Sat phone versus walkie-talkie

[bpaikman]

Bob likes to take hikes in the wilderness ....well traveled areas so it's not like he's not going off unmarked trail.
But he is thinking about a sat phone, And I couldn't find much about them on this forum. I've done some research and I understand there are of course, expenses beyond this phone itself. I'm wondering if a walkie-talkie would do the job. However we are usually in the mountains of Colorado, Montana. I'm not sure how well a walkie-talkie would go. Anyone have experience?

 

[B52Bombardier1]

Who would be operating the other walkie that you don't possess? What frequency? These small radios are all generally low powered and line of sight in their signalling unless you are hitting a nearby hilltop repeater station.

If you want a dependable connection, stick with your sat phone idea even with it being more expensive.

Rick

 

[bpaikman]

It's a fairly popular area but it is mostly public lands (NFS) and I don't know if there would be a repeater

 

[ARD]

I do a lot of hiking alone and I have a Garmin In Reach. It has SAT texting and a SOS in the event of an emergency. Depending on the model, you can track him as he hikes. Here is the one I have, but there are several models to choose from, as well as different plans.

Garmin inReach Explorer®+ | Satellite Communicator with TOPO Maps

inReach Explorer®+ is a satellite communicator featuring TOPO maps. This device is your go-to connection for off-the-grid contact.

www.garmin.com

 

[Rich W.]

I know there is already enough info here from people with more knowledge then me, but here‘s my experience. Handheld radios for the private sector, such as FRS, are line of sight and while they may advertise a fairly long range, are really only good for a mile or two, and then only if there are no physical obstructions. But they are cheap and quite handy within their limitations.

In the fire service we had more powerful and elaborate hand held radios, but still typically had to fly portable repeaters to mountain tops if we wanted to communicate with command personnel from the fire line. Regardless of how wonderful and complicated they made our radios, they were still line of sight.

A sat phone is good almost anywhere you can see the sky. The exceptions wont apply to you. I used one when sailing out at sea too far from land for a marine radio. This was for safety reasons and because I often had crew members who wanted to keep in touch with family when we would otherwise be out of contact for a week or more.

Obviously the sat phone solution is much more expensive but also much more useful. You might be able to get a deal on one from a company that rents them. When I was using them, they sold off their previous generation models for around $600. This was 15 years ago so Im sure things have changed, but back then incoming calls, and text messages in both directions, were free so it was easy to keep the bill for usage down.

 

[Rich W.]

If you want to go with sat phone, try these guys in San Diego - they still have the same type of plan I mentioned above. Rental would be a good way to see if its for you. They also have good prices on phones if you want to own one.

Satellite Phone Store - Sat Phone Rentals & Services - Worldwide Coverage

Satellite Phone Store is the largest sat phone provider with brands including Iridium, Globalstar, Thuraya, Inmarsat, Intellian & more

satellitephonestore.com

 

[bpaikman]

I know there is already enough info here from people with more knowledge then me, but here‘s my experience. Handheld radios for the private sector, such as FRS, are line of sight and while they may advertise a fairly long range, are really only good for a mile or two, and then only if there are no physical obstructions. But they are cheap and quite handy within their limitations.

In the fire service we had more powerful and elaborate hand held radios, but still typically had to fly portable repeaters to mountain tops if we wanted to communicate with command personnel from the fire line. Regardless of how wonderful and complicated they made our radios, they were still line of sight.

A sat phone is good almost anywhere you can see the sky. The exceptions wont apply to you. I used one when sailing out at sea too far from land for a marine radio. This was for safety reasons and because I often had crew members who wanted to keep in touch with family when we would otherwise be out of contact for a week or more.

Obviously the sat phone solution is much more expensive but also much more useful. You might be able to get a deal on one from a company that rents them. When I was using them, they sold off their previous generation models for around $600. This was 15 years ago so Im sure things have changed, but back then incoming calls, and text messages in both directions, were free so it was easy to keep the bill for usage down.

Very useful infor - thanks!

 

[bpaikman]

If you want to go with sat phone, try these guys in San Diego - they still have the same type of plan I mentioned above. Rental would be a good way to see if its for you. They also have good prices on phones if you want to own one.

Satellite Phone Store - Sat Phone Rentals & Services - Worldwide Coverage

Satellite Phone Store is the largest sat phone provider with brands including Iridium, Globalstar, Thuraya, Inmarsat, Intellian & more

satellitephonestore.com

Thanks - I will.