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Satellite Phone Feedback

Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 00:21

80seriescruiser

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Telstra wants $2,000 for the Motorola 9505a PLUS a minimum plan of $30 per month for at least 24 months. I bought a brand new 9505a from the US off e-bay for $1,250 delivered in my hand with NO plan. I will jam my 3G Telstra SIM card set with international roaming. For irregular phone calls, really for emergency only, its the best aleternative. Forget $2,000 plus another $720 in call plans that you won't be using. I don't see how Telstra can continue with their pricing policy. $2,720 in effect just to "get" the Motorola 9505a when you can buy one for half that from overseas and then put in a normal 3G SIM card.
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ThreadID: 51028 Replies: 7
Views: 1506 FollowUps: 4
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Thread Summary

AnswerID: 268867   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 00:25

96 GXL 80 series replied:

Dont know about your phone, but you will get some stick over your Name ? hope yours is not a 96 model?
Reply 1 of 7
FollowupID: 531672   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 09:09

PeterInSA posted:

I didn't think Telstra had a casual Plan eg where you can sign up for 3 months only, That's why I bought a phone off ebay that would work on Globalstar, 4 years ago.
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 268886   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 07:22

stocky replied:

be *VERY* careful doing it that way - call costs (from memory) using a non-sat sim card are MASSIVE (even compared to normal sat call costs!!!)

check it out - it may have changed - been a while since I looked

PS - while on sat phone topic - GSTAR have just launched 4 more sats that will be positioned over the next 4-8 weeks.
Reply 2 of 7
FollowupID: 531674   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 09:33

wilko65 posted:

Last call made on Telstra GSM sim card with international roaming in New Zealand cost $3.00 for less than 30 second call. My Iridium call cost is 50 cent connection and 99 cents per 30 seconds after that. $2.50 for first minute then $2.00 / minute after that.
GSM Sim card must be enabled for global roaming and as such cannot be prepaid.
My iridium phone works well and have never had a problem with making or recieving a call. Even worked through almost blizzard conditions when it was alomost impossible to see 100 feet in front of me.
Wouldn't be with out it.
FollowUp 1 of 2
FollowupID: 531675   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 09:35

wilko65 posted:

Last call made on Telstra GSM sim card with international roaming in New Zealand cost $3.00 for less than 30 second call. My Iridium call cost is 50 cent connection and 99 cents per 30 seconds after that. $2.50 for first minute then $2.00 / minute after that.
GSM Sim card must be enabled for global roaming and as such cannot be prepaid.
My iridium phone works well and have never had a problem with making or recieving a call. Even worked through almost blizzard conditions when it was alomost impossible to see 100 feet in front of me.
Wouldn't be with out it.
FollowUp 2 of 2
AnswerID: 268906   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 09:41

traveller2 replied:

Calls made wiith a normal sim on international roaming through a sat phone are approx twice the cost of a normal Iridium call on my 9500 satphone. But in an emergency who cares?
Look around for s/hand phone, they can be picked up for considerably less.
Reply 3 of 7
AnswerID: 268913   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 11:16

marq replied:

TR Telecom is minimum 4 months for $30/mth or $15/mth in standby. They can match Telstra's price for the handset.

After the 4 months you can do what you wish with the handset.
Reply 4 of 7
AnswerID: 268918   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 12:16

Bob Y. - Qld replied:


cruiser,

Bride & I bought one through Telstra while the subsidy was still going. Cost $500 and are on a $50/month plan. Get $20 of calls free each month, so often we are only paying for the rental.

As we are in an isolated area, and our Telstra land line is often u/s, this s'phone has been a good buy. Also have a company Globalstar s'phone, and it's better to use, BUT you can rarely get a signal, and they are sudden-death with overdue accounts.

Have also used it at 2 vehicle incidents, one involving some injurys, so it has helped others as well.

Also now ready for the big trip, with some reliable?? communications.

Hooroo...


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Reply 5 of 7
AnswerID: 268926   Submitted: Monday, Oct 29, 2007 at 13:32

Dean replied:

3G?, or do you mean gsm, only one will work. When GSM is phased out the word is Telstra will retune the system so that Next G will work in an 9505A phone, not for a while though.
Dean
Reply 6 of 7
FollowupID: 531892   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007 at 08:11

Member - Olcoolone (S.A) posted:

Are they going to phase out GSM.. that will take the 3G system down as well and 4G when it becomes avaliable.

Have you heard what they will use in it's place as GSM.

Regards Richard
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FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 269069   Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007 at 08:19

Member - bushfix replied:

i use a Thrane & Thrane notebook style jobbie via Inmarsat. Great unit, cost me $170 off ebay and I am not on a contract. Pay $2.60/min for phone calls so if I am not using it, I don't pay.

yeah it is abot 8 yrs old but does the job and did not cost me an arm and a leg.
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my wife & kids, the bush...
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Reply 7 of 7