SATELLITE PHONE or SAT SLEEVE

hi john
thanks for the offer but i see you are based in VIC and iam based in WA

thanks pedro
like your off road pop up caravan - very nice

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Calls at $4 per minute are not really "expensive" if they are for emergency situations. How often do you have them after all?
On the other hand, using the SIM from the iPhone saves on the ongoing cost of having a satellite plan even if you make no calls.
You could easily 'be ahead' in the long run.

But if you are 'calling home' frequently then it is another story.

I am lead to believe that you can make emergency calls (to 000) with a sat phone with no sim card at all. So, if the only intended use is during a dire emergency then just getting a working sat phone and not bothering with a sim is another option. Not ideal but just a thought.

Cheers
Greg

OOPS !!
Just noticed an error in my follow up
Should read “there is NO ongoing plan cost” at line 5.
Apologies
Pedro

Agree with Allan B re the $4/min call cost via Iridium/Telstra and balancing call cost against standing cost. We have a dedicated SIM on the Telstra Mobile Accelerate Casual Plan ($10/mo) for our Iridium 9555. (If we had a regular Telstra mobile service on a plan we'd SIM-swap from that, but there isn't one that suits our regular life usage). Apart from our winter treks in Oz, took it to US and Canada for some of our remote stuff there in cellphoneless territory.

$120/year, and no calls made/received to date except testing. Carry an Optus-based cellphone and one on a (short-term) Telstra plan when travelling out there, as Optus have done a LOT of infill in the last three years so you really need both.

We keep abreast of evolving coverage on both those networks (VFAU are useless away from big smoke) so if there is a domestic emergency requiring those back home to call us, we would advise when we are next in cellphone coverage and keep the call duration short, returning the call later if appropriate.

May not be everyone's best solution, as I know some feel the need for daily checkins - a Pivotel plan may work out best with that sort of calling pattern. But the amount we save on our "daily" plan (also $10/mo, on Telstra wholesale) compared to regular T plans more than covers the satphone SIM standing cost.

I have the Thuraya satsleeve on an Optus plan. I use the omnidirectional magnetic roof antenna, and it works everywhere.
Suits me :)

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Agreed Trouper.
It can be good strategy if looking for "the most reliable" product to look at what our Emergency Services are using, be it vehicles or accessories. It may not be the least expensive though.