This thread has been an enjoyable read , particularly hearing how radios are used in other countries and the differing legislative requirements and regulations that people operate them under.
I’ve spent over 40 years working in the remote areas of Australia, Africa and Asia Pacific. How one has communicated, particularly in an emergency, has changed markedly with the advent of mobile phones and satellites. Thankfully it's no longer HF radios and poor atmospherics with Morse code pushing of the emergency RFDS button to relay that all was OK.
Currently I use the following devices when I travel, which these days is within Australia.
- Mobile phone, presently an iPhone SE2 with a Telstra SIM. For international readers, Telstra, for better or worse, has the best mobile coverage in Australia away from the major population centres. $300/year prepaid plan.
- Convoy and local comms. A UHF CB in the vehicle and a 2w handset for local wandering.
- A PLB for real life threatening emergencies.
- Satellite phone. A basic Thuraya XT-Lite sat phone on a $16.50/month casual plan through Pivotel, an Australian provider.
- Thuraya have Australia wide coverage and the phone can be purchased online for $900-$1000.
- Pivotel offer you the huge advantage of a standard Australia mobile number so anyone can call you at little or no charge.
- They don’t charge for incoming calls and outgoing call/SMS costs are reasonable ($1/min and 50 cents/SMS). You can also suspend the service between trips at a reduced rate of $7.50 per month, without losing your number.
- The disadvantage of Thuraya system is you need to have a clear view of the sky to the NW and point the antenna in that direction. In SE Australia the satellite will be lower to the horizon, which may make reception difficult in hilly areas. Also, if you are an international traveler, they don’t cover the Americas or southern Africa.
- The XT-Lite handset is very basic, much like the mobiles of old, so back to pecking texts on a keypad and no apps! It does have a GPS though and you can text your location in an emergency.
- I recommend, if your budget permits, buying:
- An external vehicle antenna. This will improve your reception, particularly if you aren’t facing in the right direction.
- A standard wired mic/earphone headset with a 3.5mm 4 pole plug, which will allow more comfortable usage.
I did look at the Spot, Zoleo and Garmin inReach emergency SMS systems, but given the hardware and ongoing subscription plan costs, I decided that the Satphone and PLB together offered a better overall functionality.
I haven’t considered internet away from the mobile network yet, but am watching Starlink with interest as they recently extended coverage to the whole of Australia. Need to see it in action first.
Cheers
Steve