Monday, Jun 06, 2005 at 23:35
Hi Oz Outback.
I just came back from a trip down the Canning and took 2 Satphones - 1 for each vehicle.
Both were Motorola 9500 phones on the Iridium system. Both performed fine when required - no reception problems even in Durba
Gorge with limited open sky. One was with TR Telecom (mine) and the other with Telstra. (Both use the same satellites.)
The only observation I would make is that dialing in from a landline to the phone on the TR Telecom plan was expensive++. That has nothing to do with TR Telecom and more to do with the rate IPrimus chose to bill me to ring a phone with another provider. That said I won't be changing as TR Telecom let me suspend my plan to $15 a month when I'm not using the phone where Telstra it's $30 a month regardless, so in the end I'm still in front.
With the benefit of hindsight now having done a trip where communication with
home was inevitable (after all I did leave the wife & rug rats behind for 5 weeks...) in future if Lynne needs to talk to me she can sms me and I'll ring her back. Either way I pay for it anyway and it's much cheaper to ring
home from the Satphone than to ring the Satphone from
home.
There's a voice delay on Iridium but it's not bad.
I also made several calls on the
HF radio which is half the price of the Satphone again using Radtel Network. The clarity was good. I had no trouble getting a clear base station and I was really impressed. The only downside is others who choose to can listen to your conversation but if they are that desperate for entertainment I couldn't care less.
The summary based on my recent experience is as follows:
Call rate - Satphone to other number
Telstra or TR Telecom Iridium - about $1.98 per minute.
Call rate -
home (IPrimus) to TR Telecom Iridium - about $19.80 per minute (ouch). I'll be having a big argument with IPrimus tomorrow. Keep you posted.
Call rate -
home (if I was with Telstra to TR Telecom Iridium - $4.85 per minute)
Call rate -
home to Telstra Iridium - not sure but possibly cheaper - I'll ring them tomorrow and keep you posted.
Call rates to any satphone vary wildly as you can see depending on who your land line provider is.
Check before you ring.
Pro's
Can make and receive calls.
Depending on model of phone you can send and receive SMS. (Motorola 9500 can only receive SMS.)
Con's
HF will find you help (maybe) if there's someone else just down the road. eg. I'm a Paramedic and travelled the Canning with a comprehensive medical kit. Had someone needed help I may have been several to 20 or so hours closer than outside help depending on proximity to an
airstrip but on a Satphone you'd never know.
Call rate - HF with Radtel Network- about $1-00 per minute.
Can only make outgoing calls but offers a message service for people wishing to contact you.
Other benefits - HF can also be used to listen to Collingwood thrash the West Coast Eagles while at
Well 6 on the Canning!!!
HF also allows use of VKS737 4wd Radio Network message service and location logging and other
services. (Like very helpful operators chasing fuel info for
Well 33 on Sundays and fridge repairers in
Halls Creek.) Chatting to others from the network who are travelling in the same area.
Your satphone won't do any of the above.
As an aside and I've mentioned this here before; if you have an Iridium phone and you setup your Telstra GSM (digital not CDMA) phone to international roaming (ring 125111 to setup) you can use your GSM sim card in your Iridium phone and you don't need an Iridium account. You pay slightly more for calls ($3.00 per minute ringing from inside Aust.) and if you don't divert all calls to voicemail then you pay if anyone rings you too. If like me you don't want to be rung while away divert all calls to voicemail before you go. Someone can still sms you if you do this.
References related to above
TR Telecom
Telstra Countrywide Satellite
RadTel Network HF
VKS737 4wd Radio Network
Regards
Dave
AnswerID:
114701
Follow Up By: Ruth from Birdsville Caravan Park - Tuesday, Jun 07, 2005 at 07:36
Tuesday, Jun 07, 2005 at 07:36
Very thorough and informative response, Dave.
FollowupID:
370542
Follow Up By: Dean (SA) - Tuesday, Jun 07, 2005 at 13:48
Tuesday, Jun 07, 2005 at 13:48
Geocacher,
Excellent stuff. I have just signed up on a 9505A with the TR Telecom
suspension plan , they were dearer on the handset but met Telstras price.
Telsra landline to Telstra Iridium is $1.60pm. Also telstra sat to telstra gsm, you can sms direct, like gsm to gsm. Two things that I thought would be the main advantage for going with telstra.
However the lower plan fees I hope will make up for dearer calls in some situations and you can sms via the internet.
One advantage I see with this plan is no contract, opposed to 2 years with telstra. I can monitor things for a while and easily change plans as neccessary.
Telstra quoted me $2.36 per 30 sec for calls using your sim card, for both calling and recieving. You mention $3.00pm ?
Dean
FollowupID:
370571