Sat Phones becoming more affordable.

[giantfan]

I have been looking into getting a satellite phone for a few years now and they just haven’t been in my price range till now.

Globalstar has launched a bunch a new satellites and from what everyone is saying the service is getting better every day as they get the new units up and running. They are scheduled to do their final launch later this year which will be the only 2nd generation communication satellites in service.
Due to the issues that Globalstar had over the last couple of years with their old satellites and it being next to impossible to get a signal, there are a lot of used Globalstar phones for sale. I picked one up on ebay the other day for $78.00. That’s a far cry from the $1,200.00 that they were selling for new at one point.

Globalstar has also addressed the fact that they got a horrible reputation for their sub-par service and are now offering an unlimited voice and data plan for only $39.99 a month. With this pricing I couldn’t pass it up. This is a nice feature to have when fishing offshore. I will now be able to stay offshore longer if I want, as I can call my wife and tell her what my plans are without having her worry about where the hell we are and possibly calling the coast guard when were over due back at the dock. Also it will allow us to talk to other boats offshore and give them some up to the min details without broadcasting it over the VHF for everyone in the world to hear. Not to mention being able to plug it into my laptop to get updated surface temp charts.

With the mild winter and last year being the best tuna bite that we have had in the past few years..... I am really excited for this season. I may even be able to break away from the deli enough to get double digit canyon trips in this year..... (I sure hope so)