Two-way satellite messaging options

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Been having a gander at these recently with a view to 6 months use on a transAt & transPac jaunt and my interim conclusion is that Yellow Brick Standard is the way to go with true global coverage, simple(ish) phone interface, no 'out of use' charges and reasonably competitive subscriptions.
Garmin InReach has big coverage holes and I don't like their initial fee & no-use subscription charge. Likewise Spot X which is not yet available in Europe anyway, AFAIK.
Any other suggestions or criticisms / endorsements of my thinking most welcome.
 
When I looked at this recently, Yellowbrick also came out on top. Don't recall all the points, but it was the most cost efficient solution and the best device feature wise (ruggedness, interface, battery life). I did initially like the weather forecast feature on the InReach, but after looking at it in detail it turned out to be disappointingly basic (you could only get a spot forecast, not an area overview).

Abhilash Tomy also had a Yellowbrick in his pocket when he injured his back, allowing him to communicate when his satphone was damaged and he couldn't reach any of his other fancy comms equipment.
 
For several Trans Atlantics and on Trans Pacific Ive used Iridium Go.

Brilliant coverage but sadly got no idea of costs.

For 'Im not dead yet' coverage across the Pacific, we used Spot Tracker, basic stuff with basic price.
 
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Quiddle said:
Been having a gander at these recently with a view to 6 months use on a transAt & transPac jaunt and my interim conclusion is that Yellow Brick Standard is the way to go with true global coverage, simple(ish) phone interface, no 'out of use' charges and reasonably competitive subscriptions.
Garmin InReach has big coverage holes and I don't like their initial fee & no-use subscription charge. Likewise Spot X which is not yet available in Europe anyway, AFAIK.
Any other suggestions or criticisms / endorsements of my thinking most welcome.
Click to expand...

Can you expand on the in reach coverage problem? It uses Iridium which has 100% coverage as far as I know.
 
Buck Turgidson said:
Can you expand on the in reach coverage problem? It uses Iridium which has 100% coverage as far as I know.
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Idirium USED to have 100% coverage, but they have run out of available spare satellites

Wikipedia said:
As of mid-2016, Iridium has experienced in-orbit failures which cannot be corrected with in-orbit spare satellites, thus only 64 of the 66 satellites required for seamless global coverage were in operation. Therefore, service interruptions can be observed, especially around the equatorial region where the satellite footprints are most spread out and there is least overlap
Click to expand...

They have a full replacement cluster (Iridium Next) being launched at the moment, so it should all be hunky-dory in a year or so...
 
glynd said:
Idirium USED to have 100% coverage, but they have run out of available spare satellites



They have a full replacement cluster (Iridium Next) being launched at the moment, so it should all be hunky-dory in a year or so...
Click to expand...

OK so you are confusing outages with coverage.

They have pole to pole coverage. They have occasional outages like all systems. Next are on line.
 
Buck Turgidson said:
OK so you are confusing outages with coverage.

They have pole to pole coverage. They have occasional outages like all systems. Next are on line.
Click to expand...

That's splitting hairs (but this is the Internet after all!)

Is next actually launched to public use? I thought they were still testing, at least until enough spares are up....

The book 'Eccentric Orbits' is a fascinating insight into how we are lucky to have Iridum at all!
 
glynd said:
That's splitting hairs (but this is the Internet after all!)

Is next actually launched to public use? I thought they were still testing, at least until enough spares are up....
Click to expand...

Pretty much the whole cluster is now on the new satellites, bar about 6 in plane 3 (and a few spares in a slightly lowered orbit). The last launch is pending (some delays on the remaining satellites) which will bring the number of new satellites up to 75 which gives them the whole cluster and plenty of spares, with a few more on the ground. De-orbiting of the old satellites is going on at quite a pace.

Certus marketing activity seems to be starting up. Last launch is due before year end.

Must admit, its working very well this season (south west pacific).
 
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