The new global star sat phones?

[bcriverhunter]

Hi all...any hunter/fishers out there using
The new sat phones this past year?..just
Like to hear some stories before i make the
Plunge!!....main use areas would be fishig out of rupert
and caribou hunting in the.jennings river area!..thx larry

[bcfirefly]

just got mine in the mail today for work.
Look like the old Nokia's from a decade ago. Nice small compact. Hopefully it works....

[va7bkl]

I've borrowd my friends a few times. Doesn't work well or at all if you at the bottom of a valley (such as down Chilliwack lake road). The sattelites have a pretty low orbit in Canada and the further north you go, the worst it gets. In the okanagan though, service is still about 75% of the time though. Usually I don't get to talk more than 5-8min at a time, but normally the next sattelite is only a min away, so I just call back hoever I was talking to almost right away. Its only a couple times an hour where you'll be dark and have to wait for 5 or 10 minutes for the next bird to pass over.

[300rum700]

I used one on my sheep hunt last year. It worked good up high and good enough down low on the lake. We had spotty reception at our base camp down at the lake but always managed to get through to give weather reports to be picked up and to phone home. Im buying one for this fall probably to replace my spot.

[GoatGuy]

Haven't used the new ones, but have spent a pile of time near the jennings and no one up there used the old globalstars unless it was for a boat anchor.

[bridger]

I use an iridium. Works great.

[GoatGuy]

I use an iridium. Works great.

that's what everybody had when i worked up there.

[ryanb]

The new globalstar network is about as good as the iridium network reception wise. I have had mine for over a year now. Never had to wait more than a couple minutes to get a call out even from the bottom of valleys up north. Call quality is superior to iridium. Clearer and less delay.

[ryanb]

Why globalstar didn't change their name with the new constellation baffles me. Way too much stigma from their previous epic fail.

[bridger]

Had a global star originally several years ago. When their satellite went down they never bothered to tell anyone. My wife had a horse wreck when we hunting elk in the Tuchodi and we needed a chopper. Took about 24 hrs to get through on the global star. When I got out I phoned them and asked why they hadn't bothered telling their clients their coverage was compromised. Said it was a business decision.

[Everett]

Used one last year in the Cassiars worked perfectly.

[Why not?]

Ask anyone in the Yukon, and they will tell you they are junk! The phone may be okay, but their satellite array is essentially useless. Used them myself, and know several others who had them. You are lucky to get ten minutes use in an hour, and their posted times of coverage are not even close.

Almost everyone uses Iridium up here. Last year we had both in camp. One guy had a brand new Globalstar. The guy almost threw it in the lake. He held on long enough to post it for sale it after we flew out. It is still for sale, cheap, if anyone is interested.

Ted

[bcriverhunter]

Awesome.guys thankx!....yes, what i was after
Was the NEW USERS- as of early last year.when
They sent up the.latest tech sats!.....i have heard the horror
Stories of the past!...gonna
Make the plunge!.....thx again larry

Ps..i agree ryanb.....reminds me of the new
Etec.motors.and why evinrude kept the.old.name??

[bcriverhunter]

Awesome.guys thankx!....yes, what i was after
Was the NEW USERS- as of early last year.when
They sent up the.latest tech sats!.....i have heard the horror
Stories of the past!...gonna
Make the plunge!.....thx again larry

Ps..i agree ryanb.....reminds me of the new
Etec.motors.and why evinrude kept the.old.name??

[bcriverhunter]

Yes i agree as far as the yukon is concerned. i think it would.be a
Bad decision to get a global star if the yukon
Was the.main use area!...even shows
On their.coverge map it is 2nd rate up there! :)

[Alpine Addict]

I would recommend them. Global star are a lot better than they were 5 yrs ago. Carry mine with me every time.

[bcriverhunter]

ALpine...i see ur are north of here....have
You tried it up the muskwa or tuchodi?


Thx all for the comments...larry

[Chopper]

Hmm , yes the old global starts were junk but. My new one is phenomenal. I cant comment on its coverage above the B.C border but , on the island and everywhere in B.C ive had it , its top shelf.


The new system is the best there is everywhere ive used it. It kicks ass over the iridium phones I used to use at work

[Why not?]

Yes i agree as far as the yukon is concerned. i think it would.be a
Bad decision to get a global star if the yukon
Was the.main use area!...even shows
On their.coverge map it is 2nd rate up there! :)

That's why I specifically said they were no good up here. The Iridium, however, work fine all the time.

Glad to hear the 'stars are working down South.
Ted

[SingleShot]

Hmm , yes the old global starts were junk but. My new one is phenomenal. I cant comment on its coverage above the B.C border but , on the island and everywhere in B.C ive had it , its top shelf.


The new system is the best there is everywhere ive used it. It kicks ass over the iridium phones I used to use at work

Would you mind sharing ballpark figures for annual cost to own and operate?

[Brew]

My buddy has one that we use when we go into logging camps and it's works great. Havnt had any problems with it. I think I will get work to buy one for me for safety while workin alone in the bush.

[Chopper]

Would you mind sharing ballpark figures for annual cost to own and operate?

Ya no prob ... I personally got onto a plan where I was paying $49 a month and its completely unlimited to and from anywhere in the northern hemisphere. They used that plan to get guys onboard. They have now done away with it. My personal plan has been bumped on me to $59 per month unlimited talk. They did warn me that my initial plan was only for a year when I signed up.

Unfortunately if you did not get in on the early plan you now have to pay in the $150 a month ballpark for unlimited talk ... Kind of a bummer. You can choose to load the phone with minutes if you wish ... It may be in the $5 a minute range.


Again I personally think that in my area the phone is amazing ... a real piece of mind. Since I only pay $59 per month I abuse the $hit out of the plan. Ive been out in camps and just BSed away on it all night like im in a sewing circle

Ive kept mine activated , once I shut off the $59 a month plan I will never get it back

[Chopper]

ALpine...i see ur are north of here....have
You tried it up the muskwa or tuchodi?


Thx all for the comments...larry

A friend of mine that hunts the musquaw river has had no problems with his Globalstar in that area

[SingleShot]

Wow, you got in at the right time. Good for you. Too pricey now for my blood however I will look into pay as you go type plans. Thanks Chopper.

[Mountain Hunter]

For SPOT phone, I pay $44.79 for 80 min/month for North America. Phone works well in southern BC.

[Ry151]

Global star is terrible and the customer service is even worse. If it's for emergencies only or checking in on the odd trip it will do it with a bit of frustration. Iridium is the way to go but it's a lot more expensive so it's hard to justify for personal use.

A few years back global star was offering iridium sat phones and rental phones to there clients because there service was so bad. Kind of funny looking back now

[Chopper]

Global star is terrible and the customer service is even worse. If it's for emergencies only or checking in on the odd trip it will do it with a bit of frustration. Iridium is the way to go but it's a lot more expensive so it's hard to justify for personal use.

A few years back global star was offering iridium sat phones and rental phones to there clients because there service was so bad. Kind of funny looking back now

Global star has launched 12 brand new satellites over the past 2 years ... state of the art technology.

Your information is dated

[Ry151]

Global star has launched 12 brand new satellites over the past 2 years ... state of the art technology.

Your information is dated
Both my globalstar phones drop calls just as much as much now as they did 5 years ago north of pg so I disagree. If your conversation lasts more than 5 minutes without dropping the call than your phones work better than mine. Mine are used in the car kits with roof antennas mostly so maybe that's the down fall.

[BEAVERBRUCE]

globalstar is junk the more north you get the worse they get because their satellites are in an equatorial orbit.
iridium's are in a polar orbit.

[Pioneerman]

It is not the older Global star phones that were the problem it was satellites for coverage that was the problem, the phones work if there is a connection above. I have been dealing with Sat phones for 15 plus years and they are always getting better coverage with more sats always being launched, and you can see by maps how coverage areas work. They will never work as well as our cell phones I am sure, but still better than nothing when far back in the bush

[Chopper]

IM on the island ... I like mine

[SeaScene]

I would only need a sat phone a few months of the year and would only be used to call in an emergency. Could you buy say an hour or so?

... thanks

[Chopper]

Ya .... U can load them up with what u need when u need it

[SeaScene]

Thanks Chopper....

Just wondering if a sat phone is a better option than buying a personal locator beacon such as the ACR 406 model (floating) and costing $299 from GPS central (Canada).

[870]

any updates for global stars service in northern bc?? is it getting better?

[primmed99]

I used mine a bunch this year up north and was surprised how well it worked longest I had to wait to get reception was 5 min

[RiverOtter]

I would only need a sat phone a few months of the year and would only be used to call in an emergency. Could you buy say an hour or so?

... thanks

Unless voice contact is a must, sounds like an InReach would be a far better choice. And they do work up north...

[tipper]

I used mine a bunch this year up north and was surprised how well it worked longest I had to wait to get reception was 5 min

Shouldn't be any wait time. I gave up on global star years ago

[Tuffcity]

I've had GS for several years now and have used it as far as 62N without any problems... granted a few dropped calls and an occasional wait for service but for the price I can't bitch. I got in on a deal when they they were looking at going T.U. and my plan is $50 a month unlimited calling with voice mail.

RC

[Chopper]

I've had GS for several years now and have used it as far as 62N without any problems... granted a few dropped calls and an occasional wait for service but for the price I can't bitch. I got in on a deal when they they were looking at going T.U. and my plan is $50 a month unlimited calling with voice mail.

RC

Better double check you bill Tuffcity , They are fking us out of that old $50 plan. They just bumped mine to $75 unlimited in nov. They said next year its all gone, The unlimited will be $200 ... Im on the fence about keeping mine after next year.

For everyone getting onboard , they unlimited is $200 per month. Tuffcity and i are on an old plan that is no longer avaiable. The cheapest plan is $50 a month for 50 minutes a month. They are not letting us load the phones now either ... you have to sign up for a year. Its fkn hurting

[Tuffcity]

Hmmm... thanks for the heads up. Last bill was still $50.

RC

[Hunting guy]

My next gstar bill is $200 but with a $125 credit back per month for one year.... $75 a month. Used to be $42 unlimited 3 years ago. Will be changing sat phone provider soon. Reception has always been very good on this phone but not $2400 a year good!

[Chopper]

My next gstar bill is $200 but with a $125 credit back per month for one year.... $75 a month. Used to be $42 unlimited 3 years ago. Will be changing sat phone provider soon. Reception has always been very good on this phone but not $2400 a year good!

thats what they just did to me too ...

[tipper]

These are still junk, have a brand new one that wouldn't work in the bush or downtown. People don't waste your money on these things, spend the extra and get an iridium.