Iridium

Off-the-Grid Adventurer Spook Spann Recommends Iridium GO!

How Does Iridium Work?

Global coverage is accomplished using a sophisticated mesh network of 66 cross-linked Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites in polar orbits about 781 km above the earth. Iridium performs call switching in space instead of on earth so that the call path is unaffected by local earth weather conditions. Since Iridium satellites are relatively close to the earth, the call latency experienced by Iridium users is almost unnoticeable compared to the latency experienced by callers using the Inmarsat or Thuraya satellite networks that use geostationary satellites.

In 2019, the second-generation of Iridium satellites (called Iridium NEXT) entered commercial service. Iridium continues to support the 850,000 existing Iridium subscriptions on existing Iridium equipment, but Iridium NEXT satellites will support additional capabilities including Iridium Certus terminals with dramatically faster internet speeds.

Iridium Handheld Satellite Phones

• Iridium 9575 Extreme: This is the current state-of-the-art handheld Iridium satellite phone. In addition to voice calling, texting, email-to-text, and 2400 bps data, it also has extreme weather resistance, special diamond grip armor, GPS features including personal tracking capability, and an S.O.S. button. The S.O.S. feature lets you push a single button to both send a text with your GPS position and initiate a phone call to your designated emergency contact. We recommend that you use the S.O.S. feature to contact GEOS emergency response which is an emergency service included with every active subscription.

• Iridium 9555: This is the economical work horse of the Iridium satellite phone family. Outfitter Satellite rents this model and offers used Iridium 9555 phones at a significant discount with a 6-month warranty.

• Iridium GO!® Hotspot: This pocket-sized battery powered hotspot lets you take your smart phone or tablet virtually anywhere. Make phone calls, send texts or emails, share photos -- even send automated GPS location reports so your friends and family can know your location in case of an emergency. Just download two free apps into your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet and start communicating. Up to 5 smart phones can use the Iridium GO! at one time though only one voice line is available. The Iridium GO! has a slow 2400 bps data speed so Outfitter Satellite does not recommend it for web browsing or other high speed internet applications. The Iridium GO! also has a one-touch S.O.S. feature so that you can call and simultaneously transmit your position in case of a dire emergency. The S.O.S. button can be used to initiate a call to any emergency phone number you wish, but we recommend that you use it to connect to GEOS emergency response which is included with every active subscription.

Iridium Docking Stations and External Antennas

Iridium Docking Stationsare useful for in-building and vehicular applications. We offer docks for the Iridium 9575 Extreme, Iridium 9555, and Iridium 9505A. If you need a portable docking station that can be moved from vehicle to vehicle, we offer the RapidSAT for the Iridium 9555. Various docking stations are available with different features. The popular BEAM PotsDock has an RJ-11 phone port, a Mini-USB data port, Bluetooth, and an optional privacy handset. It runs on wall power or DC vehicle power. The following external antennas are available for use with any of these docking stations:

• Marine Mast Antenna with 10, 20 and 30-meter antenna cables
• Low-Profile Car Antenna with 5-meter cable
• Dual-Mode Iridium-GPS Antenna with 6-meter cable set
• Aero Patch Antenna with 15 foot cable set
• Active Antenna (please call for antenna cable length options)