Satellite Email via GPS?

mtm_king asks: "Has anyone had any experience with Magellan GSC 100 Satellite Communicator? It is a GPS that does email. (Their web site pricing and info is out of date.) The GSC costs $850 unit, $130 for case and antenna, another $50 in sign up fees, then it is $30 a month for the service. My parents live full time in Mexico (outside of Todo Santos, cool place) and just have a cell phone which is expensive and flaky ($1.00 a minute+ from the US) . Trying to communicating with them is really frustrating. I am thinking about buying one of these units for them,but it is getting close to some 'serious money' considering I do not know how well it works. I know I could try to get their PC on the internet through the cell phone but considering that they have to stand by a window or go outside to use it, and the cost of an ISP and more minutes on the cell phone...well, I am looking for cheaper/more reliable alternatives than that." Would the GSC really work better in this case than using the cell phone modem?

Comments

Check Out Iridium

[zulux]

A iridium phone costs (after hidious federal taxes) between $1000 and $1800 depending on model. Their cheapy plan, cost $20 per month for service and $1.50 per min - they have a cradel for $150 that makes the thing behave like a slow serial modem. With a good ISP, it you get 4800 baud. They give you a Windows CD that you can use that will compress the stream and use their ISP. I threw it away - and just use SSH for it's compression on a BSD laptop.

The cool thing - is that most plans charge by ten second increments. Volume plans can get you down to $.60 a min.

Also they work greay in an emergency - I had no trouble getting a line on Sep11, but cell and land line diden't work.

Curious thing though - after Sep11 (around the 25th or so) - Iridium calls took an extra five seconds to connect. I think shady people were being monitered by our frinds at the NSA. Or I could just need to re-adjust my foil hat.

Sorry 'bout the rambeling. I need coffee.

Oh - the best thing about Iridium VS Garmond: You family can use it in an emergency, when communiction is a life saver and not just a novilty for email.

Good luck - sounds like a cool project and I admire you for trying to keep in touch with family.