[GreenKeys] OT: emergency communications

[Andy Williams]

I was on a 4 month assignment in 2007 where there was no phone service, landline or cell. We had an Iridium satellite phone and I found the service to be spotty at best and some of the calls were unintelligible. We had a good view of the sky and I tried calling from the roof of our building on a few occasions. We even had our phone replaced, to no avail.

Unless the Iridium service has improved since 2007, I would not recommend it.

Andy Williams

> On Apr 11, 2017, at 2:18 PM, John Nagle <nagle at animats.com> wrote:
> 
> http://www.satphonestore.com/iridium-9555-satellite-phone-standard-package-used.html
> 
> On 04/11/2017 07:23 AM, greenkeys-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:
>> From: dmm at lemur.com
>> Subject: [GreenKeys] OT: emergency communications
>> 
>> I have a question primarily for the amateur radio folks on the list.
>> It's clearly off-topic, but this is the only venue I know of with
>> a deep knowledge of ham radio.
>> 
>> Since my wife's recent and unexpected death, I'm now living in our
>> rural home alone.  It's 50 acres, and the terrain is complicated.
>> To cover it all line-of-sight would take half a dozen positions.
>> Adding to this, it's all within a valley in which there
>> is basically no cell reception.  We have land-line telephone
>> and terrestrial-radio-based Internet (ex-Motorola Canopy)
>> at the house (only).
>> 
>> This has been made more difficult for me because last year
>> I injured my back rather severely.  So a real possibility now exists
>> that if I'm out working on something remote from the house and
>> re-injure myself so that I can't make it back, it might be too
>> late before anyone notices and comes looking.
>> 
>> What I need to find is some kind of device that I can carry with me
>> on foot which can, perhaps with the aid of a base station at the house,
>> permit me to make an outgoing emergency call (or at least send a signal).
>> It can't require line-of-sight, and it can't depend on the cell network.
>> 
>> What, if any, are my options?
>> 
>> Thanks very much for any and all advice.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> David M.
> 
>   I'd suggest an Iridium phone.  They can be had for about $850.
> 
> http://www.satphonestore.com/iridium-9555-satellite-phone-standard-package-used.html
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Iridium-9505A-Satellite-complete-package/dp/B000S2AVBS
> 
> These connect directly to satellites and will work anywhere on the
> Earth's surface where you can see the sky.  The airtime rates are several dollars a minute, but you can buy a prepaid SIM card and not use it much.
> 
> 				John Nagle
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