Originally Posted by
ScottC
The DeLorme has a manual "check" option, otherwise it only checks on a set schedule to lower battery use and bandwidth. The satellites Inmarsat uses are used by most cruise ships, defense and aviation - they are rock solid. The iridium satellites are much closer to earth, hence the smaller antenna on the DeLorme. More is not always better though...
Thanks Scott.
That is good to know as I am really liking how the new Inmarsat phone looks! LOL I know its not about looks but rather performance but I have to give them +1 on handset design.
The Iridium extreme is an older handset though so its understandable it doesn't look as sexy as the newer Imarsat.
With respect to overall operational cost (especailly as a emergency phone), I think Imarsat wins purely on dollars and cents. The counter arguement would be... if you can't get a connection then its useless. I'm just concerned about use in Canada. I'm not close to the poles but it would be be nice to know that IF I did go to the Yukon, the phone will work.