HF radio versus Sat Phone

G'day

I went the HF way because of running costs. I have used my HF for the last 3 months and have found it quite good. I am experienced with 2 way radio so the occasional comms difficulty did not concern me. VKS737, RADTEL and the RFDS networks all performed fine.

Sat is cheaper to purchase and set-up. Sat running costs are high and fixed for the term of a contract. Sat comms reliability is fine unless it rains or is foggy or the air has heavy moisture content. Under these conditions it may or may not work (Sat).

I use a Codan NGT with an auto tune. Mounting the auto tune antenna can be a bit of a pain. HF's such as the NGT are easy to use if configured properly by the installer.

Regards

Paul

I've just been out in the Cnr country and used both.

If cost is not an issue have both, especially if travelling in remote areas, as neither is a replacement for the other.

Regards

I thought long & hard about which way to go.
- HF is expensive to set up but cheaper to run (but i really don't want to be on the air while i'm away as i only want 'emergency' communications)
- HF does however give you the ability to get status updates (eg: track conditions) via the HF user community
- SATCOM is cheaper to setup & more expensive call costs
- SATCOM arguably has a greater probability of establishing a long distance call ... vagaries of ionospheric comms for HF vs line-of-sight & rain for SATCOM (now that should raise some debate!!)
- SATCOM is much easier to use than HF for the infrequent user
- SATCOM can also be readily used for other types of recreational/business activities eg: when using your other car, hiking, canoeing, overseas travel etc etc etc

I figure that since i only want the SATCOM for emergency use, i'm prepared to accept what i see as the only disadvantage .. higher call costs

I take both on each trip.........

My views are:
Because my missus calls me at certain times a sat phone is easy and of course it doubles as an emergency item.....
The HF radio is also emergency but more so better for retrieving information on road conditions and weather etc....
So you can get by with either,, but i once saw a rolled vehicle which had snapped off and badly damaged the HF antenna and was unusable,,, it goes without saying he needed a sat phone as well...

Since that day i have always taken both...
A spare for most spares is important... (Hence two tires)....

Indeed the choice between the two is a tough one - and ideally - (putting cost aside) - having both is the best option. (one as a backup)

However - not being a millionaire myself - I decided to go the SAT option - simply because I only wanted really remote emergency contact for a period of 1 year while I was travelling the remote deserts of OZ on my working holiday. The overall costs were far below that of purchasing a reliable HF and trying in vain to teach my girlfriend how to use one (which she would need to do should I not be around to call in an emergency). I was not interested in the HF culture, receiving up-to-date track information - instead I preferred to enjoy the silence of the bush, and asking the locals (where possible) about current conditions. I also enjoyed chatting to family friends from home without radio static.

In my case - I had a SAT account and was able to make personal calls, however - the ongoing cost of using SAT for emergency purposes only is free - as you do not need an account (SIM card) to call emergency numbers (112). So if this is the only reason for your purchase, SAT is the go.

Everyone will have their own opinion - this is mine - go with what your desires & needs require.

- Dave

Just a little story, I've been involved with HF over the last 40 years so I have a vested interest. But a company that has an offshore office called me recently and asked if I could set up a HF link for them. They are getting rid of their sat phones. Too unreliable and expensive they said. Naturally I didn't ask them any more questions.
There is another point in favour of Hf that is rarely mentioned, and that is their entertainment value. Not just listening to others on the track but the shortwave stations. I was stuck for 3 days and nights near Kintore, remote country when it rains. The ABC proved to be invaluable in sending me to sleep ..cricket scores, footie results etc and a bit of news in between. :))))

Whilst I have both I prefer the HF for general info and awareness of what is going on around me. Sat phone is good for staying in touch with SWMBO but otherwise it stays packed away while the HF is used extensively. If I ever needed recovery from a situation I'd rather rely on the HF & VKS737's resources to get me out rather than use Sat phone to beg for assistance. In any event having both is a great comfort and I have yet to really require either to date........fingers crossed!!

I have not looked at the postings of 2002, but I found Roachie / Footloose comments in post 21775 (April 05) to be persuasive – i.e. where’s the help coming from with a sat phone? With a HF there are a network of vks members etc who will help you because they want you to help them when they need it.

G'day all. Let me weigh into this debate a little on Sat-Phones. I purchased my Iridium Sat-Phone (Telstra) in 2002 and use it for emergency situations only.

It is now out of contract, so I organised a GSM $10 p/month contract with Telstra about 2 years ago. and put the sim card in the Sat-Phone.

To do this, contact Telstra and enable international roaming on the sim, and it will work a treat.

The downside is $2 per 30 seconds, in & out, but if it saves my bacon, I don't care, it's there.

Now to start some hot debate. I believe Telstra's Iridium system is the way to go. Been all through the NT, inland QLD, NSW, SA and the phone never missed a beat when I used it (could not believe the clarity from Chamber's Pillar).

I have heard of problems with Vodaphone's Sat-Phone dropping in and out, and apparently it has the capability of working on the GSM band as well. Trouble is, it seems to swap to Sat-Mode with out much warning when other GSM phones are still operating, thus rasising call charges substantially. Nice surprise when the bill comes in :-o

Hope this helps :-)

I have both

I have had HF for about 20 years now. My set is an old 25watt Codan 6924 and I am a member of VKS network

Bought a 2nd hand Satphone a couple of years ago. Hooked up to the Telstra Iridium system at $30 per month with $10 worth of free calls. I have used the phone all over the country and overseas and it works well. When out in the bush in remote areas I keep in touch with a friend once a week. So from a safety aspect it works well. I consider the $360 per year connection cost as insurance.

Cheers

Used both - HF is great but if I want help after an accident the Sat phone is the only one I would rely on. Always worried that if I have an accident it would destroy the HF aerial. Zero chance of teaching my wife how to use hf. Anyone can use a sat phone, particularly in an emergency.

An emergency HF aerial is relatively easy to create. An HF cheat sheet for an emergency call is also easy to type up.

I once was at an accident site where an ambulance was needed and the guy with the sat phone couldn't get it to work. Ended up drivign up the road to get CDMA reception.

I'd carry both if I could. If not then HF as the first option, a mayday call on the VKS network will get an amazing response as I found out a few weeks ago on Fraser Island.

I have used both quit a bit - they both work. The hands free sat phone kit though won hands down for effective easy to understand communication. Hf is vittually useless at night due to the background chatter of indon fisherman (or so I was told). Having said that I would like a HF and already have all the wiring ready for it in my vehicle so if any one knows where I can get a Barrett preferably with multi tap ariel for under a grand................

I've only just started to use a HF on the VKS737 network, and we found it pretty easy to use and entertaining as well. A travelling companion had a Sat phone on a recent trip and he got calls from work and also used it lots to ring his mates back home. When I'm on hols. I don't care if the backups aren't working or if the cat died. If it's urgent, they can leave a message with VKS737. On the emergency thing, I must be a bit paranoid as I had an autotune on the back, a tapped ant. on the front, and a spare strapped to the overhead grab handles.

If Davo is interested, I have a couple of Barrett SB250's that I've been going to sell for a while now, but haven't got around to it. I'm in NSW though, so postage might be a killer.

Andrew

I feel more secure with a radio, just me and the other end with no infrastructure or dimwits inbetween.

Very intersesting discussion, but frustrating. Those who travel in remote locations regularly want both, for obvious reasons. But the question of choice arises for those who don't go to really remote regions very often and therefore want to know what to spend their money on, as both are expensive. So the REAL question is:
If you're only gonna need it two or theee times a year, and you can't afford both, which to go for?

Hey Landie, met you and mate with kids at Noccundra and saw you on the Cooper. Recognised your rig. Got back Saturday. Boo Hoo. Might see you on the track again sometime.

hey Landie, met you and your mate with your boys at Noccundra and on the Cooper. Got back Saturday. Boo Hoo. Might meet you on the track again sometime.

Jenny,
I purchased an iridium sat phone about 6 months ago. I thought long and hard between the two. Both seemed excellent with each having advantages over the other.
As we have two young children I finally decided on the phone for its portability.
Dean

Wasn't sure which way to go either but ended up with a HF. Will probably sell it and go for a Sat phone for many of the reasons above. One thing I've always wondered are the members on the HF network really that obliging?? Are there many instances of breakdowns where members rush in to help out or does the network really only help with organising recovery or parts etc. In which case you or RACQ or NRMA etc could do the same thing with one call from your sat phone. Not knocking either just very curious if the believed source of security from the HF network is indeed a reality.

G'day Jen, my wife and I have a sat phone, didn't want a HF. We get a good deal through Globalstar....on the last trip the satellites were down, for a period of two months.. we were rembursed the monthly rent and all calls for the month of August and September 2004. Calls work out at a cent a second, phone is GSM and Satellite and easy to pick up both signals.
andy