PRODUCT GUIDE: SATELLITE MESSENGERS
BIG PARTS OF AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD LACK CELL COVERAGE, HENCE THE NEED TO CARRY EMERGENCY COMMS DEVICES LIKE SATELLITE MESSENGERS.
LET’S be honest, most of us are glued to our mobile phones – checking Facebook periodically, calling friends or using mapping software, among a long list of addictions – but your mobile phone will be as useful as a rake pushing water uphill when you’re out beyond the black stump. Once off the grid, you’ll need another means of communication. Even if you want to head to remote country for the isolation and peace and quiet, it’s still essential to pack a comms tool in case the proverbial hits the fan. The options include an HF radio, satellite phone, a satellite messenger or personal locator beacon (PLB). Here, we dive into the world of satellite messengers, by speaking to the folks who produce them.
A satellite messenger differs from a satellite phone as it allows the user to send and receive messages; a satellite phone, on the other hand, will, in addition to sending/receiving messages, allow voice calls to be made. A satellite messenger is usually smaller and lighter and won’t hit your hip pocket as hard as most are considerably cheaper than satellite phones. Some satellite messengers also include SOS functionality.
“A simple way to think about it is, a satellite phone keeps you in touch and a satellite messenger keeps you safe,” said Kieran Blakemore, marketing manager at Pivotel, the distributor of SPOT products.
As the name implies, a satellite messenger can send preset or customised text messages (which can be emergency-related or just for staying in touch with family and friends), and also offer tracking features so that contacts can follow geotagged signals sent at predetermined intervals. However, the satellite messengers on the market all differ in features and functionality, as you’ll read later.
Much like a satellite phone, a satellite messenger must connect to a satellite network to function, and it needs to be used with a clear, open view toward the sky.
“The satellite must be able to see the device and the device to see the satellite to operate,” said Reiny Gajewski, VP of global sales for Beam Communications. “Once they have connection, the messages are sent back and forth over the satellite network to the public phone network and then to their destination.”
We’ve taken a microscope to examine a few satellite messengers currently on the market: the Garmin inreach, Iridium GO!, ZOLEO, SPOT X and SPOT Gen3.