WHAT SATELLITE PHONE TO BUY ? or SATELLITE INTERNET ?

[geoffff]

Originally Posted by JoeH

I'm not sure about Iridium but Globalstar works in Canada and Mexico. The service was indeed quite poor for a couple of years but has recently gotten better. I don't know if they have access to more satellites or what but sometimes on Grand Canyon river trips I'd have to wait an hour or more to get a call out.

Globalstar has had problems with its satellites over the last decade or so, so Globalstar calls are less likely to go though than Iridium. Interestingly, SPOT uses this less-reliable Globalstar satellite network.

Grand Canyon -- I'd imagine your view of the horizon is limited down there, so any non-geosynchronous satellites (Globalstar or Iridium) -- which are always moving in the sky -- would only be usable when they happen to be overhead.

I've used a rented 9555 Iridium phone for 3 trips (rarely deep in a canyon), and I find it works about 75% of the time.

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by geoffff

Globalstar has had problems with its satellites over the last decade or so, so Globalstar calls are less likely to go though than Iridium. Interestingly, SPOT uses this less-reliable Globalstar satellite network.

Grand Canyon -- I'd imagine your view of the horizon is limited down there, so any non-geosynchronous satellites (Globalstar or Iridium) -- which are always moving in the sky -- would only be usable when they happen to be overhead.

I've used a rented 9555 Iridium phone for 3 trips (rarely deep in a canyon), and I find it works about 75% of the time.

Yep, and the calls get dropped fast as well. It once took me 3 different calls in a 3 hour period to order flowers from a florist on my wife's bday on a river trip. You can't say that credit card # fast enough. I thought it had something to do with the Iraq war or with so many servicemen overseas the sats got redeployed and the focus of the coverage shifted to a different hemisphere.

Work pays for my phone but you can pick up a used Globalstar phone for <$500 and they have different plans. Mine has a monthly charge of $25/month and calls are $1/minute.

[unimogdave]

Stay away from global star total waste of time. They are having trouble with the phone side of the satellite ,you can download the time that the phone will work at a certain location but whats the point. The Spot uses a texting side of the satellite and is not affected.

Dave

[EMrider]

Originally Posted by Angel

I have the same question as geofff. Anyone have this one? 9505/A iridium. I think it looks good.

http://www.roadpost.com/Iridium-9505A-S ... 5C311.aspx

What about in Canada-does the phone care if you are in the US or Canada? My Verizon is not an option for me in Canada

Angel

I have the Iridium 9505 and mine is about 3 years old.

Works great.

R

[daveb]

Same here, 9505a and I also use Roadpost. In all but the most narrow canyons, it works great. But even in a narrow canyon, you'll still get a shot when the sat is in view. We have Global star at work and my Iridium kicks its butt but I figured global star would have improved since the last time I used it which has been several years...maybe not

[daveb]

Originally Posted by Scalf77

Delorme now has inReach that has two way text messaging.

http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELi...inisite=10020/

I think CellularSteve told me about this a week or so ago. Might have promise.

[travelguy2500]

Iridium 9505 for me with the new hotspot attachment. You can only send/receive text based emails with the hotspot but it's reliable and the only phone that covers 100%'of the earth's surface. As noted in Orr posts lots of rental options,