Why your Satellite Communications Systems are so important on expeditions
The Importance of Communication in Remote Locations
Whether you're on the open seas, at base camp in the Andes, halfway up a great river or in the middle of the desert, your comms equipment is your lifeline! As most big, long duration adventures and expeditions tend to take place in far flung reaches and off the beaten track you will likely be out of cell service for the majority of the time. There are a myriad of satellite comms options available to today's adventurer, some brand new and other, tried and tested technologies and systems which each have their own pros and cons.
Text only satellite devices such as the Iridium Go! and Garmin InReach
Advantages of Text-based CommunicatioN
These tend to be small, have great battery life and are fairly straightforward to operate. Text comms is great way to pass hard facts and numbers, be that coordinates, weather updates or ETA information. It leads to more accurate passage of information and helps avoid what could be potentially life threatening misunderstandings, risking putting people in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Kit such as the Iridium Go! And Garmin InReach are great for this, they take up very little space when packing kit away, have a great battery life and are easy to operate through an app on your smartphone, but you will need a smartphone that can cope with the rigours of whatever environment your expedition is taking place in. Not all can stand desert heat and dust, salty humid sea air or sub freezing arctic temperatures!
Limitations of Text-only Communication
When it comes to more nuanced conversations, like help defining a change to plans, dealing with an injury or equipment failure, text comms can be less than ideal. An extremely fatigued, potentially stressed or frightened expedition member can easily misread written instructions and certainly misinterpret intent, mood or detail without the added factors or tone of voice or facial expression that the human brain needs for context.
Effective Communication
Research by Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles suggests as little as 7% of a message is conveyed through there actual words used, things like pitch, tone and volume of voice can account for unto 38% with the final, and biggest factor being body language and facial expression accounting for 55% of a messages transmission. Factors like fatigue and a lack of situational awareness only serve to exacerbate the situation with our brains filling in the blanks and often getting it wrong. Text only comms do have a place and can serve an important function but should not be the only means of communications on any serious expedition of any great duration.
Voice Calls with Iridium Satellite Phones
IT’S GOOD TO TALK
The Importance of Voice Communication
When speaking with your safety team, medical cover or support crew about more unforeseen or complex situations, such as injuries or equipment failures or even a break down in group cohesion, lack of leadership or such, it is by far better to have a phone call. It will often get to a solution or a way forward far quicker than playing text message or email ping pong with a growing level of misunderstanding and frustration.
Iridium Satellite Phone Features
The number one solution for this is an Iridium Satellite Phone such as the 9555 or 9575. Iridium has worldwide coverage with more satellites in permanent orbit than any other provider, 66 with 9 spares! It is therefore essential to have at least one means of voice comms with you as well as the text only comms.
Additional Capabilities of Satellite Phones
In fact, your support crew can send short (160 character) text messages for free to your Sat phone, offering a dual benefit. Although the handsets are a little bigger and will use battery more quickly than their text only counterparts, but they can remove the requirement for a second device such as a smartphone or tablet, which will also need charging and be unto the conditions you are in. We cover the ins and outs of this on the comms workshop to help you get the most out of your kit as cost effectively as possible.
Managing Communication with Loved Ones whilst on Expedition
The ability to talk to loved ones from the field can be a mixed blessing, and something you need to get right. I certainly don't recommend promising to make calls at set times and dates or to try and stick to schedule when you're on exped, especially one with a higher risk element. One missed call can cause stress, anxiety, and upset, even if you were just trying to get an extra 10 minutes of sleep, dealing with an unfolding situation, or unable to charge your devices due to several days of excess cloud cover However, the ability to have calls home can be a morale boost for you and help keep things calm at home, don't just take my word for it, here's a few words from my wife based on our own experience.
"When my husband joined the Row4Victory team to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, I was very proud but couldn't shake the worry and fear for his safety. Ocean rowing challenges are formidable: 40-foot waves, the threat of capsizing, and exposure to extreme weather, all within the confines of an 8-meter boat. Despite the event being one of the safest of its kind, the risks and his remoteness at sea were always on my mind. This worry only deepened when he sustained a serious injury during the journey, stopping him from rowing for days. During this tense time, hearing his voice became my solace. Satellite communication was a lifeline, and while his emails provided all important updates, nothing replaced the comfort of hearing his voice. It wasn't just what he said, but how he said it that really mattered. Those calls boosted his morale as much as they calmed my fears. They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but during the winter of 2018, a five-minute phone call was worth a thousand emails to me."
Video and High-resolution Photography with an Inmarsat BGAN
A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS
Limitations of Low-resolution Imagery
While the Iridium Go! And Go Exec can send some fairly low res imagery they are slow to upload and quality is fairly heavily compromised.
Iridium Go! Low resolution image sent from mid-Atlantic
Features and Capabilities of BGAN
The most portable and proven technology to achieve really good results in the most extreme of environments is the BGAN, or Broadband Global Area Network by Inmarsat. This small handheld device does take a little bit of getting used to but speeds, with our packages through Range Global Services, are high achieving up to 492kbps facilitating access to the internet, email and allowing for voice calls.
Top Tips for Efficient BGAN Use
On the Sat Comms Workshop we can discuss the use of some third party compression apps and stitching software that allows you to send high quality content back to your HQ from pretty much anywhere on the planet, we will also discuss management of your devices to minimise any extra costs or burning through data unnecessarily and how to get your data packets prepared and ready to send before you even need to power up the BGAN helping to minimise power consumption and stationary time.
BGAN in Extreme Environments
They have have proven such a useful back up to voice comms and shown to help provide such safety critical information when it comes to assessing wounds and injuries or technical breakdowns that the World's Toughest Row have made them a mandatory addition to their sat comms requirements, seeing in excess of 40 units a year exposed to 3,000 miles of aggressive salinity, high heat and humidity with astonishingly low failure rates.
BGAN for Scientific and Media Purposes
Aside from the safety and planning benefits this kind of internet access can provide if you have a lot of scientific data to send home or need to send back lots of imagery and video to tell a story for your charitable cause or social media the BGAN really is unsurpassed!
Inmarsat BGAN being used at sea - Photo courtesy of World’s Toughest Row TikTok
Check out the video below 🦈
Tailoring Your Communication Setup
Few expedition teams or adventurers will need all three of the above options and there are many secondary considerations in determining which is the right combination for your specific needs, at Victory Adventures we can discuss the variable at play and your requirements and come up with the perfect comms package for your needs and teach you how to use the kit to best effect and efficiency.
Why use Victory Adventures for your Satellite Communications solution?
Competitive Pricing and Simplified Packages
Range Global Services not only offers the most competitive prices on the planet they also believe in keeping it simple. There are no hidden costs, no expensive kit to purchase, just one pre agreed monthly rental price with the best service packages available.
Going Above and Beyond
They also go above and beyond as they understand the risks associated with the kind of activities we are supporting and that failure just isn't an option. For example, every phone will come with 2 battery packs and spare connectors, small things that often go overlooked which can lead to easily avoidable failure of a system.
Cost-saving Features
Every single 88 Iridium phone number on monthly contract comes with a bespoke US landline for call forwarding helping to avoid the huge costs incurred by people calling your sat phones such as safety and support teams, weather service providers and the media, again, on the comms workshop we will go into this and how to really get the most out of it.
Conclusion
Satellite communication systems are vital lifelines for expeditions in remote locations. From text-only devices to voice calls and high-resolution imagery capabilities, each system offers unique advantages. The key is to choose the right combination of technologies that best suits your expedition's specific needs. By understanding the pros and cons of each option and learning how to use them effectively, you can ensure clear communication, enhance safety, and share your adventure with the world.
Ready to gear up for your next big adventure?
Don't leave your satellite communication to chance! Reach out to Victory Adventures today and let's chat about your perfect sat phone setup. Whether you're scaling mountains or crossing oceans, we've got you covered. Get in touch and let's make your expedition a success.
