Equipment
Keeping in Touch from Anywhere: Two Affordable Handheld Satellite Phones for Sea Kayakers
Text and photos by Gary Lai
Two companies now offer satellite phones that are not much larger than ordinary cell phones, and prices have come down dramatically. And unlike cell phones, satellite phones can work virtually everywhere on Earth.
According to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, there are currently over 145 million wireless communication subscribers in the U.S. alone. Given the magnitude of these statistics, a significant fraction of sea kayakers undoubtedly own cell phones. What do these kayakers do with their cell phones on paddling trips? If they’re paddling near populated areas, some may choose to take their phones along to keep in touch with family or to call for help in an emergency. Using a cell phone is often not an option on a paddling trip, however. The very solitude kayakers seek when paddling into wilderness areas frequently means spotty or nonexistent cell-phone coverage.

Satellite phones have long been an option for wilderness expeditions of all kinds. Unlike cell phones, satellite phones can work virtually everywhere on Earth. Until recently, they weren’t a good option for recreational sea kayakers due to their high price tag and bulky size. With the introduction of services over the last few years by two companies—Iridium and Globalstar—all that has changed. These companies offer satellite phones that are not much larger than ordinary cell phones, and prices have come down dramatically.

Frequent users can now purchase satellite phones and subscribe to rate plans similar to cell phone plans. Occasional users can rent satellite phones on a weekly basis and pay modest per-minute charges only for the calls they make. Renting a satellite phone and keeping it available only for emergencies can cost less than $75 for a week or $200 for a month, and the cost can be split among all the group members. Professional guides can offer satellite phone use as a valuable and relatively economical service to their clients. Any kayaker who can afford to own a cell phone can probably now afford to rent a satellite phone for the occasional multi-day paddling trip to a remote place. Like it or not, traveling far away from civilization is no longer a good excuse not to stay in touch with a spouse or boss.

A Primer on Satellite Communications

Satellite phones communicate directly with orbiting satellites in space. The satellite acts as a relay station, relaying the signal down to a station on the ground called a gateway. The gateway then routes the call into a standard telephone network.

Satellite phones communicate with satellites in either geosynchronous orbit (GEO) or low-Earth orbit (LEO). Until recently, all satellite phones communicated with GEO satellites, which orbit the Earth at an altitude of 22,238 miles above the equator. In this orbit, they take exactly 24 hours to circle the Earth once—the same amount of time it takes the Earth to complete one rotation. Therefore, from the point of view of someone on Earth, GEO satellites appear to hover motionless in the sky. The high altitude allows each GEO satellite to be in contact with up to one-third of the Earth’s surface at all times. However, to link with satellites at such a high altitude, GEO satellite phones are usually power-hungry and bulky (typically the size of a small briefcase).

LEO satellites orbit the Earth at a much lower altitude of only 1,000 miles or less but have to be much faster; LEO satellites take only about 100 minutes to orbit the Earth. Because of the lower altitude, LEO satellite phones usually require less power and can be smaller than traditional GEO satellite phones. A LEO satellite can communicate with only a small percentage of the Earth’s surface at once and only for a limited amount of time. LEO systems must therefore consist of dozens of satellites in carefully planned formations to ensure uninterrupted coverage, requiring a very large investment to deploy. Since any particular LEO satellite will only be within range of a user for several minutes, they must incorporate complex switching systems to pass phone calls from satellites going out of range to satellites coming into range. Until recently, no one could develop the technology or come up with the investment to make LEO satellite phone systems a reality.