{"id":43590,"date":"2024-09-18T09:42:23","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T08:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=43590"},"modified":"2024-09-15T09:45:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-15T08:45:28","slug":"satellite-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2024\/09\/satellite-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Satellite Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Satellite SOS on iOS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I got kind of excited by the release of satellite messaging on the latest iPhones and iOS. It\u2019s a good safety feature that allowed me to send a location update and more importantly send an SOS message should I need to, even when I didn\u2019t have any mobile reception. It’s free and seemed to work and it was easy to use thanks to the large screen on the phone. I haven’t had to use it in anger but it did offer to share my location once whilst I was completely out of reception and that seemed to work well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This made emergency beacons such as the RescueMe PLB that I had (mainly for sea-kayaking) somewhat redundant. Im not saying having a backup emergency device isn’t sensible and something dedicated to emergency assistance is probably a good thing, but having such capability on your phone could come in useful. The PLB was only for emergency use, the phone however allowed me to send non-emergency location updates to Anna when out of reception too. Don\u2019t forget of course about all the other things an iPhone is useful for when out in the wilds which means that I always have it with me too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just for info, the RescueMe PLB has never been used by me. It was only a one-way system as well. So, if I did ever use it I wouldn\u2019t know if the message had actually been sent or received by emergency services so it would be a case of hit the SOS button and hope for the best!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple are upping the stakes in iOS 18 (currently in Beta) by adding two-way satellite messaging. This allows us send actual text messages and just as importantly receive them as well, all over satellite so that we can stay in contact even when out of any reception. This is not only to emergency services but to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this is very useful, especially when I\u2019m out in the hills, and especially considering the fact that I\u2019m not getting any younger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being better in some ways (and currently free to use), the Apple iPhone satellite communication system does have a few problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. The two-way messaging isn\u2019t available yet as it\u2019s still in Beta.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The satellite communication is a little slow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. I\u2019ve had a couple of situations where it was unable to connect to a satellites at all and couldn’t therefore send a location update and presumably wouldn’t have been able to send an SOS message.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. The service isn\u2019t available in all countries, just a few chosen countries at the moment. No doubt this will improve with time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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    \"Garmin<\/a>
    Garmin InReach Mini2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    With these issues in mind and a planned trip to the mountains, where the Apple service wasn\u2019t available, it was time to think about a different satellite communicator. Having some Garmin devices the obvious choice was the Garmin InReach Mini2<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The advantages of this in comparison to the phone is that it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n