Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

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BSquared
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Post by BSquared »

Whoa, Rosabella, don't be impressed until I've actually done it! I'm not even going to try until the summer of aught eight, and it's looking like a family wedding might even put that off until nine.

In answer to your question, though, I don't usually hike that fast, but I'd like to try it, and I do have constraints. My summers are pretty tight, and a JMT through hike is hemmed in by snow at the early end and the start of school at the late end (I teach in a small college out here). Also, I've never hiked solo for more than a weekend before, and I'm not sure how long I'll be able to maintain my sanity. Finally I really would like to kind of test my mettle and see if I can make 16-mile average days. I've got it all planned out, and at least on paper it doesn't look too bad. My son and I took twenty days in 2004, and we weren't really pushing until the last few.

That said, ideally I'd like to do it in, say, five weeks, if I could find the time and figure out some way to reprovision as often as necessary. A day in Long Meadow, for example, and a day or two to detour to Lake Ediza and Iceburg. A day to spend meadow watching in McClure Meadows, and maybe a day or two to explore Sixty-Lakes Basin... Doesn't that sound nice?
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Phil R
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Post by Phil R »

FYI, I rented an Iridium cell phone for my trip this summer because I had some special needs. It weighed 13 ounces. With the extra battery and manual I had about 1 lb. total.

It worked great. It connected in seconds and the signal was clear. All my research said stay away from Globalstar and go with Iridium.
People are friendly at 6000 ft...and the higher you go, the friendlier they get.
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rightstar76
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Post by rightstar76 »

Phil R, did you actually get to talk on the phone? When I rented Globalstar, it was a disaster. I had about 10-15 seconds before the satellite went over the horizon and I lost connection. It was practically worthless. How long were you able to talk when you placed a call? That would be a factor in my choice to rent one. By the way, is it bulky when placed into a pack? The Globalstar fit nicely into a side pocket and there was still room for me to put other stuff in. Is it the same with the Iridium?
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fishmonger
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Re: Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

Post by fishmonger »

old thread, I know, but is there anyone with recent Iridum experiences in the Sierras?

I brought a cell phone last summer, but for emergencies, it's a joke. Other than at Donohue Pass and down at Reds Meadows, Tuolumne Meadows and 2000 feet below Taboose Pass, there never was a signal. If your'e in real trouble, you can't just jog up to the nearest peak overlooking Owens Valley and you may still not get any signal because the nearest tower is too far for you to make outgoing calls. There was no cell signal between Reds Meadows and Taboose Pass, anywhere (roaming with US Cellular - I'd guess it would have picked up whatever was available)

I've heard too much negative stuff about the SPOT and figure that a regular sat phone would be much more useful, especially for non-emergency logistics, etc. Cost is steep, but I'd just pay for a prepaid sim card to use in emergencies, resell the phone on ebay in fall. I'm planning on a Muir rail Yo-Yo with my kids this summer. I'm the only adult on the team and we are planning on some off trail alternates that may be a bit risky, so having a way to get in contact with emergency services is important, even at a place like Potluck Pass... I've been considering a PLB but those you really only iuse in life and death situtations, which somewhat misses the point for our needs.

So, is it worth hauling a pound of Iridium sat phone if you must have a signal within a 1/2 mile of where you are at all times? What if you're in trouble in a place like Le Conte Canyon?
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rlown
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Re: Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

Post by rlown »

fishmonger wrote:I've heard too much negative stuff about the SPOT and figure that a regular sat phone would be much more useful, especially for non-emergency logistics, etc.
Has anyone on this forum had a good experience with SPOT? I think oldranger carries one. I for one don't really want calls from home when i'm "out." But, if i have an emergency, spot seems cheaper than a Sat phone. I don't own a SPOT, nor a Sat phone. Just curious.

Russ
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The Other Tom
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Re: Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

Post by The Other Tom »

rlown wrote:
fishmonger wrote:I've heard too much negative stuff about the SPOT and figure that a regular sat phone would be much more useful, especially for non-emergency logistics, etc.
Has anyone on this forum had a good experience with SPOT? I think oldranger carries one. I for one don't really want calls from home when i'm "out." But, if i have an emergency, spot seems cheaper than a Sat phone. I don't own a SPOT, nor a Sat phone. Just curious.

Russ
I have a SPOT and thankfully have not had to use it in an emergency. It takes about 15-20 min. to link up with the satellite, but it works well(sends "ok" messages to my contacts). I think the confusion comes because there's a "help" button (which doesn't go to SAR) and a 911 button, which does go to SAR. Apparently some people have hit the help button thinking SAR would come....they won't unless your "help" contacts call them and relay the info.
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oldranger
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Re: Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

Post by oldranger »

OK, I was very suspicious about the reliability of SPOT because it uses the Globalstar system (I have used a globalstar sat phone and it sucks--spent 20 minutes to get a 1 minute phonecall). That is the reason SPOT says to send your "OK" message for 20 minutes. I have grabbed mine and crawled into my tent after 5 minutes and the signal was transmitted other times not but it always gets out within 20 minutes. In a pretty dense forest the lat long reading can be 100 feet off if it is wide open it is spot on (pun intended).

Now as to how it works in an emergency is not just a function of the satellite signal, but also a function of the private dispatch service and the 911 center they contact.

I have a friend whose son and 2 buddies went to Mexico to Climb a couple of volcanoes. One of the young men got a serious case of altitude sickness and the experienced climbers using the same shelter convinced them to use the spot 911 function.

The SPOT dispatchers first called my friend to confirm that the people with the SPOT were likely to be the authorized user and that they were in fact in Mexico. When the response was affirmative. The dispatcher contacted the Mexican Navy (apparently the responsible agency) and an evacuation was set up and conducted successfully. Note the dispatch center had a Spanish speaking staff member on duty. My friend was on the phone with one dispatcher as the other was contacting the Navy. She was most impressed by their knowledge and professionalism. I asked what would have happened if the dispatch center had not successfully contacted her. She didn't know and said she would check.

The dispatcher also said that the system doesn't work well in Canada--not because of the satellite system but because the Canadian Authorities are not as responsive.

In short- Effective use of SPOT is dependent upon the user using it properly, the satellite system working properly, the SPOT dispatcher working effectively, and 911 working effectively. SPOT does have the advantage over a SAT phone in that it provides a pretty accurate location--If you die before the rescuers get there they won't have to spend a lot of time looking for you! Of course if you carry a gps receiver then you've got that covered. But the SPOT is all I carry in terms of electronic gadgets and that is the price I have to pay to go wandering around in the mountains solo.

mike
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maverick
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Re: Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

Post by maverick »

Thanks Mike for the story about the non-effectiveness of SPOT, I've been considering
purchasing on since I was having problems with my Globalstar service/account
which I cancelled a while back, though I will say I got pretty reliable reception
from very remote parts of SEKI.
I guess there really is just nothing out there that is really 100% reliable, yet.
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BSquared
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Re: Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

Post by BSquared »

Personally, I'm sold on SPOT, and my buddy and I plan to take one with us on our JMT hike this summer.

-B²
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oldranger
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Re: Satellite Phone in the Sierra?

Post by oldranger »

My friend got back to me last night after I posted. She said the SPOT dispatcher said that if she hadn't answered their call they would have initiated the process anyway. Also her son kept the 911 active as he helped his friend down to a lower elevation. They met up with the SAR folks partway down the mountain. The dispatcher did follow their progress down and periodically lost contact for short periods as they apparently entered thickly forested areas.

By the way eastern Oregon probably has the worst cell phone coverage anywhere in the west. So the SPOT becomes an important safety backup even when tooling around in our 4 Runner. My friend, who works for the BLM purchased a SPOT locator for her John Day River Ranger. He carries a SAT phone but because the BLM (in this district at least) will only purchase the Globalstar version the contact time at the bottom of the river canyon can be quite short and very fickle. Radios are pretty ineffective as well. So when he sets up camp in the evening he can punch the OK button and forget about it for 20 minutes rather than having to focus on the radio for the full 20 minutes or more to make telephone contact. Several other supervisors are purchasing SPOT locators for their employees and some employees are purchasing them for themselves. Remember, though, this is a private company that could go out of business at any time. But it certainly is cheaper then a SAT phone or an International locator beacon and more flexible than the locator--it can send an OK message.

Finally, though accidents and illness can happen to anyone, I would never choose to do something just because if things go wrong I can call for help. The reason I carry one is that so my wife will grant me permission to do what I love to do. It is kind of hard to believe that anyone would care about me that much.

Happy and Safe Hiking,

Mike
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