Satellite phones

[MacDoc]

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Got a chance to buy a brand new Qualcomm 1600 for a couple hundred dollars.

anyone have any experience?

contract costs ??

are the contracts good anywhere in the world??

thanks

heading to australia and would not mind having one with me in the boonies

 

[ANDRASTA]

Got a chance to buy a brand new Qualcomm 1600 for a couple hundred dollars.

anyone have any experience?

contract costs ??

are the contracts good anywhere in the world??

thanks

heading to australia and would not mind having one with me in the boonies

Dont know too much about contracts really but,

Growing up in the middle east my dads company gave him one due to the fact that sometimes he would travel to remote areas. We also had 2 fishing boats so we always used to take it with us on trips or whenever we were a few hours away from home. It wasn't like a regular phone though. It was quite a big honking thing hahaha. Like a brick and this ugly black and green.

He used to say that it was about (equivalent to) 5 dollars a minute or so and this was back in the 90's but its probably cheaper now since communication has improved.

I think it would only be worth it if you owned one outright and just had to pay for the airtime. You never know when you might need it. Fortunately we never had to use ours for emergency purposes but we did test it every once in a while to make sure it was operating correctly.

 

[TwistedKestrel]

Got a chance to buy a brand new Qualcomm 1600 for a couple hundred dollars.

anyone have any experience?

contract costs ??

are the contracts good anywhere in the world??

thanks

heading to australia and would not mind having one with me in the boonies

As I understand it, that thing is a dinosaur and is worth a couple hundred dollars at best. Also I think you'd be stuck with Globalstar as your only service provider. They apparently have a deal going that might be interesting to you, requires you to buy a new QSP 1700 to get it. http://ca.globalstar.com/en/index.php?cid=1250

 

[MacDoc]

It's current and don't really care if it's a dinosaur as long as it works. I have room in the top case so weight is not an issue.

The Globalstar GSP 1600 by Qualcomm provides Australian's with mobile satellite coverage right across Australia and its surrounding waters - out to New Zealand, New Caledonia, and up to 500 nautical miles into the Southern & Indian Oceans1. Globalstar is in the process of launching second generation satellites. Some of these second generation satellites are now in service and network quality improvements will continue throughout 2012-2013.

They have gaps in the coverage but it's not a big deal http://www.pivotel.com.au/optimum_coverage.php

just trying to see if I can get a short term contract - useful here as well. The calls are half price til June 2013 due to the hiccups.

They are up on Amazon as well for $200ish brand new

Only for emergency and minor contact - like ETA - ( there is a 35 character freebie )
A $200 clunker I can buy monthly time on makes way more sense and that's $200 new.
Hell that's not much more than a basic tracker like Spot and I don't have to do an all or nothing like an EPIRB.

http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/satellite/services/globalstar.html

 

[MacDoc]

Pulled the trigger on a unused 1600 for $180.
Figure it's good long term here or in Australia and you can hook it to a computer for email which could come in handy.

Now have to sort the rates.

QUALCOMM GSP-1600 Satellite Phone

QUALCOMM's Globalstar Tri-Mode Portable Phone Provides:

* Global Roaming
* Satellite Coverage
* Reliable Service
* Superior Digital Voice Quality

Globalstar Tri-Mode Satellite Phones from QUALCOMM are designed to meet the needs of cellular users who already consume a very high volume of airtime, but find themselves in unavailable coverage areas where cellular is either inaccessible or incompatible. QUALCOMM's Globalstar Tri-Mode Phone compliments existing fixed and cellular telephone networks by switching from terrestrial cellular telephony to satellite telephony as required. Globalstar Tri-mode portable phone provides clear digital voice and data communications worldwide by using QUALCOMM's Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology combined with a 48 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The Globalstar phone is designed to provide a low cost solution in areas where land line or cellular phones are inaccessible due to incompatible cellular technologies or lack of coverage. North American Wall Charger included. A Wide Range Of Globalstar Services Include:

* Voice
* Short Message Service (SMS)
* Paging
* Display position location information
* Caller ID
* Programmable Service Provider display message
* Voice Mail Services (VMS)

The QUALCOMM satellite phone communicates with the satellite constellation using CDMA technology, which has been recognized for superior voice quality, security and reliability. Using LEO satellites allows the Globalstar System to maintain lower power consumption and propagation delay, which results in a smaller sized handset with clear voice quality, comparable, and in some cases, superior to today's digital cellular networks. Click Here to view the world wide coverage map.

Useful where ever we go

 

[crankcall]

We use them occasionally for sail boat deliveries and off shore races. We rent BGAN systems, depending on the amount of data you need to move and location the pricing moves around.
We pay about $500cnd for a month rental and in the Atlantic its about $2 US for service to a landland or cell, calling to another sat can be up to $30 a minute.
Check carefully where you'll be on the planet and which sat subscription will work out, An Inmarsat phone bouncing off the Globalstar connection can get really expensive, they use sattlite zones in service, I doint know who AUS would be best served by.

 

[MacDoc]

Don't need data - just as an emergency ET phone home.
Spot just does not seem to be reliable and EPIRB is an all or nothing proposition.

That this hooks to the cell networks as well is a bonus as I can tag on to my GFs plus the satellite if I need it.

This looks like the provider of choice

http://www.pivotel.com.au/globalstar_plans.php

But $45 a month seems a tad high ( mind you with 4 calls included ).

This is offered globally

Globalstar International Plan
Annual Service International Voice and Data Minutes (no Roaming)

Customers who plan to use Globalstar service primarily outside the US/Canada/Caribbean Home Service Area can now subscribe to the Traveler Plan which provides a lower and more predictable rate plan.

For only $750, use up to 750 minutes anywhere Globalstar offers service. Minutes are debited from your annual pre-payment of $750 based on usage in specified areas. Use your airtime anytime within twelve months. Need more minutes? Buy additional minutes anytime, or continue to use your phone for $1.99 per minute.

That covers me for a year anywhere in the world at 99¢ a minute in North America and $1.99 in Aus and when we hit Spain as well.

If I'm riding 4 times a week and maybe 2-3 minutes a call twice a day to touch base.
That's 144 minutes in Aus and then perhaps 300 minutes left for 9 months of riding in North America or other travel.

The emergency plan at $30 a month only gives me 4 calls.

A $50 plan gives me a bit more.

Simple enough to use. Turn power - point and sky and wait a few seconds.
Okay got the hardware now gotta sort through the plans and also see if it's useful to tap the cell network as well.

Maybe there is an idea to buy that global plan and share the minutes out with other riders on a rental basis as the rental costs seem pretty high.

$20 a week and 15 minutes is about what it works out to with a couple hundred deposit to cover the phone. If the time goes over then pay whatever extra minutes used.

•••••

Okay got it sorted.
Buy their unlimited deal for North America $40 a month.
So $480 for that but that's unlimited data and voice so that's really useful for me on the road.

Then roaming for Australia is about $1.07 a minute which if we figure $80 a month max for 3 months still comes out less than the $750 but the big kicker is the unlimited here.
We'll also use it in Europe next year.
Hell I might drop my cell phone plan
Wonder if it has a headphone port.

 

[crankcall]

just remember its not just point at the sky and dial, there has to be one of the sattelites your looking for in your orbit. Globalstar is getting better (they nearly bankrupted a couple yrs back) but windows when a signal is available varies with location on earth and length of call can be 10-15mins up to a couple hrs.
Holes in the coverage are few, but they seem to show up you dont want them to.
There are websites that show coverage and orbit times a bird will pass over where you are.

 

[MacDoc]

Yes the gap for Australia is never more than 20 minutes now and will be fixed mid-year One reason the phones are inexpensive and there is a good deal on just now. $40 a month unlimited - will sign up for that just before I leave - apparently it has been extended for 2 more months.

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