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Zoleo Satellite Communicator


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Hi Flakmagnet

Sounds interesting, what dose it cost to use and subscribe?

I use a inmarsat sat sleve that caddies onto a smart phone.

Its very expensive but needed insurance when working remote.

It is a little known fact that in Australia the real average recovery time for an eperb is about 12hrs! Where as the average recovery time for a sat phone is under an hour.

If bitten by a Brown or Taipan you have around an hour before you go blind... I know what I would rather have!

 

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I use a Garmin InReach Mini.  It too can Bluetooth to your phone and use through an app that Garmin has or you can send a text just through the device itself. The recipient does not need to have the garmin app, it just texts to their phone. It has other features to but I don’t pay for them. The subscription plan that I use is the basic one and it’s about $12 a month. 

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Dale, this will have the information put more clearly. Hope you guys
are doing well.

https://www.zoleo.com/en-us/satellite-communicator/

I have used Garmin products since 1999  and love them.
At this point, I like Zoleo better than a Garmin Mini.
I am not trying to say anything negative about Garmin. 

These communicators are personal preference items. I am not trying to change anyone's mind about what to use. What I am trying to do is to inform people there is another product available that - in my opinion - has merit.  

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I purchased one 2 years ago and I have no complaints with it.  I only use it 2 to 3 months a year and really love the fact that I don't have to pay the full monthly fee which is $20 a month for basic service when I am not using it as you can suspend it and only have to pay $4 a month to keep it active.

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18 hours ago, Gold Hound said:

If bitten by a Brown or Taipan you have around an hour before you go blind... I know what I would rather have!

 

I have an inReach device and have looked at the Zoleo.  The Zoleo is easier to use.  Both are good devices to be carrying off grid.  BUT, if I were bitten by a Brown or Taipan 😮 I would want the satellite phone to actually talk to someone rather than fiddling with a device and smartphone trying send text messages.

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2 hours ago, hawkeye said:

BUT, if I were bitten by a Brown or Taipan 😮 I would want the satellite phone to actually talk to someone rather than fiddling with a device and smartphone trying send text messages.

I use the Garmin Inreach Explorer+ for tracking and 2 way text messaging, so my family can always track and reach me. It does not add at all to EMI when in standby mode. Only when it transmits my location I hear it as a warble. I set it to 15 min interval, so that's a small price to pay for added peace of mind.  But I also carry my Iridium Extreme Sat Phone with me. For exactly the reasons as stated above. But i leave it switched off and only use it for emergencies, like for wishing my daughter good night when I am on a mission at worlds end😀. Also, I use the GEOS global rescue insurance. Small anual fee but USD 100k coverage. Helicopter rescues can be expensive (easily > USD 30k)! Btw, they operate worldwide. I can highly recommend them. The zoleo uses the iridium network too, so from a performance perspective it should not be any different to the Garmin devices. But as Dave said, this all depends on personal preference.

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On 12/14/2021 at 2:12 AM, Gold Hound said:

Hi Flakmagnet

Sounds interesting, what dose it cost to use and subscribe?

I use a inmarsat sat sleve that caddies onto a smart phone.

Its very expensive but needed insurance when working remote.

It is a little known fact that in Australia the real average recovery time for an eperb is about 12hrs! Where as the average recovery time for a sat phone is under an hour.

If bitten by a Brown or Taipan you have around an hour before you go blind... I know what I would rather have!

 

I remember when I got to OZ with my new super dooper Epirb—- the latest greatest 406

Tremain and you looked at it attached to my harness with a noticeable amount of amusement.....

I said what’s so funny and one of you said——

We see you brought along your “body recovery system”........
 

The WA Taskmaster was not as delicate in his description of the piece of equipment... 
“Get that bloody f..g thing off before someone I know sees you with it—— hahaha

Maybe a new trip in 2022 ???

Covid is ruining my retirement plans!

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12 hours ago, Gold Catcher said:

I use the Garmin Inreach Explorer+ for tracking and 2 way text messaging, so my family can always track and reach me. It does not add at all to EMI when in standby mode. Only when it transmits my location I hear it as a warble. I set it to 15 min interval, so that's a small price to pay for added peace of mind.  But I also carry my Iridium Extreme Sat Phone with me. For exactly the reasons as stated above. But i leave it switched off and only use it for emergencies, like for wishing my daughter good night when I am on a mission at worlds end😀. Also, I use the GEOS global rescue insurance. Small anual fee but USD 100k coverage. Helicopter rescues can be expensive (easily > USD 30k)! Btw, they operate worldwide. I can highly recommend them. The zoleo uses the iridium network too, so from a performance perspective it should not be any different to the Garmin devices. But as Dave said, this all depends on personal preference.

I keep a ACR ResqLink PLB with me that doesn't require a service subscription, but it is only for dire emergencies and can not be used for messaging.  The Garmin sounds like a good idea for breakdowns and safety check-in’s.  I used to use a Spot for work, but the tracking feature was pretty expensive for it. Is the tracking feature very expensive for the Garmin?

Hey, add me to your family account so I can get in on that tracking you stuff in the goldfields too! 😉

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