Emergency Calling-Sat phones (Iridium and Globalstar)
Submitted: Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 16:51
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matthew-d
Hi,
I've been searching this site and the net, emailing every retailer but have not yet a definitive response :(
Im buying a sat phone, mainly for Duke of Ed Hikes, short 4WD trips etc. Not so much as a form of casual communication (like calls and text) but for emergency calls to 000/112 only. while not in terrestrial cellular coverage (yes even Next G on a rural handset sucks out there)
Since I want to use one only to dial 000/112 I didnt really want to pay for a monthly plan, and have read up that on some sat phone a unregistered service still allows emergency calls.
Now i know Globalstar is "rubbish" at the moment and the usual "Epirbs rule" comment is going to turn up. But is anyone able to give a definitive answer as to
If their Iridium handset will place a call in SATELLITE mode without a sim
as
well as the Globalstar handsets(leaning towards globalstar, as can get one quite cheap). In particularity does your GSP-1600 allow calls to 000/112 in SAT mode while its unregistered, if anyone could try it out and let me know it would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Matthew :)
Reply By: Mick O - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:09
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:09
Matt,
I can speak definitedly after 4 years of experience with Globalstar and exposure to Iridium during the same time.
DO NOT TOUCH GLOBALSTAR WITH A TEN FOOT POLE....EVER!! ARE YOU HEARING ME!
Sorry the shouting. If you're thinking of going Pivotel (the re-badged Globalstar that the company has undertaken due to the "issues" with the lack of Globalstar service) then use their Iridium service. Globalstar is Crap, their satellites are dropping like flies and their marketing department will Lie. Your getting it cheap because it's bleep !
I have cancelled my Globalstar service and currently have a complaint with the telecommunications ombudsman at the moment. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
(Oh Crap, I shouted again).
Mick.
AnswerID:
430647
Follow Up By: Mick O - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:11
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:11
P.S. Sorry - Yes you need a SIM in the Globalstar handset to make any type of call. You will only have 1 to 5 minutes exposure to comms in every 90 minutes....maybe. It's bleep ing crap!
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:32
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:32
I'll support that from experience!!!!!!!! Got caught in a life and death situation in the bush, (fatal car accident with two injured, one badly) and we pulled out our Globalstar sat phone and nothing, do you know how frustrating that is, you pay all this money for a satphone so that you have comms in the outback and can't use it. I threw it under the back
seat in sheer anger and didn't switch it on again for the whole trip.
I can only say, don't go Globalstar, and as Mick O says if you go Pivotal go Irridium, personally I wouldn't even touch them with a ten foot pole as we had to deal with them when we got back from out trip and they couldn't care less that our phone wasn't working. Only told us they are putting up more satellites.
Cheers
Deanna
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701482
Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:39
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:39
"if you go Pivotal go Irridium, personally I wouldn't even touch them with a ten foot pole"
'Pivotel' that is, we have an Iridium phone through another company.
D
FollowupID:
701484
Follow Up By: Mick O - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 23:24
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 23:24
Yep D, I know what you're saying. To survive, Pivotel picked up rights to Iridium as
well as their crap Globalstar system. Personally I wouldn't care who was the actual supplier of the service, I'd just NOT use Globalstar. Can't comment on Thuraya or whatever the other cheap Sat provider is but experience has now taught me that Globalstar is not something you do not want to touch!
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Follow Up By: 3GoBush - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 23:33
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 23:33
I had the Globalstar Qualcom unit it was crap, I demanded an up grade to the Pivotel Iridium phone, I have used it often.
I can say that the Pivotel Iridium phone and set up is great, however I can understand the frustration of the Globalstar Qualcom unit.
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Sunday, Sep 19, 2010 at 02:05
Sunday, Sep 19, 2010 at 02:05
You were lucky 3GoBush, we tried for an upgrade but was refused, I think too many were doing the same.
Cheers
D
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701563
Reply By: Member - Josh (TAS) - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:34
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 22:34
I want to second Mick O's comment. DON'T TOUCH GLOBALSTAR WITH A 40 FOOT POLE.
I hope you can hear what we are saying. We had huge issues with them. I could get service on my telstra phone coming out of wilpina before the sat phone in a large flat area on a clear day.
I complained to them and after 5 emails and 20 very loud calls I went to the telecommunications ombudsman to it sorted.
They told me that they had known their satelites were failing 2 yrs before I bought my phone. They still sold it to me knowing it wouldn't work properly. They now go by the name Pivotel and aren't any better as that is who we were dealing with in the end with our problem. Don't go near them.
Josh
AnswerID:
430648
Reply By: matthew-d - Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 23:26
Friday, Sep 17, 2010 at 23:26
Thanks for all the replies, I think ill just go for a EPIRB now, I thought global star would atleast allow sim less calls to 000 knowing that the network wasnt the best. I thought (
well from the Globalstar propaganda) that calls only dropped occasionally. But considering you only have a 2 min window every hour or so, thats USELESS. I was looking at a sat phone at first as it would have meant I could relay info to the emergency operator as to which service should be dispatched (aero medical, police rescue etc). However the EPIRB is starting to look like a better option, especially with some 406mhz available for some great prices on E-bay USA. I"ll probably got towards a iridium sat phone down the track, considering IT WORKS and doesnt require a sim for emergency calls (also had that confirmed by a sales rep)
once again, THANKS for all the help :]
Not buying globalstar could just have potentially saved a life
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 08:48
Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 08:48
You only want to make 000 call and you were not concerned if you could not get satellite coverage all the time.....now your looking a an EPIRB (you mean PLB).
It doesn't make sense with me, I thought when dialing 000 it was an extreme emergency requiring urgent attention.
A PLB being set off still may take many hours for someone to get to you and asses the situation and in an emergency you don't know how long it will be for help to arrive.
It's good to see that you have a concern with your wellbeing but it still doesn't sit right with me ......"Not buying globalstar could just have potentially saved a life" but you still want to skimp on a service.
For a full fledged Iridium service it can be as low as about $30 per month......$360 a year seems cheap for life insurance!
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Follow Up By: Member - Jeffrey B (NSW) - Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 10:07
Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 10:07
Hi Matthew,
Just a word of caution about buying a non-Australian coded EPIRB (you mentioned the great prices on E-bay USA).
I don't believe that AMSA will register such an EPIRB & neither would the relevant agency in the country it is coded for unless you are a 'resident' of that country.
Similarly EPIRBs sourced overseas may not meet the specifications/requirements of ACMA & may be illegal to use or be ineffective.
I'm not sure what protocol AMSA use when a non registered EPIRB signal is received, but I doubt help would arrive as quickly as for a registered
beacon if at all.
If you do get an EPIRB, I'd recommend getting one with GPS built in as it will likely enable a quicker deployment of resources to help you.
Link to AMSA Beacons Website
cheers
Jeff
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 17:25
Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 17:25
Dead right Only Aussie bought Epirbs are able to be registered.
I wold go for an Iridium Satfone for immediate contact.
As said an Epirb which is for life threatenting situations only could take too long and you would be dead before being found.
As I understand it a PLB and an EPIRB are different animals.
The registerable EPIRB being the better of the two.
DONT buy one from USA
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Sep 19, 2010 at 10:05
Sunday, Sep 19, 2010 at 10:05
Gday Graham, EPIRB, PLB and ELT's are much a muchness.
Differance between EPIRB and PLB's are....EPIRB's can have auto activate in water below 3 foot or when pulled from the cradle or manually. have a longer batter life, will float upright in water and are larger....PLB's don't activate in water or when pulled from the cradle, have a shorter battery life, are a lot smaller and wont stand upright in water.
Authorities around the world are trying to get watercraft to only use EPIRB's and there crew to use PLB's.....land based persons PLB's and aircraft ELT's.
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Reply By: Big Woody - Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 18:26
Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 18:26
I have the Motorola 9505a handset on the Iridium network and use it for exactly the same purpose as you are intending.
Taking groups hiking into high risk areas of the bush with no mobile coverage.
I can confirm that this handset will work without a SIM card inserted to dial 000/112 emergency calls.
Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know.
Brett
AnswerID:
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Reply By: matthew-d - Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 19:20
Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 19:20
Thanks. I was under the impression PLB's and EPIRBS were sorta the same thing, EPIRBS being the larger not so portable of the two.
That was the main drawing card of a sat phone, being able to summon help faster (which was mentioned above), Im organizing to but a Motorola 9500 or 9505 from iridium now, $30 isnt that bad, I was reading the wrong site for pricing lol that said aloooooooooooot more than $30. So in short, Iridum+Aussie PLB/EPIRB= :) , Globalstar+American PLB= :( . Also hiring a SPOT messenger that runs on everyone's favourite Globalstar network lol, just to see how tracking goes and if its worth purchasing one
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Follow Up By: Member - John R (cQld) - Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 20:06
Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 at 20:06
Hi Matthew, you'll probably find
the Spot messenger works fine since it uses one-way communication (ground to satellite) only. The problem with Global* phones is the satellite to phone link - this is what's "broken".
Cheers,
John
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