Don't know if this is a repost, but SPOT has a sat phone now.
http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=122
http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=122
SPOT Global Satellite Phone
- Thread starter Beowulf
- Start date
pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
Don't know if this is a repost, but SPOT has a sat phone now.
http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=122
It's news to me, but that doesn't mean everybody else hasn't known for a while.
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NuggetHoarder
Adventurer
Globalstar owns the SPOT service. They launched some new satellites last fall that are supposed to go live later this summer. There service is improving but if you pull up the call times tool on the globalstar website you'll see they still have huge gaps in the availability of a signal. Like Trevan said, it's a lot better than a year ago. Think of a constellation of satellites whizzing by your location every few hours. A year ago, you'd have gaps of several hours with no satellite in view then you'd have a window of say 18 minutes or 11 minutes to make your call, then a few more hours of no coverage. Now they are down to where the gaps are around an hour of less and the windows of time where you can get a signal have increased to 100 minutes or 200 minutes. So it's a lot better now than a year ago but it still has big gaps compared to Iridium which I find to have 24/7 availability on my phone. Later this summer, perhaps we'll see some major improvements.
One strategy is to go ahead and purchase a contract with globalstar to lock in a price on minutes because right now at this moment they are selling minutes cheap - down around .25 cents a minute. You just have to hope the satellites come on line this summer as planned. The satellites are already in orbit but haven't been activated yet according to globalstar.
The other angle to look at this is that you can now purchase the GEOS SAR service through Iridium and the new Iridium 9575 phone is GPS enabled and made to work with GEOS so you can achieve the same SAR functionality now with Iridium as you can with a SPOT device.
My strategy is that I carry an ACR ResQLink+ PLB and use that for SAR. The NOAA registration for my ResQLink has my Iridium satellite phone number on it. If I activate my PLB, the SAR center will call my satellite phone first, and my wife at home second. I also purchased the GEOS service for the Iridium phone and can initiate a rescue that way as a backup to the PLB.
One strategy is to go ahead and purchase a contract with globalstar to lock in a price on minutes because right now at this moment they are selling minutes cheap - down around .25 cents a minute. You just have to hope the satellites come on line this summer as planned. The satellites are already in orbit but haven't been activated yet according to globalstar.
The other angle to look at this is that you can now purchase the GEOS SAR service through Iridium and the new Iridium 9575 phone is GPS enabled and made to work with GEOS so you can achieve the same SAR functionality now with Iridium as you can with a SPOT device.
My strategy is that I carry an ACR ResQLink+ PLB and use that for SAR. The NOAA registration for my ResQLink has my Iridium satellite phone number on it. If I activate my PLB, the SAR center will call my satellite phone first, and my wife at home second. I also purchased the GEOS service for the Iridium phone and can initiate a rescue that way as a backup to the PLB.
Even on cost, unless you get to about $.75 a minute or lower, you are better off going with the iSatPhone Pro from Inmarsat. They are playing some pricing games quoting $.25 a minute. Under that mega tier their pricing isnt too much cheaper than what you can find on the other networks that work. We have an iridium extreme (5 year iridium user), Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro, Delorme Inreach, and a true PLB for our needs. I would not trust the Globalstar network right now for an emergency and thats likely what you need it for if you buy this phone. The network is still not reliable, and you dont want to wait 30+ minutes to make a call in an emergency situation. The headset pricing is the same as a IsatPhone Pro. Just my 2 cents.
Alos, you can probably nab the GSP-1700 from ebay even cheaper. this is a rebadge of that phone.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Globalstar-...423?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c75c76e7
Alos, you can probably nab the GSP-1700 from ebay even cheaper. this is a rebadge of that phone.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Globalstar-...423?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c75c76e7
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nuclearmonkey
Observer
Of curiosity, why double up on the inReach & the PLB? I know that the inReach can send msg's, etc... but what are the advantages of the PLB over the inReach? Thanks!!
-Aaron
InReach goes to a private company GEOS who then has to coordinate a search and rescue. They will call the authorities and relay your position and try to get them to then activate and mount on your behalf and then if they won't, they will work into action. Think about it like an alarm system in your home, it rings the alarm company and they call the cops. A PLB is directly monitored by governmental agencies (public sector) and search and rescue bodies. It's like having an alarm that rings directly into the police station. Also, it emits a local homing beacon of sorts that search and rescue can use in the field in addition to the signal to the Satelitte to find you. We think of our PLB as the last resort option. First we'll try to make a call out and sort it on our Satelitte phone, second we'll use the in-reach, last will be the PLB. The PLB is also a single use device, so one use and it has to get serviced.
We love our In-Reach, and use it daily for the tracking and message features. But for the absolute last resort request for help, we think a PLB to be a rugged and dedicated option. There are no monthy fees or subscriptions as well, so it doesn't cost anything after purchase. Hope that helps
We love our In-Reach, and use it daily for the tracking and message features. But for the absolute last resort request for help, we think a PLB to be a rugged and dedicated option. There are no monthy fees or subscriptions as well, so it doesn't cost anything after purchase. Hope that helps
nuclearmonkey
Observer
Perfectly explained! Thanks!
pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
Nice explanation, makes sense. What does the monthly cost end up being when rigged like this?
Well it's a bit up to you. The Delorme can be as cheap as a I think $10 a month for just emergency use and like 10 messages a month, but no tracking included, we go with with the plan that allows unlimited tracking because we use it in our expedition vehicle for overland travel, and it's always on so friends and family can see where we are. It's $25 per month. The PLB has no monthly cost. Our Satelitte phones we buy bulk annual blocks of time on them. That's costs about $1 per minute and there is no additional monthly cost there. For just rescue, an InReach and a PLB feel sufficient for most. But I think with PLBs getting so cheap, it's crazy not to have one in addition to your InReach. Because the InReach does more, you are much more likely to use it for the random other features (tracking, messaging, etc). Will you have fresh batteries in it or close to you when/ if you need it in an emergency, vs, a PLB that is always charged and ready to go.dedicated to the task.