Satellite Direct To Cell Phone

[Mal Reynolds]

My iPhone 15 Pro can text via satellite already, and it's free for now. My understanding is bandwidth will be limited due to antenna size, but will be sufficient for texting, voice, and weather gribs to a tablet. Amazing times.

Starlink planning rollout next year: https://www.starlink.com/business/direct-to-cell

Amazon's project Kuiper seems a few years behind Starlink: https://www.aboutamazon.com/what-we-...project-kuiper

Iridium is also working on a system: https://spacenews.com/iridium-approv...g-smartphones/

[barnakiel]

Is this true you can get gribs?


I remember reading iPhone sat connectivity was basically short txt and emergency.


But that was about 12 months ago.


?


b.

[wholybee]

None of this is new news. As you mentioned, several Satellite companies and every carrier. Texting works in some areas. Noteworthy is that the Baja HaHa has checked, and it doesn't seem to work in Mexico, and participants are being told they need another device for check-in.

Eventually voice should work, but I don't think high speed ever will. Combination of antenna size, and power requirements. I don't think a phone capable of high speed satellite data will pass osha requirements for exposure. (though I haven't checked or done the math) And would need a higher capacity battery than currently available.

Gribs? Eventually, sure. Technically could be done before voice, but only if the carriers open up the phones to let us write the software for it.

[PippaB]

As a sailor I am thrilled by the advent of nearly ubiquitous communication at sea. Having spent my fair portion of time twiddling SSB dials to get a marginal signal, the thought of just being able to fire up the phone or dish and get weather is almost a utopian promise.

But - I also think we have let Elon and Bezos and their partners to get ahead of us. Gen 2 Starlink satellites weigh 800kg, have a 5-year useful life, and at full build-out the constellation will be 42,000 birds. That's 6700 tons of material burning up in the stratosphere every year (and that just counts Starlink) without much consideration of whether or not that is significant pollution. Aluminum oxides from satellite combustion are huge protagonists of ozone destruction, and now we are just beginning the process of distributing hundreds to thousands of tons of the stuff in the stratosphere each year, right where the ozone layer has only recently recovered.

https://www.space.com/air-pollution-...-junk-detected

https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites.html

https://www.space.com/deorbiting-imp...sphere-climate

Do we have enough dilution to be the solution so that we can get our solid comms?

[Democritus]

I don't know...I do however regard Musk as an enemy to mankind ...putting it politely, overpaid, over-adulated, underperforming egomaniac....surely you have to be to ring the earth with thousands of satellites to 'make communications easier' while obscuring the entire world of people wanting views of the universe . "It's all about me' seems to overcome common decency.

[Bowdrie]

Forget your cell phone, learn Morse code, plug the Vibroplex "Bug" into your Marconi apparatus and take command of the airwaves.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Democritus

I don't know...I do however regard Musk as an enemy to mankind ...putting it politely, overpaid, over-adulated, underperforming egomaniac...
... "It's all about me' seems to overcome common decency.

I have zero empathy for narcissistic sociopaths.
But, to be fair, they don't have any for me, either.
And, they never think about, how their actions affect *me*!

[wholybee]

The other part of this. As much as I enjoy having all this connectivity- That means everyone else has it also. This makes out of the way places more reachable for everyone, and less desirable to visit.

I don't want to go to some anchorage with 50 other boats, all previously unable to go there without the connectivity. And now exactly the type of place I like to avoid.

[PippaB]

Originally Posted by wholybee

The other part of this. As much as I enjoy having all this connectivity- That means everyone else has it also. This makes out of the way places more reachable for everyone, and less desirable to visit.

I don't want to go to some anchorage with 50 other boats, all previously unable to go there without the connectivity. And now exactly the type of place I like to avoid.

When my father started his family down the cruising lifestyle path his one guide was "I want to go to places that don't have airports". He figured a) if it had an airport there were much easier ways to get there, and b) once it had an airport and was easy to get there it inevitably changed, and he wanted to visit before that happened..

I can easily envision myself 'working' over a Starlink connection from some very remote anchorages, but if I can see it so can everyone else. I do wonder what the realities will be, my experience is that a fair number of cruisers don't enjoy remote as much as they think they will, and want other modern conveniences available in addition to communications.

[Democritus]

Ah yes Bowdrie.. pro-pollution .it's a modern view challenging science...AHEM,,,....as for the Morse (and that's not a transmitter) didit dahdidah dahdit dahahdah didahdah didt dididdah dididit ditdidit dah. I am an amateur radio operator 'long time' and primarily use the code ,not sideband... I was sad to see 500kHz go and also the demise of morse as a licence requirement but then most 'Hams" have become plug and play rather than builders or restorers of historic gear...though there are some really dedicated and skilled people in USA who try to find auctions at older homes where even spark transmitters and coherer receivers are going up for auction...they then do superb restorations.

Unfortunately spark transmitters have considerable bandwidth! I try from time to time to buy old USA morse system telegraph bits...should be heaps in Australia also...'somewhere'... from the old lines...I'd like to see some old post office buildings restored and old lines resurrected for morse stations....as historic things.I do have one early transmitter which used a T Ford 'trembler' battery and key on a board..

My most complimentary opinion of Musk as given should not offend "X" users

Now...how many of you chaps use HF on your boats? Mine by the way, is just about to return to mooring after the antifoul and tidy up new solar panels and controllers after 4 days. Yes...the potential bill has me squirming! . Some other craft had hole'd the bow whilst on mooring ...Thanks!...No, they didn't leave a contact note...I doubt that will be under $500, could be $1000....but I am 'do it once do it well'.

Sadly someone has already worked on a core-rot issue on the foredeck so I will have that completely redone after chrismas....I am not 'into' injection fixes. The core timber is dry but rotted...I wouldn't pass-on such a nice boat with that issue. My mould killer (natural oils) has been extremely effective...not a sign of mould again after my treatment over 16 months ago.

Ok...that's it,...oh no...forgot does anyine know the name and location of the Tophat with transom rudder stolen from Gold coast some years ago. I have a photo of it and have asked Phillip to put it on forum but appropriately ...I don't know how.

[Democritus]

The repair was well over $1000! If your boat is insured why not do the right thing and leave details for the damaged boat's owner to make a claim against your insurance...and if not insured, against him/herself. It's pretty loathesome to dump an innocent owner with the costs of the repairs. Say I was insured, my excess would be $1000.00 leaving a few hundred to cough up personally. What happened to Australian honour? The Shipwright used another paint as he said the one on my band near Gun'l is $600/litre and sold in 1L minimums.... I will not let my boat go to ruin and so it costs...a lot....This one alone was over $6000. Next is the foredeck...which leaves only painting to make it almost as new. Whoever buys it will get a nice boat. BTW the rigger and the 'shipwright' around the lower Nth Shore ( $9000) had it off its mooring for months locked up...I extensively investigated mould-killing for over a week and eventually decided on one only product...using natural oils...I used a fogger and did not spare it...I then locked her up for 2 days...That worked brilliantly and 18 months later...no sign of a return of smell of mustiness. I have some more of that product and if you want some....I will on-sell it. I could also supply it in quantity. I used 4L on my boat...2 would have sufficed but 'spare the rod and spoil the child'...

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Democritus

didit dahdidah dahdit dahahdah didahdah didt dididdah dididit ditdidit dah.

Did the posting run some things together, or separate them?
I could only get, "I KNOW EU SST"?
Anyway, yes, I was working on a spark-gap unit in high school, (many decades ago,) they will make hash out of the TV reception.
I think the FCC calls it "spurious emission"?
I thought a rotary-gap unit would put me in high style.