SATCOM for Preparedness
For civilians looking to enhance their personal preparedness and develop their communications plan, SATCOM may seem like military voodoo with a high barrier to entry.
Though it seems like a lofty goal to enter the SATCOM market, you may be surprised to know that there are very accessible satellite communications systems available for civilians to use at affordable pricing with no licensing requirements.
The most prevalent SATCOM system I see in the outdoors and preparedness market is the Garmin inReach line of devices. These satellite communicators operate on the Iridium constellation to provide you with untethered messaging and position/location information. This is the most affordable entry point into this market, with a variety of plans for adventurers through professionals. These devices enable messaging and location sharing between inReach users, text messaging to cell phones, and SOS messaging for emergency situations.
Source: @_christian_guzman on Instagram
One thing that most people don’t know about the inReach, is that it can provide you with the ability to track your inReach users via TAK. Greg Albrecht has developed a plugin called “inrcot” to enable this capability: https://github.com/snstac/inrcot
As a Garmin dealer, Mojave Repeater is happy to provide you with this solution. Please contact us to learn more and request a quote on inReach devices!
Messaging is great, but for more immediate feedback, voice is also important. Another SATCOM solution for two-way voice is the Icom IC-SAT100. This is a Push-to Talk radio, unlike other satellite phones in that it provides you with a “one-to-many” voice talkgroup. It is more analogous with a standard handheld radio than a satellite phone, which is actually more like a cell phone only allowing one-to-one conversations. These radios also operate on the Iridium network and require a monthly service plan and talkgroup fee. Please contact us for a quote on these radios or find them on our website at the following link: https://www.mojaverepeater.com/store/p/icom-ic-sat100
Finally, for wideband satellite internet, there are a number of options. You are likely most familiar with a newer product that entered this market, which is the SpaceX Starlink. This product solved a lot of the problems of legacy wideband satellite internet systems. Particularly because it operates on a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation, which reduces the ping and increases throughput. They also operate on a system of X-band and Ka/Ku-Band transmissions between terminals, satellite, and ground stations, at a much higher frequency than legacy BGAN terminals, offering much greater throughput. Although it is a great solution for high-speed Internet, BGAN terminals such as the Cobham Explorer 510 are still very relevant as they are the only truly portable solution with battery power. We don’t offer these products, but if this sounds like something that would meet your needs, I encourage you to explore these products through other providers!