Sending a text message to an Iridium service
Submitted: Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 15:18
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George_M
I have a Motorola 9505A, in which I put my NextG sim. So far so good.
How do I send a text message to this service?
The manual gives an Iridium website (
http://messaging.iridium.com/), with a pre-formatted "8816" prefix for the service number. When I key in my NextG number however there are two characters too few in the data entry line. If I use my full national number without the "8816" prefix I get an error message.
What am I doing wrong?
George_M
Reply By: Member - Mike DID - Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 15:49
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 15:49
Putting a NextG SIM in a 9505 makes it behave totally differently to a conventional Satphone service.
It hehaves more like a Telstra Mobile - just use the normal national number for voice or SMS.
"041x xxx xxx" or "02 xxxx xxxx".
AnswerID:
357054
Follow Up By: George_M - Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 16:21
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 16:21
Thanks Mike. Just tried that and got an "Error sending" message - "Incorrect "MSISDN Number used".
George
FollowupID:
625143
Reply By: Member - John H (WA) - Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 16:43
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 16:43
I've got the same sat phone, but still using my GSM card in it (not a NextG card).
Are you trying to send an SMS to your sat phone, or send an SMS from your sat phone to another mobile ?
To send a message to my sat phone - ie: to test it out, I just send the message to my normal 0401...... mobile number.
To send a message out from my sat phone, I have to use the international dialling prefixes that leave off the leading zero from the number of the moble I'm sending the mesage to.
ie: 0011 61 401.... if the mobile is an 0401.... number.
As said though, that's using my GSM card.
Hopefully the info helps a bit................
John
AnswerID:
357064
Follow Up By: George_M - Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 18:18
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 18:18
Ahhh bugger! Just tried that, thanks
John - didn't work.
I'm trying to send a text message to my satphone from, in this case, my wife's mobile phone.
What is interesting is that the text message was received neither by the satphone service (I left it registered on the Iridium network for about 20 minutes) nor my mobile phone service (when I put the sim back in).
Thanks again.
George
FollowupID:
625158
Reply By: Ozhumvee - Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 18:22
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 18:22
Both the GSM and Next G SIM's must be Telstra and both must have International Roaming actiivated.
You can also send an SMS to the actual Iridium SIM through the Iridium website, not the mobile SIM's.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: oldfart1953 - Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 21:02
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 21:02
Yes, but you must be using an Iridium simcard in the phone to use the website to send an SMS...is that what your saying Peter?
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Ozhumvee - Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 21:22
Monday, Mar 30, 2009 at 21:22
Yes the website can only send SMS to the Iridium Satphone SIM which of course must be in the phone to enable it to receive the SMS
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: George_M - Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 15:20
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 15:20
Thanks Peter - that all makes sense. You can send a SMS from a Telstra mobile to an Iridium service which is also using a Telstra sim. It didn't work for me before because my wife's mobile is with Optus.
Thanks again.
George_M
FollowupID:
625348
Reply By: George_M - Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 15:23
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 15:23
Thanks also Mike and John - once I found a Telstra mobile to send the SMS to the Iridium service everything worked as you said it would. I'd originally tried it with my wife's mobile, and she is with Optus.
George_M
AnswerID:
357269
Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 21:26
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 21:26
I have found that Optus and Vodafone seem to be able to RING you but NOT TEXT you.
I have a 9505Awith a TELSTRA sim and my son can ring me from a Vodafone mobile and my friend rang me from an Optus phone
However neither could text me.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: George_M - Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 21:37
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 21:37
Yeah, Graham, that's my understanding as well.
Sounds to me like Telstra playing hard to get, and stuff the customer. The people I've spoken to in Telstra (three different groups) refuse to admit that you can use a Telstra GSM/NextG sim in an Iridium satphone.
George
FollowupID:
625454
Follow Up By: Member - Mike DID - Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 21:48
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009 at 21:48
"I have a 9505Awith a TELSTRA sim and my son can ring me from a Vodafone mobile and my friend rang me from an Optus phone.
However neither could text me. "
. . . . very interesting. I'm glad you tested it.
I just assumed SMSing would be the same from any Australian phone !
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