Bushwalk Australia

Ok...my previous post had a spellcheck stuff up, so, I'll start again, but from a different point of view.

I'm after a sat phone that will work in NZ, and less importantly Vic Alps etc.

Previously I've hired or borrowed an iridium phone for trips into the Karuhangi NP in NZ ( top left of Sth Island). Whilst the rivers we fish are in deepish valleys, we have had limited or no Iridium coverage, even with 70 degrees of sky coverage.

I'm heading down to Fiordland to fish the rivers on the west of Lake Te Anau, and need sat phone coverage ( I'm trying to sell a house whilst in middle of nowhere!)

Iridium phones seem much the same as what we hired 10 years ago. I was hoping a sat phone sleeve might be a viable option. What I'm after is what improvements in sat phones have occurred over the last few years, or is Iridium still the best, even though it was pretty poor in NZ 2 years ago.

A

First priority : chose the network
I think most satellite phone problems are not the phone but the satellites.
Iridium ? How may satellites did they have 10 years ago? I don't know.
With few satellites you have to wait for one to come over .. and then complete your call before it disappears. Assuming that they move around - as do Iridium and Globestar.
Possibly the best bet is to talk to people using satellite phones in those areas ... park rangers?

{edit} - try http://www.satconnections.co.nz/ for local info.
Apparently ' inreach ' works over Iridium .. so there must be some coverage over in unzud.
In 2014 Iridium had coverage into Fiordland. http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/i ... t-24401357{/edit}


Second - Phone choice:
The sleeves are a cheap option - cheap options mean another area of failures. I'd think a 'real' satellite phone would be more reliable than a sleeve.

Good Luck.

Alternatively, give instrustions and a PoA to someone you trust. Nothing is going to be particularly reliable down there.

Enjoy the fishing. Some years ago, friends of mine were fishing rivers in the Kahurangi when the fish suddenly stopped biting. They gave up after a few day and headed back to Christchurch - and the aftermath of the 1st earthquake.

Just a quick comment,
The Iridium Sat Phone will work with a Telstra Post Paid SIM that has international roaming enable.
We purchase a second hand phone from Cash Convertors and simply re-used a SIM we had.
Yes calling out and send SMS costs are HIGH but depends how much you plan to use it.

As always YMMV
Wazza

If the OP can get a Telstra SIM then that should work.

Maybe PM "Wayno" an unzud member of the forum. He may have the good oil on what works.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=4115

We have always used the iridium network here in Tassie Andrew, from various sources they seem to review as the 'most' reliable.
(Did consider a sleeve/GO addition to mobile but then yes, agree, they add another device to the chance of failure)
That said, it can take some time in steeper country to acquire a satellite. Did you wait, ie.. sometimes 10-15mins, and/or move?
And.. the signal strength/registration indicator on the handset screen has always been unreliable.
I understand the network lost a couple of satellites though they have just very recently launched a new array.

I'd be hiring. And i'd be (understanding the use &) testing well at home. i doubt there's any network difference between our old 9505 and the newer 9555. The 9575 would have to be the most reliable (hardware)?

Yes, had a look today. The ? Thuruya network of fixed satellites doesn't cover NZ, so I'm left with iridium ish stuff.

Looked at buying an iridium phone, but at $1600, you still need a $40 plus plan for 24 months, and payment options aren't that user friendly - you can buy pre-plans, but they expire and don't work again, so you have to predict how much use you might need when away.

It seems much easier to just hire one, and pay for calls at whatever rate.

Interested that Thuruya doesn't cover NZ...

Why can't someone just buy a Sat phone outright, and just buy a sim car when needed?

A

andrewa wrote:Why can't someone just buy a Sat phone outright, and just buy a sim car when needed?

Yes ... why indeed.

One trick I have seen mentioned. An Australian Telstra SIM (prepaid I think) placed into a Sat phone will work .. both with cell towers and when out of range, Iridium satellites. There is some link between Telstra and Iridium. Most (if not all) Telstra sales persons don't know this or wont confirm it. Of course the call fees are high, but still you are not going to use it often. You might find something on that motorcycle site I linked to above about this.

Sat phones can be purchased secondhand - try ex rentals from the rental firms. Bit more than half price looks to be the going rate.

In the short term renting is the cheapest option. Maybe Bush walking clubs could buy satellite phones for the use of members?

Looking forward ...
The EPIRB/PLBs next generation may include a messaging service where you and send a text message ... might only go to the emergency services so they can tell what kind of difficulty there is before they arrive.

A Telstra Mobile Casual post-paid Plan @ $20 a month. A good (used) Iridium handset will cost from $500. The sim could be swapped to a 4g/NextG Mobile or the plan cancelled when not needed.

I have an Iridium 9555 which I run with a Telstra Post Paid SIM.

When researching this option most said a Pre Paid sim would not work although one forum post suggested they had it working but had their pre paid sim for some time (over 12 months).
The key is you need International Roaming enabled for it to work. I enabled mine on line others may need to ring Telstra to make this happen.

I find it very had to believe that the Sat phone will roam onto cell towers when in range, certainly that is not how mine behaves. There is significant differences between the two systems so unless it is a dual mode phone I cannot see that happening.

There is a Telstra document that also suggestion that if you put a “standard” sim in the Sat Phone it will not work in a GSM services area. Equally that is not my experience and I suspect that document is both out of date and not written by technical people.

I found most of my information from the caravan forums, and from personal experience during October this year when we travel (for the first time) with a Sat Phone whilst in outback SA.

As always YMMV.
Wazza.

you get what you pay for, Iridium has good satellite coverage.
you can get a new SPOT phone for $500 but the satellite coverage for their network is a lot more inferior, especially the further away from the equator you get. ...

So, now looking at second hand iridium phones , and slightly confused.....can I use a Telstra SIM card in NZ?

Or do I still need to join some iridium plan?

Bump. If I buy an iridium 9555, with no sim, what sim do I get to use it in NZ specifically?

It is my belief that the Telstra Sim should work in an Iridium Phone in NZ.
But I have no personal experience in this area.

Wazza

andrewa wrote:Bump. If I buy an iridium 9555, with no sim, what sim do I get to use it in NZ specifically?

Suck it and see?

You will probably want a Telstra SIM to get it to work in OZ. So get that ... then try to send a text message when in NZ to your cell phone ... and see if that works. If not then go to a NZ Sat Phone supplier and see what options they offer.

why does it have to be a phone. why not a texting satellite device like an inreach

https://explore.garmin.com/en-NZ/inreach/

Not really prepared to do the "suck it and see" approach, as we hit NZ running - ie Q'town-supermarket-Te Anau- sea plane to river in a day, so no time to sort it out if it doesn't work when I get there.

Wayno, I'm open to a texting device. In fact prob even better, coz I hate phones! Wasn't aware of its existence - and one of the issues I had with previous hired sat phones was that even though they said you could receive or send an email, I could never get it to work, and using a number key pad for an email was a PITA. Will look into the product tonight. Thanks.

A

its a fully functioning gps unit as well as a reliable PLB

andrewa wrote: we hit NZ running

Ok.

As well as the 'inreach' device that is also the 'spot' device. Different set of features, somewhat less - think 'spot' has preset messages to send out that you enter well before hand, thinks like 'Ok', 'need help' ... via buttons. Never used one myself.

Had a look at Inreach - 215ish grams , compared with Iridium 9555 at 330 ish grams. But would then allow me to leave GPS and Epirb at home, so, Inreach prob does provide what I want, along with a flexible monthly/year or 1 off monthly plan. Thanks Wayno.

As to "spot", my additional requirement this year is the potential need to do a real estate deal, I don't think preset messages will be what I need. Any other time, it would prob be fine.

A

Definitely worth avoiding telstra when possible.. I agree too, the sms/message service has been ad-hoc in recent years.

And at least buyer's haggling power will be limited : )