Hope this is an OK place for this post...

Have any of you folks had any experience with the IsatPhone Pro satellite phones? I have always used Iridium with great service, but the Isat is about 1/2 the price, and I am looking to buy a sat phone. Of course if it only works 1/2 the time, the savings means nothing. I hoped that someone here might have some useful info.

I talk to a group at the SCI convention and like you stated, it only worked in certain conditions, much like a cell phone when your traveling. I did not purchase the phone.

I took an Isatphone to Zim last year. Got it working on day 3 of a 7day safari after reading the instructions VERY carefully. It worked fine, but the PH's seemed of the opinion that the Iridium is more user friendly and has a wider satelite footprint ?

Isatphone had to be calibrated for different Zones within Southern Africa, worked fine in Johannesburg, not so fine in the Omay initially.

I spoke with a guy at Explorer Satellite a couple weeks ago. I was thinking about buying a used Iridium, and he suggested I think about the Isatphone to save some money. If I remember correctly, he said Iridium gets service just about anywhere on the globe. What turned me off to the Isatphone was that he said service in Alaska (or the far north in general) would be spotty at best due to the satellite orbit location. With Alaska on my radar in the future, I'm leaning towards Iridium. I think its worth the extra money to have a phone that will work anywhere I want to go.

I don't know this from experience, but that's the info I have from my research so far. Hope it helps.

I know from 4 years of use Iridium works everywhere. I guess I will bite the bullet. I do quite a bit in BC, AK, etc., but also want real good coverage in Africa.

opus72:

I used an Iridium on the northern Yukon without problem.

I have the newest Iridium. I have far fewer problems with it than I did with my old one.

Yes Larry, that was my point... Iridium works virtually everywhere and the other brand could have issues in the far north.

Is it the 9555 that you have?

The 9555 seems to be great. Last year I used it in northern BC, southern BC, AK, Zimbabwe, etc. and never had issues.

The Iridium satellite constellation was designed for coverage anywhere/everywhere on the globe. It's services and handsets are pricy but it works....my experience in Canada,Mexico, Africa that I travelled, and the southern Pacific ocean.

I think it is the 9555. It is at home.

I have used it in the US, Zimbabwe, RSA, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand and probably others.

I have had an Iridium that I purchased new, for nearly four years now, and I have never had a problem with it. It is easy to use, reliable and if I recall correctly, has coverage nearly everywhere in the world. I buy the world phone minutes every year and have used it across the world. I wouldn't travel outside the U.S. without it.