Satellite Phone Question

Folically Challenged · 08-17-2007, 10:08 AM

Is it possible to rent one of these for my hunt, or would I have to buy one?

My boys are 4 to 12 years old, & they expressed disappointment/umbridge last Fall about my being completely out of touch while in camp. I'm not looking to chat it up while on a stalk, but rather to minimize the trauma I'm causing my boys by chasing these selfish pursuits.

I thought maybe someone around here might have some experience with such things.

Thanks!

FC

dayna0306 · 08-17-2007, 10:24 AM

I looked in to them ,for an alaska hunt,found them for rent on the web in tenn. I didn't order it in time to leave.They were $5 a minute plus a couple hundred to rent.But that could be priceless when you really need it.

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Champlain Islander · 08-17-2007, 10:26 AM

We rented one for a Newfoundland trip and they work great. It is a little pricey but worth it if you need to stay in touch.

War Eagle · 08-17-2007, 04:25 PM

It is a lot more economical than people think. In the US, all you need is a Globalstar system that can be found for around $20.00 per week with air time running about $1/minute. Some companies will even do pre-paid minutes that will allow you to lower the rate. Here is one I found with a quick search.

http://www.satellitephonestore.com/satellite-phone-rental.php?OVRAW=satellite%20phone%20rental&OV KEY=satellite%20phone%20rental&OVMTC=standard& amp;OVADID=5519666511&OVKWID=27642500011

dayna0306 · 08-17-2007, 05:38 PM

Things have changed or I was nearly robbed.That was about5 years ago.

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tangozulu · 08-17-2007, 06:24 PM

Forget Globalstar right now, just about useless. Go with Iridium if you can find one. Global star is having problems and said they were gonna fix them last month but no better yet.
Up north here you can usually find them most places, about 100. bucks a week plus air time. Ya 1 or 2 bucks a minute but not meant to be a gissip system its for savin your butt. Normally an Iridium is easy to find but due to globalstars problems they seem to be a bit scarce.
good luck
tz

Alsatian · 08-17-2007, 06:38 PM

I rented a Globalstar satellite phone for a week last year for a solo elk hunt in the the mountains of SW Colorado. It cost me about $50 to rent for a week and also $50 return shipping. So . . . about $100 for a week's use. There was also an about $1.50/minute fee leveled on top of the rental fee, so you may not want to have long winded conversations, but it sure is handy for an emergency or to provide notification of changes of plans. My Globalstar satellite phone worked OK for me, so long as I was out in the open and not under tree canopy. There were occasions, infrequent, when a gap in the satellite pattern left me without coverage for about 5-10 minutes. I was pretty pleased with the peace of mind this gave my wife and family when I went on this high mountain solo hunt. I have heard that Iridium works better, but I also think the Iridium costs more. Given the experience I had, I would use the Globalstar again. If you can distribute the cost across several people, for example an elk hunting camp of 4 to 8 people, it makes the cost very reasonable.

Don K · 08-17-2007, 08:10 PM

I have been looking into these for a couple months now as I will need one come October. Globalstar is cheaper but they dont work as good as the Iridium.

This is probably the company im going to go with.

http://www.mobalrental.com/satellite.asp

Just make sure you read all the details on rental. Some places charge extra for this and that.

Don

Folically Challenged · 09-04-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Don K

I have been looking into these for a couple months now as I will need one come October. Globalstar is cheaper but they dont work as good as the Iridium.

This is probably the company im going to go with.

http://www.mobalrental.com/satellite.asp

Just make sure you read all the details on rental. Some places charge extra for this and that.

Don

Many Thanks, Don.

I just ordered from them this morning. On the one hand, it's very pricey. On the other, more important hand, it's priceless. I'm far more concerned about my boys than being stranded in the wilderness. Maybe I'll change my mind about that when a grizz has me by the a$$, but that's how I feel for the time being!

Good luck on your hunt. Where are you headed?

FC

Don K · 09-08-2007, 08:51 PM

FC,

Glad you got it worked out. I really dont think its that bad. I will be ordering mine this week. Headed to New Mexico on a youth Elk hunt. My 13 year old son was lucky enough to draw one of the few either sex tags given out to NR in Unit 17. Muzzleloader hunt for him and the time we spend together will be remembered forever.

Don