Satellite phones

[merle&louise]

We will be going to Alaska in June 2010, and I want to buy a satellite phone. I am looking at the Iridium 9555. Can anyone comment on this phone; good or bad. Iridium is advertised as the best sat phone. Globalstar has the lowest per minute charges.

What kind do you have and why did you buy that brand?

Would you buy a sat phone on eBay?

I have looked on eBay and there are quite a few to choose from; new & used.

How do the minutes work? Do they expire after a certain time?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[flyu2there]

Should you really need one of those things, I would rent one. The air time is steep, 2-3 dollars a minute with a minimum charge per connection and the quality is only so-so. Remember you have to be outside to use the thing with a clear view of the sky. Also remember that big brother monitors your conversations.............

John

[merle&louise]

John,

What you say is true; it is expensive but it is also the only game in town!

Cell phones won't work north of Calgary. So satellite phones seem to be the only way to keep in touch with the lower 48 when we are between major towns.

Does anyone know if cell phones will work in the major cities like Anchorage, Fairbanks, Whitehorse, etc ? We have Sprint coverage.

Has anyone ever rented a satellite phone? I see that they can be rented for $160 per month.

[flyu2there]

Don't know about Whitehorse but mine works fine in both Fairbanks and Anchorage....cell phone that is!

Looks like you have 8 months or so...maybe you could become a Ham Radio Guy......probably be cheaper and more reliable than the Sat Phone although you coach might look like a radio station :D

John

[merle&louise]

John,

What cell carrier do you use? I have Sprint.

I think I will just rent a satellite phone and go that route.

[flyu2there]

Tuga,

I have AT&T but it worked fine in Alaska, big cities, if you want to call them that.

We did a project a couple of years back with the Iridium Phones...they work well, but the downside is that unless you are outside, you would never know that you had a call. Should you want to talk to say the grand kids, it would be cheaper to find the nearest airport and fly down and do that. We also used them in the airplanes, when I was active with the airlines, they were splendid however we were always 30,000 feet or higher when we used them....even then, the company bitched if there was not a good reason to use them....the connect fee's were high and the per minute charges were even higher than ARINC. ( a private company run and owned by the airlines).

You might take a look at Data Storm or one of the others then buy yourself an account with one of those internet phone companies (Vonage) and give that a go. It certainly would be cheaper, at the end of the day, although those satellites are orbiting the equator and the angles may be too much.....I dunno.

John

[gmcbuffalo]

What's internet coverage like? If good you could use "Skype".
GregM

[jelmore]

Tuga, you might check with Rogers, a Canadian company. Here's there coverage ... http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless_network?setLanguage=en&cm_sp=Consumer-_-Network_0909_Eng-_-Network_LowerBadge

Seems we used them or Sprint or AT&T partnered with them when we were in Canada. Or maybe you could get a short term account.

Verizon seems to have pretty good coverage up there, too. http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController

Maybe you're planning on being very remote?

[bonhall41]

I used my AT&T cellphone all over Alaska (including Denali) several years ago. However, some friends traveling with us didn't have coverage so I guess it depends on your provider. Good luck.

Bonnie

[Richard Barnes]

My AT&T cell phone worked in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Seward and Denali as well. I don't remember any coverage problems in that line of cities.

[merle&louise]

What's internet coverage like? If good you could use "Skype".
GregM

I do not have a satellite dish to receive internet on top of the coach. So I would assume the only internet service I could get would be in campground close to big towns or cities.

[merle&louise]

Tuga, you might check with Rogers, a Canadian company. Here's there coverage ... http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless_network?setLanguage=en&cm_sp=Consumer-_-Network_0909_Eng-_-Network_LowerBadge

Seems we used them or Sprint or AT&T partnered with them when we were in Canada. Or maybe you could get a short term account.

Verizon seems to have pretty good coverage up there, too. http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController

Maybe you're planning on being very remote?

Thanks Jim,

I will look into Rogers. Thanks for the link.

[jelmore]

Tuga, do you have a cell phone data card? The Verizon coverage would give you internet access. If you don't have one, you can usually get an almost free 30 day trial, or sign up for $60 a month for two years.

[merle&louise]

I used my AT&T cellphone all over Alaska (including Denali) several years ago. However, some friends traveling with us didn't have coverage so I guess it depends on your provider. Good luck.

Bonnie

Bonnie & Richard,

It looks like AT&T is the best carrier for Alaska. I found a map on google that shows AT&T was the best , Verizon, and 2 others to be the next best (I can't remember what the other 2 are but it wasn't Sprint).

[merle&louise]

Tuga, do you have a cell phone data card? The Verizon coverage would give you internet access. If you don't have one, you can usually get an almost free 30 day trial, or sign up for $60 a month for two years.

Jim,

We do have a Sprint Air Card which is spotty at best (in the lower 48).

I am considering supplementing the Sprint service with a Wilson Dual Antenna Cell Amplifier system. I think that will solve some of my problems. And I have a friend who has volunteered his satellite phone; all I have to do is buy the minutes. This of course is better than renting.

So it looks like my problems are solved!

Thanks for all of the input, it is greatly appreciated!

[jelmore]

We got by on Sprint for a year and then added Verizon. Now, we're covered almost everywhere. The cards are hot-swappable with our Cradlepoint router.

[jello_jeep]

Tuga, also see a thread I am starting "satellite messenger", that is related, but not a phone...

[merle&louise]

Thanks Warren but I would need a phone. Got to have Commo!:D

It is a neat little deal though; and inexpensive!

[Danss]

Had use of sat phone after Katrina and it was almost useless as ??? on a bull. Had to walk around and get signal and if you found a signal you had to put your head where the phone was , don't dare move the phone. Very chancy reception. I used my cell phone in Alaska without any problem.

[merle&louise]

Dan,

Do you remember what brand satellite phone you were using?

From what I have read the coverage for Iridium phones is excellent. They are guarantted to work anywhere on earth. However, some of the other brands are like what you experienced, not so good.:eek:

Also, what carrier do you have for cell service?

Did your cell work good when you were not in a major town? Out in the boonies?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

You must really want to talk to someone to go to all that trouble.

When we finally allowed ourselves to step away from our business to get a vacation we decided we could trust our employees to make the right decisions. If we couldn't trust them to make decisions then we had the wrong employees.

So the message we left the employees with was to do what they thought best, and do the best they could. We did not want any phone calls unless it was an emergency, and we told them that an emergency was something we needed to be involved with. If the factory was burning down it was not an emergency because there was nothing we could do while we were gone.

We did not get any phone calls on our vacations and during our absence our employees did a great job.

Even when we got cell phones we often left it turned off until we wanted to call someone. I am constantly amazed at people who are away from home and business who spend most of their time on the phone dealing with business issues. They either have bad employees or they don't trust them or they haven't learned how to delegate. We still forget to turn our cell phones on most days.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Maybe it is a personal communication with a loving family member that needs reassurance that all is well.

JIM

[Danss]

Do not remember what brand or carrier on Sat phone. Just goes to show you, if I go to all the trouble to borrow something it should at least be top of the line!! My carrier on my cell is Cellular South. I assumne they somehow piggy back on someone else. Only used cell around poppulated areas.

[bluevost]

Jon,

Respectfully, I could not disagree with you more. Today's technology with cell phones, sat phones, laptops, skype, etc. are tools that help us get away a little longer, get away a little farther. It has little to do with trusting your employees. I have 6 employees and would not trade any of them for anything. They work hard, and are glad to be working. They know how far they can go to close a normal sale. But not all sales are normal, and sometimes they need the boss to make the decision. And when it's MY money at stake, I want to make those decisions. So a cell phone call to me while I'm on vacation on the U.P., (making my way round about to OKC), is alright.

And let's not forget the value of a sat phone in an emergency. When out in the middle of BFE with no Verizon, no AT&T, no nuttin', a sat phone looks pretty sweet indeed.

Ken

[Jon Wehrenberg]

We have to agree to disagree Ken.

One of the biggest mistakes I ever made in business was trying to be involved in everything. On the last business I got it started and within 6 months I outlined for the employees my expectations and then went away for 9 months. I was essentially at home, but to break myself of having to stick my nose in everything I did not go in and only reviewed the numbers periodically. (I can hear the busness people gasping for breath now.)

During that time I did things I wanted to do. I wrote aviation magazine and newspaper articles, I got my commercial and ATP tickets, and I drove contractors crazy by supervising the construction of a very elaborate deck at our house.

When I finally went back to work I essentially worked on policy and long term projects and remained removed from day to day. I never had a company grow as fast.

We bought our bus shortly after that and the rest is history. My employees were better stewards of my money than I was.

[merle&louise]

I second what Ken said. I don't normally post but I feel that it is warranted here. I WANT to be in touch with my mother and my children everyday and so do they! The only way to do that when traveling in Alaska is with a sat phone. It doesn't have any thing to do with business, it has everything to do with my piece of mind!

Tuga WANTS to be in touch with his children and grandchildren everyday also. There's nothing like hearing about the baseball game that Braden scored the winning run in. It's worth all the effort to get a satellite phone!:D

Louise

[jello_jeep]

I think in regards to being in touch for business, it depends on what your business is, and how many people you employ.

If you have a fairly large business, with employees numbering maybe in the hundreds, you can afford to have people on your management team that are capable of making big decisions.

At some point though, if you are a small business like we are, there likely is nobody that is going to make decisions of the same quality you will as the owner. Face it, if they were a greater decision maker than you were, they would be signing your check, not the other way around.

I don't get calls too often, and if I did as Jon mentioned, and told them not to, I wouldn't get any at all. But I would rather they have access to help if they need it.

Most of the time they don't really know if I am in town or not and I would just as soon have it that way.

I leave my phone on 24/7, very seldom get any night calls (maybe one a year), only key people have it, and they all have enough sense as to when they should bother me.

But I think they feel assured as much as I do, that if needed I will respond.

I hope to someday have the luxury of having something more turn-key, but I aint complaining one bit and am happy to be a Capitalist (if the govt allows it to continue).

Life is pretty good.

[truk4u]

Tuga & Karen,

We have to stay in touch also, do whatever you have to do to keep in touch with the family;) If your in BFE and need medical help with no communication, your next available call may be to Denny!

[ajducote]

My 2 cents worth.
Not everyone who owns a Prevost owns and runs a business. Some of us actually work for someone else. The only way we get to travel any distance is to be able to work an 8 hour day while on the road. Data cards and cell phones allow that. Being able to stay in touch with my mother is just as important. I do occasioaly get work calls at odd hours of the night and on weekends, but I will pay that price to be able to work from home or on the road full time. I have not been in an office in 3 years. I talk to my boss on the phone maybe twice a year. To young to retire, no trust fund or rich relatives. BUT traveling and working from the bus makes putting up with the cell phone a minor issue.

[0533]

We run an online business that requires us to be able to get to our websites everyday to manage the business. We also need to communicate with salespeople and customers.

We are planning on heading to Alaska next summer as well, will add to our Cellphone booster a portable sat internet dish that we can place on the ground (Dish on roof is too limiting) for internet access and Skype if needed, that is if we cannot get internet connection using our Cell Phone booster.

I outfitted all of our photography teams around the world with Sat phones, we rented them from a tampa Florida company, a total waste of $$ the signal is unusable unless you are standing in an open field, cannot use inside big waste of $$ my crews lost 3 of the dam things as well @ $1500 a copy. anyway if you really need to be connected get the Cell phone booster and a portable sat dish for internet.

[merle&louise]

Bruce,

What brand of sat phone did you rent?

[flyu2there]

Tuga,

Have you thought about putting your coach on the Alaska Ferry out of Bellingham? The Al-Can North of Edmonton is drier than dust, you won't miss much of anything, unless you ket your kicks out of going down to the local barbershop and watching haircuts. The ferry has a satellite that makes your cell phone work, although I think they charge international rates...couple of days, inside passage, it's really nice. Once you get to Haynes you should be golden with regular cell phone service. No broken windshields, rock damage and aggrevation....just a tought!

John

[merle&louise]

John,

The Alaskan Ferry out of Bellingham sounds great. We will certainly consider it.

Thanks for the advice!:D

[Scott T]

Tuga
We have crews going up and down the Alaska Hiway to Fort Nelson and the cell phone coverage is good. The only exception is down in a valley crossing a river. Contact Lynden Transport 1-800-326-5702 or www.lynden.com They have scheduled freight runs from Houston to Anchorage on a weekly basis. They will be able to answer your questions. Don't take the ferry both ways- do the drive, the roads are much improved and the scenery is breath taking. I have a 60' pad with power, water and sewer, that is available for POG members. It is located close to the Edmonton International Airport. There is lots to do and see while in the area. You need to plan the drive from Lake Louise to Jasper via the ice fields HighWay. I will be available to those heading to Alaska- let me know your schedule and I can help with getting you there and back. Living in Coon Ass country, you have never seen 24 hours of daylight. If you are in Alaska the 21st of June it is light all day and night, and there are no snakes, but there are mosquitoes. There are lots of other motorhomes on the road to and from Alaska, so you can visit and exchange ideas at the camp sites. Early June last year, I was waiting for one of our men to fly into Fort Nelson, I started counting Motorhomes heading north, while waiting- counted 129 from 10:00 am till 3:30 pm. The road is not as bad as some have indicated. I drove my new coach from Sanford Flordia to Dallas last week, and some of the freeways I drove on, are chewed up- there is no perfect roadway from start to finish, same applies for the roads to Alaska. Take your time and you will be glad you made the trip-with cell phone coverage.
Scott T

[merle&louise]

Scott T,

Thanks for the info. Do you know if Sprint works on the Alcan Hiway between Dawson Creek and Anchorage? I have looked at Sprint's coverage map, and it looks like there is no coverage!:eek:
I sent an email to Lynden Transport and mentioned your name. I asked about the cell phone coverage for Sprint so we will see what the drivers say.

I could certainly use the 60' RV site in Edmonton on June 13th or 14th if the offer is still open. I have a Newell, but I am a POGGER at heart! I will be picking up a couple of friends at the airport in Edmonton on June 13th.

I am so excited about Alaska, I can hardly wait to leave.

[Scott T]

Tuga
You are most welcome to use the site, no hard feelings from me, about your choice of M/H; all POGGERS are welcome. Look forward to meeting you , your wife and your friends. It will be a fun time, for you folks. Will keep you posted on the cell coverage.
Scott