Isatphone pro

Never heard of Isatphone. I have used the Iridium System and a Motorola handset for the last 5 years. It is used by RFDS and Remote area Ambulance services, that'll do me. Before you purchase check them out carefully

regards.............jeff

Hi Fronky,

I work for a govt agency in NSW and have just ordered 5 new Isatphones from a place on the Central Coast for work in remote NW NSW- $900 per unit which includes 100 minutes of "Talk" time on the SIM supplied. That 100 minutes is good for 2 years. From everything I have read ( and working for the govt. means dotting every I and crossing every T - many times) the Isatphones are a better option that the Iridium system that we have been using for the last 6 years. Last a week of so back trying to use the Iridium system out the back of Bourke and lost calls on countless occasions.

For what it's worth I am currently dealing with TC Communications in NSW re purchasing an Isatphone Pro - just waiting to hear back from the Govt as to my eligibility for a rebate. If no rebate then it doesn't really matter as the deal is for $599 +gst with call cast of $1/min with $13.50/mth access. It seemed too good to be true but at this stage they have either completely fooled me or it is a good deal. rgds

They seem like a great phone at a better price alright. Call costs are great too compared to Iridium. Bluetooth too!

For north of SA and WA ( and Most of NSW, and all of Qld and NT they should be great.

I looked at them a few months ago and the only reason I didn't get one is that it would not be very reliable for Vic in the high counntry. The Sat is geostationary above PNG and it would be hidden by the mountains in Vic as it is low on the horizon in the north.

Otherwise I have read good reviews.

Th use theINMARSAT system. rgds

Hi Fronky ,
have a look at threads 85958 also 83097 some relevant info there.

Cheers Bruce

Hey Fronky I have a Isatphone Pro, checked that it had signal in several places as I head north of WA and no problem so far, havent had to use it as yet and as I have it only for emergencys I hope it stays that way.

Cozzie

Hi fronky,
I bought one a couple of months ago for much the same region as you, have only phoned locally as yet. A feature I really like is someone wanting to contact You can send an e-mail to Your phone When You log on to the sat at say the end of the day the message is there & You can call them back. It is a lot cheaper to call a land line or mobile from the sat phone than the other way.
Also at the cost of a SMS approx 40cents You can send Your location to a SMS or e-mail.
I have gone pre paid, bought in two blocks #1 I have loaded to the phone expires in two years. #2 I have as spare, Must activate within 10 years then expires in 2 years.
The cost of calls are dependent on the us$ exchange rate when You buy.
Hope this is of some help.
Mike.

Just bought one on eBay..$760.00 (brand new)..
Shop around for 'plans' though..as there are savings (worth a few phone calls). The Inmarsat seems to be a very competitive market !!
Cheers...

fronky,

Our touring company bought one at the beginning of the year for outback travel. Tested it before we went away and set up phone numbers in contacts which was a bit tricky.
Used it a couple of times in Central Australia eg. Mt Dare and Arckaringa without any dramas. Calls are expensive though.

I've just bought one from AST Australia (http://www.asta.net.au/). It cost me $699 brand new, and, going pre-paid, $60 gets 50 minutes of talk time; $250 gets 250 minutes of talk time and it gets cheaper the more credit you buy. Credit lasts 2 years. I understand you can buy the phone for as little as $350 if you quallify for the govt subsidy.

I test mine in the mountains behind Irvinebank in FNQ and it was great - the call quality was very good, reception was no problem, and at $1/minute I could happily justify making a 6 minute call to a station owner to get permission to camp.

Note, 000 or 112 emergency numbers don't work yet, but I just programmed in the RFDS numbers, which AST provided me with.

I like the fact that, having made the investment of buying a sat phone, I can use it for calls other than an emergency - so I'll get my value for money.

It's interesting seeing this old post.
Did many of you buy the phone presuming you could call emergency or were you aware of this problem when you bought the phone.
I see a lot are going for pre paid. If you ran out of time in the outback how do you recharge ?
MM