Does anyone have an Iridium Go yet?

[chala]

Originally Posted by SmartMove

no confidence in the phone since we have yet to complete a call without being dropped and that about 20% of the time we have no service.

Is this when at anchor or underway?

[chala]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

But I should have the unit in roughly 7-10 days.

Are you also getting an external aerial ?

[Time2Go]

Late to this discussion but thought I'd chime in
Somebody mentioned the Delorme In Reach
I just completed 2400nm and my inreach worked great
My friends could follow my track and the texting system worked great
Sent and received many messages every day
Great bit of kit
I paid 275.00 US and my plan cost 64.00 per month
But you can turn it on and off on a monthly basis
Plan featured tracking at 10 min intervals and unlimited texts
Plus you get a SOS function

[N3VR L8]

Originally Posted by SmartMove

We haven't been that impressed with our Iridium sat phone yet (2 years) to contemplate buying another Iridium toy. We told the Ocens people at the boat show">Annapolis boat show yesterday that we have no confidence in the phone since we have yet to complete a call without being dropped and that about 20% of the time we have no service. Just our experience YMMV.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Sounds like you may have a faulty unit, sounds very out of the ordinary for an Iridium phone.

[N3VR L8]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Did I need to read 90 posts to find out the answer is a simple NO ?

I have had a GO for months now, what questions do you have?

[Can-Vik Cat]

I tested the unit at my dealers today...phone calls worked....minor lag, just have to get used to taking turns speaking. Texting worked fast as well...told the dealer to get antenna etc not in stock ready and I will pick it up.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Feral Cement]

Originally Posted by N3VR L8

I have had a GO for months now, what questions do you have?

-- How fast are the weather map downloads?

-- What GRIB reader are you using? Data source?

-- How long do the batteries last?

-- Does it work well on a moving/rolling sailboat?

-- What are the weak points in the system and/or operation?

-- Who has the best price per unit for Iridium data plans?

.......for starters! Thanks for sharing.

John

[N3VR L8]

Originally Posted by Feral Cement

-- How fast are the weather map downloads?

-- What GRIB reader are you using? Data source?

-- How long do the batteries last?

-- Does it work well on a moving/rolling sailboat?

-- What are the weak points in the system and/or operation?

-- Who has the best price per unit for Iridium data plans?

.......for starters! Thanks for sharing.

John

Hi John,

I have not tested the unit with any specific grib reader, unfortunately. I'd be more than happy to test one if you have any specifics in mind.

Battery life depends on use, but the 16 hour standby and 7 hour "talk time" that Iridium advertises is very accurate.

Iridium service should never be affected by movement or rolling/pitching due to the LEO satellite constellation. I would probably recommend you purchase the external antenna adapter and run a fixed mast antenna for best results.

Weak point, in my opinion, is the app configuration. The voice/texting app works flawlessly and is very simple/clean.. I feel like Iridium got lazy in development and simply tweaked the access point app for the data portion of things. The mail and web app is not the most user friendly, by any means, and I would have preferred they create a "one size fits all" -- both voice and data in one app -- for the GO specifically.

Rates are going to vary across the board, just depends on how greedy the reseller/SP you are dealing with is.

[djs]

This is great thread. I'm considering sat Comms for a transatlantic next year.
Two questions if I may drift the threat slightly...
Can the Go be used with a laptop?
Can any iridium phone work with a windows 8 PC?
Mailasail, uk are adamant that the answer to both questions is no, but they do have their own hardware solution to this to sell...
Looking forward to the reports from all the early adopters
Dave

[Feral Cement]

Originally Posted by N3VR L8

I have not tested the unit with any specific grib reader, unfortunately. I'd be more than happy to test one if you have any specifics in mind.

I would probably recommend you purchase the external antenna adapter and run a fixed mast antenna for best results.

Weak point, in my opinion, is the app configuration. I feel like Iridium got lazy in development and simply tweaked the access point app for the data portion of things. The mail and web app is not the most user friendly, by any means, and I would have preferred they create a "one size fits all" -- both voice and data in one app -- for the GO specifically.

N3VR L8 --

Thanks for the info! I just received my GO and will configure/test it over the coming days and weeks as we transit south. We did get the external antenna for better signal access, though I am perplexed why they send a deck-mount stem for an antenna that they recommend you mount at least 2 meters above sea level.

We plan to try the PredictWind GRIB reader, although there are other free weather apps out there. I'm not a techie - at all - so this next question may sound strange:

If we use the PredictWind app (refined to work with the GO), will we avoid the weakness in app development that you noted? Or do we need to go through the Iridium app to access the PredictWind app?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this product!

John

[chala]

Originally Posted by N3VR L8

Battery life depends on use, but the 16 hour standby and 7 hour "talk time" that Iridium advertises is very accurate.

Like other mobile phones the power usage depend on the call quality. To maximize power output from my iridium I like to keep it in the charging mode when communicating. For this reason the Iridium is installed inside the boat out of the weather and easy to reach for reset. I also use the external puck aerial provided. The aerial must have a clear sky as recommended. That mean masts or boom must not create an obstruction and the aerial be installed where pitch and roll is at the minimum. Also my external puck aerial contain a magnet that must be kept away from compasses.

Originally Posted by N3VR L8

Iridium service should never be affected by movement or rolling/pitching due to the LEO satellite constellation.

As experimented or just guessing?

Originally Posted by monte

I also downloaded weather4D for ipad which seems to be a very good grib program. One of the best features is that is shows the Iridium satellite orbits in real time so you can time your connection for the best data speeds.
…
BTW, the satellites move fast! from the beginning of a good signal to the end is only about 5 minutes, and I would guestimate 10 minutes in between average, so its definitely worthwhile to have a program to view the satellite orbits in realtime. I downloaded a couple for the PC but they were very clunky compared to the weather4D one.

Originally Posted by djs

Can the Go be used with a laptop?

As advertised yes. May require Wifi. The port on the Go show an USB for charging the USB may also allow a PC to be connected?

Originally Posted by djs

Can any iridium phone work with a windows 8 PC?

32 bit or 64? Best bet is to connect to the Iridium site and check for software down loads.

Originally Posted by hoppy

Maybe cruisersforum should create

Some sites do recognise slow speed communication and accordingly cut off the “fioritures”. With a Dial-Up, an animated add can take more than one minute to download.

[simonpickard]

Received my go today. Having a play with it now as we speak but so far so good. I'll report back any pros, cons over the next few days.

[N3VR L8]

Originally Posted by Feral Cement

N3VR L8 --

Thanks for the info! I just received my GO and will configure/test it over the coming days and weeks as we transit south. We did get the external antenna for better signal access, though I am perplexed why they send a deck-mount stem for an antenna that they recommend you mount at least 2 meters above sea level.

We plan to try the PredictWind GRIB reader, although there are other free weather apps out there. I'm not a techie - at all - so this next question may sound strange:

If we use the PredictWind app (refined to work with the GO), will we avoid the weakness in app development that you noted? Or do we need to go through the Iridium app to access the PredictWind app?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this product!

John

Hi John,

If predictwind has now created an app with the Iridium GO API you should be good to go as far as accessing GRIBs. Iridium made the API readily available to developers, so it will work without being in the other apps as long as you are connected to the GO wifi. You will still likely need the Iridium apps to use voice/sms and email/web though!

As far as the antenna, it sounds as if someone provided you with a vehicle mount antenna, not a fixed mast. I would definitely look into a fixed mast and longer cable run if you have any obstruction problems with the setup they provided.

[N3VR L8]

Originally Posted by chala

As experimented or just guessing?

Tested

[N3VR L8]

Originally Posted by chala

I also use the external puck aerial provided. The aerial must have a clear sky as recommended. That mean masts or boom must not create an obstruction and the aerial be installed where pitch and roll is at the minimum. Also my external puck aerial contain a magnet that must be kept away from compasses.

That is certainly one solution, if you ever want to move to a more permanent solution I would certainly recommend a cable run up the mast to a fixed mast antenna. This can be achieved for a few hundred dollars and makes life much easier in respect to consistent signal quality regardless of sea conditions.

If you're using an Iridium phone, that setup would go great with a docking station.