I have considered taking up a satellite phone when I am in the BDub especially when I have kids with me. I know several outfitters rent them per day. Any thoughts?

We have done so. One time the batteries drained really fast for some reason.

A couple of thoughts. Some of the outfitters are renting globalstar phones which no longer have continuous coverage in time due to loss of satellites. So in a truly life threatening emergency you might not get a call out for a while.

Other options are:

a marine radio. I've heard that the Forest Service monitors the emergency channel but do not know that for certain and so you should check.

a personal locator beacon. No 2-way communication but easy to use in an emergency.

I rented a spot and it worked perfectly. You can’t tell the ones at home about your big fish but you can tell them where you are and that you are ok or you need help or turn in a 911. It is about the size of a GPS you would ware on your waist. With a little up front planning you could come up with a code to tell your contacts more. An example might be send a need help (NOT A 911) then send two I’m ok’s lets them know you want to be picked up tomorrow at the pre planned time and location. I rented from http://www.trackme360.com/

I rented one last year when I took my 4 year old daughter on a trip. The problem w/ them is getting a good signal to call out. And the phone calls are very expensive.

on a trip to the Q my buddy rented one from the outfitter. he's sort of flush with the cash so he did not mind the $100 plus charge over the two week trip..he is sort of a gear-head and i think he just wanted to see how well it worked for a possible trip farther north in a few years..we only used it once when the three of us took turns calling home from Shelly Lake.we had to stand right by the lake away from the trees and move the phone around to get a good lock-on but when we did it worked fine..i had a good clear call to my wife but it sorted added to the "i miss you" factor,kind of like saying goodby all over again--heres a old phone story--at the wilderness scout camp i went to in the 50's they did not have a phone.when i was older and worked there i was told that having one increased the
homesickness among the boys and if we really needed one we had a key to let us into a marina down the lake.

We took a satellite phone on one of our earlier trips and won't do that again. Sat phones are big, heavy and unreliable (at least the one we rented). We now use a SPOT messenger device and really like it. The SPOT is small, light and does it's job well.

I have been on two portage clearing trips with Joe aka portage keeper. Joe has a globalstar sat phone.

As others have said the biggest problem with sat phones is finding and keeping a signal. You need to have a very clear view of the sky and often even campsites have too much cover to capture the satellites. You sometimes need to even get out on the water to get a signal from the canoe and if it is windy and blowing hard that might be very hard.

Also be sure your family knows that the calls will need to be short for cost as well as it is likely you will drop the call at some point. So they may have to know you are fine and you may be gone at a moments notice. Some evenings you may not be able to get through so just because they did not hear from you does not mean you are in trouble.

I would set a protocol for the call to get the primary info out quickly and follow up afterwards with more conversation if the call allows. Example-Say hi, all is fine and we are currently loctaed on X lake. Our plan is to get to Y lake tomorrow. Then you can talk about how things are at home, how the trip is going etc. But it is likely by the time you get to that you may not have a connection any longer.

I personnally think a SPOT tracking device works just as well, if not better for some cases. By having a plan on when you will send a SPOT signal you can coordinate movement as well as if you are stranded due to wind or storms so your family won't get nervous if you come out a day or two late. The SPOT probably does not work as well to get emergency help and for the repsonders to know what they will encounter, but for trip communication and progress I think the SPOT is actually a little more reliable then a Sat phone.

I traded in my $100 ebay globalstar that worked great for a upgraded smaller lighter better Globalstar that did not work well. I find out later that Globalstar is having some serious satellite issues.

Well Iridium, the Globalstar competitor had a deal where if you trade in your Globalstar phone you get a big discount on there new phone....so once again I bite.

It was a good trade, my Globalstar had a about a 10% chance of a successful hookup, my new Iridium has about a 97% chance of a successful hookup. It is more clear than my cell phone.

The one thing you need to remember is if you carry a Sat phone you need the real number of the emergency services, the phone does not know 911 from Zambia or Ely.

I like to call and tell my dad or wife where I am and how things are going, I also like the little safety factor. I call them up when I want and then turn the phone off, the battery easily last 2 wks doing this.

So bottom line, if you want a Sat phone Iridium is now the bomb, forget Globalstar.

MagicPaddler - maybe a dumb question, but do you have to wear the SPOT, or can you put it away inside a pack and have it still work OK?
Also, what does it cost to rent one of these for a week?

Howie-

Here is what we did.

When we awoke in the morning, when we stopped for lunch and when we made our camp at night we would place the spot on a rock or something and send its "OK" signal. That way our families could see we were OK at those times everyday. When we travelled it was put away in a ziplock in a thwart bag even though it claims to be waterproof.

I'm not sure if they are being rented yet. Might need to check on that with some outfitters.

Took one in 2006 when we went to Quetico. Both parents insisted becuase my wife was 4-5 months pregnant with the first highly anticipated Grandchild.

I rented it from a company here in the Twin Cities for $50 for 10 days.

I used it one time. The very first night when I caught a 42" Norton. Called home to tell everyone about it.

Here is what I found. For me not really necessary, but that is a personal choice--I can totally understand people wanting one. Reception is difficult. You need a clear view of the sky. To tell everyone about my Norton:) I had to stand on a rocky point and lean out over the water. Still took 4-5 attempts to get a lock.

I don't know if they are all like that, but realize that if you need the Sat Phone, it may not work in a low area or if you are not in a big clearing. If you watch all of the spy/special forces shows (like The Unit) they alwasy send someone to high ground/building top with nothing over the top when they call. I know it is only TV, but makes me suspect it is a common issue. Just realize if you are hurt badly you still may have to work/struggle to find a spot to get the phone working. Plan accordingly or discuss with your group ahead of time--don't wait for the injury to happen first. Just my experiences for what's it worth.

Tim

Iridium is the world's only truly global mobile satellite telephone and paging service. Featuring handheld phones weighing less than one pound, global coverage is provided by 66 low-earth-orbiting satellites, which allows users to make and receive calls virtually anywhere in the world, all you need is a clear line of site to the sky.

Rent sat phones