Poll: Are satellite phones part of your preparations ....

[bbbass]

Basic plans:

Iridium $49.99/mo for 10min usage, extra minutes = $1.89/min

Globalstar pricing used to be the same as above but now lists as $64.99 for 100min usage. That's a big improvement except Globalstar sats are dead most of the time. Useless at any price.

 

[The Heretic]

Bear in mind that most satellite comms often involve earthside infrastructure at some point. If the earthside infrastructure isn't working then satellite comms will be useless. If you are in some localized event where the rest of the world is okay, then the satellite phone might be an advantage, if it works.

I personally don't see any real advantage for me if I am in the USA though.

 

[bbbass]

2001 Biscuit fire. SW OR USA. Wild times.

What was the name of the wildfire in the Siskiyou around 89-90 (don't remember exactly)? Anyway, I was working at S.Coast Communications in Brookings at the time. My boss had a plane and we went for a look but couldn't get back because of smoke.

2012-2014 (not in order)
Whisky fire
West Fork
Freezeout Ridge
Big Windy
Brimstone
Douglas Complex
Cache Creek
Table Mtn
Yakima Complex
Wenatchee Complex
25 Mile fire
Taylor Bridge fire
French Glen (my first, flames on both sides of the road going in with the Helibase Comm trailer)
Gumboot
Hurricane Creek
Radio Tower
Bridge 99

All very good times! Not so wild deployed in the trailer though. 2014 was my last year... extended deployments (2 months straight) past the legal limits, came back with dramatic vision loss due to poor diabetes management.

 

[Flymph]

I liked everything but that last line, bbbass, sorry about that.

For that matter, I had cell reception at High Rock on Friday. I'm sticking with what I have, a cell phone, and HAM radios. I think it was coast ranger who brought up Morse code, so I should get a psypher book for that, I only have some vague references in a few books. I could probably team up with the guy down the street whose hobby is to zap flies with radio antennas, I'm sure his stuff will be up and running.

 

[fd15k]

Cell sites and some repeater sites can run on genset power for a while, but antennas can go down, power can be lost any number of variables will take it out.

Biggest variable with cell sites is their inability to contact the central office. That is especially true for remote towers which are linked via multiple hops using microwave. So your phone can register, but can't place any calls.

Cell towers. Repeaters. Satellites including long distance telephones, GPS, possibly private corporate dedicated comm channels. Satellite phones. Such commercial and civilian infrastructure is designed and intended for only 2-5% potential use.

GPS is a passive system - whether 10 people are using it, or 2 billion, it has no impact on its functionality.

If you guys are looking for a reasonable solution, here is what you can do. Get satellite Internet (Hughes, Exede/Wildblue). You can run VoIP on top of such link, in fact I know Exede offers one as a service, or you can use any third-party one. In addition, you can run a femto cell that will make your regular cell service go over that link. For some $60 a month you can survive a communications outage that affects half of the continent (some ground stations still need to be working). While that is not a super-mobile solution like a satellite phone, you can still take it with you and operate at another location, given you have a basic knowledge on where to point your antenna.

In addition, you might survive until 2020 when SpaceX Constellation will come online, then you'll be definitely set