Predict Wind / Iridium Go on sale?

[Gibbay]

I have been looking into buying a Predict Wind / Iridium Go for a while. Just hoping that, at some point, the price would go down. Like all hardware and subscription prices.


Better and cheaper hardware, more satellites in the skies...


But for Predict Wind / Iridium Go the price remains the same years after years...


Have you seen them going on sale? Or never?


Thks!

[Discovery 15797]

Iridium Go device is separate from the PredictWind service, although you can buy your Iridium device from PredictWind.

Most consumer electronics don't have a huge mark up in price, and price per unit usually doesn't change very much as long as there is demand AND until an upgraded system is released.

PredictWind is a service, much like other internet service offerings. There is a "free" version, and subscription rates for additional "premium" services. This is the same as Windy's premium service, Weatherbell Analytics, etc.

So, short answer is...there are some slight price variations found on the internet for the Iridium Go unit, but any big discount is unlikely in the near future.

[Jasseji]

Originally Posted by Discovery 15797

Iridium Go device is separate from the PredictWind service, although you can buy your Iridium device from PredictWind.

Most consumer electronics don't have a huge mark up in price, and price per unit usually doesn't change very much as long as there is demand AND until an upgraded system is released.

PredictWind is a service, much like other internet service offerings. There is a "free" version, and subscription rates for additional "premium" services. This is the same as Windy's premium service, Weatherbell Analytics, etc.

So, short answer is...there are some slight price variations found on the internet for the Iridium Go unit, but any big discount is unlikely in the near future.

Except if Iridium starts loosing customers to Starlink, those who use the Iridium Stationary that is (as Starlink for now only allows for Stationary use, no mobile Option yet).

If you're not pressed for time, i'd wait half a year or even until 2022 to see how the market develops

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Jasseji

Except if Iridium starts loosing customers to Starlink, those who use the Iridium Stationary that is (as Starlink for now only allows for Stationary use, no mobile Option yet).

If you're not pressed for time, i'd wait half a year or even until 2022 to see how the market develops

I’m happy we didn’t wait in 2019 because the Iridium Go would be outdated within months they said. It will be a long time before we have Starlink aboard so if you need the service now, Iridium Go with PredictWind works great and is the main option now. Windy is nice when you have cellular coverage but worthless offshore.

[Discovery 15797]

Originally Posted by Jasseji

Except if Iridium starts loosing customers to Starlink, those who use the Iridium Stationary that is (as Starlink for now only allows for Stationary use, no mobile Option yet).

If you're not pressed for time, i'd wait half a year or even until 2022 to see how the market develops

What is Iridium Stationary? The Iridium Go is a compact portable unit...perhaps that's why they call it "Go."

As Jedi wrote...if your ready to go this year or next...Iridium is slow, but tried and true and coupled with PredictWind for weather forecasting and routing is outstanding.

Or, you can wait for Starlink to be available to cruisers on the open water, but you'll likely be dead before that occurs. (I believe Musk has some brilliant people working on this...but they really haven't figured out the solution quite yet, and the market is really quite small and not their primary focus.)

[Jasseji]

Originally Posted by Discovery 15797

What is Iridium Stationary? The Iridium Go is a compact portable unit...perhaps that's why they call it "Go."

As Jedi wrote...if your ready to go this year or next...Iridium is slow, but tried and true and coupled with PredictWind for weather forecasting and routing is outstanding.

Or, you can wait for Starlink to be available to cruisers on the open water, but you'll likely be dead before that occurs. (I believe Musk has some brilliant people working on this...but they really haven't figured out the solution quite yet, and the market is really quite small and not their primary focus.)

I meant those who use Iridium Go for non-mobile purposes where there is no other options are beginning to switch to Starlink (it is available already in a lot of places, even i got an offer to Test it in Germany), hence Iridium might loose this customer base and decide to make their mobile Unit more attractive for new Customers

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Jasseji

I meant those who use Iridium Go for non-mobile purposes where there is no other options are beginning to switch to Starlink (it is available already in a lot of places, even i got an offer to Test it in Germany), hence Iridium might loose this customer base and decide to make their mobile Unit more attractive for new Customers

Iridium Go is only used for mobile, never for stationary. Nobody has replaced Iridium Go with Starlink, this will only start to happen when the Starlink mobile terminals are introduced.

[Jasseji]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Iridium Go is only used for mobile, never for stationary. Nobody has replaced Iridium Go with Starlink, this will only start to happen when the Starlink mobile terminals are introduced.

i beg to differ, i seen Iridium Go used in Eastern European Mountain lodges for general communication where there is no cell reception and those are happy to switch to Starlink.

I'm just saying, the Satellite Data Market is expanding and Starlink is already up and running in several locations (as well as in Europe)

The starlink Terminal is actually mobile, it only has a location-based switchoff not to confuse the System during testing. Nothing is theoretically stopping you from mounting it on a Gimbal and putting it on a boat, only the System will not allow you to use it outside of your designated location. It has been tested on Cars and even on a plane already (i.e. the current non-moblie approach is purely a software limitation, not hardware and the antenna is actually quite small)

[Jasseji]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Iridium Go is only used for mobile, never for stationary. Nobody has replaced Iridium Go with Starlink, this will only start to happen when the Starlink mobile terminals are introduced.

Also i did point out "if you are not pressed for time", hence i do not understand the hostility

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Jasseji

i beg to differ, i seen Iridium Go used in Eastern European Mountain lodges for general communication where there is no cell reception and those are happy to switch to Starlink.

I'm just saying, the Satellite Data Market is expanding and Starlink is already up and running in several locations (as well as in Europe)

The starlink Terminal is actually mobile, it only has a location-based switchoff not to confuse the System during testing. Nothing is theoretically stopping you from mounting it on a Gimbal and putting it on a boat, only the System will not allow you to use it outside of your designated location. It has been tested on Cars and even on a plane already (i.e. the current non-moblie approach is purely a software limitation, not hardware and the antenna is actually quite small)

That’s not true, it will only work when stationary. This has all been tried and tested, just check YouTube for the videos.

Are you saying that those mountain lodges have fixed Iridium Go installations? I would think it is their guests that carry them instead. I could see people who live outside cell coverage have an Iridium phone, but never experienced Iridium Go in a stationary fixed install. That said, there’s always an exception but that doesn’t change the issue which is that Iridium prices will not go down and the terminals will when the mobile Starlink terminals arrive.

[Jasseji]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That’s not true, it will only work when stationary. This has all been tried and tested, just check YouTube for the videos.

Are you saying that those mountain lodges have fixed Iridium Go installations? I would think it is their guests that carry them instead. I could see people who live outside cell coverage have an Iridium phone, but never experienced Iridium Go in a stationary fixed install. That said, there’s always an exception but that doesn’t change the issue which is that Iridium prices will not go down and the terminals will when the mobile Starlink terminals arrive.

Yes, at least 2 of those i visited in the Carpathian Mountains in Hungary/Romania have Iridium Go for their own use.

I wasnt referring to Starlink user tests on mobile platforms but the companie's own tests on their drone ships and Musks own Jet, as per the requests to the FCC it is the same terminal but with different Software (Also the US Airforce did test it on a Jet with a Gimbal i believe). Also none of the YT vids uses a gimbal for their tests, hence they are not conclusive.

I actually made the mistake of buying an Iridium Go last year and then 3 months later i got into the Starlink Beta so i could have tested in now

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I’m happy we didn’t wait in 2019 because the Iridium Go would be outdated within months they said. It will be a long time before we have Starlink aboard so if you need the service now, Iridium Go with PredictWind works great and is the main option now. Windy is nice when you have cellular coverage but worthless offshore.

This.

I sold my Go in early 2019 because everyone was saying that Starlink or the new Iridium service would be out any minute and I was afraid it would be obsolete by the time I needed it again.

Well, guess what . ..

Now it's 2021 and not only is Go not obsolete but it seems clear that the new higher bandwidth solutions will be much more expensive than the outstanding $139 per month unlimited Go data plan. And I'm in the market again

Do Go and don't look back -- it's a great device. I used it for most of a summer in the Arctic and it was fantastic.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Jasseji

Yes, at least 2 of those i visited in the Carpathian Mountains in Hungary/Romania have Iridium Go for their own use.

I wasnt referring to Starlink user tests on mobile platforms but the companie's own tests on their drone ships and Musks own Jet, as per the requests to the FCC it is the same terminal but with different Software (Also the US Airforce did test it on a Jet with a Gimbal i believe). Also none of the YT vids uses a gimbal for their tests, hence they are not conclusive.

I actually made the mistake of buying an Iridium Go last year and then 3 months later i got into the Starlink Beta so i could have tested in now

Oh yes but those terminals are not available for the public yet. I believe they have 15 prototypes