Any San Diegans Carry an Iridium Phone? (for sale, buy)

[AADAD]

Just asking to ask a few questions.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Nope. Not enough apps lol

What is your interest in it a sat phone anyway?

[AADAD]

I travel to and from Alaska. I own one and want some pointers. They are great.

[Think4Yourself]

I thought that sat phone company went out of business years ago. Way back in 2000 my Army unit in Kosovo issued us a sat phone made by Iridium but it was really a very finicky device and it had a giant panel you had to point at the satellite but if you were off by even a few degrees you wouldn't get any signal. We were supposed to use it in emergencies but mostly people used it to call home.

I imagine the newer ones designed in the last 14 years are much better.

[AADAD]

They work =) Good idea if one is on a ship or away from the grid of cell phone coverage.

[oddstray]

When Simon took a solo motorcycle ride into Baja Mexico, several years ago, he carried a rented one of them. It was wildly expensive to use, so he'd call me up just long enough to give me a phone number to call him back.

I think there are no more Iridium satellites to be sent up, but the existing ones are still up there and working.

[AADAD]

Iridium does a banging business with mostly military global companies etc. They are useful and necessary when traveling to remote anywhere and they are (unlike Globalstar) planet wide.

If you buy they come pre loaded with minutes. For about $70/month they add 40 minutes each month. I have about 600 minutes now. In between here and Alaska there are many places where there is zero cell service and in winter less people. Since I like traveling in remote I finally was able to pick up a 9550 I think it is for about $600.00 rather than shelling out for a brand new one with zero minutes. These phones were pre loaded with about 1000 minutes and given to FEMA during disasters. After that passes, they are put up for sale on the open market.

Since I rented before (yep not cheap) they contacted me, offered this for sale and I bought one. We are taking off for about a month in the Pacific Region points Southwest and North. My dad was at Pearl so that is a definite stop and after some RandR then by plane, ship and vehicle to the Arctic. It's been a long year. The last thing I want is to be lost, injured or out of food without communication. Besides kids probably worry the same as we did when they were kids.

Anyway if anyone knows anything about use the manual is tired and boring.....plugging away.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Do you get charged the same for text? I'd love to have one of these for hunting and fishing when cell phones or even a boat radio won't pick up anyone. We were 110 straight West and there was no boat chatter at all late last fall.

[AADAD]

Not sure about text messages but the phone is fully capable. We sailed through TSA expedited line for some reason.