Iridium Go - is it really a good deal?

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

And how much will all that cost including installation? And you still can’t make a phone call or receive a call using your expensive and outdated system.

I think the Tecsun PL-880 radio cost $160. There are cheaper radios that work fine (the Kaito KA1103 is about $90). I bought the Tecsun because it runs off USB and I try not to carry things that don't run off 12VDC or 5VDC. I carry a laptop anyway so the cost of that doesn't count for me. JVCOMM32 is free. So is MultiPSK. The audio cable takes about $6 to build ($25 if you buy it from me). The external antenna you can buy for about $30 or built for about $5. So all up less than $200. Installation is stupid simple. If you can't do that yourself you should not cross the street without supervision much less go sailing. This is my go-kit for weather on deliveries.


For full HF/SSB the costs are a lot higher. Figure between $4000 and 5000 including Pactor modem. Now you can participate in nets, use email, send/receive texts (third party service), and make/receive phone calls (third party service). In my experience HF/SSB still works better than satellite. I've run them side by side. Satellite has some conveniences but it is NOT cellular and is not as robust.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

I think the Tecsun PL-880 radio cost $160. There are cheaper radios that work fine (the Kaito KA1103 is about $90). I bought the Tecsun because it runs off USB and I try not to carry things that don't run off 12VDC or 5VDC. I carry a laptop anyway so the cost of that doesn't count for me. JVCOMM32 is free. So is MultiPSK. The audio cable takes about $6 to build ($25 if you buy it from me). The external antenna you can buy for about $30 or built for about $5. So all up less than $200. Installation is stupid simple. If you can't do that yourself you should not cross the street without supervision much less go sailing. This is my go-kit for weather on deliveries.


For full HF/SSB the costs are a lot higher. Figure between $4000 and 5000 including Pactor modem. Now you can participate in nets, use email, send/receive texts (third party service), and make/receive phone calls (third party service). In my experience HF/SSB still works better than satellite. I've run them side by side. Satellite has some conveniences but it is NOT cellular and is not as robust.

So, you recommend SSB and pactor modem at $5000 even though you don’t have one. We do actually own an SSB system with a weatherfax, and find it to be doo doo when compared to SAT service.

To each their own I guess...

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

So, you recommend SSB and pactor modem at $5000 even though you don’t have one. We do actually own an SSB system with a weatherfax, and find it to be doo doo when compared to SAT service.

To each their own I guess...

Not what I said at all. On Auspicious I have an Icom 802/AT140/SCS Pactor IIpro w/ III upgrade.



I'm an active delivery skipper. I sail on boats with all kinds of equipment. Sometimes there is no long range communications so I have a go-kit with a receiver and software for wefax. I've had a lot of opportunities to compare HF/SSB and satellite side-by-side.



If your experience with HF/SSB is worse than satellite there are two possibilities: you have a poor installation or there are operator shortfalls. It isn't hard, it just works, and synoptic charts are head and shoulders above gribs.



I sell satellite systems. I'll sell them to anyone that wants one. I use HF/SSB because its better. I have not sailed the South Pacific or the Indian Oceans. I understand there are wefax issues in the South Pacific and Sailmail coverage issues in the Indian. I can't speak to those. Most of the rest of the world I can.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

. . . synoptic charts are head and shoulders above gribs. . .

Can't agree with that. I use both, and one is not a substitute for the other. Hard to do any serious weather routing scenarios without GRIBs.


And either synoptic charts or GRIBs can be gotten equally over sat or HF radio.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

And how much will all that cost including installation? And you still can’t make a phone call or receive a call using your expensive and outdated system.

Sure you can. See WLO Radio. http://www.shipcom.com/frequencies.html

[capitangiorg]

If I would have to choose between IridiumGO or email over SSB to get weather information, I'd like to get both!
If can't get both the choice became quite articulate but the budget will be the most important factor.
If I can afford the IridiumGO I would go for it.
If I could afford it but I'm willing to sail Atlantic and Pacific maybe I can wait and start with SSB, but only cause I'm a HAM willing to play with the radio. On my boat I have an old IC706 a manual long wire tuner and a signalink sound card. Less than 500€ set-up. I use to call in local net and download grib and weather fax chart via winlink/saildocs. Last year with winmor my average speed was 3/4000 kbytes min.
Last may I started to use VARA, it is amazing, average speed 10kbyte/min with peak over 20 kbytes/min. Same speed as a pactor III more robust but without the cost of the phisical modem (that I had used for more than 10 years and sold it 2 years ago). As already written with the radio you depend on propagation, so I usually download weather info twice a day, when I can get the best performance.

But if you're not a keen radio ham, just go for IridiumGO, you'll spend more and get more for less hassle.

[Crabber50]

We cruise Alaska, currently have SiriusXM Satellite Weather on a PC which is very helpful. It has bouy data, fronts, official forcasts etc. We augment that with Iridium Extreme handset connected to an Optimizer so we can download Predictwind data from our phones and PC. It takes us 5 minutes to select and download what we need. Sirius XM is always on and live for us.

The other thing the Iridiums offer is immediate phone access in an emergency as well as a panic button to send your GPS coordinates and connect you to emergency services, this is all included for no extra cost.

If buying today I would get a Go or wait to see what Next is all about. I would never trade the immediate, portable nature of Iridium for SSB. Try taking SSB in the tender or life raft.

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We've owned an SSB radio for over 6 years, and never used it even once even though I have a license. Ancient technology IMO, soon to go extinct except for very limited ship to ship specialty communications. Dockhead I believe also has one but never uses his either.

Bring on the new tech, Iridium GO $139 per month for 2-3 months when needed is a bargain compared to the cost of installing an SSB and Pactor Dragon 4, the cost of the modem excluding connections is over $1500 alone.

A coomon response by those seduced by shiny things. SSB and Paxtor with Sailmail remains our most reliable source of comms. We have sat comms as a backup. Lots of redundancy and being techbagnostic is the prudent approach imho.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

A coomon response by those seduced by shiny things. SSB and Paxtor with Sailmail remains our most reliable source of comms. We have sat comms as a backup. Lots of redundancy and being techbagnostic is the prudent approach imho.

I agree 100% on the backup philosophy, but I've used Sailmail / SSB / Pactor(3) a lot, and Ham / Winlink / Pactor, and Iridium, and Iridium is by far my preferred comms method. When sailing to/from Hawaii I get around 100KByte per day of WX info (GRIB and WFAX charts, via saildocs.com).

Iridium is quick and easy compared to SSB. FWIW I'm a long-time ham, and have often run the Pacific Cup SSB communications from my boat. I used Sailmail and direct WFAX reception ling before we had Iridium. These days I prefer Iridium.

Cost is another issue, and others may have different priorities.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

A coomon response by those seduced by shiny things. SSB and Paxtor with Sailmail remains our most reliable source of comms. We have sat comms as a backup. Lots of redundancy and being techbagnostic is the prudent approach imho.

You must have missed my post where I pointed out that our 53 IS equipped with an SSB, weatherfax and a pc. Our 62 has all the wiring and antenna in place for an SSB, BUT after having used the mostly useless SSB, we’re now switching over to Iridium Go rather than throwing money ($1800 for a Pactor Dragon 4 alone) at old tech.

Why would anyone spend $2000-$4000 on outdated tech, when new and more reliable tech can be had for 1/8 the price? Our Iridium Go cost me only $550 plus $135 for each month I choose to use it.

[akopac]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Great thread for those of us who are looking to upgrade from SSB.

Here are my needs, which can be handled via my unlimited cellular plan when in 4G range, but will I be able to do this (without frustration) using Iridium Go or NEXT?

1 Weather data is my priority. To download and overlay on the MFD

2 Simple texts to family/friends worldwide via WhatsApp or Messenger is enough. Voice is a bonus!

3 I need a reasonable Internet banking connection to download monthly Bank Account Statements in PDF Files (6 in total) which confirm autopayments of credit cards and Internet transfers.

They each have dedicated security devices, so I am not worried about unauthorized transfers, but if I am registering a New Payee and Transfer, I would need a solid data connection.

Being able to continue my only social addiction (CF) and to Google, is a Bonus

4 Business project emails are most happily on the wane, but I do need to stay in touch with corporate affairs as a director of a few companies that are managed by others. I can have the offices send me the documents to sign in small packets of 1mb.


....With the above needs, what hardware and plan should I be considering for 2019 cruising Western Pacific?

That said you can write the phone off your taxes.

[akopac]

Nobody has said anything about just using a raspberry pi zero tied to a HF radio receiver on a schedule to get wefax. Cheap no hassle. Easy

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

You must have missed my post where I pointed out that our 53 IS equipped with an SSB, weatherfax and a pc. Our 62 has all the wiring and antenna in place for an SSB, BUT after having used the mostly useless SSB, we’re now switching over to Iridium Go rather than throwing money ($1800 for a Pactor Dragon 4 alone) at old tech.

Why would anyone spend $2000-$4000 on outdated tech, when new and more reliable tech can be had for 1/8 the price? Our Iridium Go cost me only $550 plus $135 for each month I choose to use it.

There are a lot of good arguments for using Sat based comms, but your cost argument isn't one of them. A pactor 4 modem is usd$1650. At $135 a month for the Go you hit that amount in 12 months and the fees keep going.

[Pete7]

Have to admit that the speed I have been sending Dockhead e-mails and receiving replies in 15 minutes is impressive via iridium. Could be even quicker if I check more often.

Pete

[SATTim]

The GO is a great way to turn your smartphone in to a satellite phone, but has anyone explored the products that integrate the two devices in to one? It means you only have to worry about carrying one product and your smartphone is protected inside the satellite phone.