Satellite Phones

[NMWildcat]

We boondock mostly, and backpack a great deal. All in areas where there is no cell, and canyons block even gps most of the time. Gila National Forest and Wilderness Area mostly.

We relish the disconnection.

If there is ever an emergency, hopefully a rancher or ranger comes along. If not, guess we will deal with it as best we can, like always

Would not ever consider a sat phone.

[Cypressloser]

740,000 people in a state 2.5 times the size of Texas with only a few thousand north of the Arctic Circle.
Your best bet to connect to the outside world in mountainous terrain with the nearest town possibly hundreds of miles away is a sat phone with GPS transmitter in case of an emergency and emergencies can pop up out of nowhere in the wilderness where a human being can freeze to death in a matter of minutes.

[BandJCarm]

I'm not disparaging the guy, I admire him actually. But making decisions based on others' experiences seems to go out the window when the guy is discussing taking a travel trailer north of the Arctic Circle! I don't think that's very apropos to most of us.

[BigWil]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

I'm not disparaging the guy, I admire him actually. But making decisions based on others' experiences seems to go out the window when the guy is discussing taking a travel trailer north of the Arctic Circle! I don't think that's very apropos to most of us.

And that's why I haven't discussed that much. Travel trailer will be used in the summer when it's decent. When it gets damn cold, we will leave the trailer behind and make arrangements for drop off and pick up (can't leave the truck out in -40 weather, as it probably won't start without a block heater and battery blanket).

The only reason I brought it up in this thread is that, in some circumstances, a sat phone is pretty much a requirement, not cell phones or ham radios. It won't get used much, but when it's needed, it's worth it's weight in diamonds. (pun intended)

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by BigWil

And that's why I haven't discussed that much. Travel trailer will be used in the summer when it's decent. When it gets damn cold, we will leave the trailer behind and make arrangements for drop off and pick up (can't leave the truck out in -40 weather, as it probably won't start without a block heater and battery blanket).

The only reason I brought it up in this thread is that, in some circumstances, a sat phone is pretty much a requirement, not cell phones or ham radios. It won't get used much, but when it's needed, it's worth it's weight in diamonds. (pun intended)

Sounds like quite the adventure, good luck and stay safe.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by BigWil

I've done lots of research, have experienced outdoors-men to teach me the rest. Ham radio is not very prevalent in the backpacker/hiker community, due to the weight of the gear. Spot is very common, as is sat phones. Keep in mind that we are talking about hundreds of km away from people in harsh terrain, rough hills, cliffs, etc, which is not conducive to good transmissions. I'm already putting together an appropriate first aid kit (including GSW kit) for that environment, as well as gear purchases. I haven't discussed it much here due to this being an RV based site, but the trailer will be used as a base camp for hikes, fishing and hunting trips, etc.

Just a thought, but in sailing they have ERIPS. That's a emergency locator which is either activated by a person or water. I think they have the same thing for backpackers, I know they have them for back country skiers. You should start a thread on your extreme camping and RVing. Very interesting.

[BigWil]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

Just a thought, but in sailing they have ERIPS. That's a emergency locator which is either activated by a person or water. I think they have the same thing for backpackers, I know they have them for back country skiers. You should start a thread on your extreme camping and RVing. Very interesting.

That's where the Spot system the guys are talking about comes in play. What we are considering doing is going with a Spot system for all the people going on these hikes, except for one person. That person would carry a sat phone in a waterproof case inside their parka. The extreme camping isn't a go yet, waiting to hear if my transfer comes in. I'm currently in Ontario, Canada, but hoping to be moving to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. I can definitely start a thread when the time comes, if you guys would like.

[270S]

How is cell coverage in Glacier, Yellowstone and other National Parks or local private campgrounds near the NPs? Wife wants to get sat - looked into it by borrowing friends and purchasing air time for apx $125 for 75 minutes 30 days then loose it if not used.

[Witch Doctor]

Sounds exciting, I always found planning was always fun to do, it just keeps building in you. I should say that my sailing days are over, that was 20 years ago, but what a adventure. Lucky we did it then and never listen to the people who said we should have waited we would never have done it. So I say go for it. Today there are so many more options then 20 years ago. I think at that time cell phones were in there infincey and Satilightphones were almost only for the rich, never heard of spot before. Yes keep us informed on your progress and about the trailer you were talking about. Your going to make memories that some can only dream of.

[W5CI]

This is an entertaining thread, What did all of you guys do before Cell Phones. They haven't been around all that long. I got my first one in 1989. I can now go weeks without using a cell phone. Its almost as entertaining as discussion of the Weight Police

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by W5CI

This is an entertaining thread, What did all of you guys do before Cell Phones. They haven't been around all that long. I got my first one in 1989. I can now go weeks without using a cell phone. Its almost as entertaining as discussion of the Weight Police

I give you that, cell phones can be more annoying than anything but think about it they are still finding the remains of people that went missing weeks, years or even decades ago, what if they would have had, let's say a satellite phone to connect to the outside world when they were in trouble.

[KenandCarol]

Originally Posted by W5CI

This is an entertaining thread, What did all of you guys do before Cell Phones. They haven't been around all that long. I got my first one in 1989. I can now go weeks without using a cell phone. Its almost as entertaining as discussion of the Weight Police

Not everyone who RVs and who's on these forums are out camping for a week or two. Some are full time and performing their careers out of their RV. For them having cell service and internet is essential for their livelihood. Granted, they will be staying where connectivity is available.
Just saying...

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by KenandCarol

Not everyone who RVs and who's on these forums are out camping for a week or two. Some are full time and performing their careers out of their RV. For them having cell service and internet is essential for their livelihood. Granted, they will be staying where connectivity is available.
Just saying...

When I started the thread I was more interested in those who went into the more remote areas than those who merely went from built up campground to campground. My desire is to find places where it's a good idea to scout the road before taking the trailer up it and then hang out for a couple weeks before moving. When much younger I found a whole bunch of places like that while riding forest service roads on my dirt bike. Old logging sites make for a nice personal campground with deer and other wildlife making regular visits.

My idea of "getting away from it all" is to do just that, get away from it all and that often means camping in areas where the "population density" may be 1 person per 20 square miles. Certainly not profitable territory for a Cell Phone company.

As for amateur radio, I'm not unfamiliar with it and it's capabilities. Had an uncle who was somewhat a pioneer in the field (W7CD). The gear capable of long range communications is not pocket sized and the smaller 2-Meter sets rely on repeaters which are not necessarily on every mountain top.

My question was really "Does anyone carry a Sat Phone during their travels".

[Mountndream]

Originally Posted by 270S

How is cell coverage in Glacier, Yellowstone and other National Parks or local private campgrounds near the NPs? Wife wants to get sat - looked into it by borrowing friends and purchasing air time for apx $125 for 75 minutes 30 days then loose it if not used.

for AT&T service

in glacier, Apgar on the has cell service. Thats about it. West side, you may or may not get service in Saint Mary. reliable service can be had in town of East Glacier or Browning

Yellowstone has decent service near old faithful, and Mammoth/ Hot Springs. Other areas, not really. if I need to make a call while there, i can use a pay phone.

a Sat phone would be really expensive investment when there are payphone in almost every NPS campground. and if they don't have a phone, chances are you wont get your camper in that place either

[sherman12]

Before cell phones, the next town and a pay phone, if you had change.

[BandJCarm]

Before cell phones, there were no fifth wheels.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by BigWil

That's where the Spot system the guys are talking about comes in play. What we are considering doing is going with a Spot system for all the people going on these hikes, except for one person. That person would carry a sat phone in a waterproof case inside their parka. The extreme camping isn't a go yet, waiting to hear if my transfer comes in. I'm currently in Ontario, Canada, but hoping to be moving to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. I can definitely start a thread when the time comes, if you guys would like.

It sounds like this is more of a job thing, and not a one-time vacation thing. (I'm guessing some kind of guide?) In that case, sure, a Sat Phone probably makes perfect sense.

But I wouldn't rule out a ham either. Anyone who uses Satellite TV knows that a good storm can knock them out. I believe the same is true of Sat phones. Ham on the other hand, can achieve better range in some storms.

My handheld dual band ham wasn't much bigger than my current iPhone, if you minus the whip. Since you're going to be pulling a trailer up there for your base camp, you can bring your own repeater with you. That way you don't have to worry about the range of the handheld reaching civilization, you just have to worry about the range of the handheld reaching your trailer. At that point, the more powerful transmitter of the repeater has a better shot of reaching somebody else than your handheld ever would have.

For your situation, I'd recommend travelling with both. In those kinds of environments you're going to want redundancy. Use the sat phone if you can, and the Ham as a backup. And, as an added measure, you can use the ham for calls back to the base camp, if you're going to have it manned.

[BigWil]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

It sounds like this is more of a job thing, and not a one-time vacation thing. (I'm guessing some kind of guide?) In that case, sure, a Sat Phone probably makes perfect sense.

But I wouldn't rule out a ham either. Anyone who uses Satellite TV knows that a good storm can knock them out. I believe the same is true of Sat phones. Ham on the other hand, can achieve better range in some storms.

My handheld dual band ham wasn't much bigger than my current iPhone, if you minus the whip. Since you're going to be pulling a trailer up there for your base camp, you can bring your own repeater with you. That way you don't have to worry about the range of the handheld reaching civilization, you just have to worry about the range of the handheld reaching your trailer. At that point, the more powerful transmitter of the repeater has a better shot of reaching somebody else than your handheld ever would have.

For your situation, I'd recommend travelling with both. In those kinds of environments you're going to want redundancy. Use the sat phone if you can, and the Ham as a backup. And, as an added measure, you can use the ham for calls back to the base camp, if you're going to have it manned.

I'm Canadian military, and will most likely be relocating. I also write for a Canadian tactical blog that we want to move more into the survival side of things. Plus, the cost of living is fairly high, so cutting down on grocery costs by hunting and fishing only makes sense. By combining all aspects of the plan, I will be out most weekends.

[Witch Doctor]

What is the address of the Blog? Would like to read some stuff about our Northern Neighbors.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Forest River Forums mobile app

[BigWil]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

What is the address of the Blog? Would like to read some stuff about our Northern Neighbors.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Forest River Forums mobile app

PM me for a link if you are interested.

Some of it is more law enforcement oriented, but there is a pretty wide variety of content.