Satellite Phones and Texting devices

[EDELWEISS]

OK right from the start, let me admit Im a gear nut. To that I'll add that the last computer course I had was about punch cards, and Im pretty sure home computers are just a fad. I still write letters. If its an important letter, I use a fountain pen.....but all that aside, I kinda want a SAT Phone. Its just for the cool factor. I cant justify it at all, OK occasionally I have trouble getting a signal from my favorite deer stand; but thats sorta the idea of putting the deer stand where its at.

Ive got a upcoming safari to South Africa and Zimbabwe. My wife is coming along and we're leaving the kids at home. They all spend more time texting than I spend working, heck sometimes they text to each other across the room. So I got the bright idea to pick up the Delorme Sat texting unit. I figure I can use it while we are on safari and while Im deer hunting later. They have a month to month rate thats a bit more money than a yearly rate; but I wont need it all the time.

It also has a SOS signal

Have any of you used SAT Phones or the Text units while hunting?

 

[BRICKBURN]

Just a good old smart phone for me.
I'm sure if I ever go into a truly remote area I'll ramp up to a sat phone.

Have fun with it.

 

[K-man]

I have a DeLorme Inreach that uses the satellite system to send texts and is a GPS unit as well. with different packages you have different texting amounts. As long as you have a clear view of the SW sky you have a signal. I have used it in Alaska and Zimbabwe without any issues. I will probably not go overseas without it anymore. (wife's orders)

 

[JES Adventures]

I bought the Iridium GO earlier this year to take to Cameroon. It links to your smart phone so you can text, talk or email - I thought.

The texting worked well, phone calls typical SAT phone and would drop calls on occasion. But never had email capabilities, it seems they are still working out the kinks.

Not sure it will last long in my house, it may find its way to eBay then out of my life!

 

[CAustin]

Just my smart phone with a South Africa plan!
Enjoy your hunt.

 

[JES Adventures]

I use AT&T and purchased the Int'l plan for this last trip to So Africa, Zambia and Namibia - worked flawlessly, when we had signal.

It's not like the old days but there were dead zones in the remotest parts of Zambia and Namibia.

If you want 100% comm's then take both

 

[mdwest]

ive literally bought hundreds of sat phones over the past 15 years (for work)..

In my experience, pound for pound thuraya and iridium make the best products available for the average consumer...

Rugged, decent features, large, reliable satellite networks, and reasonably priced..

You can find stuff that is cheaper.. But you get what you pay for.. And you can spend a ton on true commercial/mil grade units.. But you'll end up paying a whole lot more for relatively little additional value..

Just my .02

 

[Philip Glass]

I agree with the cool factor of having a sat phone. I really needed mine in Asia but have not used it much since. It is great insurance however. Normally you can get a SIM card in Africa for your phone and be ok. You can also use Whatsap for wifi calling and texting for free! Just need wifi. If you want a Sat phone get one. I have Iridium Extreme and it works well. It does seem to drop calls after about 5 minutes though. I think it is the satellite movement. It made my wife happy to hear from me in Kyrgyzstan!
Regards,
Philip

 

[EDELWEISS]

I stopped in a sporting goods store while on vacation in Wyoming last year. I was super excited to see a SAT phone for $499, with a $499 rebate if you bought a year contract. I was in the process of pulling out the credit card when the clerk said they were all out....

As I didn't know anything more that what I saw on TV about SAT phones, I used that night to do a little research. I was even more confused then before I started BUT what I did learn was the $499 phone wouldn't work in southern Afrika! I think I understood the reason was because they use low orbiting satellites and the true everywhere in the world phones use HIGH orbit satellites (or maybe its the other way around--told you the knowledge confused me...)

So I was back to the $1500 units OR the Delorme SAT Texting. Just as I was about to buy the Delorme, I learned that the texting isn't like what your 12 year old daughter is used tooooooo (the keyboard is ABCDEFG, instead of typewriter style) and theres a limit to how much you can send in one text PLUS some of that limit is taken up by their header. Still I think I can "live" with those inconveniences. Then Nanny Nanny Boo Boo I'll have a SAT unit and you wont...Hehehehee

 

[Longwalker]

I have a DeLorme Inreach that uses the satellite system to send texts and is a GPS unit as well. with different packages you have different texting amounts. As long as you have a clear view of the SW sky you have a signal. I have used it in Alaska and Zimbabwe without any issues. I will probably not go overseas without it anymore. (wife's orders)

I have not used my Delorme In Reach in Africa, but I have used it in very remote areas of northern Canada and my son has used it in Uzbekistan. Worked perfectly, unlike SPOT messenger systems which almost cost me an emergency rescue that was not needed because the SPOT indicated "message sent successfully" several days in a row when in fact it was not connected to the satellite.

 

[sheephunterab]

Without pairing the In-reach with a smart phone, texting is like chisling a message on a stone tablet. With a smart phone it's an electronic marvel. I just dumped my sat phone for an In Reach. I use an old iPhone with no SIM card in it because I don't want to throw my new phone in a backpack and such. You can pick old ones up for under a hundred bucks.

 

[Jfet]

We used Delorme Inreach this summer while traveling through some very backwoods of British Columbia. We used in conjunction with an iPad. This set up allowed us to send text messages and use Delormes backroad maps on the iPad with the gps conection of the Inreach. It was a good system.

 

[EDELWEISS]

Without pairing the In-reach with a smart phone, texting is like chisling a message on a stone tablet......

Can you explain that? I was told it was just a matter of having to move the cursor through the alphabet.... If thats all, I can live with that, Im not expecting to send novels; mostly "Hi. We're safe. We love you. We shot a lion today. See you in the morning.

 

[Rolf_T]

You can also predefine up to three preset messages on the unit, sent without writing. The on-device writing is painstaking without T9 etc.

 

[Longwalker]

The newest version of Delorme messenger actually allows more than three preset messages, and and I agree that typing on the unit IS slow, (moving a cursor with a four way button) but reasonably practical. I used mine to call in a float plane a couple days early because we had a moose carcass that was hanging in unseasonably warm temperatures, and was about to spoil. It was good to be able to send the short messages we needed to call the plane. Longer messages were not needed.

 

[sheephunterab]

Can you explain that? I was told it was just a matter of having to move the cursor through the alphabet.... If thats all, I can live with that, Im not expecting to send novels; mostly "Hi. We're safe. We love you. We shot a lion today. See you in the morning.

Not really novels but with two way texting with family short messages can quickly turn into extended conversations. Pick up an old iphone 5 without a sim card...you'll be glad you did.

 

[spike.t]

inmarsat and thuraya use fixed satellites and iridium lower level orbiting ones which i presume is why you lose calls sometimes ,as the sat moves out of range and the next one comes in. inmarsat and iridium have more coverage than thuraya from what i remember. i have an inmarsat isatphone but there is a newer isatphone 2 out now , and a thuraya which i use in zambia . send quite a few txts using it and mostly its fine. occasionally for some reason it delivers the txt but you dont get the reply .......then when you use it to send to that no a month later its all fine and txt go both ways.......they are handy to have just in case. one thing is always disconnect the battery when not using it , as with all 3 satphones i have had the battery drains quite quickly compared to a cell/mob phone that you leave off.

another thing is i always have a laugh when you see someone in a film or tv series using their satphone below deck on a ship or inside a building ........not a chance it would work