Hey all, I consider getting a sat phone and preferably a sat data connection. Either Iridium or Inmarsat. And experiences and recommendations?  A 40-60 cm dome would not be the problem. I want reliable access to mail and data like weather etc and news, so basic web access no streaming

+x

 

Peter.Basilides - 10/12/2020

Hey all, I consider getting a sat phone and preferably a sat data connection. Either Iridium or Inmarsat. And experiences and recommendations?  A 40-60 cm dome would not be the problem. I want reliable access to mail and data like weather etc and news, so basic web access no streaming

Hi Peter,
Your goals were similar to mine.
I am no expert nor am I widely experienced in the all the various possibilities. This is what worked for us and is still working for us.
We did a lot of research (2016) when we sailed the Viking Route from Europe to Canada a few years back. I was particularly worried about comm in Greenland. All the comm goals offshore for the previous 15+ years had been accomplished by Ham SSB and marine SSB radio, but I was worried about relying on SSB in these high latitudes: correctly worried as it turned out.
I wanted voice and data comm and I liked the idea of a handheld unit to take on hikes and for abandoning ship.
We ended up with Iridium internally mounted system using a handheld (9575 Extreme) able to be removed from its internal cradle and used independently. There was a data cable to a laptop. The antenna was mounted on the pushpit and was small. We used UUPlus for our land-based email and file transfer station. They (Jeremy and John) were great and extremely helpful with the set-up.
We bought our phone in the US from Atlantic Radio Telephone, the Satphone store. We placed our order and they were difficult to deal with from then on. Our first handset was defective and getting it replaced was a headache from a distance. We changed our service contract to Preferred Communications (Carlyn, US phone 1-800-300-6020) at our first opportunity and she has been easy to work with and very helpful. They also sell the phone and all necessary accessories.
There is a learning curve, so give yourself time to get acquainted and practice all functions.
The set-up worked as wished. Mostly we got selected personal email, weather in the form of gribs as well as text, ice charts (compressed by a friend on shore) and the like. When we needed voice, that worked fine also. There were a few times when comm was not available (Greenland in an anchorage with mountains around) but a short period later, we got through.
Come back with questions.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

I opted now for the Cobham SAILOR 4300 Iridium Certus. Fair price, (from Bluesat.com ) and Iridium seems to have better priced bundles for low volume operation. I've heard around the end of 2020 a new set of options will be offered (pre vs. post paid) 
I have been advised that for commercial vessel registration some sort of interface is still missing but in the works, to be pushed on the market February 2021. Then Iridium would offer the SOLAS capability/equivalency where to this date a Inmarsat C is required. Although I don't expect the rates for data transmission will go down at either company. 
Currently the big boxes sit in my home. I'll try to get the parts into suitcases...mounting them in November. Corona makes all planes uncertain, but as of today I still can fly to Spain to the boat.

+x

 

Peter.Basilides - 10/23/2020

I opted now for the Cobham SAILOR 4300 Iridium Certus. Fair price, (from Bluesat.com ) and Iridium seems to have better priced bundles for low volume operation. I've heard around the end of 2020 a new set of options will be offered (pre vs. post paid) 
I have been advised that for commercial vessel registration some sort of interface is still missing but in the works, to be pushed on the market February 2021. Then Iridium would offer the SOLAS capability/equivalency where to this date a Inmarsat C is required. Although I don't expect the rates for data transmission will go down at either company. 
Currently the big boxes sit in my home. I'll try to get the parts into suitcases...mounting them in November. Corona makes all planes uncertain, but as of today I still can fly to Spain to the boat.

Hi Peter,
Thanks for the feedback. I look forward to reports on how it works out for you.
This is a far more sophisticated and versatile system than what I described above. Casual looking on the internet, I did not see a handset for voice comm. Does it come with one? Is it (the handset) also portable so you could take it into an abandon ship situation? What were the considerations that lead you to this choice?
Good luck with the installation.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

You are right, a handset is an optional extra. For shipboard use, any DECT cordless phone will suffice. For abandoning ship a Iridium handset would be needed. I'll see if my old one will still work in that setup. Thing is, I want to keep my options open to run charters on occasion. For that I need to be SOLAS compliant, which requires a totally different/more sophisticated and more expensive set of comms equipment. It's a pain in the neck atm, because all the paperwork is also more intricate and time consuming, but I hope it'll be worth in the end to have the extra flexibility. 

+x

 

Peter.Basilides - 10/26/2020

You are right, a handset is an optional extra. For shipboard use, any DECT cordless phone will suffice. For abandoning ship a Iridium handset would be needed. I'll see if my old one will still work in that setup. Thing is, I want to keep my options open to run charters on occasion. For that I need to be SOLAS compliant, which requires a totally different/more sophisticated and more expensive set of comms equipment. It's a pain in the neck atm, because all the paperwork is also more intricate and time consuming, but I hope it'll be worth in the end to have the extra flexibility. 

Hi Peter,
Understood. I believe some Iridium handsets/contracts allow for emergency use even after the contract expires: probably depends on the sim card.
Good luck crossing all the t's and dotting the i's of bureaucratic paperwork and share field report when you get some time and use on the system.
My best, Dick