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Inmarsat iSatPhone
#14792 06/04/11 07:10 AM
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anyone ever use one of these in the Sierra?

http://www.mackaysatellite.com/inmarsat-isatphone-pro-satellite-phone-promo.html

I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger after reading a lot of reviews and tests. Seems to be much better suited for the Sierra than Iridium, more durable, double the battery life, half price... I guess I will be one of the first testing it in the Sierra if nobody else has done so yet. Their rate plans are also much more along the lines my random use over the year would require.

more info
http://www.inmarsat.com/Services/Land/IsatPhone/SatellitePhoneComparisonStudy.pdf

I'm so glad somebody outbid me on an Iridium on ebay last week - had no idea this phone was on the market, at half the price of a used Iridium 9555

Re: Inmarsat iSatPhone
Fishmonger #14805 06/04/11 10:23 PM
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What is the subscription rater or talk-time charge? Couldn't find that in a quick glance.

Sure looks like a nice setup, though.

Re: Inmarsat iSatPhone
Steve C #14809 06/05/11 05:09 AM
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here's a rate sheet from a different vendor

http://www.deltawavecomm.com/Files/IsatPhonePro/DWSATPHONEPROPOSTPAIDPREPAID.pdf

$15 per month, you pay $1 per minute when you use it. This kills every Iridium plan or prepaid deal if you need it for a month or more per year.

There are no prepaid plans available in the US, so the $15 per month are there. Given I paid $150 for SPOT with tracking, this is no change for me. I pay more for my son's phone data plan ($30 per month)

Re: Inmarsat iSatPhone
Fishmonger #15220 06/17/11 04:50 AM
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wonder what the reliability is? if you an iridium satellite goes offline, there are plenty others to come around. If you lose one of the three geostationarys with Imarstat, is there enough overlap coverage zone to switch to one of the other remaining two?

Re: Inmarsat iSatPhone
Harvey Lankford #17576 08/17/11 03:57 AM
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Originally Posted By: Harvey Lankford
wonder what the reliability is? if you an iridium satellite goes offline, there are plenty others to come around. If you lose one of the three geostationarys with Imarstat, is there enough overlap coverage zone to switch to one of the other remaining two?



well, a few hundred thousand ships on this planet rely on Inmarsat's setup (although I don't know about the satellite type they are using). They are market leaders with trucking companies, too. The ads state service life of the current setup is well into the 2020s, but you're right - what if the one sat over the US part of the planet drops? I guess that's the risk.

I still haven't bought the phone, but may do so before my October JMT, especially if I should end up going solo. Don't really want to try a sat phone the first time when I absolutely have to rely on it.

So far I could only find that one vendor offering a 3-month contract, but then that's cheaper than my kid's cell phones. I pretty much have now run out of excuses to not buy a sat phone. That $15 per month plan required a 12 month minimum commitment, so no deal.


Re: Inmarsat iSatPhone
Fishmonger #17605 08/17/11 08:25 PM
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I don't make enough money, stop tempting me.

I didn't think these satellite phones were so "affordable". Half the time I hike alone so I've thought about SPOT devices for emergencies, but this has its advantages as well for the price.

Slightly OT, but last time I went up Whitney, my friend got coverage on the summit with his Verizon phone...I couldn't even make a call on the Portal Rd. mad Damn T-Mobile.

Re: Inmarsat iSatPhone
Anonymous1 #17688 08/21/11 06:03 AM
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Originally Posted By: 2600fromatari
Slightly OT, but last time I went up Whitney, my friend got coverage on the summit with his Verizon phone...I couldn't even make a call on the Portal Rd. mad Damn T-Mobile.
The same problem with me.
It seems that my T-Mobile doesn't have any coverage on my US hikes almost anywhere.
I understand that T-Mobile is only for large cities and that Verizon has much better coverage in sparsely populated areas.
So it definitely makes sense for a US hiker to switch to Verizon.

Re: Inmarsat iSatPhone
Yury #17703 08/22/11 03:44 AM
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Originally Posted By: Yury

Originally Posted By: 2600fromatari
Slightly OT, but last time I went up Whitney, my friend got coverage on the summit with his Verizon phone...I couldn't even make a call on the Portal Rd. mad Damn T-Mobile.
The same problem with me.
It seems that my T-Mobile doesn't have any coverage on my US hikes almost anywhere.
I understand that T-Mobile is only for large cities and that Verizon has much better coverage in sparsely populated areas.
So it definitely makes sense for a US hiker to switch to Verizon.


well, along the John Muir Trail, AT&T has more coverage than Verizon. Not sure about Whitney summit, but I am quite sure that it is also possible to call from there. I had full 3G service and full bars just above Upper Boyscout Lake in April this year, which previously was never possible. These things are changing frequently as towers are bought or leased from different providers, and not necessarily owned by phone companies.

ultimately, cell coverage in proper wilderness areas is insufficient to rely on. Along 220 miles of the John Muir trail, there is service in Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, south of Donohue Pass (looking at Mammoth Mountain), Reds Meadow, Lake Edison (AT&T only), and then maybe on Mt. Whitney. That leaves hundreds of miles without cell phone coverage of any provider.


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