Iridium Go vs. Inmarsat Isathub?

Tim Good

Tim Good

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Hello all.

I wanted to know if anyone has experiences of either of the above or even better yet, both!!! We set of next April so still time to decide or wait for a newer model but at some point I need to make the plunge.
 
I am sure you will appreciate it is slow, I mean really really slow for data and a connection at sea is far from assured, but it serves its purpose within these limitations.

I ended up opting for a small Fleetbroadband with which I am really impressed. I expected that to be slow(ish) as well but actually the difference between that a a 3G connection is barely noticeable. The dome is also much smaller than I had thought and would be quite acceptable on most yachts. The connection is superb - in fact I have never not had a connection. I appreciate it is more costly but if you want a totally reliable system you will be able to use in any conditions and load any file then it is a far better product and you would want for nothing else.
 
northcave said:
Scotland>Norway>Baltic>Med>Caribbean>Novia Scotia>Alaska> Pacific Islands>NZ>AUS>Philippines and so forth. Longer term plans maybe Greenland & Patagonia for for the most part relatively normal cruising areas.
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My own limited experience with an Inmarsat terminal is that I was rarely out of GSM range. So the satellite comms was mostly only useful oceanic. I wasted a lot of pre-pay on timed-out contracts. My suggestion would be to wait until you have an ocean voyage.
 
Plenty of accounts of the Iridium Go if you search. None of the iSatHub by yachties yet. But https://www.ashburysatcom.co.uk/mobile-satellite-internet/
are informative about both.
Strictly speaking the iSatHub is not marine equipment cos the aerial is directional. It'll work on a cruise ship!! And no doubt a yacht at anchor between swinging. Much faster too at 380kbps. But data charges at £3/Mb would preclude much internet. Email retrieval with documents would be fast! Wefax pages should be affordable but would be nice to hear from some one who's tried it at sea.
 
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Having crossed the Atlantic three times I found that what works for us is an Inreach Delorme for the ocean bit and local SIM where ever you make land. A far cheaper way of staying in touch. The Delorme is $65 per month for unlimited text. Get a friend to weather route you. The Delorme also tracks you. We now have several friends with them for Atlantic crossings.
 
geem said:
Get a friend to weather route you. The Delorme also tracks you. We now have several friends with them for Atlantic crossings.
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Sounds good but I think I would prefer to analyse the weather myself.

Currently looking at Predict Wind with Iridium Go.
 
northcave said:
Sounds good but I think I would prefer to analyse the weather myself.

Currently looking at Predict Wind with Iridium Go.
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Good in theory but when you are totally knackered as you have been at sea for a while it's nice to have somebody with a clear head with far more weather information than you would download give you good advice. You can download weather charts on your laptop via SSB if you want but in reality you probably won't bother. We certainly couldn't be bothered on the last crossing. The Inreach is simple and it's great to be able to text to all your friends and family at no cost once you have paid your $65 for the month. This is a simple device and at £250 remarkable value. Bluetooth to your iPad for simple messaging as well. In my opinion, expensive sat comms is a thing of the past
 
geem said:
You can download weather charts on your laptop via SSB if you want but in reality you probably won't bother. We certainly couldn't be bothered on the last crossing.
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I find getting the latest weatherfaxes a highlight of the day midoean! :cool:
And so much better than gribs for seeing the bigger picture. And free!
 
GHA said:
I find getting the latest weatherfaxes a highlight of the day midoean! :cool:
And so much better than gribs for seeing the bigger picture. And free!
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It is fun to do and amazing that you can produce full weather charts mid ocean for free without sat comms. We did it on previous Atlantic crossings but never got around to it on the last one.
 
Hi There, what did you get in the end? I am going from Panama to Australia and am wondering exactly the same thing between iridium igo and inmarsat isathub..
 
PierreH said:
Hi There, what did you get in the end? I am going from Panama to Australia and am wondering exactly the same thing between iridium igo and inmarsat isathub.
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I got the Iridium Go. It is by no means a way of getting internet on board but it does do weather, emails, sat calls and texts beautifully. The weather via 'predict wind' is very good and super accurate.

Whilst I am here, the Iridium Go fits perfectly into a Peli 1050 case which is perfect for you grab bag when not in use!
 
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