About Inmarsat IsatPhone 2

1. How do I perform a firmware upgrade on an IsatPhone 2?
Detailed instructions on how to perform the firmware upgrade on your IsatPhone 2 can be found by clicking here.   If you are uncomfortable performing the firmware upgrade yourself, Outfitter Satellite is happy to do it for you but there will be shipping and technical support charges. Before sending your equipment back to us for the firmware upgrade, please fill in our online RMA form.

2. What does Short Messaging (SMS) Cost?
Inbound email-to-text or web message-to-text messages are FREE. Outbound SMS messages are charged according to the rates shown in your Service Agreement. An outbound SMS message may be undelivered because of problems on the receiving side of the communication such as mail filters or mail-box-full errors or incorrectly typed addresses. For this reason, outbound messages are billed per recipient whether or not they are deliverable. It is also important to understand that each individual outbound message has a maximum size of 160 Latin characters (or about 74 non-Latin characters). Up to 10 outbound messages can be concatenated to form a 1600-character "long" message which would be billed separately as a series of 160-character maximum regular SMS messages.

3. What accessories are available for the IsatPhone 2?
A watertight Pelican case is a good choice for wet environments.  Docking stations are available for vehicular and in-building applications. Some docking stations support an RJ-11 telephone connection. The docking stations can be used with a variety of antennas, including a fixed passive antenna, a low-profile vehicular antenna, and a marine pole-mount mast antenna. Antenna cables from 6 to 50 meters are available. The Optimizer is a good accessory if you sending or receiving email or sharing photos.

4. Can I send a Text Message to Another Satellite Phone or Cell Phone?
Yes, you can send a text message to other mobile phones. To do this, use the "Left Selection" key to enter the "Menu". Select the "Envelope" icon. Then, select the "New Message" option. Select the "Text" option. Enter the mobile number to which you wish to send the SMS message. For example, to send an SMS to a U.S. cellular phone with mobile number (615)123-4567, you would enter the following number: 00 + Country code + Area code and Mobile Number : 0016151234567. After you have entered your message, use the Left Selection Key. Highlight and select Send. The phone should indicate that the message is sent. Message delivery normally takes several minutes. (Hint: if you need special characters like @ or & press the * key on the LCD screen which will review the extended character menu.)

5. How do you access email or the internet?
Inmarsat GSPS phones, such as the IsatPhone 2, offer very slow internet access (typically 1800 to a maximum of 2400 bps) which is suitable for light email applications if you use specialized software. For comparison, Iridium handheld satellite phones typically achieve 2400 to 2800 bps. If you would be satisfied with short text based emails of 160 characters or less, the IsatPhone 2 can send an email message to any address. It has built in email-to-text capability that allows it to receive emails at [email protected] (where 870xxxxxxxxx represents the IsatPhone 2 mobile number). If you need to send an email with attachments, Outfitter Satellite offers the Optimizer Hotspot and specialized software to support email over the IsatPhone 2 or other slow internet connections. A good choice for broadband applications such as web browsing is an Iridium Certus terminal.

6. How do I get the prepaid balance of my IsatPhone 2?
If the IsatPhone 2 has a prepaid SIM card, you can get the prepaid balance by entering your balance enquiry code, *106# and pressing the green key . Your current balance and expiry date will be shown on the screen.

7. How do I send a GPS-enabled personal alert to my friends?
In the event of a critical situation, the IsatPhone 2 has a "Assistance Button". This button can be configured either to call a specific phone number or to send one or more emails or texts to a pre-configured list of recipients with Last GPS fix and time and the time that the alert was triggered on the phone. Please refer to the manual for instructions.

8. My IsatPhone 2 keeps on turning off and then back on again. What do I do?
If this is happening, there are a number of possible reasons. The IsatPhone 2 has extreme weather resistance features including an O-ring around the battery contacts. Sometimes the O-ring makes it hard to get the battery to seat against the electrical contacts. So, try removing the battery. Make sure it is clean. Then put it back into the phone and make sure to push down firmly. It is also possible you need to update your firmware. If that does not work, you probably need to return your IsatPhone 2 to Outfitter Satellite. Before sending your equipment back to us, please call our Customer Service team for additional assistance and then fill in our online RMA form.

9. How do I send an email or text message to the IsatPhone 2?
The easiest method of sending an SMS to the IsatPhone is by using the Inmarsat email-to-text service Simply send an email to [email protected] (where 870xxxxxxxxx is your IsatPhone PRO mobile number).

10. How do I make calls from my IsatPhone to a landline or cellphone and is there a free test number?

From the IsatPhone, you will dial 00 and the country code and number. For example, the phone number of Outfitter Satellite in the US is 615-889-8833. The country code of the US and Canada is 1. So to call Outfitter Satellite from the IsatPhone, you would dial 0016158898833. To make a free test call from your IsatPhone, dial +870 776 999 999. After the call goes through, you will hear a recorded message confirming the call has been made successfully. You can then hang up.

11. How do I make calls to my IsatPhone from a landline?
You will be making an international call to the 870 country code. From a US landline, you would dial 011870xxxxxxxxx, where 870xxxxxxxxx is the mobile number of the Isatphone. The call will be billed to the party making the call by their own long distance carrier. Be warned that very high per minute costs, often exceeding $10 per minute are common. An alternative way to communicate to the IsatPhone would be to send an SMS message to the IsatPhone. There is no charge to receive SMS messages on the IsatPhone.

12. Are there any countries that block Inmarsat GSPS service?
Due to the continuously changing regulations that exist in various countries, Outfitter Satellite cannot give legal advice about whether a particular satellite or cellular phone is legal and approved for the region or country. Some countries, like Russia, may want you to register your satellite phone if you are making a short visit using the satellite phone.