sattelite phones

[rottodiver]

Hey guys,

I just thought i would give some info on my satelite phone as the cost of them has become so cheap. The phone is invaluable as you can be contacted anywhere and will never be stranded without being able to call for help..
i have the immarsat isat phone pro which is a little bigger than a mobile and to buy outright is $699. It is prepaid where top up with units which are equal to about 1 dollar(the more you buy the better the value). The credits last 2 years and if top up they carry over for another 2 years. Call costs are 1 unit a minute to land lines and 1.2 units to mobiles..
there is no cost associated with receiving calls and no contracts..

Hope this helps.... the piece of mind when being remote is awesome

Scotty

[04OFF]

Thanks mate , interseting, I looked into Sat phs a little while ago, i was put off as, there was no contract, but it seemed you had to pay a access fee each month, i am interested in details of your service provider ?

Also , you say it is free for you to recieve calls, but how much does it cost the caller ? ive heard sometimes the caller (often your family) gets charged $15 a min or somthing stupid like that to talk to you (in a emergency thats no problem of course)


The other thing that put me off, is that some Sat phones, you cant just dial "000" in a emergency, so if "you" hurt yourself and some stranger grabs your ph, you will have to explain how to get through to emergency services (i.e. most people would just automatically dial 000 for help, but this wont work)


Have you 100% confirmed your model works with 000, or do you need to input area codes etc first ?



If its as good as you describe, and it can dial 000 direct , i may get interested again

[rottodiver]

Www.asta.net.au. AST. And good question about 000 but to me 000 generally isn't too valuable in the outback compared to Royal flying doctors, ses etc.. I guess a little homework us important for where you go for the right numbers to have.. But I am not sure if someone was there to help I would have to first explain that I have a Sat phone I guess.. The phone is an emergency phone for anyone to call and whatever the cost I could deal with.
Great questions !!!

[04OFF]

Thanks for that, i couldn't find the info i was looking for from your link ,so i just rang em, and it does sound like a great deal (best ive heard of) i was almost sold....... until i got to the 000 question, and unfortunatly ,it will NOT dial 000 :(

[AB]

Thanks for that, i couldn't find the info i was looking for from your link ,so i just rang em, and it does sound like a great deal (best ive heard of) i was almost sold....... until i got to the 000 question, and unfortunatly ,it will NOT dial 000 :(

Did you find out how much it cost to ring the actual sat phone?

[rottodiver]

Ringing the Sat phone depends on the carrier you ring from, they do receive emails and SMS aswell though as well as being able to send them

[04OFF]

Did you find out how much it cost to ring the actual sat phone?


Ringing the Sat phone depends on the carrier you ring from, they do receive emails and SMS aswell though as well as being able to send them


I did ask the question AB, they said pretty much what rottodiver said above, very hard to say, but gave me the strong impression ,most providers try and rip ya on sat calls just cos they can (so what else is new?)

If you do wish to recieve lots of calls, the sat ph can be set up with a normal ph number (as well as a sat number, both numbers using the sat network tho) then it sounded like it can work out cheaper for someone to ph you, although i think there was extra charges for the sat user to recieve a call this way ? ( but sorry i cant remember exactly who was paying what in this instance)




The 000 thing is annoying for me, i think id have signed up straight away if not for this, but this set up does seem genuine as having no hidden fees, and a sensible credit system.

If its a option thats affordable, i guess its better to have a ph that can get in touch with "someone" (who can ring 000 for you) than to be stuck without any reception and not be able to talk to "anyone" , so i won't totally rule out getting one just yet !

[growler2058]

Ok my two cents worth. Un less its an absolute necessity urgent matter i dont want anyone ringing me when im out in the middle of the donga, so the more expensive it is for someone to ring GREATeven better deterant hahahhahhahahahha. And dont forget the epirb thats ya insurance policy there

[rottodiver]

Epirb is important as well... you can get a gps fix with the phone and also send that location via text or email. Good for long trips to check in with last locations.. also good for breakdown advice for you or some poor sole unprepared on the side of the road or track

[04OFF]

To be honest, from the research i also did on EPIRBs (at the same time as sat ph's and HF Radios) Im not over confident of a "fast" responce time with any EPIRB really, great if your lost or broken down, but if someone is unconscious etc, you need help NOW, if you can talk to someone on a ph or radio, you can at least express your urgency (and what/who you need) and exactly where you are, also would be nice to know someone actually got the message and is coming/doing something.

I have been in such a situation (and a couple of others) just this year (instigating the whole sat ph research thing), and don't think you need to go hours into the bush, to be without Mobile Phone or UHF reception !



If i got a EPIRB, id want one with GPS to help reduce responce time, but then they are starting to catch up in price to the cost of a sat ph.



I guess both would the answer, and a HF Radio ?




I know its hard to put a price on safety, but in reality, if i owned the best of all the above communication devices, id be VERY safe indeed, cos id still be at home not able to afford to go anywhere !

[GRA.GU]

Perhaps this is another option worth considering.I've got an Irridium that I bought about 6 or 7 years ago. I bought it on a plan that went on for some years at a very expensive rate, so I parked it in a drawer for a year or two. Then I learnt I could use my 3G simcard in it to make satellite calls, provided the card was enabled for International Roaming, so this is what I've done ever since. The calls aren't cheap, but I only use it for extremely important calls [eg wedding anniversaries, lol] or emergencies. I've never needed to make an emergency call, but I've always been led to believe that either 000 or 112 would get through.
Not sure how much you'd pay for a second hand phone like mine but surely it wouldn't be expensive, and therefore might offer a cheaper alternative, especially ifyou've already got a 3G phone.