PLZ HELP need slow ISP for SATCOMM

[Rick_R]

OK Iridium is back! I just got talked out of buying a Westinghouse Wavetalk phone and am going to be one of the NEW IRIDIUM's first customers.
Here is the scoop. I've looked at Mini-M, Inmarsat-C and Globestar. None really fit the bill for my needs - cost and coverage. The Wavetalk and Iridium are really all thats left. I'm cruising the Gulf - Central America - South America then up through the islands - (man I hate making easting!). I need data communications during the trip. Iridium will start data service in June (voice service by the end of this month).

Here is the problem: My two current IPSs boot you off if your connection is slower than 14000. My connect speed will be 2400 until the "upgrade" where speeds of upto 10k are pledged. Does anyone know of an ISP that allows for slower connection speeds. I will need POP3 and FTP service. For email I am also using Sailmail currently. Stratus has a ISP service with a slow connect speed, but only for Wavetalk or Inmarsat - I'm out of luck there. The dial in number of the SLOW ISP won't matter, with Iridium all the US is a "local" call.

Please respond to the board for the next day or two. After that plz email me.

Thanks



Rick_r@NTR.NET

[Bob Malinka]

OK Iridium is back!

Are you sure about that? I don't see them making it passed the year.
Maybe till next year if they are lucky but they still don't have a
viable business plan that will make it profitable to stay in business.
I also cannot understand how the Government can give them a contract
for 72M. Iridium will still need other sources of revenue in order to
keep it's head above water. The system also does not work well, still
has bugs and low, low data transmission rate with large bulky phones.
If any sat phone survives my bet would be on Globalstar. They have a
system that works (doesn't drop calls as frequently as Iridium),
will soon have better data transmission rates (already higher than
Iridium), smaller phones, and good clean voice without interference.
Great phone for the boat while offshore and more dependable. I have
several sailing friends who already use Globalstar phones in the
Carribean and they love them.

Good luck in your search.



Ranger1442@hotmail.com

[Ken Coit]

I don't have much to say about the business prospects for Iridium, but if their web site is any clue, I'd be from Missouri.

A letter in the April 2001 issue of Blue Water Sailing from John and Missie Oldner, S/V Tenacious, indicates that they are having great fortune with Inmarsat Mini-M and an ISP known as Stratos. See http://www.stratos.ca. Stratos provides compression software that increases the effective bit rate well above 2.4 K. Apparently the Olders are using Stratos to access AOL with great success.

My 2 cents.

Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC

OK Iridium is back! I just got talked out of buying a Westinghouse Wavetalk phone and am going to be one of the NEW IRIDIUM's first customers.
Here is the scoop. I've looked at Mini-M, Inmarsat-C and Globestar. None really fit the bill for my needs - cost and coverage. The Wavetalk and Iridium are really all thats left. I'm cruising the Gulf - Central America - South America then up through the islands - (man I hate making easting!). I need data communications during the trip. Iridium will start data service in June (voice service by the end of this month).

Here is the problem: My two current IPSs boot you off if your connection is slower than 14000. My connect speed will be 2400 until the "upgrade" where speeds of upto 10k are pledged. Does anyone know of an ISP that allows for slower connection speeds. I will need POP3 and FTP service. For email I am also using Sailmail currently. Stratus has a ISP service with a slow connect speed, but only for Wavetalk or Inmarsat - I'm out of luck there. The dial in number of the SLOW ISP won't matter, with Iridium all the US is a "local" call.

Please respond to the board for the next day or two. After that plz email me.

Thanks

parfait@nc.rr.com

[Rick_R]

I looked at Globestar but 2 reasons kept me from that choice:
1) whenyou leave the 200 mile USA range you dfault into a "roam" function that makes the perminute call 4X more
2) in all centeral america ans south americe calls are routed theough a gateway in s. america that only supports voice - no data....

thanks for the help

I'm still looking for a "slow ISP" so if anyone has ideas of where I can look - pleaze let me know.



rick_r@ntr.net

[rick_r]

I'm dealing w/ Stratos with both the wavetalk and the IRIDIUM. they offer the ISP for the wavetalk ans Inmatsat only. I'm out of luck with them with the IRIDIUM.



rick_r@ntr.net

[Ken Coit]

Rick,

I contacted a Stephen Claassen at Station Africa Telecoms which is where email to hq@irridium.com seems to land. He provided the following which I can't decipher, but it sounded encouraging:

"We have had the same experiences with customers calling on Inmarsat Satellite Phones and have our own satellite dial-up installed. I assume this will be done by all the Iridium Distributors. We will offer this as a free service with a minimum fee for administration purposes."

I suggest you send him an email and see if you can do business.


Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC



parfait@nc.rr.com

[Rick_R]

Thanks Ken!!!!!

I'll email Stephen today and let you know what he says!!

THANKS AGAIN!!!



Rick_R@ntr.net