01-27-2011 OAUSA NET - Non Ham Communications

[cruiserlarry]

Join us on tonight's Outdoor Adventure USA net for a discussion of various types of non-ham communications.

Topics will include Citizen's Band (CB) radio, Family Radio Service (FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS), Satellite phones, Spot satellite messenger, and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) devices.

We look forward to hearing about your personal experiences with any of these types of communications, along with any we might have missed.

Look I forward to hearing from you all on the Keller Peak Repeater (146.385+, PL 146.2) tonight @ 7:30pm...

[DaveK]

CB, eh???

Numbers to ya, good buddy!

[xtatik]

CB, eh???

Numbers to ya, good buddy!

Smoke signals....jungle drums?

[cruiserlarry]

Smoke signals....jungle drums?

Unfortunately, we ran out of time before I could get to smoke signals...

[traveltoad]

Sorry I missed this one... I was traveling... and using my Satellite Phone!

Highly recommended and not nearly as expensive as many people think (still not cheap though).

[cruiserlarry]

Sorry I missed this one... I was traveling... and using my Satellite Phone!

Highly recommended and not nearly as expensive as many people think (still not cheap though).

Which phone are you using ? And what service plan did you choose ?

I had the Globalstar, and am now thinking of trying the new Inmarsat phone...I heard rumors you had a "roll-over" service plan ? I haven't seen any variations in the plans offered for the Isatphone Pro in my searches...

[traveltoad]

I have the new Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro phone. I did a little research (including an email exchange with Scott Brady) and found that the company has a decent satellite network that has been used primarily for data transmission. So while the phone is "new" the company and the network is not. I have not had the phone for long... but so far it has been great.

I also used Google to look around for a place to buy my phone. Most of the rates seemed about the same so I went with allroadsat.com which a couple friends of mine recommended very highly. Allroadsat.com has an office in the San Diego area which I liked and also I was able to get in touch with the same person (Sue, who was also recommended) every time I called which made me more comfortable during the many question/answer sessions. I would recommend allroadsat and Sue to anyone considering a phone. For full disclosure... allroadsat also does offer a "referral credit" to existing customers who refer a new customer, but I don't care if you drop my name or not... I still think that allroadsat is a decent place to go for your sat phone. Be prepared for Sue to push hard for you to get an iridium phone... new or used (they do have some used equipment for sale as well). Iridium is the "gold standard" for satellite phones so they push that service.

As for the roll over minutes, I do not see it on the website but it was offered to me when I bought my phone. It adds $10 to your monthly phone bill (depending on the service plan you choose) and allows unused minutes to carry over to the next month. I have not had the phone more than a month or seen a monthly statement yet so I will have to report back on the accounting and usability of this added service feature. Texting and voice mail are also options through but I did not sign up for them.

Edit with a bit more information:
Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro:
Start Up takes about 15 secs

Satellite Acquisition about 30 sec (it actually sees the sat almost instantly but takes about 30 sec to be ready to call)

GPS locating about 45 sec (if I start the phone in the same general area this is skipped, I also don’t know yet if this is a feature that can be deactivated)

I don't know how the above compares to other satellite phones as this is my first sat phone and I have limited experience with other brands.

Also many places rent satellite phones for those who only have the occasional need.