Satelite telephones, anyone?

questions, comments , film clips and pictures on guns and weapons and HEST.

Moderator: Hitoru

Satelite telephones, anyone?

Postby Alessandro » Wed Sep 08, 2004 4:43 pm

I´m thinking of buying one of these, any advice beside not dropping or lose it?
Alessandro
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 2202
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:57 pm
Location: European Union

Postby RYP » Wed Sep 08, 2004 4:55 pm

Plenty of info on this site. Thuraya is your best bet between London and Asia. Motorola and others cover the whole world. Iridium is cheaper but less functional due to lower satelittes.

You can also rent.

Calls are expensive. You might want to look into local phone rentals in some countries.
User avatar
RYP
Ownerus Websiteus Authorus
 
Posts: 27774
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:42 am

Postby Billy » Wed Sep 08, 2004 5:22 pm

I bought a Thuraya last week in Iraq for $680 which included a pay-as-you-go SIM card and $10 free credit with 100 free texts.

Basically, we were each issued one on contract by the company but some dickheads went overboard on calls home so they banned intn'l calls. I decided to buy my own for calls home

A call from Iraq to UK costs approx $1 per minute. It's a good piece of kit and I get a good signal 24/7. Much better than GSM.

It's also got GPS, though nowhere near as good as my old Garmin.

I recommend Thuraya, no probs
Billy
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 112
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 5:07 pm

Postby Billy » Wed Sep 08, 2004 5:25 pm

Oh, I forgot - I buy $40 top-up cards that for some reason only give you 39 credits.
Billy
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 112
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 5:07 pm

Postby RYP » Wed Sep 08, 2004 5:32 pm

Don't forget you can also use your Thuraya for local GSM calls. A big savings...
User avatar
RYP
Ownerus Websiteus Authorus
 
Posts: 27774
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:42 am

Postby anguilla » Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:56 pm

The Thuraya is the choice for the middle east, you can also get a data kit for around $100 bucks to hook it to your computer. GSM is avalible, but only with a post paid account from most companies who sell the service- and it sucks when you are only able to use it in sat mode- if you go inside you cannot receive or make calls. Calls to land line in the states go for anywhere between $1.00 to $1.40 a min from around the middle east/asia. The hand set, while still big compared to a modern mobile is smaller than most other options- I had an Iridium in Iraq, and we called it "the Big Phone", huge antenna and reception still sucked.

Then again, if you are using it for South America, thuraya is not an option.

If you are just looking for a sat modem, look at Immarsat BGAN, I just picked one up for $500, they were $1,500 just a few months ago. They transmit data at around 13 bucks a megabyte, and are fast and reliable- although you cannot make phone calls on them....
anguilla
 
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:14 pm

Postby RYP » Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:20 pm

your former friends will also discover it costs about 8 bucks a minute to call your Thuraya from the States...
User avatar
RYP
Ownerus Websiteus Authorus
 
Posts: 27774
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:42 am

Postby RYP » Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:26 pm

Image

http://www.satphonestore.com/servprod/T ... _rates.htm

Best if you are in Asia/Europe for around $850
http://www.satphonestore.com/servprod/
Image


shit quality for around 900
Image

best quality for about a thousand bucks
Image
User avatar
RYP
Ownerus Websiteus Authorus
 
Posts: 27774
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:42 am

Postby RYP » Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:31 pm

If you do a lot of data transmission you might want to get one of these. I used one in Iraq and they come in handy if you are a photog or video MPEG shooter.

Image

BGAN: With Inmarsat Regional BGAN you can connect to the internet via satellite at 144 kbps.  This cost-effective service is delivered through a portable satellite IP modem the size of a notebook PC, making it ideal for professionals on the move. The modem weighs about 1.6 kg, which is about 3.3 lbs.  Service is available now in over 99 countries.  Inmarsat Regional BGAN is currently the fastest commercial portable wireless data service available.

About $1400 with 14 bucks per MB (yeah very expensive)

Coverage is same as Thuraya
Image

You can add phone access for 100 bucks
The Regional BGAN Satellite IP Modem provides users the opportunity to access reliable, cost effective, high-speed data services in areas where there is no telecommunications infrastructure.  This lightweight piece of kit is both robust and portable and can be connected to your computer using USB, Ethernet or Bluetooth interfaces.




Internet applications include:




Instant remote access to the corporate LAN



Secure VPN connectivity & capability



"Always On" high-speed internet access and email (send/receive POP3 & IMAP)



Store & forward video clips



Digital Image Transfer



File Transfer & FTP



E-commerce "on-line" Ordering & Procurement



Database Queries



Add Phone Access for under $100






RBGAN Unit:


$1,339.00


Now only


$850.00



$489 Instant Rebate
Call for details. * requires activation




A C C E S S O R I E S

Extra Battery:


$158.00


Extra AC Power:
$76.00

DC Power: 
$132.00

External Antenna:
$1,399.00

Portable Ext. Ant.
$995.00


Order Now!
Go to Airtime Pricing


Technical Specifications:





Weight:




1.6 - 1.8 Kg (3.3lbs - 3.9lbs)









Size:




300mm x 240mm x 40mm (11.8" x 9.4" x 1.6")









SIM card:




Yes









Operating temperature:




-10°C to +55°C (14°F to 131°F)









Operating humidity:




95% RH at 40°C









Input Voltage:




7.2 to 8.4 Vdc









Mechanical Vibration:




200-2000 Hz, 0.3 m2/s3









Un-packaged drop:




0.5m on concrete









Solar radiation:




1120W/m2; MIL-SPEC 810E 505.3









Water and dust proofing:




IP-54 as standard, dust and spray proof in all directions









Air pressure for transport altitude:




4500 m AMSL; MIL-SPEC 810E METHOD 500.3









Battery Life:




24 hours standby time and 1 hour of continuous transmission at highest rate









Battery type:




Lithium-Ion





External Power:

Mains power supply adapter

Connectors:

USB, Ethernet, Bluetooth




User Interface:


Web page based graphical user interface accessible via standard web browser. Wizard set-up guide for sample start-up and set-up operations

 
User avatar
RYP
Ownerus Websiteus Authorus
 
Posts: 27774
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:42 am

Postby El Presidente » Thu Sep 09, 2004 2:14 am

Image

Huh, huh satellite phones are cool.

I thought Iridium went out of business a few years back?

Stupid question . . . but do Satellite phones use the same 10 digits as American phones? Can I dial a satellite phone directly from my $29.95 Wal Mart wireless special?
User avatar
El Presidente
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 692
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 11:56 pm

Postby anguilla » Thu Sep 09, 2004 2:31 am

yes you can dial them (provided you can call internationally), but as RYP said, they will cost you a mint to call from home. all thuraya's start with 88216- then are followed by an 8 number phone number. They are an international call no matter what country you are in.

The BGans sound expensive, but actually are not that bad. If, under web preferences, you turn pictures off, Web pages are very small, and using a web based email, like hotmail is a pretty cheap way to stay in touch (cheap as far as sat com goes)- plus you can leave the thing on all the time and you are only charged for data sent.

By the way, another cool thing about thurayas/Bgan's is they have built in GPS- good for you, but some govt's are not too keen on you bringing them into their country....
anguilla
 
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:14 pm

Postby Alessandro » Thu Sep 09, 2004 7:30 am

Hmm, I was thinking of a SonyEricsson R290, combined GSM and satelite phone , cost about 500US$ here in Sweden?
Link http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc= ... 1&pid=8975
Alessandro
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 2202
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:57 pm
Location: European Union

Postby anguilla » Thu Sep 09, 2004 2:48 pm

Wow,

I have never seen that before- looks pretty good. I don't know anyone who has used globalstar, so I can't be much help there, but I did have an Erriccson world phone that worked amazingly well no matter where you were (provided there was a GSM network).

Looks good......
anguilla
 
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:14 pm

Postby triggerpuller » Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:45 pm

what is the best option for southern and central america on sat phones.

thanks
triggerpuller
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 9:10 pm

Postby Alessandro » Wed Dec 01, 2004 8:25 am

Yes has ordered one R290, cost 550US$, dual GSM and globalstar, saleswoman said that they orginally costed 2200US$ and they aren´t made anymore, so downside is only 3 months warranty.
Anguilla, you´re not alone, my cousins work for SE and in the cell phone
department and didn´t hear of this one either.
TP, globalstar seem to be good in South America but not in Central America, check out http://www.globalstareurope.com/view_pa ... e=coverage
Alessandro
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 2202
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:57 pm
Location: European Union

Next

Return to Guns, Knives, Gear, Tech and ....STUFF!!!

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests