Satellite – Page 3 – Navigation Mac & Co

Iridium GO! Positive feedback [Update]

Posted on17 January 20202 th 20256 comments

Iridium GO! cruising

Since it was introduced to the market in September 2014 (Eh, yes, 5 years already !) this device, with its indisputable ergonomics and excellent quality/price ratio, has become a must-have for offshore sailors. Easy to implement, without the need for an external antenna (except metal build) it can be used inside the boat.

A test run of several weeks, carried out in October and November 2016 during a transatlantic delivery, had already demonstrated its ability to download GRIB weather files and weather maps despite the low rate (environ 10 KB / mn). With the new Iridium NEXT constellation (¹) we notice since 2019 a real improvement in the global coverage without satellite disconnection.

The new Iridium NEXT constellation is completed

Posted on11 January 20196 th 2024

A few months late, Iridium has just completed its Iridium NEXT satellite launch campaign (¹).

With his 75 new satellites successfully deployed by SpaceX over the past two years, Iridium has achieved the feat of completely replacing its first constellation in record time. The last ten satellites, successfully orbited this January, 11 with a Falcon rocket 9 during the eighth and last launch, definitively complete the new constellation.

Iridium NEXT maintains its schedule [Update-3]

Posted on10 January 201823 th 20244 comments

In June 2012, I wrote a post about the future constellation of communications satellites Iridium NEXT. While intended for operational use in 2017, the calendar had been shifted by a few months. Indeed, the launch of the first ten satellites by the private company SpaceX, originally planned on 12 th 2016, was postponed for a few months by the explosion on September 1 of a Falcon rocket 9 rocket explosion during the fuel filling on its launch pad before a shot of engine test.

Iridium Mail & Web app : GRIB weather files on iPhone and iPad in open sea [Update-2]

Posted on2 June 201711 th 202415 comments

[Update 15 February 2019] The recent update of the application Iridium Mail & Web app gives me the opportunity to refresh this post originally written in December 2011.

The Wi-Fi Gateway Optimizer from RedPort allows owners of a mobile satellite phone to make requests and receive GRIB weather files from an iPad or iPhone on the high seas, into the wild, anywhere on the world.

After implementing and testing this solution On a long journey, It proved to be perfectly operational. However, it is limited to the receipt of the forecasts of the GFS weather model worldwide, and the wave pattern WW3, obtained by the American server's autoresponder Saildocs.

Satellite phones : prices increase in France

Posted on29 June 201512 July 2016

If satellite phone rates, mainly Iridium and Inmarsat, have not evolved in the United States., this is not the case in France. After storage removal of products remained on the shelves, new supplies from distributors saw a sharp increase. Indeed, the combined action of Euro decline and French VAT rise obligated to a significant prices increase, both the material as communication SIM vouchers, prepaid or postpaid. Read more …

Iridium stops distribution of AxcessPoint router [Update]

Posted on17 February 20153 th 20254 comments

Iridium announced to its distribution network the shutdown of the AxcessPoint WiFi router at the end of February (¹) which allows an iPad or iPhone to connect to an Iridium phone to access an email service.

No need to worry for current users : the associated Iridium email service will remain active and accessible to all users. However, this router will no longer be able to be ordered from the 25 February. Read more …

Iridium Mail & Web became fully usable again

Posted on7 January 201525 July 201626 comments

Since release Apple iOS 8 early October 2014 the messaging app Iridium Mail & Web app (who replaced Iridium Mail & Web app) was no longer able to export an attachment to another application using the “Open in” function.… ”. As a result, a GRIB weather file received as an attachment from the SailDocs server could no longer be used in any application, mainly Weather4D PRO.

It took more than 3 months for two successive updates to correct this severely handicapping problem for Iridium customer users :

[Update 21 November 2014] The version 1.0.6 finally fixes this bug, but unfortunately adds others including the rotating display.

[Update 2 of 6 January 2015] The version 1.0.9 fixes bugs for viewing and deleting messages (by removing rotation, too strong !).

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Iridium unifies the use of its mobile devices

Posted on29 th 201419 July 20204 comments

Since the release of Iridium GO! (¹) There were two different pages of subscription (for free) to messaging service, and two applications (iOS/Android) to connect to Iridium devices. Now there is only one application : Iridium Mail & Web app to connect to either the router Optimizer, or to Iridium GO! Read more …

Iridium GO! keeps its promises [Update]

Posted on17 th 201416 th 20242 comments

Since its announcement last February, and GO! took a long time to arrive at retailers until the beginning of this month. The company E-SAT gave me one to conduct some tests. Although too late to carry out these tests at sea, the Quai des Antilles on the Ile de Nantes offers a wide sky clearance also than the deck of a boat, enough to connect satellites of all-round. Two types of tests were carried out : requests and receipts of GRIB weather files from an iPad featured with Weather4D PRO app, functions related to telephony from an iPhone.

IsatPhone 2 the new satellite phone from Inmarsat [Update-2]

Posted on1 July 20145 th 20248 comments

The war is open between the two leading operators worldwide satellite phone. After the announcement of the GO! by Iridium (¹), here is IsatPhone 2 by Inmarsat.

Inmarsat will deliver its new mobile satellite phone on March 24 next. IsatPhone 2 Targets the high-end of the satellite telephony market. Described as "a fine device combined with a feeling of high quality", it has additional options and more features than the previous IsatPhone Pro model (²), such as GPS tracking, an emergency button or the reception of calls with the antenna folded. Read more …