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RE: Satellite Mobile Phones - 8/28/2012 3:08:33 AM

shallowdeep

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quote:

ORIGINAL: OsideGirl
The companies that I do travel for use Planet Fone.

Based on the website, they're not a satellite phone provider at all – they just rent international terrestrial GSM cell phones.

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus
I will NEED to check in at the homestead to keep a meltdown from happening, and miles from a city or cell tower, I don't want to take any chances.

By "check in" do you just mean saying, "I'm still alive, stop worrying" periodically, or will you actually need extended two-way communication? If the former, you might be able to save some money compared to a satellite phone with something like a SPOT messenger. They seem to work okay.

quote:

ORIGINAL: outhere69
I think you need to go with a Globalstar or Iridium phone for sat coverage.

No personal experience, but based on the state of their satellite constellation, I think I would probably avoid Globalstar. Maybe it will be improved by next year… but maybe not.

Besides Inmarsat, Thuraya would be another option, although since they don't have coverage in North America there might not be a good way to test out rental equipment in advance of your trip.

I would try to do some research into the cell coverage in the specific area you plan to be staying before resorting to a satellite phone, however. Apart from the generally higher cost, satellite phones can have limitations in things like latency, signal acquisition, and voice quality that mean they aren't quite like exact replacements for a cell phone with the sole difference being an ability to function anywhere.

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RE: Satellite Mobile Phones - 8/28/2012 6:14:08 AM

MasterJohnSteed

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Wonders if they have a cell phone finder like they do for WIFI. I mean for people in the WOODS that would be improtant

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RE: Satellite Mobile Phones - 8/28/2012 6:16:20 AM

MasterJohnSteed

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http://www.findmespot.com/Ready/?gclid=CLGQytuzirICFZSC7QodnFEAYA I knew I had seen this before. its a personal locator. You can use it to send an I am ok message to friends and family and also a OH Shit Send help message!

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RE: Satellite Mobile Phones - 8/28/2012 6:21:34 AM

ashjor911

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i would recommend ..... http://www.thuraya.com/

i do hear that its very (very) expencive...

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RE: Satellite Mobile Phones - 8/28/2012 7:16:22 AM

fluffypet67

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ash - Thuraya coverage map does not include Canada/USA/South America. Maybe there is another one for this hemisphere.

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RE: Satellite Mobile Phones - 8/28/2012 7:52:43 AM

LadyHibiscus

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Iridium is actually not that bad. Our Mobal euro mobiles are costly per minute because they roam between countries, but since they're emergency-only it's no big deal. They use O2 where I'll be, but the service is sporadic away from many places. When we're in northern Michigan our Verizon coverage gets goofy, so you have to wander around looking for a good signal, which can be at the end of the pier, or at the top of the steps, or by the kitchen window... and I am NOT playing that game in unfamiliar territory.

My family's stress level is going to be stratospheric at the notion of me travelling abroad on my own, AND doing things I don't normally do (HIKING? for a WEEK?) I will need to make a 5-15 minute call a day, and I don't care if it's crackly I just need to touch base and make sure THEY are okay, too.

Researching this has been interesting! I wish I had the kind of life where I could just chuck everything for a week, but I don't. And I am really grateful that I have people who care that much about me. It's not a hardship to make an expensive phone call for a tiny bit of peace of mind for all of us.

Years ago, I was on an antiquing weekend with my late friend Susan, and I could NOT get hold of anyone. It turned out that my grandmother had had a mysterious fall and smashed her head, two long gashes on her scalp down to the bone. There was a plastic surgeon on ER rotation that day, bonus!! In my world, lack of contact really DOES imply trauma, far too often. The trauma never happens to me, and I know I won't be on the ground to do anything for them, but I will be reassured that all is as okay as it's likely to be.

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