The CDTA mapping crew carrys a Iridium model 9555 and it works well. Our phone weighs 11 ounces. I always disliked the idea of carrying a sat phone but have gotten to like it after having one on the trail for two years. Its not a huge amount of weight when you consider all the other project gear we carry - three industry grade gps receivers, antennas, rods, batteries, etc. We use our phone primarily to coordinate re-supplys at access points, but it would be great for dealing with some sort of emergency.
A top of the line Iridium costs $1300 to purchase outright. Phone plans run about $45 per month + $1.50 to $2.00 per minute. You can get refurbished older Iridium models for about $800. Rentals are at least $200 per month so it probably just as cheap to purchase one for six months of use.
A cheaper way to go is to get a Globalstar phone and service. Globalstar doesn’t work as well - they lost one of their satellites a few years ago and service is intermittent. It works for 15-20 minutes then doesn’t for about the same time then does again. If you can put up with that, they have a $35 per month plan with unlimited minutes and you can get a used/refurbished phone for $150.00.
We also carry a Spot tracker on our crew and it is linked to a website where people can follow our progress via Google Maps. The Spot works most of the time, but we have experienced days when it doesn’t track well at all. I think this is because they use the Globalstar system with it’s limitations. We have the original style Spot and it weighs 7.5 ounces.
The Spot system certainly worked well last season in the rescue of Goatman after he broke his ankle in NM. He had help on site a few hours after he pushed the 911 key.
Check out www.satellitephonesdirect.com if you want to get some solid sat phone prices and information.
bearcreek
