Nera World Phone
Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 15:37
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Footloose
Well I've gone and done it, bought an old klunker of a sat phone for " a song" to play with. I'm hoping to suppliment my ET phone
home capability. Only to be used when there's no HF availiable :))
It's an old "Nera" world phone. I would have liked to play with a Motorola 9505 but beggars can't be choosers.
It's one that can connect to the Telstra mob which I'm told are argueably the better ones.
Has anyone had any experience with this brand of klunker ?
Lets hope the Nera doesn't fiddle while Rome burns :))
Reply By: Member - Mike DID - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 16:02
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 16:02
Nera is an Inmarsat phone, not Iridium that Telstra uses.
http://www.telstat.com.au/comm10.htm
Mike
AnswerID:
160662
Follow Up By: Footloose - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 16:41
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 16:41
Thanks, Mike. Looks like it's quite useless ? Where do I go to sign up ? :)))))))
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Mike DID - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 17:19
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 17:19
I wouldn't say it's useless - it's just that it's on a different type of satellite network.
I don't have any experience with Inmarsat.
Mike
FollowupID:
415489
Follow Up By: Phil-tc - Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 15:30
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 15:30
Hi There,
TC Comms are the Nera Service Centre for Australia so if you have any problems with "the old clunker" give us a call.
Also, we have the cheapest airtime rates in Oz.
www.tc.com.au
1300 653 332
Phil
FollowupID:
415673
Follow Up By: Footloose - Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 15:46
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 15:46
Hi Phil, that's great to know. As soon as the beasie arrives I'll start looking into the costs involved.
FollowupID:
415675
Reply By: Pajman Pete (SA) - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 16:45
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 16:45
I think I used to "own" two of these to lend out to others when I was in the military. Do they have a little map in the lid to show you where to point it for reception?
They were a good unit, pilot proof, and you could plug in a fax or data line as
well.
I seem to recall your number changed depending on which quadrant of the globe you were in and the call costs over inmarsat were steep.
Have fun! I can still recall sitting in the middle of nowhere, compass in hand, orienting the aerial for maximum tone. ET Phone
Home indeed.
Cheers
Pete
AnswerID:
160673
Follow Up By: Footloose - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 17:13
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 17:13
Thats the one. Dont like the sound of the last bit :((
FollowupID:
415488
Reply By: Michael Carey - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 17:50
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 17:50
A couple of Inmarsat "service providers" in Australia are :-
Xantic
ASTA
I think your phone is classed as a Mini M phone, rates are not too bad. Xantic have their own Inmarsat earth station in
Perth.
I look after a couple of Nera World Phones on some fishing boats (they have a sat seeking antenna), they work quite
well. Unlike other sat phones, you can use them with a fax as
well, maybe not what you would use while 4WDing, but handy on boats!!
AnswerID:
160688
Reply By: Member - John (Vic) - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 18:47
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 18:47
Inmarsat has been very popular with the Shipping Industry due to the good fax capability of the system.
It is expensive so I'm told (Or was)
AnswerID:
160700
Follow Up By: Michael Carey - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 19:35
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 19:35
These days Inmarsat is a LOT cheaper that it used to be. In 1990, I installed an old Inmarsat A system on a Pacific tuna purse-seiner, in the first month they clocked up a US$14000 bill!!
Needless to say, the next time I was on the boat, I had to move the phone, fax and telex terminal into the skippers cabin!!
I'm looking at the Inmarsat regional BGAN system for my next trip. You get a small terminal that looks like a laptop, you flip the lid, aim it at the sat and you get broadband for your laptop PC!! Easy!! I've also got an old Inmarsat M transportable terminal (not Mini M), but it's just a little too expensive to keep connected for the odd occasion I would use it. It's a pity 'cause it's a great system, not as handy as a Globalstar or Iridium of course!
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Bros 1 - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 20:09
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 20:09
Sat phone blokes,
Is it possible to buy a Satphone for personal use and not have to pay the monthly fee if not being used.
Cheers,
Bros.
AnswerID:
160725
Follow Up By: Member - Mike DID - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 23:37
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 23:37
If you want it only for emergency use i.e. only to contact Police or Ambulance then buy an Iridium or Globalstar handset and don't put a SIM card in it - just dial 112.
I know it works with a Motorola 9505 on Iridium.
Mike
FollowupID:
415571
Follow Up By: Member - Landie - Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 09:09
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 09:09
I originally had my Satfone through Vodafone and still pay my bills to them despite it being run by another company now. I pay only $10 per month for the connection.
Not sure if you can still do this through Vodafone.
FollowupID:
415609
Follow Up By: Member - Beatit (QLD) - Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 10:08
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 10:08
G'day Mike,
I have the 9500 on Iridium so I'm interested in your comment. How do you know 112 works without the SIM? Short of dialing the number and saying this is a
test only - would leave them unhappy I'd think.
Kind regards
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Mike DID - Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 10:25
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 10:25
"How do you know 112 works without the SIM? Short of dialing the number and saying this is a
test only"
That's exactly what I did - this call was a valid
test of an emergency capability that could potentially save the emergency
services tens of thousands of dollars for a search - only if it worked.
I have sat beside a 000 Operator and listened to incoming calls. Believe me, many of the calls have NOTHING to do with emergencies. A
test call is no problem for them.
Even testing of EPIRBs is allowed within the first 5 minutes of the hour, as long as it is only for 3 beeps.
Mike
FollowupID:
415621
Follow Up By: Member - Beatit (QLD) - Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 10:31
Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 10:31
Thanks Mike I will try this myself now - Ok maybe later. Good information and
well worth knowing, thank you.
Kind regards
FollowupID:
415623