sat phone or not?

[dmc]

As my trip approaches i'm no closer to deciding on whether i need a sat phone or not. 'need' for me = emergency. all other communication i can handle in cities via cell or internet cafe. because i'll be alone i'll be taking the ultra conservative route along the way. any true emergencies will not be that far off the beaten path. is the sat phone, in case of emergency, worth the expense and thus less money and less time on the road?

if i do decide to pull the trigger should i just bite the bullet and get some usable minutes?

so i'm thinking yes i should get one. i could use it for the next 10 years. i'm leaning toward globalstar and the 1600 phone. it's not the newest but can be found used fairly cheap and even knew for a good price. from a minutes standpoint i think the 1800 mins for $780 would be the most usable package because of the free data/email. basically i think if i'm going to buy one and take it i might as well make it usable beyond being just emergency. but an emegency is the reason i think i need one. can you tell i'm confused? this post doesn't even make any sense.

basically, am i dumb not to take a sat phone? is it worth the $1100 - 1200 i'll need to spend to make it worth it.
thanks,
dmc

 

[dmc]

okay i'm dumb. hadn't realized they were 'home' minutes. time to do some more research.
dmc

 

[HMR]

Funny timing- I'm holding a Satphone bill in my hand as I open this thread...

Checkout Satcom Direct

They have various plans available and also offer phone rentals. We use Satcom Direct for the Satphones on our aircraft. We only pay for minutes we use. I'm very happy with the service. Last month I made several calls over the ocean between Fiji and Maui and the audio quality was exactly the same as on the ground at home- excellent. It's actually clearer than our Verizon phone system.

 

[dbregman]

I recently purchased a used GlobalStar off EBay. Here is what I learned doing my research:

GlobalStar:
Good voice quality - good data rate - cheaper - problems now with some satellites going down, but launching new ones to correct the issues. Note this does cause some blind spots when you will have 10 to 20 minutes with out service, but for me I was willing to deal with that. They have an online tool to check when you are blind in your area. They also do not have full Africa coverage.

They have an unlimited plan (NA) that is 50/mo for 07 - 40/mo for 08 - 20/mo for 09 and part of '10. I did the math and figured it was the best for me.

Iriduim:
More expensive equiptment - more expensive service - true global reach - voice quality is not quite as good. The best I could find for Iriduim was like $60/mo for 40 minutes or $700 for 500 minutes in 12 months.

There are trade-offs either way. If you can find a good deal on an Iridium phone that might be the way to go considering your route. Usually GlobalStar phones go doe arouns $200 used - Iriduim around $800+ used.

Good luck.

 

[Ursidae69]

I had extra peace of mind on my big 2 week trip to Baja back in March because I rented a sat phone. It was pricey, but the peace of mind was worth it.

 

[VikingVince]

I've thought about this issue many times, i.e. is it worth it? And, like you dmc, I keep coming back to do I really need it and need=emergency. And like Ursidae points out, it gives you peace of mind.

Seems to me that whether you really need one depends, to a certain extent, on where you're going...duh! But think about it...EW trip to the Arctic definitely needed and had one...if they got stranded in the middle of nowhere or hit with a medical emergency, they could call for a rescue...the Sat phone could likely be their only lifeline. Are you going to be in the "middle of nowhere?" If so, take one. (And if you're in the "middle of nowhere," you best have a phone with the best worldwide coverage.) If I were doing your trip (which looks great and I wish you a good adventure), I think I'd try to envision where a Sat phone might really be needed. Medical emergency? You most likely would get yourself to a local facility first...and they would have communications. "Tight" situations? You probably wouldn't have a chance to use it.

Personally, I'd be most inclinced to have a Sat phone if I were in really remote places by myself and the chances of anyone else being around for help is unlikely. Having said all this...and everything I've said can be shot full of holes...I'd probably take one on your trip just for peace of mind...and it would probably never be used...but peace of mind is worth alot...if having a Sat phone reduces/eliminates stress, take one. Stress=less enjoyment of your trip...and you wanna enjoy this trip

 

[dmc]

I recently purchased a used GlobalStar off EBay. Here is what I learned doing my research:

GlobalStar:
Good voice quality - good data rate - cheaper - problems now with some satellites going down, but launching new ones to correct the issues. Note this does cause some blind spots when you will have 10 to 20 minutes with out service, but for me I was willing to deal with that. They have an online tool to check when you are blind in your area. They also do not have full Africa coverage.

They have an unlimited plan (NA) that is 50/mo for 07 - 40/mo for 08 - 20/mo for 09 and part of '10. I did the math and figured it was the best for me.

Iriduim:
More expensive equiptment - more expensive service - true global reach - voice quality is not quite as good. The best I could find for Iriduim was like $60/mo for 40 minutes or $700 for 500 minutes in 12 months.

There are trade-offs either way. If you can find a good deal on an Iridium phone that might be the way to go considering your route. Usually GlobalStar phones go doe arouns $200 used - Iriduim around $800+ used.

Good luck.

Yeah I was on board with the Globalstar until i realized it was NA only at that rate. I'm still leaning toward Globalstar with the 750 worldwide 'minutes' for $750. In the countries i'll be going it will be more like 350 - 400 mins. I did find a used Iridium for a good price. i think i can get into either with similar minutes for about the same rate.
dmc

 

[Brian McVickers]

I had an interesting conversation with the guys over at ACR Electronics about thier Personal Locator Beacons. One thought they threw out there is that anyone who is going to carry a PLB should also carry a Sat Phone and USE the Sat Phone FIRST.