Communication Systems

[Col James]

rying to decide between Satphone or HF radio .
Will be manly used for emergecies during hunting trips and touring outback in Aust only.
Will be moving to Darwin in 2 months then traveling around Oz from there
for 2 yrs [approx]
Any info on pros or cons , coverage, user friendliness brands etc. would be great

[phippsy]

I would go for a HF, as I think it would be a bit more useful overall, and they can still be used like a mobile phone (simplex only ?) anyway. Also I think the newer ones can give out your gps location as well in an emergency. Just my 2c anyhow.

[bogged]

with all the talk of HF being given the arse in the next fwe yrs go Sat phone.'

theres threads in general and www.exploroz.com.au on it..

[blkmav]

I agree with Bogged on sat phone. The ongoing cost of sat phone is an issue, however you are travelling for a fair while so it would be worth it.

Write yourself a list of emergency numbers before you go.

[Col James]

has anyone got 1

[benjamin78au]

hmnmm both have +es and -es

sat phone is the way i be leaning, but you can have hiccups with rain forest canopies and heavy cloud cover. and you can't use it to talk to others in area/group unless u want it pricey. But you have coverage almost every where and you can use the data channel for internet.
But the big plus is ease of use, even a 10 year old can use a sat phone, and others can call you.


the hf works well in most areas but lot less portable (needs to be in car)
it is an older technology, and not having used one before i not sure on how complex they are to use. Do you need a liecence to use one of these?


You can hire the sat phones, and even get some models so they take a gsm sim (so i been told by a rep), so when in range of a tower u make. calls on the lower rate.

either way look around and ask others that have tried both.
Personaly i lean more towards the sat phone hire em , as otherwise it a little $.

[MYTTUF]

I bought a HF for my round OZ trip in 99 over a sat phone back then. I think the HF is better as there will always be someone on the other end that can put you thru to the emergency services if needed, there are radio clubs (VKS737) that track your travels and can/will inform family/friends of your whereabouts, you can make phone calls, can talk car to car (free and even over long distances) and now, with 2 little kiddes, still use it as an emergency radio on even my High Country trips and all it costs me is $60 per year for VKS737 membership.

[Tiny]

Satphone for sure.....you can always hire a sat phone or hf for the trip, but if you want to purchase something then get satphone as the hf will be unused in 3-4 yrs due to this new broadband internet stuff that interfears with the am type signal

[morkz]

yeah i think sat phone

one of the telco providers will do a talk cap on one of these and there will be no problems about costs

[turps]

I hired a sat phone on a recent desert trip. It worked well for me and piece of piss to use.
Also I was told that there are some sat phones that will take a normal telstra digatal simcard. So if you get your simcard set to global roaming, you are able to use it in a sat phone. Without any extra charges other than the usuall sat phone call charges. Then when you think you are within contact of a normal GSM tower, put the card back in your mobile.

I plan on buying one this year and will be renting it to mates, if they are interested. Just gotta find the right phone.

[macka]

I reckon both for dual redunancy but what do I know?
macka

[chopper]

I hired a sat phone on a recent desert trip. It worked well for me and piece of piss to use.
Also I was told that there are some sat phones that will take a normal telstra digatal simcard. So if you get your simcard set to global roaming, you are able to use it in a sat phone. Without any extra charges other than the usuall sat phone call charges. Then when you think you are within contact of a normal GSM tower, put the card back in your mobile.

I plan on buying one this year and will be renting it to mates, if they are interested. Just gotta find the right phone.

true but there are some hidden disadvantages...


you can get an iridium connected to Telstra outright, (yes it has a sim card) but does not roam to the GSM network (there is a plug in module available OS that will allow this but I have seen no rference to it being available or able to operate in Australia.

or as I think you were suggesting


You can set your normal GSM to global roaming and it will work in an iridium (depending upon which carrier the iridium is signed up to, they must have an agreement with telstra, I have no idea who does and doesn't) but be aware that it is possible for your normal settings to transfer to your sat phone, like message bank and that you will (if the sat phone is on) recieve calls from mates who want to talk shit, all while you are paying around $2/minute to recieve the call (that's right, recieve),

If you go with Globalstar (Vodaphone) you can get the units to roam to GSm (or CDMA soon, apparently) but they are big, heavy and not really what you'd use in town, also Globalstar is a shite system with well documented downfalls, (maybe thats why there are so many available on Ebay, for cheap (usually)).

So, here's what we have.

A dedicated Satphone thru telstra, and normal CDMA, we can check the CDMA message bank thru the iridium if we really need to, sometimes we change the voice message on the CDMA to reflect that people with important calls should call the sat phone, or send a text to it (I believe that only telstra connected sat phones can SEND and recieve texts) and we'll return when we can. This way we are not recieving expensive crap messages, that really could wait until we are back in CDMA range.

Each to their own, but this works really well for us.



Oh, and if you get a telstra connected phone, it has a normal 10 digit numbr and you do not have to go thru the international dialling codes as you will on all other carriers

(and if you want more info on Iridium Vs Globalstar PM me, I don't want to start more fights )

[blkmav]

Found this link, might be worth a call
http://www.satcomhire.com.au

[Ossie]

On a recent 6 week trip through the Kimberley, one major thing became apparent, you cannot take a HF radio for a walk, satphone you can.

I know not every body goes for walks, but on a 3kms si a long way to travel if somebody is injured. On a walk into the Bungle Bungles one of our crew suffered heat exhaustion, a satphone in a backpack gets you medical advice instantly without having to return to the vehicle.

Do I own a sat phone? No… but I am buying one soon because somebody’s life is worth the $600 to buy/connect one…… beside I drive a Rangie feel comfortable with assistance a phone call away.

Jason

[Col James]

Thanks for all the info fellas . Think I'll go the satfone.