# Iridium GO experience...a go or no-go



## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

What do you like and dislike?
How do you currently use it?

This seems like it could be useful when offshore and away from civilization.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

RegisteredUser said:


> What do you like and dislike?
> How do you currently use it?


DISCLAIMER: I sell, among other things, satellite phones and terminals including the GO! and service plans.

One of the appeals of the GO! is that you can share a single satellite connection across multiple devices, using smart phones, tablets, and laptops for voice and data.

You will want XGate or one of it's variants (the Iridium apps are somewhat stripped down versions of the XGate apps, all developed by Luis Soltero).

You will definitely want an external antenna on your boat. No question. Performance is vastly improved. It doesn't get any faster but drop-outs go way down.

You'll want the wall bracket and the power cord for a fixed installation. Power is a pain since the GO! runs on 5 VDC and the options are a USB connection and a 117 VAC wall wart. There are lots of unfortunate ways to wire in a GO! and I think I've seen most of them on client boats. Your best bet is the car adapter with the cigarette lighter plug cut off and the wires hardwired to your boat.

You can configure access for owner (or captain) and crew (or family) with different privileges and access. That can help protect your minutes and thus your wallet. You definitely want to subscribe to XGate to keep your devices from phoning home over Iridium and burning through your minutes doing software updates. Think that isn't a problem? Think again.

It's really slow - 2400 bps (the Iridium rate, not unique to the GO!). One voice call from anyone cuts off data for all.

It's not part of GMDSS so not a life safety device.

It is very compact and has an internal battery.

It's sold as a convenient appliance but configuration can be fussy. I do configuration in my lab before shipping to clients and still have trouble calls as people try to get their devices to work through the GO! When I do the installation myself or sell a new boat computer with the GO! I can of course do more but there is still one person that can't meet me on the boat who struggles with their device. Setting the connections up seems to be non-intuitive for a lot of people.

I use it for H&W email, for confirmation of appointments with marinas and service providers, and position reporting (third party service). Clients often use it for text and GRIB weather data; I prefer synoptic charts over weather fax.

For convenience email, no attachments, no pictures and for text messaging it's fine.

On my boat I have an HF/SSB radio and Pactor modem and a Globalstar fixed data terminal (the Globalstar equivalent of the Iridium Pilot, not commercially available) and an EPIRB and a Spot messenger for long range communication. I use HF/SSB more than anything else. I hope I never have to use the EPIRB. *grin*


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## darc (Nov 1, 2016)

SVAuspicious said:


> DISCLAIMER: Spot messenger for long range communication. I use HF/SSB more than anything else. I hope I never have to use the EPIRB. *grin*


Any suggestions,if you are just looking to get grib files and send and get a text without an $1000 initial investment when you're a couple a hundred miles offshore? Anything along the lines and cost of Spot or Inreach?


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

darc said:


> Any suggestions,if you are just looking to get grib files and send and get a text without an $1000 initial investment when you're a couple a hundred miles offshore? Anything along the lines and cost of Spot or Inreach?


Hence my interest in the GO.


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## Lazerbrains (Oct 25, 2015)

As stated earlier, it is very slow to send or receive anything - often several minutes. 
Connections are not always reliable, and there are periods where it will not connect at all. 
Other times, it will drop in the middle of an upload/download, and you have to restart the process.
The plans are expensive, and so is the equipment.


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## jackdale (Dec 1, 2008)

RegisteredUser said:


> What do you like and dislike?
> How do you currently use it?
> 
> This seems like it could be useful when offshore and away from civilization.


The owners on the last two boats that I delivered (Cape Town - Brazil, Maui - Victoria) had Iridium installed. I was quite happy with it. Few problems with drop outs. My Samsung phone seems to have a problem with voice transmissions. Text was fine. We were able to download grib files, weatherfax and navtext from saildocs to a laptop without any issues.

In 2012 I had to use a sat phone to deal with a medical issue on board. We used the sat phone to contact Honolulu RCC who arranged for us to meet up with a container ship to which evacuate our crew member. SSB was not effective; VHF only worked to contact the rendezvous vessel at short distances.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

darc said:


> Any suggestions,if you are just looking to get grib files and send and get a text without an $1000 initial investment when you're a couple a hundred miles offshore? Anything along the lines and cost of Spot or Inreach?


The InReach is supported by the OCENs Spotcast. You get tiny weather forecasts 160 characters at a time. It just isn't very good. You don't get the really big picture to tell you what is coming and what might be coming.

Assuming you have a laptop your best deal is a small SSB-capable shortwave receiver, a bunch of wire as an antenna, and a cable between the radio headphone jack and the mic jack of your laptop. For less than $250 you can get weather fax. WAY better than GRIBs and free - no service plan, nothing but the weather information rolling onto your laptop.



Lazerbrains said:


> As stated earlier, it is very slow to send or receive anything - often several minutes.
> Connections are not always reliable, and there are periods where it will not connect at all.
> Other times, it will drop in the middle of an upload/download, and you have to restart the process.
> The plans are expensive, and so is the equipment.


All long range communications devices within reach of the average cruiser are slow. Iridium is slowest with HF/SSB/Pactor III faster, Globalstar (when you can get it) a bit faster, and HF/SSB/Pactor 4 the fastest option. Iridium Pilot can be a good bit faster than that but starts to get rather expensive. Inmarsat C can get darn near civilized but the cost is high and the antenna starts to have really significant sail area - okay downwind I guess.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

SVAuspicious said:


> The InReach is supported by the OCENs Spotcast. You get tiny weather forecasts 160 characters at a time. It just isn't very good. You don't get the really big picture to tell you what is coming and what might be coming.


We've been using InReach for the last few years. It's great for basic communication at fairly cheap rates. Limited to simple texts. Their "free" forecasts (costs one message) are pretty useless, but I notice they now offer "premium" forecasts for an additional $1.29 CND, including a marine forecast.

Have you tried the marine forecast? I haven't (yet). Worth it?


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

MikeOReilly said:


> Have you tried the marine forecast? I haven't (yet). Worth it?


Not in my opinion. If you're familiar with the display of GRIBs it is like getting one wind barb. One. Just one. Did I mention one?

While it can provide 48 and 72 hour forecasts I would hope to be 300 or 400 miles away by then.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

SVAuspicious said:


> Not in my opinion. If you're familiar with the display of GRIBs it is like getting one wind barb. One. Just one. Did I mention one?
> 
> While it can provide 48 and 72 hour forecasts I would hope to be 300 or 400 miles away by then.


Kinda sounds like the results I'm currently getting with Airmail/Pactor. I need to see if there's a setting that'll show them smaller.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

Rhapsody-NS27 said:


> Kinda sounds like the results I'm currently getting with Airmail/Pactor. I need to see if there's a setting that'll show them smaller.


I can help you when I get back. It works. I used it all the way South on Magic.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

SVAuspicious said:


> I can help you when I get back. It works. I used it all the way South on Magic.


Figured it out.
I had the interval between degrees set too far apart for the wind indicators.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

Rhapsody-NS27 said:


> Figured it out.
> I had the interval between degrees set too far apart for the wind indicators.


Great. Now use Google to find rfax.pdf and work with the icon in Airmail that looks like a little fax machine. Wefax is the bomb.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

SVAuspicious said:


> Great. Now use Google to find rfax.pdf and work with the icon in Airmail that looks like a little fax machine. Wefax is the bomb.


Already on it. I've used it several times over the years and try to keep rfax.pdf up to date. I just happened to setup an antenna today temporarily to test things out. Now just waiting for the next scheduled broadcasts to begin. Fun getting the broadcasts and seeing the images appear on the screen. Just as fun as getting NOAA images off the LEO satellites on 137.x

Tested out position reporting via WL2K. Also did the same on a separate APRS tracker that I hope to use on the boat at some point, but currently sitting in the truck.

Earlier, there was a RTTY contest going on and many stations were heard so used the modem in "dumb terminal" mode checking out different commands for the additional modes it can handle.

Good day playing with the radio equipment. Tomorrow will be vising the boat. See if I can get power to the new VHF location at the nav desk.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

Rhapsody-NS27 said:


> Just as fun as getting NOAA images off the LEO satellites on 137.x


Have you built your own stainless steel QFH antenna yet? I go nuts trying to get the elements to all bend exactly the same. Had to make a jig.
@Donna_F - John's next project.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

SVAuspicious said:


> Have you built your own stainless steel QFH antenna yet? I go nuts trying to get the elements to all bend exactly the same. Had to make a jig.
> @Donna_F - John's next project.


Not yet, but I've been thinking to get some copper pipe to make one for quite some time.

and agree, Donna and John's next project.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

SVAuspicious said:


> Have you built your own stainless steel QFH antenna yet? I go nuts trying to get the elements to all bend exactly the same. Had to make a jig.
> @Donna_F - John's next project.


:hammer


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## SCC (May 12, 2017)

SVAuspicious said:


> You definitely want to subscribe to XGate to keep your devices from phoning home over Iridium and burning through your minutes doing software updates. Think that isn't a problem? Think again.


Your post was very informative but this piece is a bit off. There is actually zero concern for this with the Iridium GO. Your normal phone apps do not have access to the Iridium GO connection as they do not use the proper protocol. Even if they did, I'm not sure what xgate would do to stop it from happening.

The GO requires that a data call is initiated, it does not work on a "per MB" type billing, rather bills you in 20 second increments for how long the data call is left on.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

SCC said:


> Your post was very informative but this piece is a bit off. There is actually zero concern for this with the Iridium GO. Your normal phone apps do not have access to the Iridium GO connection as they do not use the proper protocol. Even if they did, I'm not sure what xgate would do to stop it from happening.
> 
> The GO requires that a data call is initiated, it does not work on a "per MB" type billing, rather bills you in 20 second increments for how long the data call is left on.


That depends on how you set up the GO!

First note that the Iridium apps are written by the same person as XGate. They _are_ XGate with features taken out.

You can configure the GO! to look like any other Internet access which is really convenient. It does mean that if Windows or MacOS decides to phone home for an update things can get expensive. XGate blocks that. Same with smart devices - you don't have to spend so much time making sure your configuration doesn't "phone home."

Billing depends on your account. You can get accounts by data volume not time.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Dave I need to get my hands on one of these, may rent one. Or possibly buy. 
Where are you located, and what can you do?

I'd like to at least see how it works before plunking down cash, thanks [email protected]

Sall



SVAuspicious said:


> That depends on how you set up the GO!
> 
> First note that the Iridium apps are written by the same person as XGate. They _are_ XGate with features taken out.
> 
> ...


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