Any recent experiences w/sat phones?

Rental or purchase costs, minute costs, DC adapters, reliability, models????

Thanks.

I used two different companys this year for my two trips to Zimbabwe in May and September. Both were Iridium phones and I pre purchased 100 minute bundles at $1.27 a minute.
The first company was GMPCS, and the second company was Outfitter Satellite. For the same price of $39.95 a week, GMPCS provided a better carrying case and more importantly, an extra high capacity battery. When I go again, I will use GMPCS. WWW.GMPCS-US.COM

Will,

I realy love you but if you were not so cheap you'd book with a company that has their own Satphone in camp. No worries about transporting it or what was a good brand etc. Just pay the $3.00 a min. and talk. Sounds like a no-brainer to me but I think I often miss the point on some of these threads.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Will,

I realy love you but if you were not so cheap you'd book with a company that has their own Satphone in camp. No worries about transporting it or what was a good brand etc. Just pay the $3.00 a min. and talk. Sounds like a no-brainer to me but I think I often miss the point on some of these threads.

Mark

Well, it's not for me. Thinking about buying one for this kid PH that I might help book hunts. Admittedly, I have only used an agent for two of my hunts, but I'm always open to bargains!

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Will,

I realy love you but if you were not so cheap you'd book with a company that has their own Satphone in camp. No worries about transporting it or what was a good brand etc. Just pay the $3.00 a min. and talk. Sounds like a no-brainer to me but I think I often miss the point on some of these threads.

Mark

Mark,

This is just like the pot calling the kettle black!


You are calling Will cheap, while you are charging your clients $3.00 a minute!??

Before I started taking my own sat phone, I used the PH's phone. And he did not charge us anything for using it.

Despite Walter calling his wife every day.

You are right on thing though, one has to make the right choice of who to hunt with

I use an Iridium from Gmpcs. On our last trip to Zim, last month, I probably spent as much money on dropped calls as I did talking.

Will,

If you want a phone for an area that Thuraya covers, you are better off using Thuraya.

As Bryan mentioned, we had very experience with Iridium. Dropped calls and bad voice quality.

Thuraya covers Tanzania, and parts of Zimbabwe - Chete is covered. But, south of that is not.

Saeed,
Walter actually has a WIFE?

I'll agree with Saeed--Thuraya is far superior to Iridium. No dropped calls and clarity that is amazing considering your location. I’ve used both on different trips and there’s no comparison.

Will,

I applaud your altruism but no deals.

Saeed,

If you hunt with us I probably could arrange a discount on the phone to maybe $2.75 per minute.

Mike,

The phone is fixed for your return.

Mark

What about Globalstar in Tanzania? Does it work at all?

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Will,

I realy love you but if you were not so cheap you'd book with a company that has their own Satphone in camp. No worries about transporting it or what was a good brand etc. Just pay the $3.00 a min. and talk. Sounds like a no-brainer to me but I think I often miss the point on some of these threads.

Mark

Well, it's not for me. Thinking about buying one for this kid PH that I might help book hunts. Admittedly, I have only used an agent for two of my hunts, but I'm always open to bargains!

Bill,

If you used Kathy's satphone in Chewore North last year, you may recall that it was a Nera Worldphone. This uses the Inmarsat system, and is probably the most reliable when it comes to covering all of Africa, and not having problems with dropped signals since the sats are geostationary. As I think the Worldphone has been replaced with newer broadband enabled versions (WorldPro and WorldCommunicator), you might find a Worldphone cheap somewhere.
Nera Sat phones

I used the Thuraya in Zambia this year and it was like talking on a landline. I was in the Luangwa Valley, Lower Lupande, and it worked great there.

I also tried using it in Livingston and it did not work there.

I have not used the iridium and cannot offer a comparison. I will say that the quality of the Thuryay was very good.

I used Iridium from Satellitephonestore.com of Fla. on my recent trip to Namibia. Motorola 9500 no dropped calls, very clear, $39.95/wk and a bundle of 30 minutes ran around $45 ( that was all I needed I used it to call home a few times letting my wife know I haven't been mugged,etc.) was well pleased

Sat Phones are the CATS' meow jorge

I have been thinking about getting a World Phone, or whatever the current version is called, for overseas use and keeping the Iridum for use here on St. Thomas. We have areas that will not receive cell phone signals: it's either radio or sat phone. Anyway, can you prepay on inmarsat as you can Iridium

When in the Selous used PVT's Thuraya...Super clarity on both ends of conversation...Phone looks like one from your home no large antenna.

Mike

Iridium is being replaced by Thuraya like an aging piolt with a younger stud. Both still work but it is a young man's world jorgie

How true, I've just about used up all of my CATS' nine lives at 51, but at the ripe old age of 49, I still managed to drop shit on bad guys during OEF, so when all is said and done, I won't have to say "I shoveled shit in PA" with nothing to show but BS under the cloak of different names on some website. jorge

Doesn't surprize me one iota...you're still dropping shit here on AR on a regular basis


once again by Jorge..that's about the only thing I've seen him master.

Right again CATS! Yep, I hijacked the thread but purely as a public service to expose YOU, CATS/WYNWOOD/CHUGACH/DRIVER or whatever other names you make up in an attempt to put some color in your otherwise miserable life.

Nice try, loser but I have to ask, are you a pole smoker? I'm flattered you hijacked my name in a stupid effort to present yourself as a bonafide poster.

But before you attempt to come back under another name, you need to go back and finish the fifth grade so you can improve on your fourth grade writing and spelling skills. Man, you are one pathetic piece of excrement, and speaking of public service, somebody needs to cut your nuts off to ensure you don't pass on your micropcephalic, socipathic genes to any offspring. Get a life man, stop pretending to be somebody you can NEVER BE. You've never been to any of the other places you invent in that disturbed little mind of yours you pathetic liar. jorge

I could go on all day but the guy asked about sat phones not your ego.
Oh BTW why not contact your old pal Mike from Pa guess the pics he saw at the last SCI dinner meeting were all bogus from Africa. Don't know where you got these wild nightmares of yours but keep posting them as you're better entertainment than the Series this week.
Pssst! don't forget the Grecian Formula tonight old timer

Oh, I don't know about it being a young mans world: at 65 I may not be as good as I once was, however, I am as good once as I ever was!

CATS, you're so friggin stupid, you should be the poster boy for those Caveman commercials.

You just proved to the whole world who you are. There's NO way you would know who my "old pal" was, for the only guy who would know that would be YOU, CATS/WYNWOOD who was BANNED from this forum for being a liar and an impostor.

Nightmares? come to think of it, if they let guys like you vote, play with sharp instruments and breed, it would give any same person nightmares. jorge

Now what were the words to that old Karly Simon ditty....."Your so vain I'll bet you think they're talking about you, about you....."
Yeah I guess that about sums things up about you and your zany idea that jorgie was derived off your jorge as if you are the sole owner of the name jorge (George).
Tossing personal attacks and insults towards someone you've never met other than thru the net belies your own personality. Others have noticed that just in case you haven't. I'll assume for now Mike replied to your PM about the pics and my chosen employment post early retirement (I could make a snappy retort at this point such as) .... "and you are busy wiping egg off ...well I hope that's egg white on your face anyway. But I opt to refrain from lowering myself to your level.
Why not just tone it down a tad Pops and open your eyes to the fact that each time your blood pressure raises at the thought of my posts, I'm sitting back about it.

cats/jorgie/wynnwood/ please go away. You are just irritating and contribute nothing. At least your stolen hunting pictures were amusing for the stupidity that they revealed.

and this from the someone with the Ray/PVT shit slinging scent still fresh upon themself
Hey Ace you may wish to look in a mirror...your cape and tights are showing!
Now go summon up your gang of slingers to boost eachother's latest heroic efforts in presenting AR as a crapfest gone wild.

Pardon me I must slip away from the 'puter for a few hours. I trust you'll carryon while I'm out have fun.

quote:

themself

Man aren't we edumacated.

So let's see, he admits that he is CATS, as there was no way of knowing who Mike/Retreever was, he quotes the Ray/PVT embroglio, yet "jorgie" joined the forum months after that mess but he knows all about it, he took early retirement (and lives in that auspicious one-room mansion that another board member posted here for us), just like CATS did, his idea of a dress up occassion is a pocket T-shirt just like in the pictures we saw of him and "jorge" is SUCH a popular name in the PA backcountry, but I am flattered. Hey, you're not a butt-pirate are you CATS?

Hopefully the moderators are watching this thread and effect a ban on this microcephalic hayseed. Will et, al, I am sorry for this banter, but HOPEFULLY Saeed will pull the plug CATS again. jorge

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
.... it would give any same person nightmares. jorge

Jorge were you my 8th grade grammar teacher?

Keep sticking your foot in your mouth old timer

Gentlemen,

Can we stop the personal attacks please?

It does nothing but demean all those who get involved in it,

Will- I finally sucked it up and bought an Iridium. I got a 500 minute card that cost ~1.05 per minute.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Gentlemen,

Can we stop the personal attacks please?

It does nothing but demean all those who get involved in it,

Saeed, would you please delete the troll account ('jorgie') which was obviously created for the sole purpose of causing trouble for the legitimate forumite (jorge)? Thank you.

Saeed owner of this site made a request which I shall honor.I feel to ignore and continue would be an insult to him.
I wonder how long "Henry McCain" and other 2nd and 3rd screen names of some posters can do the same?

Crane: Thats a hell of a deal! My 500 min cost me $700+ where did you get your card?

Bryan- Check out www.satphonestore.com.Or 866-633-9636. I just was on that site and their current offer is 500 minutes for 545 which pencils out to $1.09/min. That may be what I paid... Select Iridium from the phone page, then select "airtime" for all the options. Bob Butler.

Like I said early on in this thread before I was attacked once again by someone more intent ot stirring the Chitpot then contributing to this forum, Sattelitephonestore.com is a good place to look. I bought my Motorola 9500 rather than return it to them after a rental. They credited the rental fees to the final price. Yes it was used when I originally got it sent to me but was in excellent condition with an oversize battery and another norm size one,waterproof travel case,car charger adapter for a final price of $545 as they were closing them out to go with a newer model. I've used my minutes that I had bought from them and have purchased a plan from another company ("pay as you" go that runs $1.13/min no monthly min.)

Mark -- using the camp phone is a great concept -- would really simplify everything --- as long as it is there (in camp) and in working condition --
G

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Gentlemen,

Can we stop the personal attacks please?

It does nothing but demean all those who get involved in it,

Saeed, would you please delete the troll account ('jorgie') which was obviously created for the sole purpose of causing trouble for the legitimate forumite (jorge)? Thank you.

500grains,

If I listen to everyone asking for someone to be deleted, you would not be here by now, as a number of people have asked for you to be removed!

Ultimately, I will remove anyone I deem to be causing disruption to the forums.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Gentlemen,

Can we stop the personal attacks please?

It does nothing but demean all those who get involved in it,

Saeed, would you please delete the troll account ('jorgie') which was obviously created for the sole purpose of causing trouble for the legitimate forumite (jorge)? Thank you.

500grains,

If I listen to everyone asking for someone to be deleted, you would not be here by now, as a number of people have asked for you to be removed!

Ultimately, I will remove anyone I deem to be causing disruption to the forums.

Since it is ok for Wynnwood to start a new alias "jorgie" in order to harass jorge, then I assume you would not mind if someone registered "Saeed1" in order to nip at your heels, right? It is the same principle.

As for people asking for me to be removed, perhaps there is some hyperbole in that statement. But no doubt a couple friends of a certain agent disagree with him being called to task for the way he treated a client.