Just sharing some of my photos and knowledge on satellite phones. These are great modern tools to bring along for any venture into the wilderness.

Iridium 9505a, Kyocera SS-66K, Iridium 9555


Antennas raised


Backside


Sideview


Batteries removed


Kyocera OEM Case


Kyocera complete kit in case


Kyocera Solar Charger - outputs enough power to operate phone on discharged battery


Solar Panel opened. The cells are encased in some sort of resin. This panel can take some abuse.

Complete Kyocera kit. Phone, three batteries, strap handle, charger, vibrator for incoming calls, earpiece, external antenna, external antenna adapter, and a two way splitter to charger and use ear piece at the same time. Not shown is a faux leather case.


Kyocera GSM-900 cellular handset with Iridium adapter. This unit is unique - can be set to use cellular if available before using the sat network. No GSM-900 is the US though. There is also a AMPS handset but from what I know AMPS isn't used anymore these days.


Pelican 1200 case for Iridium 9555


CNC fit foam


Complete 9555 kit, Phone, three batteries, external antenna adapter & antenna, a/c, d/c charger, earpiece. Accessories for 9505a series phone are the same expect for the external antenna adapter and batteries. Not shown is a leather case.


Motorola solar panel. This outputs 10 watts (9.9) in 3.5 volts. Fits the 9500 or 9505 series phones with an included voltage controller with funky plug for those series phone. The LCD display give a number value which increases as the panel is optimally aimed towards the sun. A killer feature.


Modified voltage controller to fit the 9505a and 9555 series phones.


That's All I have for now. Pluses and minuses on all of the kits. Feel free to ask any questions.

do they have a one button 911 sort of system like a PLB or SPOT?

Is it appropriate for you to share how you have this assortment?

Last time I looked at this stuff it was for me prohibitively expensive to get the units and to use them - far most than PLB's for example. Has this changed?

I think the only thing that a sat phone and plb have in common are that they both utilize satellites. A sat phone is a two way communication device carrying voice data where a plb is a one way communication device carrying location data and emitting a beacon signal.

Sat phones can be use to contact others in non-emergency scenarios whereas plb use is limited to serious injury (e.g. loss of limb or eyesight) or potential loss of life (e.g. a last resort option).

A number to the local SAR agency for the area you will be in can be programmed into the emergency number memory and can be dialed even if the phone is locked (user configurable). Typically I will have some numbers for local help prepared and in my pack prior to my activity begins (e.g. outfitter, local and state police (or equivalent). I do not lock my phone or the sim card. I feel there is no reason to do so and doing so will only inhibit someone else in your group from calling for help.

Typically I will pack both a sat phone and plb for my Canadian sled trips which are a wilderness setting being there are times when the closest human being is eighty miles away. With both a sat phone and plb I am able to check in with family and also have a last resort option to summon help.

Sat phone air time is not free and there are two ways to pay for it. Prepaid and monthly. For prepaid there are several flavors of minutes and when they expire. These can give a low per minutes cost since payment is up front but will only do so if the minutes are completely used before they expire. It would be a bummer to have your sim expire during a scenario of need. I typically go with monthly turning the phone on before my fun season and off afterwards. Depending on the iridium air time reseller monthly service is around $30 to $40 a month plus air time which can be between just under $1.00 (USD) to $2.00 USD) per minute

Beyond my outright jellousy of your sat phone collection. I am curious to know if there is any isuses with sat upgrades and tecnonology compatability. Are the older sat phones outdated or has the technology for satilite phones prity much sabilitzed since the sucers were put in to orbit.

Just haven't sold off equipment as I've upgraded over the years.



Depending on how you are seeking to acquire a sat phone they don't have to be expensive. For example if you are looking at the latest Iridium phone, the 9555, expect to spend about $1,500 (USD) from a dealer and about $1300 on various auction sites for a complete new in the box kit. A used 9500 series phone can be picked up for around $200 to $500. Both will make and receive calls just fine. Air time cost is the same regardless of equipment.

All of the other Iridium models are not in production but easily available on the used market. The 9500 is built like a tank but also the largest and heaviest model. The 9505 is basically a 9500 in a smaller case and shares the same accessories. These two models are from Motorola. The 9505a is the first Iridium branded phone and is electronically incompatible with 9505 (which is Motorola branded) (different chargers, and accessories. The Kyocera equipment offers a full solution for installation within a marine environment. The Kyocera equipment was also the first phone for Iridium's network and is also no longer in production.

All of these phones will work on the system today. They require a SIM card - so once you have that just charge the battery, insert the sim card, and you're ready to make and receive calls from anywhere on earth (Iridium claim) except North Korea and Iran (from what I have read these countries have requested Iridium not to deliver service)

Very interesting post CC. I am in the market for a sat phone, in my case it would be for communication during earthquakes and local disasters. Can you recommend websites where older but complete units are auctioned, and maybe what to look out for in such auctions (are there obvious scam artists, or are the sellers pretty reliable)?

Even though the older sat phones are no longer in production they are fully functional. Motorola and Kyocera also made some satellite pagers (out of production) and those are functional as well. The only Iridium phone in current production is the 9555. There are advantages of each model. For example the 9505a is physically tougher phone then 9555.

eBay seems to be the best economical bet. Online shopping is a reflection of reality and such the typical precautions should be taken before submitting payment to a stranger. I typical will only transact a deal using PayPal funded by my credit card; that combination gives me two level of dispute protection if needed. I have disputed with PayPal before (merchandise not received or not received as describe and have never had a problem getting a refund.

As far as what to look out for. Ask if the LCD screen has any defects. Watch out for cracked antennas. Ask how long it take for the phone to become registered on the network. Anything over 30 seconds could be an indication the antenna isn't performing well. The phone should get a full signal in wide open area (coverage area is Earth). Stay away from units where the seller will not verify if the phone works or doesn't have a return policy.

A phone, extra battery, wall and car charger would make a good starter kit. I recommended having two batteries at a minimum. Extra batteries for the Motorola and iridium brand phones are easy to acquire so don't pass up a kit just because there is just one battery. I've never used more then one battery on my trips but its a nice warm and fuzzy having extra batteries. All of the batteries for Iridium phones are lithium ion and do not have any memory effect.

For service (acquiring a SIM card) a few google searches will return many vendors. You can choose between prepaid and monthly options. Prepaid is good if you will use all of the minutes before they expire - you can rollover minutes prepaid by paying $50 a month which will also give an additional 10 minutes as well. Monthly can be cheaper if you need to have service on all the time and will have low minute usage.

For your intended use I think you would want to consider having three batteries and a solar panel in your kit. Go for something that outputs at least 10 watts that will be enough power to put the phone in a call and charge the battery (in the event no batteries are charged). The only factory solar panels are the Kyocera (very difficult to find these days) for the SD-66k and SS-66k and the Motorola unit (both pictured in this thread) for the 9500 and 9505. You can use a variety of solar panels that will provide a female 12v car socket. There are many choice for solar panels as some units are low powered and trickle charge a battery - which may not be a good choice if you don't know when you will need to make a call with no grid access to charge batteries. For backpacks there are panels which fold up - I'm not familiar with these models.

If addicted to the net some phone models can provide data service (slow) as well.

Last thing is to make test a call before a trip and in your case at a set interval every 30 to 90 days) and check/charge the batteries at that time as well.

I love this thread!!! Thanks CC for all your info!