Best option either to buy or hire a SAT phone.

It really depends on how often you intend to travel, if you are going regularly to areas you fell you need one then definitely purchase one as they are available for around the $500, if its just a one off, the money would be on hiring one. A sat sleeve is about $800+

Tharaya sleeve seems to be most popular at moment and and is dearer than the sat phone.
Am interested in comments from persons
on your statement that the sleeve has limited range as it should be receiving the signal from the same satellite as the phone

Try and hunt down secondhand one.I scored a Thuraya latest model satphone for 500bucks .The sat sleeve you got to remember it will only fit your model phone so if you change phones or they do not make your model then rendered useless.
Hood luck enjoy CSR get out to Lake Gregory its sight for sore eyes ...

Remember the sleeve will fit the phone you have now and probably not the next one you buy.

A second hand Motorola will set you back under $500 and you will get most of it back when you sell it.
If you only want one for that specific trip hire one and dont worry about the cost

If you search the forum on Satfones you will need a week to read all the info.

Has all been discussed at length in the last few months Costs, Plans, using Telstra sims Its all there if you look.

Hi Roger

A few question can help you answer your own question.

Are you travelling Solo?

If with a group of other vehicles, does any other person have one of a HF Radio?

Are you a regular outback traveller?

From prices that I have seen, you will pay more to hire one, and then be charged for any calls on top of the hire fee.

Look around to see what deals you can get and check out reliable dealers to see what they have second hand.

Another cheap alternative that I have now been convinced to get, ( I always carry a PLB, HF Radio and Satellite Phone ) is a SPOT.

You can get them for under $200 dollars and then select a contract that would suite your needs.


Either way, never ever skimp on safety for any outback trip.



Cheers



Stephen

There's a bloke I found that loans his Iridium for specific trips. If you offer a few bucks to cover calls this may be cheap insurance.

Contact me via this forum and give me your mobile number and I'll sms you his details.

Cheers

dad

I suspect you'll pay in the region of $300 per month to hire, if you are out there for a couple of months you'll probably be swiping the plastic to the tune of $500.

Better to put that towards the cost of purchasing a Satphone, probably get second hand for that price...

Remembering you don't need to be on the CSR to be remote, just out of range of normal communications, which could easily by less than 50 kilometres from a major city - how often do you find yourself in that position?

Enjoy your trip, Baz - The Landy

This question comes up every few months, my answer is always the same - ring Kevin at Satphone Sales (EO member) he has the best solution for every situation.

I usually hire one from WA Communications in Bunbury
Costs about $8 a day + calls, small change for piece of mind.
Investigated buying my own but I don't you use it enough to warrant the purchase price