Text via satellite

[Oldbloke]

Would apear this is coming in the next 12-18 months.

Good thing from a safety stand point.

https://www.telstra.com.au/exchange/wha ... hey-work--

[Jorlcrin]

Having two of the magical Starlink replacements for our NextG WLL system installed in the past 4 months, I can tell you that Safety is the LAST thing I'd associate with Telstra, these days.

The way they have weaseled out of the USO for rural subscribers, is appalling.
Even more appalling, is the blind ignorance of the politicans and government in letting them justify their decisions.

Hopping into bed with StarLink is going to come back to bite Rural subscribers in the backside.
And Telstra will laugh all the way to the bank.

[No1_49er]

Not going to be available to users of Apple, and only some Android devices capable.
Wont be for everybody, no matter what the cost.

[Don_Stevenson]

I got a deal on a Garmin inreach 6 months ago when they were running out the old model. Paid $400 for it and $25 a month for the subscription and it's been on 2 solo hunting trips with me to the middle of nowhere.

Best investment for peace of mind ever.

[Tinker]

I got a deal on a Garmin inreach 6 months ago when they were running out the old model. Paid $400 for it and $25 a month for the subscription and it's been on 2 solo hunting trips with me to the middle of nowhere.

Best investment for peace of mind ever.

Agreed. Send & receive texts anywhere you have a clear view of the sky, and automatically attaches GPS coordinates to the message. Much cheaper than Iridium, but without the voice capability.

[alexjones]

Call me old fashioned but hunting is better in my opinion when uninhibited from being contacted by the outside world.

[on_one_wheel]

I also prefer to disconnect, however it's nice to know that option is available in a life and death situation.

[Bugman]

Call me old fashioned but hunting is better in my opinion when uninhibited from being contacted by the outside world.

Agreed.

[Faedy]

Could possibly save me from buying a zoleo.
I have been considering one for a bit now as most of my hunting is solo nowadays

[Blr243]

I have the garmin in reach. And more recently starlink mini And the new place I’m hunting is only 5 k from town so it has Telstra allover it.

[Larry]

I used to use the Telstra sat service the download speed was great but the upload was still via 28k modem and the latency time made it unuseable for a lot of applications. What is the latency using starlink? can you carry on a conversation. The difference is the telstra sat was geo stationary but starlink move across the sky making them closer and hence less time required. How much less is the question.

[Wapiti]

Sounds like a great service and will be a huge safety bonus to people working alone in the bush. So it would also save hunters lives as well.
I first saw this advertised in NZ earlier this year, and the deer blokes there were very excited.

In our area, there is no mobile coverage anywhere. The landline wires to the farms are now corroded beyond use, and Telstra will not replace them since shareholders need profits. The NBN is a pathetic joke as well, again, fibre optic to the townspeople beating screens on facebook but slow, dropping out overcrowded satellites for us.

The only reliable service is Starlink, and thank goodness for Elon Musk. Because politicians are complete maggots.

We will jump on this. Because anybody who's ever found a mate or loved one after being torn apart by pigs and ants because they couldn't call for help when seriously injured and subsequently died when trying to do things alone on the farm, will realise the benefits here. And yeah, I can sort of get people's nonchalance about this but it's typical from some.
It's not perfect, no, but what choice do we have?

[Jorlcrin]

I used to use the Telstra sat service the download speed was great but the upload was still via 28k modem and the latency time made it unuseable for a lot of applications. What is the latency using starlink? can you carry on a conversation. The difference is the telstra sat was geo stationary but starlink move across the sky making them closer and hence less time required. How much less is the question.

Starlink (when it is working) is same as if you were using a landline phone for voice; no appreciable delay, and you can conduct a normal conversation.
When it is working, it is just like using a landline.

My frustration(s) with Telstra/Starlink:-

- It was pushed onto us(NO alternative - next option was they cut the working phone off), and it is much more sensitive to rain than either our 2-way Skymesh satellite, or our 1-way Satellite TV.
Telstra refused to re-test the signal path(previously done 6 years earlier) to see if the 20-metre tower at our shed(previously supplying 4 phone services to shearing shed and homestead via Calyptech units) could receive the 4G signal, despite mobiles receiving signal there morning and night without external antennas.
Turns out that in their rolling replacement of rural NextG services, Telstra had decided that they would throw us all onto Starlink, despite it being a degradation in the continuity of service, and abandon the infrastructure installed to supply NextG services.
[When this huge reduction in service continuity was pointed out, Telstra argued Starlink was a faster service, which means diddly-squat when you only need a reliable voice service to call for help..]

- Damn thing takes 20 minutes to re-boot after power is restored.
Had to end up dedicating a UPS to running the Starlink box, because Telstra dont see they need to provide any sort of power-outage capacity at all.
Had a fortnight in November, where the power was flicking on and off(mostly a few seconds), and each time, it was 20 minutes re-boot time.
Had a night in early November, where we had 2 fires in the district, 20mm of rain, and 5 momentary power outages through the evening.
Gave up trying to help co-ordinate our fire response with neighbours with the phone, after the second outage, and went and started our generator and ran it all night, as that way I could ensure contact with neighbours.
Installed a UPS the next day..

- Heavy rain kills it for much longer than either of our other satellite services.
The rain needs to be seriously heavy rain to kill the TV, and picture usually comes back on within 5 minutes of the heavy cell passing.
The 2-way Skymesh satellite service(internet/data) goes off about 5 minutes longer after a heavy cell, but operates in moderate rain.
Telstra/Starlink is usally dead for a good 15-20 minutes after the heavy cell has passed.
If it's a night of heavy cells/rain, not much point in trying to use the phone.

- There is also the times(usually occurs during/after wet weather) when one side of the the conversation just ceases to exist.
Either the caller, or the other end, simply disappear, though the line remains connected (to nothing) and you have to make the call again to regain a 2-way conversation. Other side can still hear you, but you've lost the other side of the conversation.
[Telstra have NO idea why this happens - BIG mystery..]

Now, much of what I have written above is likely of little relevance to what the 'Text via Satellite' concept is.
But given my past 20+ years of dealing with Telstra for remote/rural services, and this being your "PLAN D" for when things go REALLY pear-shaped, I'd be putting my faith in just about any other satellite provider on the planet.

My 2 cents.