Thread: Coming to Oz

really depends on where you plan to go..most remote outback stuff needs a sat phone or radio for means of communication

If you need a sat phone drop me a line I should be able to help you out

Your best chance with a mobile outside of city areas is with a provider called Telstra however depending on your itinerary I'm sure you will end up needing a sat phone as coverage can be poor.

Cheers
Julian

Thanks chaps!
Thats quick and pretty unanimous.

Of course I am already equipped with a sat phone but was wondering if I needed to renew the airtime for that part of the trip. Sat Phone airtime is expensive so was hoping I could make a saving.

I will be heading pretty remote so it's only sensible if the mobile coverage is not so good outback to ensure that its there for emergency.

I'll just have to reduce the money in the beer budget

Arriving November. Here for 6 months. Pretty hot out there even in April/May.

I would seriously think of a royal Flying Doctor Radio setup if you are going that remote,for safety sake, and also be aware that in certian parts of the outback you are required to notify the local police of where you are going and the length of time you set for that journey, so that search and rescue is not activated,Yes, we have had O/seas tourist die out there,TAKE PLENTY OF WATER! the outback can be unforgiving.

private message me if you want to catch up in the pilbra, western australia

you dont need sat phone. Generally a blue tick telstra mobile will get you what you need and one with a vehicle antennae/amp will get you a lot more coverage (if you like I can get you the numbers off the gear in my dads setup hes a tech in the field) to cover the gaps get a spot messanger/locator and fins someone local you trust, set them up as the recipient. But a good two way setup, will generally get you in touch with someone if youve already got HF on board then you just need RFDS access and your set.

I'm led to believe that the spot units work world wide and just need to be programmed for each region. There is a more expensive version that will link to almost any decent mobile phone and allow SMS service via the sat system.