111 Posted March 22, 2010 Posted March 22, 2010 My job takes me to remote locations around North America and I recently got approval to get (rent or own) a sat phone for emergency work use. I was wondering if anyone has experiences with Iridium or Globalstar (or any others for that matter). I don't know much about this and can use whatever info you have. Thanks Quote
AlpineK Posted March 22, 2010 Posted March 22, 2010 I used an Iridium on one trip. Somebody has more experience I'm sure. The only issue I remember was it took some time walking around in a valley bottom trying to find the sweet spot to connect with the satellite. I believe there was a one time charge that came with a few minutes and you gave them a CC number to bill you for use after you ran through the first chunk of time. Keep your calls short Quote
111 Posted March 23, 2010 Author Posted March 23, 2010 Hopefully, I wont have to make any calls, because if I do, it probably means something went wrong... Quote
fredrogers Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 I have used both extensively over the past 3 years. Globalstar if awful, unreliable and a waste of weight in your pack. I would only use Irridium because they are super reliable, even if more expensive. Texting from your base to the phones is free and a great way to communicate on the cheap. Don't be lured in by the heavily discounted rates for Globalstar. You will not be able to get any kind of reliable comm with them... Quote
G-spotter Posted March 23, 2010 Posted March 23, 2010 +1 Good luck getting through to Globalstar sats in a forest. Quote
111 Posted March 23, 2010 Author Posted March 23, 2010 Thanks so much for the info on Globalstar. I'd found some rumblings on the web about that but they weren't as clear as you folks. Iridium it is! Quote
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