24 Canadian Yachting JUNE 2017
Because of the distance to the Inmarsat satellites, you get the
two second delay we are familiar with when watching foreign
correspondents nodding their heads on the evening news. As
both Iridium and Globalstar have a low earth orbit, they do not
have any delay.
Picking the right sat phone and plan can be a bit daunting as
there are a myriad of them to choose from. In this regard, the
satellite companies do not take a back seat to mobile suppliers.
The main thing is to establish just how much communication
ability you really need. Plans can get expensive quickly.
Finton Robb is marketing manager for Globalstar Canada.
He points out that while there is rapid development in software
applications, things move more slowly in the field of satellite
communications. It takes a massive effort and financial invest-
ment to launch satellites. Finton says Globalstar has emerged as
a leader with the launch of their low earth orbit satellites in- Low earth orbit satellites give excellent voice quality with
little or no time lag.
As an example, Globalstar considers the GSP 1700 sat
phone its workhorse model, retailing for $499. Plans are flexible
and can be purchased for short periods of time so you don’t pay
for access you are not using.
MAKE YOUR SMARTPHONE AT LOT SMARTER
The ubiquity of smartphones means that increasingly, people
want to work with one device, with their smartphone being the
primary device for information and communication. Both
Globalstar and Iridium have released systems that allow you to
use your smartphone for remote locations.The Skymate Communications
system is from Iridium.AALSMEER, HOLLAND^ Q^ THOMASTON, MAINE^ Q^ ABERDEEN, HONG KONG
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