I am interested in renting a sat phone for our Alaska trip next month. There are several choices but I don't know which is the better choice. Do any of you have experience or information to share?

Thanks.

Joseph

Any of the phones that operate on the Iridium system will work fine for you. There are a gazillion different payment plans, but the service is all the same.

DO NOT even consider going with a Globalstar phone, ESPECIALLY IN ALASKA. Coverage there is less than marginal.

MTV

What MTV Said.

Thanks for the information. I'll go with Iridium.

Check with Kirk Utter in Seattle, he sells or rents sat phones, 206-779-6110. We rented one last summer, also had an unlimited texting feature. Great customer service.

Thanks for your note. I just called Kirk at your recommendation; his price is nearly three times what I have otherwise been offered, so I think I'll go with the less expensive alternative.

Not sure if you want to arrange for one out of Alaska, but you could try Surveyor's Exchange in Anchorage. Ask for Antonio Garza. The 9505 units will do what you need just as well as the 9555 units, for less $$.

51E, let us know what you end up with. I'd love to hear of your experiences, cost, etc. Renting a sat phone for a trip like that seems like a really good idea.

Bumping an old thread.....

Any updates on this? I am getting ready to purchase or rent a phone for this summers adventures in AK.

I stand by what I said above. Just bought an Iridium Extreme from them in fact. But I'm not the end user so I can't describe the added features too authoritatively. The unit is more shock, water, and dust resistant than other iridium models, plus has a gps, and a panic button that sends three predetermined texts including location and auto dials a predetermined number on speakerphone for you. I think it also has a check-in feature like a spot. Bottom line the iridium network is dependable in Alaska. Global star (used by spot and others) not so much.
I own three earlier iridium models and previously owned two global stars. Also owned a fixed-base Inmarsat unit up until last year. Have taken the iridiums abroad with good success.
Several plans available through Surveyors Exchange. They do rentals too.

-DP

I have the old Iridium / Motorola 9500 series which is bulkier and doesn't look as good as the newers versions but works fine... pretty well everytime I turn it on to use. On occassion it might be slow but does always work. It's worked for me in AK, northern Canada, Spain, MX, Russia and a bunch of other places that was cheaper than paying roaming fees on my cell phone. I also have a few of the older Globalstars and if you do feel yourself inclined to purchase one of those pieces of junk, give me your best price and I'll beat it by $50.00 bucks. They are garbage, but they do hold down the paper at the end of the desk just fine. There are also external antenas that allow you to sit inside a building and make calls. I also find that a window facing a certain direction usually works OK but might cut out. Make sure you get the wall plug charger as well as the car charger and it is nice to have an extra battery. There are tons of companies offering rental / purchase & usage programs. Let us know what you end up with. I think mine is called "Nortern Lites" package or something like that but I expect you will just get a phone with lots of minutes and have to pay for what you use. I'm sure we all are curious as to what you end up paying. Have fun.

highroad wrote:Bumping an old thread.....

Any updates on this? I am getting ready to purchase or rent a phone for this summers adventures in AK.

When and where Brent?

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5fc ... 116343ca24

Looking at this as an option. Thanks for the above suggestions

bluecosmo.com in Seattle. Great folks, and supporters of Supercub.org as well.

OregonMaule wrote:

highroad wrote:Bumping an old thread.....

Any updates on this? I am getting ready to purchase or rent a phone for this summers adventures in AK.

When and where Brent?

Going to try and get the Pacer up there beginning of July and leave it for the summer. Plan to fly up commercially for a couple of long weekends to play and then bring it home before the weather turns.......Any Ak plans for you this summer?