New Spot Sat Phone

[todd kelly]

Well I got some more time with the sat phone over the last two weeks in the middle of the province. We had heavy rain and snow for the entire trip so the phone got a good workout. The results were pretty much the same as the last one, but it did have major difficulties picking up a signal between 1900 hours to 2030 hours. It would take 5-10 minutes to pick up a signal and would loose it after a minute or two. So all calls made during that time period were not very fun. There must be a lack of Sats at that time because the phone worked perfectly at any other time of the day picking up a signal within 10sec, with zero dropped calls during the rest of the day.

The battery power was great in my opinion. We made 2-3 calls a day for 12 days ranging from 5-10mins per call and the battery only dropped one bar.

The incoming text feature was nice, as I had the wife text us weather updates every day.

So even with the poor service from 1900h-2030h, we both thought the phone was great. Being able to call my butcher as soon as the first moose hit the dirt to reserve a hook was great as he was able to make room for us with the 4 day heads up.

 

[Maah Daah Hey]

This is a great review Todd Kelly. This is some of the information that I was wondering. I have been weighing my options on renting an iridium phone the three times a year that I might need one or purchasing one of the new Spot Phones. It seems like purchasing this item might not be a bad way to go with the results that you are getting.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I like not having a phone...but carry a $600. ResQ beacon just in case. No annual fees, $150 replacement battery/service check every 5 yrs.

 

[todd kelly]

Well, the last trip with the phone is done and it's on it's way home. Once again the phone worked great for me. Picked up a signal really fast, only one dropped call during 10 days of use. The poor signal strength I had on the previous trip during 1900-2030 hours went away. (I was hunting a lot further south, maybe this is why???) It worked perfectly in the rain, snow, and sunny days. Battery life was great once again, and I never came close to using the spare battery.

All in all I was really impressed with how well it worked during the time I had the phone. I know the wife really loved it compared to just receiving SPOT messages, and I'm going to have a hard time talking her out of buying one for me.

As stated before, I have not used another SAT phone in some time so I don't have anything to compare it to, but that said, from my experience with the phone this season I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a phone.

 

[wyelkhunter]

I don't know what satellite network spot uses but my brother had an Iridium sat phone hunting this year and reception was horrible.

 

[todd kelly]

I don't know what satellite network spot uses but my brother had an Iridium sat phone hunting this year and reception was horrible.

All SPOT devices use the globalstar network, which has had a terrible reputation on every review I have read. My experience has been different with my gen 1 SPOT and now with the Sat phone. From what I understand Globalstar sent up a bunch of new Satellites at the beginning of the year, which probably accounts for the great service I experienced with the phone.

I have to say the quality of the signal was awesome and the sound was as good as using a land line.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I was in the same boat.... I wanted something that gave the family peace of mind, but didn't want to get in the habit of checking in every 15 minutes. 1) sometimes I forget, 2) sometimes the receptions sucks.... either way my wife will immediately think the worst. I have heard too many complaints with the service and CS from spot to even consider anything they sell.

I am looking at the PLB for sale for around the same price. Peace of mind knowing that in an emergence it WILL work, not MAYBE work like a spot. And I will ONLY use it if there's an emergency.

that's my thinking any way.

joe

I'm with you. I gotta top of the line ResQ beacon. I don't take calls in the field. I'm there to escape email, texts, voice mail and everything else.

 

[muleman]

In the lower 48 I have not had any issues with Spot products.

 

[Ozz08]

Thanks for giving us all this feedback on this phone Todd. Its great that this phone has worked so well for you but you've still got about the only positive review of the spot phone. Most reviews I've found have not only been negative but extremely negative. I really want one of these as an affordable sat phone option but the lack of positive reviews like yours are holding me back.

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

Glad to hear a positive review on the phone. I saw these at the OR show back in August and really want to try one out.

 

[todd kelly]

Thanks for giving us all this feedback on this phone Todd. Its great that this phone has worked so well for you but you've still got about the only positive review of the spot phone. Most reviews I've found have not only been negative but extremely negative. I really want one of these as an affordable sat phone option but the lack of positive reviews like yours are holding me back.

I found the same thing when I researched the phone. No positive reviews. But after the last three months using it, I can easily say if I was in the market for a sat phone (which I am not) I would not hesitate to buy the SPOT phone. Quick connection, very few dropped calls, great clarity, awesome battery life, and a decent price tag.

 

[todd kelly]

I was able to get the phone back to use during the last 5 days looking for MD. Here is a quick video on the phone.

[video=youtube;1oV_8QqRWTI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oV_8QqRWTI[/video]

 

[Ramcam]

Thanks Todd i'm in BC as well.I rented an iridium last year on my solo Northern BC hunt and i had some dropped calls and crappy reception but for the most part it always worked.I also have a spot connect which i have with me all the time but one way communication has it's limits.I really want to try this phone because the price point is so good compared to the Iridium i think you have convinced me to give it a try.Does the phone have the SOS button on it?

 

[todd kelly]

Thanks Todd i'm in BC as well.I rented an iridium last year on my solo Northern BC hunt and i had some dropped calls and crappy reception but for the most part it always worked.I also have a spot connect which i have with me all the time but one way communication has it's limits.I really want to try this phone because the price point is so good compared to the Iridium i think you have convinced me to give it a try.Does the phone have the SOS button on it?

The phone does not have any of the features of a SPOT messenger, so no SOS or OK functions at all.... It would be a neat idea if they could combine them into one unit.

As I have said before, I have not used another Sat. phone in a long time, so I would not be able to tell you if the SPOT will work as good or better than the Iridiums, so please don't base your entire decision on my review And only use it as a small piece in your search. From the experience I have had using the phone this season, I don't understand all the bad reviews it keeps getting.... Are the bad reviews caused by user error, are guys expectations too high, is it not as good as the iridium, Or have I just been getting lucky......???? I wish I could tell you... But there are enough of them to put doubt in any ones mind.

It would be nice if the guys on this forum who have used the phone and had bad experiences would chime in and add more info to the topic.

 

[crumy]

. Are the bad reviews caused by user error, are guys expectations too high, is it not as good as the iridium, Or have I just been getting lucky......???? .

I don't have experience with the phone but I can tell you before I purchased my SPOT, I read 2 bad reviews for every 3 good ones. Doesn't communicate, lost signal, etc..... So I decided to hedge my bets..I purchased it from REI and for two weekends I went into some thick stuff and never had an issue. A lot of the reviews/issues seemed to be due to User Error (in my mind) because I Have had it for 3 years and never had a failed message. So the same may be going on with the sat phone.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I don't have experience with the phone but I can tell you before I purchased my SPOT, I read 2 bad reviews for every 3 good ones. Doesn't communicate, lost signal, etc..... So I decided to hedge my bets..I purchased it from REI and for two weekends I went into some thick stuff and never had an issue. A lot of the reviews/issues seemed to be due to User Error (in my mind) because I Have had it for 3 years and never had a failed message. So the same may be going on with the sat phone.

I had the same experience crumy. My Spot 2 just works. Even in Alaska where it was supposed to be less reliable. No problems.

Todd thanks for telling us about your experiences. Sounds like a product to look into.

 

[Nick Muche]

Any more updates on the SPOT Sat Phone?

 

[todd kelly]

Any more updates on the SPOT Sat Phone?

I'll be able to give another update in a few weeks as I am getting the phone back from my buddy to use on a 12 day bear hunt. When I talked to him a couple of weeks ago, he is still super happy with the phone. He has been using it all winter long in south eastern BC, Ireland, and Iceland with great success.

 

[Yellowknife]

I talked to one of the local satellite comm dealer tech here a couple weeks ago. He said he tested it out for a while last summer and had some issues with dropped calls, etc. That's not really helpful though, since Iridium has the same issues.

Todd Kelly's information may or may not be good in AK, since BC is right in one of the "sweet spots" for coverage. We are supposedly under "Extended Coverage", whatever that means. I think the last of the new Globalstar satellites all finished commissioning this last year as far as I can tell, so I'm also interested if the coverage of Alaska improved much. I suspect by the end of the summer, there will be some good data out there, but I haven't heard anything real solid yet.

http://www.globalstar.com/en/index.php?cid=101&sidenav=24

Yk

 

[todd kelly]

Todd Kelly's information may or may not be good in AK, since BC is right in one of the "sweet spots" for coverage. We are supposedly under "Extended Coverage", whatever that means. I think the last of the new Globalstar satellites all finished commissioning this last year as far as I can tell, so I'm also interested if the coverage of Alaska improved much. I suspect by the end of the summer, there will be some good data out there, but I haven't heard anything real solid yet.
Yk

Yep, very true...