get an 04 number and tell people if they need me to ring me. Then when I want to contact them, I'll txt them (that's about half the cost of a call) and tell them to ring me.

    I'm fairly sure I can also call a Thuraya number free of charge to buy more minutes as well, so you can even top up in the middle of nowhere.
    ..

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  10. #36
    Travelling Podologist Cuppa's Avatar
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    I'm still looking & think I have discovered a reason NOT to go with the pre-paid Thuraya sim card I posted about previously. Not 100% certain as my source is potentially out of date, but have found nothing to contradict it.

    The cost of someone calling your satphone is a very important consideration. Imagine you have broken down in the desert somewhere & want to seek advice from a mechanic. You are in the middle of the Simpson & call Birdsville. The bloke in Birdsville needs to check a few things & asks for your number so he can call you back. You give him your number which he recognises as one of those long international satellite phone numbers, complete with the whole international dialing code. He baulks, because he's been caught with these before, when his bill showed he got charged up to $20 per minute & a single call cost him $120. Now you have to keep calling him back trying to get him. Not ideal.

    Bottom line is that in order for your Thuraya satphone to have an Australian mobile number, which costs someone calling you the same as them calling a normal mobile phone you need to get an Australian sim card & the ONLY way to do this is get a post paid sim (a plan). Thuraya do not do pre-paid in Australia.

    The previous advice I received from a friend re the prepaid sim would suit folk planning to travel overseas. He had spent 3 years driving to the UK & back.

    10G's idea to text folk & get them to call you back is by far the cheapest strategy, especially if contacting someone who has their mobile on an unlimited calls plan.

    Having a phone number to call to 'top up' air time with Thuraya is only applicable to the prepaid sims, which wont be the case if you have an Aussie number as far as I can tell. Presumably with a post paid plan you can get billed to a credit card, so will work for folk who spend long periods out in the mulga.
    Last edited by Cuppa; 10th March 2017 at 09:12 AM.

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  11. #37
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    Yep, that all sounds about right.

    I signed up to hire a Thuraya XT Lite yesterday. $25 connection fee which is paid once, $1.50/minute talk time and $0.75 per SMS. I get $10 phone credit with the phone and once that's all gone, they bill me for all the calls & SMSs I do.

    When I'm not using the phone I can ring them up and they cancel the connection for me. When I need it again it's another $25 connection fee. For me, this suits me down to the ground, It's simple, I can use the phone anyway I want, talk for as long as I need without worrying about running out of credit and so on, then when I'm home safe and snug I can whinge about all the fees ;-)

    The ease of use (of all the connection/disconnection/plans etc) and unlimited use should I need it works for me.

    I'm looking forward to seeing how it all goes, not used one before.
    ..

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  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10G View Post

    I signed up to hire a Thuraya XT Lite yesterday. $25 connection fee which is paid once, $1.50/minute talk time and $0.75 per SMS. I get $10 phone credit with the phone and once that's all gone, they bill me for all the calls & SMSs I do.
    So the call/sms costs are higher when you hire?
    Who did you go with & how much is the hire fee? Is it a try before you buy deal, with the hire cost being knocked off if/when you buy? There is a mob on ebay advertising that sort of deal on some used XT Lite’s with 12 month warranty.
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/142054796...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

    Will look forward to reading how you find go with the XT lite
    Last edited by Cuppa; 10th March 2017 at 09:24 AM.

    2006 4.2TDi ex-Telstra Remote area Camper. 425w roof mounted solar, 360Ah Aux batts, BCDC1240, Onboard hot & cold pressurised & filtered water, (25 litre hot water calorifier), ARB fridge, ARB freezer, Built in kitchen, heaps of easy access storage, 240v, 3” Genie exhaust + dynotune, 2” lift, 3900kg GVM upgrade, second glovebox, ROH Blaktrak steel wheels, Bridgestone D697's (now Toyo RT's), Redarc gauges/pillarpod, Hema HX-1, Icom 450 CB, dual rear view cameras, Onboard 30amp Victron mains charger, second glovebox, dual seat conversion, TPMS, Boss PX7 onboard air with 9 litre tank, 350w inverter, Steel bullbar, Harrop Eaton diff lock (front), Warn winch, Snorkel, Dual spares , 160 litre water tank, 180 litre fuel in two tanks (approx 1200km range) 2010 Tvan Tanami. (incl another 70 litre water tank) with matching wheels/tyres (& 3rd spare)
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  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cuppa View Post
    So the call/sms costs are higher when you hire?
    Who did you go with & how much is the hire fee? Is it a try before you buy deal, with the hire cost being knocked off if/when you buy? There is a mob on ebay advertising that sort of deal on some used XT Lite’s with 12 month warranty.
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/142054796...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

    Will look forward to reading how you find go with the XT lite
    Yeah that's them. ePIRBHire. Yep, they have a try before you buy option. The call & txt rates are little higher as they manage the plans so I guess they just add a bit on so they get something out of it, I'm OK with all that as there's less hassle for me to worry about.

    They told me they supplied the last Census with 200 XT Lites for the remote Census workers to use in case of emergency and most of them were never unpacked, that's one in that eBay advert.
    ..

  15. #40
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    Cuppa , I know my incoming and outgoing calls are same as mobile phone , used to be expensive to ring a sat phone for sender and receiver but most company's now offer the 04xx number which is a mobile type number .
    Tried my phone on weekend getting wood , I was in a gully and could not see the sky it was that overgrown and as expected no signal .

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