Best economical Sat phone for SHTF

[vintagedude88]

I did a search and found this thread:

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=310077

However, it really isn't what I am looking for and its dated.

There's been so much talk about SHTF in regards to firearms but hardly anyone talks about having the ability to stay communicated with others in such an event. The earthquake in Japan showed us how cell phone service is so easily compromised in a disaster.

http://news.techworld.com/mobile-wireless/3264889/mobile-phone-service-knocked-out-in-japan-quake/

That's why I am looking at getting a Satcom phone for when the SHTF happens. I am looking to maintain it continuously on a monthly emergency service call plan. Something with low monthly cost but high per minute usage rates. (In a disaster it doesn't matter if that call is costing you $1/min or $5/min).

I've read about Globalstar, Inmarsat and Iridium. If anyone knows of another service please inform me. The costs seems to be most economical with Globalstar to the most costly (handset wise) with the Iridium. The Inmarsat is somewhere in between. From what I have read about the service, you kind of get what you pay for. However, there has been talk about Globalstar launching more satellites to bring up the reliability of their service. Not sure if that really has happened or will happen, if anyone can comment on that I would appreciate it.

Also the new Inmarsat phone is half the price of a comparable Iridium phone. There was talk that competition may bring down the price of Iridium making it more accessible. If anyone can comment on that I would appreciate it as well.

[JDay]

HAM radio is a much better solution. With a sat phone the person you call needs to have working phone service, you can also make phone calls over HAM radio (phone patch).

[GrizzlyGuy]

I'd look at Inmarsat.

I have a Globalstar sat phone and you can't count on it. Their satellites are having problems and the new ones aren't operational yet. This means that you can only use the phone sporadically throughout the day. That's not good enough for emergency purposes IMHO. They even give you this online tool so that you can see when your phone will and won't work. Give it a try and you'll see what I mean.

I carry sat phone, 2m/70cm ham radio, SPOT and a cell phone whenever I'm riding my ATV out in the woods. For emergency use I count on them in this order:

SPOT
Ham Radio
Cell Phone
Globalstar phone

If your idea of SHTF is a long-term TEOTWAWKI situation, then become a ham and learn Morse Code. Long after all the emergency power systems for the cell sites and most repeaters have failed, and people don't have enough power budget to support the relatively high power transmissions you need for reliable SSB, we'll be happily communicating nationwide and worldwide on very low power CW (Morse Code).

[ubet]

I used globalstar for 3 years as my only way of communicating, let me put this the best I can, THEY ****ING SUCK!!!! If it came between to tin cans with a string, and global star, hook me up with some tin cans. They are ridiculously expesive, like said, their service sucks, and call quality, well, its horrid too, I have nothing good to say about them.

[kojak5150]

Ham Radio