Hand Held Sat Phone / Onboard and Ashore

PropBet · 12-05-2008, 02:53 AM

Looking for recommendations on hand held units. Something I can travel with. Traveling / buying sim cards and having 2 or 3 diff. phones for diff. areas isn't an ideal situation. Looking to consolidate that down to one sat phone, and one quad band GSM.

I'm looking for something primarily for travel while out and about, however would also (perhaps) use on board in conjunction with an existing Sea Tel system. Primarily my focus is while ashore / traveling / business.

From the little research I've done up to this point, I'm looking at two basic providers, Iridum or GlobalStar? Iridium looks like they cover "everything" (at a higher price of course) while GlobalStar has coverage maps to cover most of the areas I'd be in. Each of their respective pricing structures are enough to confuse even a rocket scientist.

Any recommendations, experiences or input on hand held / travel units, etc. would be appreciated.

Much thanks-
PB

TK-F430 · 12-05-2008, 03:26 AM

For almost the whole world except the US I use the Thuraya satellite phone. I use my normal local sim card.......the satellite charges are the same as when roaming, abt. US$2.8/min for outgoing calls and abt. US$1.5/min for incoming calls.
For areas where I can find GSM reception anywhere in the world I use the following sim card, they are extremely cheap........www.globalsimcard.co.uk

Capt. Bill11 · 12-05-2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PropBet

Looking for recommendations on hand held units. Something I can travel with. Traveling / buying sim cards and having 2 or 3 diff. phones for diff. areas isn't an ideal situation. Looking to consolidate that down to one sat phone, and one quad band GSM.

I'm looking for something primarily for travel while out and about, however would also (perhaps) use on board in conjunction with an existing Sea Tel system. Primarily my focus is while ashore / traveling / business.

From the little research I've done up to this point, I'm looking at two basic providers, Iridum or GlobalStar? Iridium looks like they cover "everything" (at a higher price of course) while GlobalStar has coverage maps to cover most of the areas I'd be in. Each of their respective pricing structures are enough to confuse even a rocket scientist.

Any recommendations, experiences or input on hand held / travel units, etc. would be appreciated.

Much thanks-
PB

I'd stay away from Globalstar. They have coverage/service issues.

Capt J · 12-05-2008, 07:29 PM

I have had issues with Globalstars service over the past few years and it has been sketchy if not non existant in the places I tried to use it. Iridium has good service and I have never had an issue with it. Kyocera makes a yellow handheld phone about the size of the old Motorola brick phones and it does both cell phone (when it has cell signal) or satellite phone and is pretty good.

JWY · 12-07-2008, 06:36 AM

I recommend contacting Alan Spicer. I discovered Alan at YF and he seems to be the guru of boat speak. Be sure to get on his newsletter and announcement lists.

YachtForums · 12-07-2008, 08:50 AM

I would recommend contacting somebody else. Alan is no longer a member of YF.

JWY · 12-07-2008, 02:36 PM

Try George Johnson or Billy Hawkins at Johnson Electronics. I know the request was for equipment, but I thought recommending a specialist would be helpful.

My daughter was in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua where there wasn't electricity in her little village, let along telephones, so I did my research and bought her an Iridium Sat phone. Who knew she couldn't use it due to a lack of satellites over Nicaragua which is why I felt a bit dumb at not seeking professional advice.

Judy

activecaptain · 12-07-2008, 03:22 PM

I have a Globalstar sat phone built into my pilothouse. It has really good utility when we're far offshore. But today there's something else to consider instead of a sat phone - VOIP/Skype/etc over an internet connection.

If the need is for real offshore use, you're stuck with sat connectivity. But the moment you really want to use it mainly onshore or in coastal situations, it's often a better idea to figure out a way to maximize WiFi range or find other internet connectivity. Then using something like Skype provides a really excellent mechanism for making calls.

There's also the idea of beefing up normal cellular range and capability. We've gotten 20 nm range offshore with a GSM connection and some good amplification hardware.

It's just something else that should be considered...

Flubber · 12-08-2008, 11:02 PM

Would recommend Iridium or Thuraya, both good in different ways. Thuraya also use local GSM networks where available.

Capt J · 12-08-2008, 11:21 PM

I would go with Iridium. They've been around a long time and probably aren't going anywhere. If you get into one of the new startups, they may be cheaper but you also might end up buying a lot of hardware that would soon become useless.

Pascal · 12-09-2008, 08:28 AM

i've been looking in reactivating the Seatel 2101 globalstar (2003 vintage) we have on the boat but apparently Globalstar is experiencing significant outages with no improvement in the immediate future.

Iridium seem to be the way to go, for specific trips there are a number of places you can rent them by the week for cheap.

K1W1 · 12-09-2008, 08:43 AM

Hi,

They are not that expensive to either rent or buy.

It actually looks like a cheaper alternative to Roaming Charges in many places.

http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/support7.html

When we were in Tanzania 10 yrs ago it was cheaper to use Satcom B to make a local call than to use the Cellphones.

PropBet · 12-09-2008, 02:28 PM

After quite a bit of reading and research, it looks like Iridium is going to be the best solution for us. Pole to pole coverage, a well proven handset to carry with us whilst on the land. While on the boat, we're covered, but it seems that Iridium looks to not only be the best coverage but (interestingly enough...) the most expensive. You get what you pay for?

So, once I get geared up and running, I'll report back with any hands on experience as feedback if interested.

Dakkan · 07-13-2009, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PropBet

After quite a bit of reading and research, it looks like Iridium is going to be the best solution for us. Pole to pole coverage, a well proven handset to carry with us whilst on the land. While on the boat, we're covered, but it seems that Iridium looks to not only be the best coverage but (interestingly enough...) the most expensive. You get what you pay for?

So, once I get geared up and running, I'll report back with any hands on experience as feedback if interested.

Curious to know how your experience with the Iridium system has been if that is what you ended up going with.

PropBet · 07-13-2009, 08:48 PM

It has been well so far, however it hasn't been 'tested' as it was purchased for (yet). Should have some more feedback in a month or two once it takes off for a couple month sea / road trip