SpaceX might make splashy headlines with the more-experimental sci-fi side of its rocket business, but in the business world, the ­company’s now-routine private launches are serving the offshore-marine industry. This past March, SpaceX launched the fifth set of 10 Iridium Next satellites into orbit; Iridium is a major provider of satphone service on the water.

Indeed satellite-phone and -internet possibilities for offshore and traveling anglers continue to expand. Globalstar has just introduced its Sat-Fi2 unit, updating the original 2014 portable smart-device-to-satellite Sat-Fi terminal.

With trick new ­satellites launching, better options outside cellular range, and impressive handheld satphones, tomorrow’s anglers inch closer to total connectivity. What are the latest developments in our global satphone space? I asked three recreational-fishing satphone providers for updates.

Next Generation
Iridium, which introduced its Go! product in 2014 to give smartphones a satellite connection, has completed more than half of its eight Next satellite launches. The company, using SpaceX Falcon rockets, plans to finish the $3 billion, 75-satellite upgrade by the end of the year. (Fifty Next satellites had achieved orbit by press time.)

Next satellites will enable a specialty broadband service that Iridium has named Certus. The company says this new offering will be highly reliable because of the advantages of the low-earth-orbit network’s unique architecture. “It is unaffected by weather conditions or the need for ground stations, unlike other networks,” Iridium says.

Certus should be commercially available in mid-2018. It will offer high-definition voice capabilities as well as IP data speeds debuting at 352 kilobits per second, with eventual speeds of up to 1.4 megabits per second. While that’s much slower than terrestrial internet plans — the fastest of which can generate up to 49 Mbps — it represents a major improvement for even compressed satellite-data speeds of about 20 to 30 Kbps within affordable plans.

Certus’s six plans will range from lower-priced, slower-data and phone uses to more-costly fleet services. “Iridium Certus will fundamentally change how satellite internet works and will make broadband internet access available anywhere on the planet,” Iridium says.

Version Two
Globalstar’s Sat-Fi began an entirely new era of offshore smartphone use when it debuted in 2014. Using two apps, an angler fishing in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, for instance, could connect his phone to the Sat-Fi terminal, and then call, text, post to social media, or report emergencies. The Sat-Fi2 updates the original unit and offers these changes:

• The price is about half of the Sat-Fi retail, at $499.99.
• You can now use your personal email address from providers such as Outlook, Gmail or Yahoo.
• The new version is water- and impact-resistant.
• Sat-Fi2 now has an SOS button, which will work just like Globalstar’s Spot products.
• Sat-Fi2 is more compact, weighing only 12.6 ounces, and measuring 5.8-by-2.9-by-1.5 inches.

The new device also operates on Globalstar’s second-generation constellation of 24 low-earth-orbit satellites, completed in 2013. On any given call, several satellites transmit a caller’s signal to a satellite dish at the appropriate gateway, where the call is routed locally through terrestrial telecommunications.

The system’s software resides on the ground, not on the satellites, which means faster and easier maintenance and upgrades, Globalstar says.

On the Edge
Inmarsat launched the fourth of its I-5 satellites last year, also employing SpaceX rockets. The I-5s enable Inmarsat’s Global Xpress broadband network, which has clocked throughput speeds in excess of 300 Mbps. However, the system currently services primarily commercial and military clients.

On the more-portable side: Even though Sat-Fi and Go! units can now marry smartphones to satellite service, the offshore-fishing market still depends on handhelds, which can be convenient for ditch bags and for land‑based use on remote islands.

While it is not brand-new, Inmarsat’s IsatPhone 2 handheld satellite phone debuted in 2014 with improved battery life, offering eight hours of talk time, and up to 160 hours on standby. The 11.2‑ounce phone features a high‑contrast color screen, and offers voice services such as caller ID, conferencing and speed dialing, as well as text-to-text and text-to-email.

Read Next: Electronic Marriage: Smartphones and Satellite Technology

IsatPhone 2 also comes with ­location services, including tracking (to keep people updated with your GPS coordinates) and an assistance button. Anglers receive notification of inbound calls even with the antenna stowed.

The handheld phone costs $600 to $700, and service plans vary. Customers who opt for monthly plans receive free worldwide emergency assistance from GEOS with a single push of the unit’s assistance button.

New Ideas
Anglers will eventually feel the trickle-down effect from higher-priced commercial satellite systems whose speeds continue to impress. Such connectivity should improve safety and make available on remote waters ­everything we can now do at the dock or within Wi-Fi range.

In addition, VHF-marine-radio provider Uniden just announced a completely new form of communication: text by VHF. Uniden’s new MHS335BT handheld VHF will enable boaters to use a smartphone to text-message other VHF radios, even when no cellular coverage is available. The radio costs $299.99.

The post Improved Satellites and Easier Technology Enhance Remote-Fishing Communications appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

When shopping marine electronics, it’s easy to fall for a cool new multifunction display or even a VHF/AIS combo. But when it comes to shopping for parts such as transducers and antennas, where’s the love?

For anglers, the right or best VHF antenna could mean the difference between finding a great bite or enduring the skunk. On a more serious note, it could rescue you from a stranding or accident.

“If all things are equal — including antenna height and radio model — you could go from a range of 10 miles to 25-plus miles just based on the materials in the antenna,” says Chris Catoe, marine sales manager for the Shakespeare Antenna Group.

For that reason, most experts advise buying the best antenna you can afford. Prices range from about $30 to more than $300 for most recreational fishing vessels.

What is a VHF Marine Antenna?

“We have sensitive receivers,” says David McLain, national sales manager for ICOM, makers of VHF marine radios. “But if you match one with just a $30 antenna, you’re not going to get the range an ICOM can get you.”

At Shakespeare, VHF marine antennas are grouped into three categories that correlate to good, better and best products. Those categories are Classic, Galaxy and Phase III models. Key differences boil down to what’s inside, whether coaxial cable, a combination of coax, brass and copper, or all brass and copper; brass and copper create the greatest efficiency.

However, before dissecting antennas, anglers should understand just what an antenna is, says John Jones, vice president of engineering for Digital Antenna. “It’s a machine,” he says. “People think it’s a piece of wire. Anything we build is a physically resonant circuit for the frequencies we intend to use. An antenna converts electrical signals into photons — it’s a photon generator.”

Catoe says consumers often think, as well, that a VHF antenna transmits only from its tip. “It radiates from the base up,” he confirms.

Because of the energy surrounding the antenna and because the signals travel by line of sight, the antenna’s placement aboard a vessel is key. Even the best antenna won’t perform when placed too close to another antenna using similar frequencies (AIS or another VHF), or when mounted too low or too near metal objects.

Marine VHF Antenna Height and Strength

Other considerations for choosing the right VHF antenna include antenna height and gain. Catoe says the vast majority of powerboats in the 24- to 32-foot range do well using 8-foot antennas with 6-decibel (dB) gain. A 3- to 4-foot antenna that’s 3 dB is generally recommended for boats under 24 feet. Larger vessels can opt for 12- to 18-foot, 7 to 8 dB antennas.

“As a general rule, antenna height should be less than half the length of the boat,” Catoe says.

Higher-dB antennas generate greater effective radiated power, and that can translate into greater range. However, the lower-dB antennas, such as a 3 dB stick, are recommended for vessels like sailboats carrying antennas atop a tall mast that sways in high seas. The 3 dB antenna creates a larger signal pattern, but that pattern doesn’t travel as far, so it doesn’t leave the horizon as dramatically when the boat pitches.

Anglers who own VHF radios that are equipped with Automatic Identification System can use one VHF antenna for both functions as long as the AIS is receive-only. If your AIS unit also transmits, two antennas are necessary.

“We always recommend dedicated antennas for each,” Catoe says. “Any time you split something, you usually sacrifice something. Most people like to have both systems operating optimally.”

Durable Marine VHF Antennas

In most cases, an angler breaks a VHF antenna before it dies of natural causes. “Antenna life span is hard to establish. Some last two years; some last 30,” Catoe says. “It depends on how you’re taking care of it, and which grade of antenna you purchased.”

Better antennas have UV blockers in the paint or they might be heavier-duty fiberglass or come with stainless steel rather than plastic mounts. Shakespeare recommends boaters wash their VHF antenna with soap and water whenever they wash the boat. Don’t use abrasive detergents that can strip the finish off the fiberglass. Some boaters apply wax, Catoe says, which will not interfere with the antenna function.

Tom Burden — senior product content editor for West Marine, which sells a variety of antennas, cables and connections — says that corrosion can become a major problem, particularly at connection points.

If you experience radio problems you think come from the antenna, you can always test the signal strength by calling a friend on another boat, Burden advises. Have that friend start fairly close and move away until the signal fades.

Shakespeare also sells an ART-3 antenna meter. That unit tests the voltage standing-wave ratio, the output power, battery voltage and the radio’s receiver. If the antenna is faulty, it can be replaced. Most antennas come with three- to five-year warranties.

When you buy a new antenna or replace an old one, chances are you won’t run into the tech creep that plagues other electronics types. Physics more or less defines the technology of an antenna, so it hasn’t changed much over time. Materials have changed a little, but “the biggest trend I’m seeing,” says Catoe, “is the combination of things: antennas or radios that have multifunctions (AIS and VHF together, or cellular and Wi-Fi). It’s all about centralizing all product in a smaller footprint.”

The post Choosing and Using the Best Marine VHF Antenna appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Satellite phones — hand-held or fixed units — do fill that offshore gap. But wouldn’t it be nice to just use a smartphone? Well, now we can. The satphone has married the smartphone.

Product Debuts

Satphone companies Globalstar and Iridium are now shipping their Sat-Fi and GO! products, respectively, to distributors and retailers. Both units are designed to communicate with satellites, and relay data via Wi-Fi to and from smartphones and tablets. A third entity — Inmarsat, with its partner, AddValue — is expected to offer the new IsatHub/Wideye iSavi by press time. And a fourth, Thuraya, currently offers the technology in select locations outside the United States.

“The idea behind [Globalstar Sat-Fi] is to remove the mystery of satellite communication, to broaden the market, and to integrate crystal-clear satellite communication into people’s daily experience,” says L. Barbee Ponder, Globalstar’s general counsel and vice president of regulatory affairs.

All of the emerging devices for U.S. anglers operate similarly:

• All use a piece of hardware — a terminal or hub (kind of like a Wi-Fi hot spot) — to receive and transmit satellite signals.
• All connect that terminal to the smartphone using Wi-Fi.
• All employ two free apps to enable your smartphone (or tablet) to accept the satellite information — one for voice and one for data (email, texting, social-media uploading).

One important note: Although these units provide satellite connectivity to smartphones, users don’t text, email or make calls as they would normally. For instance, to send and receive emails, you’d create a new account during setup, using globalstarmail.com or myiridium.net. So if I send an email to a friend from offshore, it comes from cwoodward@globalstarmail.com.

And while you can use the contacts stored within your smartphone to make satellite calls, your satellite phone number is different from your smartphone’s number.

Purpose Parameters

Globalstar Sat-Fi was designed as a portable device, but it requires a hard-line power connection to a 12-volt battery, an AC outlet or a 12-volt receptacle, such as the cigarette lighter in a car. The terminal or hub is a black box, measuring about 6-by-6 inches, standing 2 inches high and weighing about 2 pounds. It comes with an external satellite antenna.

Iridium GO! is battery powered and fits into a shirt pocket. The lithium-ion battery, which is user replaceable, lasts for 5½ hours of talk time or 15 hours on standby. It measures 4½ inches by 3 inches, and stands 1¼ inches high, weighing about 11 ounces. The GO! comes with a small satellite antenna on the terminal.

Globalstar and Iridium each have their own proprietary satellite constellations. Sat-Fi and GO! customers can expect the same coverage, call quality and data speeds as buyers of other, equivalent satphones from these companies. In addition, Globalstar says its Sat-Fi can accommodate eight users (within a radius of about 100 feet), while Iridium says GO! can handle up to five users within the same space. However, only one smartphone or tablet user at a time can activate a connection.

Speed and Safety

Globalstar lists its data-connection speed as 9.6 kb per second; with compression, it becomes about four times faster. Iridium says it delivers speeds of 2.4 kb per second and 20 kb with compression. (iSavi’s rate is published as 240/384 kbps send/receive; its MSRP is $1,499.)

Neither the Globalstar nor Iridium speeds allow for rapid Web browsing, though both do offer Web services. Using mobile websites helps a little, but even loading a basic home page generally takes several minutes.

All services provide some form of SOS. With Sat-Fi, you dial 911 (within the United States and Canada) for a connection to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center. GO! features an SOS button (on the terminal and within the app) that you can program for your own contacts or for GEOS, anywhere in the world.

Sat-Fi hardware costs $999, with monthly usage plans starting around $39.99 and unlimited plans costing $149.99 a month. GO!’s retail price averages $800 to $900. A quick review of service pricing online shows that monthly packages start at about $45 and range up to $129 for unlimited use, plus an activation fee.

Both companies say smart satphones won’t kill the hand-held satellite-phone market, but these new products do offer iPhone and Android devotees a valuable remote link.

USER EXPERIENCE

To gain some insight into how these products function, I tried the Sat-Fi unit with my own iPhone 5s. For expediency, I set up Sat-Fi to work from my car in a parking lot at the beach, where the antenna had an open view of the sky (key for any satellite-phone connection). I have published a more in-depth article online at sportfishingmag.com/satphonereport, but here are some of the basics of setup and use:

• I downloaded and installed the two Sat-Fi apps, and activated my account on the Globalstar website (via my laptop) using a special code provided to me. During this process, I established a username and password.
• On my iPhone, I opened the data and voice apps, and completed user settings.
• I attached the external patch antenna via a coaxial cable to the back of the terminal, and used the included 12-volt auxiliary-power plug to power up.
• Once the terminal achieved a steady satellite connection, I turned on Wi-Fi in my iPhone and selected the Sat-Fi network. I entered a default password.
• I launched both Sat-Fi apps on my iPhone.
• In the Voice app, I opened my Contacts list and placed a call to Sport Fishing‘s managing editor. After a brief pause, I heard the line ring. The voice mail came on, sounding clear and precise. I left a message. You can hear an audio file from that message at the /satphonereport link above (on page 2).
• In the data app, I composed text emails and sent them to the outbox. I selected Send/Receive Mail, and Sat-Fi initiated a data connection. (A dedicated send/receive command means that a data connection connects only on demand, which holds down usage costs.) The email send took mere seconds.
• I had already configured my Facebook account to accept posts from the satphone using “mobile settings.” I selected social media in the Sat-Fi app, composed a text post and sent it to the outbox. It took moments to send as well.
• Finally, I selected the Chat icon in the Voice app and sent a text message. Text messages send in real time, and responses come in immediately with an alert when the phone is connected.

The post Electronic Marriage: Smartphones and Satellite Technology appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Sat-Fi Blog Photo

In my November/December issue electronics column, I wrote about the recent marriage of smartphones and satellites, which should provide for easier, more-familiar communication options offshore. In the United States, at press time, Globalstar was shipping its Sat-Fi and Iridium its GO!: Both act as go-betweens to relay data, using a Wi-Fi connection, to and from smartphones and tablets.

Before I wrote about the units, Globalstar offered to loan me a Sat-Fi so I could see for myself how this system operates. Since I have a small, coastal bay boat and fish in sight of shore at all times, I opted for a simple land-based test scenario using my vehicle and an open parking lot on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Yes, on land, I would still retain a cell signal, but because Sat-Fi employs apps to communicate, the system would simply bypass my cell connection.

I chose this beach location, because the satellite antenna that comes with the unit must have an open view of the sky (as would any satellite device). Before I headed to the test site, though, I set up and activated my account, taking the following steps:

• I downloaded and installed the two Sat-Fi apps — one for voice and one for data — on my iPhone 5s, then activated and registered my account on the Globalstar website (via my laptop) using a special code provided to me by Globalstar. During this process, I established a username and password and an email address on globalstarmail.com. (The system cannot, at this time, be configured to send/receive emails to and from your personal or work email account.)
• On my iPhone, I opened the data and voice apps, and completed user settings.

I drove the few miles east from my home to the coast and set up the Sat-Fi terminal. I attached the small Wi-Fi antenna to the back of the unit and then plugged in the satellite antenna and power cord. I placed the satellite antenna on top of my vehicle. I plugged the power cord into the 12-volt receptacle on my car.

After a few minutes, the terminal achieved a steady satellite connection — signified by a constant blue light. I turned on Wi-Fi in my iPhone and selected the Sat-Fi network. I entered a default password. From there, I took the following steps to make a voice call, send emails and texts and post a text message to Facebook:

• I launched both Sat-Fi apps on my iPhone.
• In the Voice app, I opened my Contacts list and placed a call to Sport Fishing‘s managing editor. After a brief pause, I heard the line ring. The voice mail came on, sounding clear and precise. I left a message. A quick audio clip from that message is embedded below. It sounds like a fairly typical cell, even land-line, connection.

Our managing editor noted that her caller ID did not show my cell phone number but rather the number assigned to my Sat-Fi account. The same thing happened when I sent texts. After the call, I tested other Sat-Fi features.

• In the data app, I composed text emails and sent them to the outbox. I selected Send/Receive Mail and Sat-Fi initiated a data connection. (A dedicated send/receive command means that a data connection doesn’t remain open at all times, running up charges.) The email send took mere seconds.
• I had already configured my Facebook account to accept posts from the satphone using “mobile settings.” (Globalstar provides a complete, step-by-step manual for connecting all your social-media accounts.) I selected social media in the Sat-Fi app, composed a text post and sent it to the outbox. It took moments to send as well.
• Finally, I selected the Chat icon in the Voice app and sent a text message. Text messages send in real time and responses come in immediately with an alert when the phone is connected.

In my final test, I connected my iPhone to the Internet using the satellite connection. Data-connection speeds are currently too slow among all satellite-communication providers for users to spend much time surfing. However, mobile sites do load a little more quickly these days — taking several minutes.

Sat-Fi also comes with an SOS service — using the 911 system within the United States and Canada — but, of course, I couldn’t test that.

Globalstar says that the Sat-Fi product should appeal to anglers and boaters who prefer to use their smartphone platforms rather than buying handheld or fixed-mount satphones, though the latter two will still remain viable markets. Sat-Fi hardware costs $999 with monthly usage plans starting around $39.99 (unlimited plans cost about $150 a month).

This smartphone connection is obviously prime for its time, with so many Americans — anglers and landlubbers — electronically entwined with their devices. After initial setup, Sat-Fi is fairly effortless and as dependable as any other satellite connection you might purchase.

I can’t imagine it will be too long before smartphones simply come preset for satellite use and all data connections move at the speeds we currently enjoy on land.

The post Globalstar Sat-Fi Pairs Satellite Connection with Smartphones and Tablets appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Anglers hear the terms Bluetooth and Wi-Fi swirling through ads for everything from toys and consumer gadgets to marine electronics. Many of us use these technologies without really understanding them and the differences between what’s available on land versus water.

OK, just the facts:

* Bluetooth is a low-power, device-to-device wireless system with limited range (30 to 40 feet), explains Jim McGowan, Raymarine‘s marketing manager. Examples: an iPhone synced to an onboard stereo or a basic remote control.

* Wi-Fi can be device to device, but it also allows for networking multiple devices in a local- or wide‑area network (LAN or WAN). A LAN includes most of what you’d do aboard a boat, such as using an iPad app to remotely control a multifunction display. A WAN incorporates Internet access.

Both technologies transmit using radio waves at the 2.4 GHz frequency (as does the -cordless phone in your house). The main difference between the two: bandwidth. Bandwidth is a measure of how many bits of data per second can be streamed through a connection or network, McGowan says. The lower-power Bluetooth can send only 800,000 bits per second; Wi-Fi can send more than 11 million bits in that same time. Wi-Fi’s typical range is about 300 to 400 feet, though the signal can be boosted with sensitive, directional antennas.

Bluetooth Devices

To enable either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, -manufacturers either embed a small chip into the devices or they use some kind of transceiver like a router. Raymarine — which introduced the first multifunction display (e7D) with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in 2011 — uses Bluetooth for several simple functions.

When you connect your Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player to your onboard stereo using an accessory cable, you can then sync the MP3 player to your Raymarine multifunction display. That gives the MFD basic control over the device, primarily just for play, skip or rewind commands.

Raymarine also uses Bluetooth with its RCU-3 accessory, which is a three-button remote control that mounts to the boat’s wheel or can be worn on a lanyard. The device lets you perform basic, frequently used functions on your MFD such as range in/out, accessing the home screen or dropping a waypoint (similar to the way drivers use their steering-wheel buttons to control the stereo).

Simrad uses Bluetooth in its WR20 wireless autopilot controller; its base station connects by cable to a boat’s NMEA 2000 network. The wireless handset also allows you to view data from your plotter, sounder, radar and instruments.

Garmin uses its own alternative technology called ANT. Although ANT is more commonly found in the company’s fitness products, Garmin’s new quatix watch uses ANT to pair with an onboard Garmin autopilot for remote control.

Garmin uses Bluetooth in the new Meteor 300 black-box audio system. Users can stream music from their phone or other enabled device to Meteor and control play from a Garmin chart plotter.

Wi-Fi Online

While Bluetooth opens some key connections, Wi-Fi has much more to offer. Wi-Fi, in this sense, does not automatically mean Internet connectivity.

Most marine-electronics manufacturers use Wi-Fi — the basic technology — in or with their multifunction displays. Using Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet onboard is in its infancy. Only Furuno and Humminbird currently offer MFDs that connect to a Wi-Fi hub in a marina or a Wi-Fi cellphone hot spot to offer actual browsing.

That said, both companies explained that the browsing experience can be minimal or slow. Furuno’s TZtouch units have a built-in browser that connects to the company’s MaxSea website, Furuno’s software-update site and its Navcenter.com Weather Center. “We intentionally limit it for security reasons,” says Eric Kunz, Furuno’s senior project manager. “We can add other URLs in the future.”

Humminbird’s new ION units — unveiled in late October — allow more-open surfing, using a Humminbird-designed browser, but it’s not speedy. “I can’t stream a video or anything like that,” says Bill Carson, Humminbird field marketing manager.

Beyond that, virtually all of the major manufacturers use Wi-Fi to link MFDs to smartphones and tablets that can then act as screen repeaters or actual controllers. Users download an app to their hand-held device that lets them link wirelessly to either the MFD itself (Raymarine and Furuno) or to a router that is hard-wired to the MFD (Simrad, Lowrance and Garmin).

Remote Control

Simrad’s brand-new NSO evo2 black‑box processor comes with two video outputs; one can be connected to the company’s GoFree WIFI-1 module via Ethernet cable, and then linked wirelessly to an iPad (loaded with the accompanying app) for a completely separate and remote second station. The company has been open with its data to allow third-party software-app developers to create unique functionality, says Robert Langford-Wood, a product manager for Navico (parent to Simrad/Lowrance) in the United Kingdom.

“We had an app at the METS show (marine equipment trade event) that takes the iPad’s camera, and uses navigation data to overlay waypoints, buoys and other AIS data onto the camera view so you get augmented reality.” (Visit pocketmariner.com/seanav.)

Furuno plans to soon adapt Wi-Fi to a radar dome so an angler could control its functions with an app and tablet. “It might have some crowdsourcing application: Maybe it could go into a marina, where anyone within Wi-Fi range could tie into it (with the app and a tablet) and better navigate in or out of the area,” Kunz says.

The future of Wi-Fi and even Bluetooth remains expansive. “We have so many cool things in the pipeline,” says McGowan. “You can imagine that the power of onboard Wi-Fi is going to clip the wires to all sorts of devices that you never thought could be wireless.”

The post Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in Marine Electronics appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

(Be sure to click through all the images in the gallery above.)

Eons seemingly compress into moments in the world of marine electronics. In six short years, SPOT — introduced as the world’s first satellite messenger in 2007— has become the cornerstone for a whole new category of electronics called SENDs, satellite emergency notification devices.

SENDs incorporate fun features like social-media sharing and route tracking into a very powerful safety device with SOS and other help functions. In the past several years, competitors like DeLorme’s inReach, Yellowbrick’s Yellowbrick3 and Briartek’s Cerberus have joined the global SEND market. In the United States, SPOT (findme​spot​.com) and inReach (inreach​delorme​.com) currently dominate.

Safety Focus

SENDs differ from emergency transmitters like Personal Locator Beacons and Emergency Position‑Indicating Radio Beacons in several ways, says Kim Stiver, vice president of marketing for DeLorme. But chiefly, PLBs and EPIRBs communicate through the international COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network, which has been jointly operated by the United States, Canada, France and Russia since 1988. SENDs use commercial satellite-communication providers such as Globalstar and Iridium.

With PLBs and EPIRBs, the signal relays to national Rescue Coordination Centers that dispatch regional rescue providers. With SENDs, the signal relays to a private response-coordination center in Houston — GEOS — which alerts the same regional responders. GEOS (geos​alliance​.com) says on its website that it began offering services — which now include worldwide search and rescue, monitoring, and global medical evacuation — since 2005.

When anglers buy a PLB or EPIRB, they must register it for use. In addition, not all such units come with internal GPS for real-time tracking. On the plus side, deploying one of these devices doesn’t cost you for airtime.

If you use a SPOT or inReach device, you pay a monthly or seasonal fee after purchase, but you can also send (and in the case of inReach, receive) text messages — usually pre-prepared — post to social media, and allow your family and friends to follow your trip on an online map.

“SPOT is a communication device first and foremost,” says Rich Galasso, a regional distribution manager for SPOT and Globalstar. “There are hurdles for PLBs and EPIRBs: People don’t want to pay for safety.”

Space and Time

DeLorme says its inReach provides complete global coverage, while Galasso says SPOT can signal from about 95 percent of the places on Earth where people live, work and play. Both products quickly transmit a trackable signal that cuts down on response time.

The inReach, however, is currently the only two-way SEND available. Not only can you send a 160-character text message to family and friends, but they also can message you back through an online interface or from their mobile device. When the device sends an SOS, “you will get delivery confirmation,” Stiver says. “You will know your SOS has been received. The device is monitored 24/7 by GEOS. They receive the signal and text you back. They can ask if it’s a real SOS and ask the nature of the emergency in order to dispatch the appropriate resources in the most timely manner.”

Since SPOT is owned by Globalstar, its two-way communication device is a satellite phone. Dialing 911 on a SPOT Global Phone routes you directly to GEOS (as does hitting an SOS button on Iridium’s Extreme satellite phone). SPOT also sells its one-way Connect device, which pairs with your smartphone via Bluetooth to offer all of the SPOT functions, plus the ability to custom-type and send a message up to 41 characters to people within your chosen portfolio.

DeLorme added an actual color display screen and virtual keyboard on its new inReach: the Screen Edition. With Delorme’s free app, you can wirelessly pair your smartphone to the unit, and compose a text or email, and access maps.

The original inReach operates on AA batteries. Battery life while transmitting one tracking point every 10 minutes is 125 hours with lithium batteries, and less for alkaline and nickel-metal hydride. The new inReach SE comes with an internal, rechargeable lithium battery for about 100 hours of operation at the 10-minute tracking interval.

SPOT units run off AAs, and the latest third-generation messenger — SPOT Gen3 — has bumped up battery life to 264 hours in distress mode.

SPOT Gen3 units start at $149.95; annual plans start at $149.99. The inReach SE costs $299.95; monthly plans start at $9.95 (or about $120 a year). EPIRBs cost $500 to $1,000, and PLBs cost $250 to $500, though neither requires an ongoing airtime plan.

Satellite phones cost $500 to $1,500, with airtime plans packaged and sold in a wide variety of ways. SPOT advertises plans as low as $.25 per minute.

Moving Forward

DeLorme says the new inReach SE will be its standard hardware device for at least a few years. However, Stiver says additional features and services will roll out next year — “being able to drop waypoints, for instance. There’s so much we can do with the current -hardware structure.”

Galasso says SENDs might one day dominate or even completely take over the SOS market. SENDs are already outselling PLBs. “The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (an international group that develops standards) sees that potentially in the future, the government system doesn’t even exist and private enterprise can take over this world,” he says. “PLBs and EPIRBs are excellent products, but the end user becomes the weak link in the process. We can add all these valuable features, and people are gravitating to us.”

The post Satellite Emergency Notification Devices (SEND) Offer SOS and More appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Fishermen who navigate to remote areas depend on satellite communication to connect with the outside world and, more important, to summon help. Thanks to a major new infrastructure investment by Globalstar, anglers can shop more options.

Following a final launch in February, Globalstar and its 24 new, second-generation satellites have reinvigorated the company’s presence in the satellite-telephone market. “We have, over the past three years, been placing satellites into operational orbits and turning them on,” says L. Barbee Ponder, Globalstar’s general counsel and vice president of regulatory affairs. “As we do that, our coverage improves and the voice quality improves.”

Starting in 2007, Globalstar had experienced aging issues with its low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, which disrupted the two-way communication necessary for phone calls. Its handsets continued to work, but service was intermittent. As a result, the company discounted prices and developed tools to assist customers making calls. At the same time, Globalstar sought innovative ideas, creating the seemingly ubiquitous SPOT satellite messenger.

“SPOT has been extremely successful, especially in the maritime community,” Ponder says. “We’ve had in excess of 2,300 rescues since 2007, many of those on the water.”

Handhelds for Anglers

With its announcement, Globalstar has rolled out two new handhelds, the GSP-1700 and SPOT Global Phone (both $499). I tested call quality with the GSP-1700 from the middle of the Gulf of Mexico this summer. Ponder says it’s “land-line quality,” and I agree.

“We have what’s called bent-pipe -architecture,” says Ponder, who explained that eight first–generation satellites launched in 2007 will continue to function and enhance the new coverage. “We have mirrors in the sky — repeaters — that receive and send signals to and from ground stations. That crystal-clear voice quality you hear is due in large part to bent-pipe architecture.”

Competitive companies Iridium and Inmarsat operate differently. Iridium, which also uses LEO satellites, says its 66 birds fly closer to the Earth than Globalstar’s (476 miles compared with about 800), and are interconnected and meshed rather than repeaters.

Iridium offers recreational-use handsets, including the 9555 (about $1,000) and the Extreme ($1,250 to $1,350), which features an IP65 environmental rating (dust tight and protected against water jets but not immersion) and comes with an SOS button.

Inmarsat employs nine geostationary satellites, which are much larger than LEOs and fly about 22,000 miles above the Earth. Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro handheld ($700) carries an IP54 environmental rating (dust and splash proof).

Space and Time

Many American anglers take their boats to nearby countries such as the Bahamas, Mexico and Canada; a few navigate to fish throughout the Caribbean and Central America. However, significant numbers of anglers can find themselves isolated in areas within their own borders, where cell service is nonexistent and VHF might even falter.

Satellite-phone service bridges those gaps. Depending on which company you talk to, each system has its advantages, and the products differ in their features; some send and receive SMS text messages, for instance, while others only receive texts sent from a dedicated website. According to all three companies, however, satellite systems are now in place to carry users through at least the next decade.

Globalstar’s second-generation satellites have a 15-year design life, Ponder says. And where its first-generation birds suffered from S-band-amplifier degradation due to radiation, the new satellites protect the amplifiers from radiation. The S-band amplifier is the part of the Globalstar satellite that’s responsible for receiving signals from handsets.

Iridium’s director of product management Josh Miner says that company rotates its six spare satellites into and out of service when repairs are needed on any main-constellation satellites. Iridium has scheduled to launch a new constellation, beginning in 2015, he says. “It’s a fully funded, $2 billion plan. The due diligence is already done for continuity of service.”

Inmarsat plans to start enhancing its current I-4 -constellation this year with three new I-5 satellites. The company says the I-5s will power its Ka-band Global Xpress network, offering the first-ever global broadband -connections (download speeds up to 50 mbps) for satellite phones.

Star Gazing

None of the companies would say what developments might happen on the consumer side, beyond their immediate plans. But in researching this column, I heard about the new Thuraya SatSleeve — which can be bought in the United States, but operates on a network available only in certain European, Asian and African markets.

Thuraya says its new product allows a standard iPhone to make and receive calls and texts over the Thuraya Satellite Network. A version planned for later this year is expected to support data over the network.

Users dock their iPhone into the SatSleeve to connect to the satellites. The product is retailing now for $648 online in the United States. At press time, prepaid vouchers started at $27; post-paid service plans started at $28 a month, with a $30 activation fee and additional per-minute add-ons.

Until that functionality happens in this country, though, anglers can start exploring the expanded sat-phone offerings. “Once we have the authority to use additional broadband, that will have tremendous impact on the company,” Ponder says. “We do have one more new product coming. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as it’s ready.”

Globalstar Satellites

Sat Phone Use on the Water

Iridium AxcessPoint

Iridium’s Global Satellite Network

Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro

Globalstar GSP-1700 Handheld Sat Phone

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DeLorme inReach SE

DeLorme has launched a new version of its popular inReach satellite‑-communication device. The SE — screen edition — unit comes with a color screen and virtual keyboard for sending and receiving text messages to 160 characters. With the company’s free Earthmate app, SE pairs wirelessly with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch (and Android devices) to access maps and NOAA charts. SE also offers global SOS capability and real-time -tracking. Friends log onto a MapShare page to follow a trail, ping a location or send a message. The unit costs $299; -subscriptions start at $9.95 a month. Call 800-511-2459 or visit inreachdelorme​.com.

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ICOM M73 Series Handheld VHF

ICOM’s new M73 Series handheld VHFs — a plus version and a basic model — are IPX8 submersible, transmit 6 watts of high power, and retain their predecessor’s (M72) slim design. “Last Call” voice recording and playback automatically saves an incoming call for 1 minute. The plus version comes with a built-in rewind feature that can replay those messages; it also features voice enhancements. Active noise-canceling technology reduces background noises up to 90 percent. Other features include dual-watch/tri-watch, favorite channel and tag scanning. The lithium-ion battery supports 18 hours of typical operation. The M73 Series starts at $249.99. Call 800-858-6177 or visit** icomamerica​.com**.

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ICOM IC-M400MB VHF Marine Black Box

The new IC-M400MB VHF Marine Black Box from ICOM offers a space-saving option for anglers who want full functionality with a cleaner helm. The black box — which mounts belowdecks or inside the console — connects via plug to ICOM’s supplied COMMANDMICIV remote-control accessory. The M400MB features Class D DSC for distress calls and position poling, active-noise-canceling technology, and a 10-watt loudspeaker. The microphone uses a soft-key interface, and comes in black or white. Price for the bundle is $499.99. Call 800‑872‑4266 or visit icomamerica​.com.

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