Satellite phone for Alaska moose hunt, buy or rent or?

[Sako76]

What do you guys normally use for must have communication to the east coast? Thanks for your help!

 

[FranklinBluth]

Garmin inreach mini. Have never felt like I needed a sat phone, but to each their own.

 

[AKDoc]

What do you guys normally use for must have communication to the east coast? Thanks for your help!

Good on you thinking ahead to get that all in order. Cell service in remote Alaska is typically a no-go, so definitely don't count on it. It's a different world.

I've always had an inReach with me as my primary texting resource on remote floats and hunts. I use it with my cell phone via the earth mate ap...texting directly on the inReach is torture for me . My inReach is my go-to, and will be again this fall.

For many years I also brought a sat phone that I rented from a service in Anchorage...Surveyors Exchange: https://www.tse-ak.com/

The sat phone was helpful when needed, but for the past few years I've just taken my inReach.

 

[wildwilderness]

If you can bring a starlink! I’ve used InReach the past 5+ years and been fine, just a bit on the waiting side for responding etc. and delayed delivery of messages. Need the unlimited plan or it’s not as good…

 

[FranklinBluth]

If you can bring a starlink! I’ve used InReach the past 5+ years and been fine, just a bit on the waiting side for responding etc. and delayed delivery of messages. Need the unlimited plan or it’s not as good…

Agree on the unlimited plan as I use the weather updates (which count as messages) two or three times a day in addition to messages to my wife and dad.

I go back and forth on the starlink, assuming it fits into your weight budget. I really. really. like not getting any news or messages from the outside world for 2-3 weeks every fall. It's really a good and rare chance to detox from the world and clear your mind.

On the other hand, I could imagine watching football on a Sunday while sitting in camp calling moose would be pretty fun. I haven't had success with enough sun to get much energy out of solar panels, so you're probably needing to rely on bringing enough battery power to run the starlink.

 

[wyosteve]

I use the Garmin Messenger so I can type the texts on my phone.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Inreach the past 4-5 years, sat phone prior to that. Don't even miss the sat phone. Pilots usually prefer texts anyway.

 

[Elkhuntinfool78]

I used zoleo the last time I was in AK. Worked great until the battery died and just started charging it when the connector/ charge port on the zoleo crapped out on me. At first I thought it was my cable but the spare cable I had didn't work either and confirmed it was the zoleo once I was back home. I was lucky that time that I had a sat phone as backup.

From what I hear the in reach may be more durable than the zoleo but have no first hand experience.

The zoleo was about 8 years old at the time.

 

[Jimss]

Inreach texting is relatively inexpensive

 

[Mangata]

Inreach mini 100%
Jettisoned the sat phone after year one with the Inreach. Have 2 sat phones collecting dust at present on my gear shelves. Will never miss the delay in flow of conversation on the sat phone waiting for data transmission. At present I don’t want unfettered access that starlink would provide to the rest of the world while I am in the backcountry. .

 

[eyeguy]

I have t mobile now and they have a sat comm option that can be rented on a monthly basis. Has anyone used this feature? I plan on using it this fall.

 

[carsonkeys]

On last year’s sheep hunt my Inreach would text everyone but my wife, which resulted in some very concerned texts from my father and father in law.

My partner had a newer iPhone and let me use his satellite texting at night to check in with her. I also used it this weekend camping and it was great. It is waaaaay more convenient than my Inreach.

I’ll still always carry an Inreach, but the Apple satellite texting will be my new primary from now on.

 

[BRWNBR]

Got a starlink. Wow. Better internet than at my house!!! Inreach I use daily. Sat phone is in a box. I’d probably sell it to you for 100 bucks. Probably has 1000 minutes on it even.
Starlink goes in the roof of my super cub so I can watch episodes of gunsmoke while I fly thru the mtns.
Wayyy better options than sat phones these days.

 

[Sako76]

Thanks guys, lots of options. I have a Garmin GPS unit for my dogs that has the inreach. I’ll have to research the Apple satellite texting! My wife has some health issues and would rather talk to her to see how she is doing.

 

[wyosteve]

Unless it's greatly improved, Apple satellite texting leaves a lot to be desired. First, you have to be in an area with no cell service. Then, you have to be outside with a clear view. Next you have to find the satellite (they have a window for that). Finally, when you find the satellite and 'lock' onto it, you have to keep slowly turning to follow the satellite and keep the signal. I tried it in Alaska last year and it works, but is very cumbersome compared to other options.

 

[carsonkeys]

First, you have to be in an area with no cell service.

Pretty easily done in Alaska.

Then, you have to be outside with a clear view. Next you have to find the satellite (they have a window for that). Finally, when you find the satellite and 'lock' onto it, you have to keep slowly turning to follow the satellite and keep the signal.

All true…of any device that uses satellite.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

You can rent a Sat phone for about 50-60 bucks a week. Inreach mini as a backup.

 

[OXN939]

Pretty easily done in Alaska.

All true…of any device that uses satellite.

Two big downsides to apple satellite texting. One, the integral cell phone antenna is tiny and weak. Two, it doesn't use the Iridium network that Garmin Inreaches do, which is by far the most robust and secure SATCOM network available to civilians.

Inreaches aren't perfect, but they're about as good as you can reasonably get at this point. If we're talking Alaska, that SOS button allows you to contact the most advanced backcountry rescue capability on earth... for like the cost of a beer a month.

Third-ing the mental health benefit of not having internet access in the backcountry.