Satellite Phones???

We had them on some of the remote outfits Ive worked for, where we were in the back country for days. We only had them for emergencies, as they were incredibly expensive to buy and to operate. I want to say something like 2.00 a minute if you actually made a call. We had them in Alaska bush, remote law enforcement too.

Not practical for the regular Joe to use to order a pizza when cell service is bad.

I’ve used satellite phones in the past (going back 10+ years) courtesy of the Army, when I was deployed with the UN. Remember, my experience is based on war zones or places where anarchy is the norm. In a pinch they’re awesome as I was able to call home on a regular basis or absolute emergencies. Having said that they’re awfully expensive (thank goodness the government was paying the bill) and the battery require a long charge assuming you have electricity. Also, I had to be careful where I used it because they are illegal in some countries, ie. Israel, some Gulf States, SE Asia, and you automatically become a target when used in public: non friendly actors/states think you’re either military, O5 or above, a high value target or a spy.  Therefore, instead of laying low and not being seen, you’ve opened yourself up as a target. People from have-not countries think you’re rich and therefore you become a target for theft, violence, kidnapping or death. Fun times....

I have had one for years. Bought mine about 2000. Needed it becuase there was no cell phone service here and the copper line phone system ancient and unreliable. 

Good service, a little pricey. Then came 9-11-2001 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Long story short, the phone companies had too few "birds" in orbit for the demand so they started prioritizing service. First Responders, the military, government officials, corporate nabobs first.  Someone like me was assigned a time slot of 0200 to 0222 daily. So, I stopped using it. No need now as cell phone coverage has greatly increased here. 

If you are very remote, it is a good system. I believe they have more satellites providing more service. 

I sometimes think of this guy, and how a "Spot" transmitter that works off of satellites could have been a huge benefit.


www.sunnysports.com/blog/true-story-127-hours-aron-ralston/


Interesting comment at the end.

Not a lot of (in my experience, poorly maintained consumer-grade equipment) vhf repeaters in mountainous, desert, or bluewater regions... and HF is unreliable even on the BEST equipment. There are plenty of times out over the Pacific at work we have trouble reaching San Francisco ARINC on HF; thankfully CPDLC is pretty ubiquitous now.

When I was a storm spotter back in the midwest,I was awful glad when cell service evolved to the point where we rarely had to rely on the skywarn repeater network. Ham radio is a fun hobby, don't get me wrong... but relying on this equipment and these procedures in safety-critical situations? I consider that a last resort.