Hello Community

I work for a research program that samples streams throughout the Columbia basin. We've got about 20 SPOTS (Spot 2, second gen.) out in the field all summer. This year we've had an amazing number of them break on us (like 10+). I'm aware of the Lithium battery thing, it's not that.

It seems that it wasn't a case of bad coverage, but a total breakdown in the device's ability to transmit any kind of signal. Not 100% sure though as it's difficult to get every detail of the failures from all of the crews.

I'd like to suggest to the program that we start replacing them with PLB's. Only issue is we really value to check-in/OK message so that we can track our crews and know that they are safe and in the right place.

I'm having trouble wading through all the devices and info out there -
anybody know of a PLB that has a check-in/ok/tracking function??

Thanks for your help

406Link.com

only one i know of ACR.

Levon

Thanks that seems like a good option.

I'm a litte confused about the number of 'checks' you can make - is that just based on battery life of your PLB or is that a limitation by the company?

Do PLB's ever have rechargeable batteries?

Tyler....

ACR Personal Locator Beacon ResQLink™ 406 GPS and SARLink™ 406 GPS enable you to do 60 self tests/12 GPS tests.

ACR PLB's have Class 2 (non-hazmat) lithium batteries that must be replaced six (6) years from date of manufacture or five (5) years after beacon is placed into service, whichever is first, or after emergency use....do not have rechargeable batteries.

I had a Spot for a while and got rid of it and got an Immarast Isat Pro Sat phone instead.

Over 3 years it works out not much more expensive than the spot with service plan and I can make calls and send texts.

If you need to "Check in" - get a SAT Phone.

Seriously, if you need to communicate (Even in limited way), nothing beats sat phones.

I posted this on another thread but maybe it could generate discussion here.

DeLorme InReach

http://www.delorme.com/about/pressreleases/inreach.htm

And here I was planning on buying a SPOT beacon next spring. 10+ failures out of 20 is NOT a good reliability record.

Looks like SPOT needs to ruggedize the internals of their products.

The only problem with sat phone check-in (we already carry them) is that it doesn't plot a location.

It's important to be able to track the crews geographically in addition to the safety check-in.

Possible on a sat phone?

The inReach looks intriguing...

Edited by ctwnwood on 08/21/2011 19:28:50 MDT.

What's the monthly bill in addition to the $550 phone?

The Iridium 9575 due out in September has "Spot" like features including SOS and tracking abilities. The Globalstar GSP-1700 and the iSatPhone Pro both have GPS location sending ability in addition to voice. There are a couple of other devices that use the Iridium constellation that allow tracking and SMS messaging. They are ruggedized and built for employee use. The two products are the GeoPro and the Nano Shout. They have no voice capabilities and the monthly plan is nearly basic voice pricing.

Hi,

I paid about 100 odd dollars for about 130 minutes on pay as you go (can't rememember exactly the amount) and they last about 2 years or so.

I know when I bought it that US (I am based in Europe)users had to have a bill, I was told it was due to some legal issue, this may have changed now.

I was on holidays in Canada a few weeks ago and it worked fine for me in Algonquin National Park.

The unit is very rugged and weighs about 260g.

When I was buying I looked at Globalstar (which spot uses) but they where having issues with their satleittes but I think new ones have been placed in Orbit.

I also looked at Thuraya but it does not work in North America.

Immarast is the only system that has true Global coverage but the unit and running costs where twice that of Immarast.

Cheers,

Stephen

David-

I like the features on the GeoPro units, thank you for the heads up.

Anybody have a ballpack on pricing?

Edited by ctwnwood on 08/22/2011 13:01:27 MDT.

Tyler,

Here is the pricing at RoadPost.

http://www.roadpost.com/geopro_devices.aspx

An update on Globalstar's new constellation. They have made two launches with six satellites each for the new constellation. The first six were launched last October. Two of them are having trouble with momentum wheels and one of them is currently idling. These also have had regulatory approval issues from the UN and the US and currently are not being used in the US. Six more were launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome last month. One is nearly at it's correct orbit and will probably enter service shortly. The next launch is planned for October 8th and the satellites arrived last week in Kazakhstan.

Why on earth do I know so much about this you might wonder? They have a special pricing promotion on their phones ($499) with unlimited voice service for $19/month good until the end of August. As I see the situation there is still some risk with two remaining launches although they have six spares from generation 1 in orbit since 2007 that haven't been used. Questions?

I don't really have a problem with the high cost of the satellite phones. What I am concerned about is it seems you either have to sign up for a recurring plan or pre-paid for minutes that expire fairly rapidly. Are there any providers that let you make a call with no contract? I don't care if they charge $3 a minute for the call. I see myself using this once in a lifetime.

David,

All you have to to is watch one of the launches by ArianSpace to get an idea how much it costs to put a constellation of satellites in orbit. Actually, a pay-as-you-go satellite phone would probably cost around several thousand dollars a minute (just guessing). A Soyuz 2 launch with Fregate nose cone costs around $40 million dollars. To put Globalstar back in the game it will take three successful launches of this cost. That says nothing of the expense of the satellite construction. Doing some simple math they appear to cost $13 millon each.

The next Arianespace launch from French Guyana is set for September 9th. I don't even know what the payload is at that time.

http://www.videocorner.tv/videocorner2/live_flv/index.php?langue=en

Pay as you go satellite phone service costs, depending on which company you choose, from $15/month to $40/month plus something from around a dollar a minute to $1.50/minute.

All it takes is one call to save the life of someone to make it worth whatever I have spent.

Hi David,

Excuse the confusion but which is it? Thousands of dollars a minute or $1.50 a minute? I am just saying that I don't like how there are no options that cater towards emergency use. You either pay a monthly plan (like a regular cell phone bill), or you pre-pay but if you don't use the minutes after 1-3 months, they disappear. Ideally, I could buy the phone and it'll let me make that one time emergency call when I need to. I don't really care what they charge (within reason) at that point. I just don't want to knowingly sign up for a plan and throw away money.

David,

I am just saying if they offered pay as you go it would cost hundreds or thousands of dollars a minute. How could any company ever afford to put a many billion dollar constellation in space that has a life expectancy of only 15 years and sell phones that no one used?


Think of this as insurance. You pay up front hoping never to use it but if you do it's there. If you only need a phone occasionally you could rent and there are multiple options for that.

The best anyone can do is the iSatPhone Pro for around $650 purchase price and $15/month and ~.89/minute. This price point is still shockingly low given what the industry norm was. The iSatPhone uses a geostationary bird and the limitations of dense tree cover and steep topography can limit your ability to connect in certain locales.

Believe me I wished it wasn't so as I am about to plunk my money down and start paying another monthly connectivity charge.

The reason Isat Phone Pro Ready is so reasonable is becsuse Inmarast make most of their profit from ship to shore systems, also they are tring to give Iridium a run for their money.

Hi David,

Thanks for explaining it to me. I see what you are saying. I supposed $15 a month is a bargain and I think I would definitely go that route if I was backpacking or climbing mountains often. I think maybe what makes more sense for me would be something similar to a SPOT check in device with PLB capabilities.