Iridium Sat phone sim options?

[[3889]]

My boat came with an Iridium 9555. Not my choice for offshore comms but as it's there I'm looking to use it for weather and 'still alive' messages.
I find the pay as you go offerings confusing. Any recommendations for a one month contract with enough data for weather and brief sms messages?

 

[lornagrace]

My boat came with an Iridium 9555. Not my choice for offshore comms but as it's there I'm looking to use it for weather and 'still alive' messages.
I find the pay as you go offerings confusing. Any recommendations for a one month contract with enough data for weather and brief sms messages?

Speak to Jim or Elizabeth at Mactra
Weston-super-mare.
01934 517288
info@mactrashop.co.uk

very helpful and knowledgable about such stuff.
i took on a monthly contract through them a few years back and once set up it couldn't have been any simpler.

 

[Laser310]

My boat came with an Iridium 9555. Not my choice for offshore comms

The 9555 is actually an excellent choice for offshore comms.

I have a fair bit of experience with all the Iridium handsets (the basic functionality as far as data an voice is more or less the same between them) as well as the Go.., and with the larger, more expensive, and faster sat systems like VSat and Fleet Broadband.

The relative advantages to all.., but for a small to midsize yacht on the ocean, the handset is a really good choice. The main advantage over the Go is that it is a standalone device where as the Go really requires a phone or some other device as well as the go. The advantage of the Go is the cheaper data plan.

Anyway, the _most_ important thing is to make sure you follow the best practices for using these devices for data - most of the problems that people report are down to not using them correctly.

this info can also be found on the internet with research, but if you have questions, ask here.

with respect to your question about sim cards - what kind of sailing are you planning to do?

 

[[3889]]

Thanks. I'm only looking to use it for ocean crossings so one or two months subscription once a year at most. I would have preferred a Go due to it's ability to be used on other boats. Anyway, any pointers on data usage or subsciption offers would be most appreciated.

 

[Laser310]

Thanks. I'm only looking to use it for ocean crossings so one or two months subscription once a year at most. I would have preferred a Go due to it's ability to be used on other boats. Anyway, any pointers on data usage or subsciption offers would be most appreciated.

the handset can just as easily be transferred from one boat to another. I own both.

I am guessing you have an installed "base" - this is not necessary for full operation of the handset for either data or voice. it does make connection to a fixed external antenna and power supply a bit easier.

Both the Go and the handset will function better with a fixed external antenna - this is part of the best practices i mentioned.

it is not the case that the go needs a fixed external antenna any less than the handset - they both require them equally for optimal performance.

you can use either without a fixed antenna - say if you are temporarily on another boat - but it won't work as well, especially for data.

with respect to data - I typically use at least 5-10 minutes a day, or more, for weather - but I am more thorough than most in that area. Some get by with under 5 minutes a day.

on a typical day, i might download , say 5 surface analyses and forecasts that are 20-30kb each when obtained by return email through the (free) saildocs service. i might also get a few gribs, which can be as big as 200kb each, but that is really at the limit of what i try to download with a handset or Go. That could be 10 minutes or more in total, depending...

some people only get one grib a day, or even every other day.., at say 50-100kb.., so that's only a minute or three..., depending on the connection.

the adavantage of the go, is that in theory at least, you can download huge files - if you have the unlimited data plan. just select the file, and let it do it's thing - you don't care how long it takes.

if you really want the go, maybe sell the handset on ebay, and buy a used go - you won't be out of pocket much. if your boat has a base station you can also sell that - they are surprisingly expensive - and you will probably get the go for less than what you sell the other things for.

keep the external antenna though! Do not sell it. Use it with the Go.

You will need a different pigtail attachment to connect the go to the antenna - it does not come with the Go.

 

[Laser310]

I'll just note what i see as the main advantage of the handset:

it can be hard to keep an iphone charged at sea, and you need a charged phone to make a call with the Go.

what if you loose all power on the boat, and need to make an emergency call?

the handset lasts a long time on the battery, you can bring extra charged batteries.., and it will make a call all by itself.

do you want to be fumbling with an iphone and a go in the life raft?

a problem with the 9555 is it's not waterproof - the 9575 is, and has an internal GPS as well.

a downside to the handset is they can be harder to configure on a laptop for a data connection - but there are devices that attach to the handset and enable a wireless connection to your laptop or phone that is as simple as joining a wifi network

 

[Sandy]

I might be interested in your sat phone if selling.