Satellite phones on liveaboards / Palau

[schrader]

Hi all,

I'm going to be on a liveaboard in Palau in early 2011 and am trying to figure out whether I can get a portable satellite terminal to have my own internet/phone access while on the trip. My job requires me to be able to log into email a few times a day.

I have done this once before on a liveaboard in Komodo (Indonesia) because there was decent sat coverage there, but I've not been able to figure out what satellite coverage is available in Palau. I'd like to avoid using the Iridium network if possible since they are limited to 9600 baud. A Ku or Ka band satellite would be awesome but I don't know if there are any that cover Palau.

So my questions are:

1. Do any folks know what satellites serve the Palau area for mobile/VSAT access?

2. Alternatively, if folks have been on the Palau liveaboards before, how frequently are you in a 3G or EDGE mobile network coverage area while anchored on the boat? If there is decent mobile access maybe I don't a satellite terminal and can set my cellphone up as a wifi hub for tethered data access.

thanks guys!

 

[altaskier]

I got a local SIM card before I left on a Palau liveaboard trip, and popped it in an unlocked GSM phone I have. Didn't try email from it...
Digital GSM Wireless

 

[Mossman]

Having brought sat phones on many a liveaboard, I can attest that even making a simple phone call can be a PITA. Only once did I try using the (Iridium) phone as a modem, but never got it working long enough to use it. You need line of sight which I've found to be very spotty through a window. Otherwise, you're up on the sun deck, where the wind is blowing, and likely it will be raining (it's Palau, after all), you're trying to establish a sat connection and keep your laptop dry on a rocking boat, and all this in between dives and meals and any downtime you might have on an otherwise quite busy 4-5 dive/day schedule.

In Palau, unlike many "mandatory liveaboard" remote locales, there's an easy alternative to all this that I'd heartily recommend: a nice room at the PPR with wifi access by the pool, 3 or more dives a day with a land-based dive op, you might not get as many dives in total, but your communications will be a lot easier and IMO you'll therefore end up with a more relaxing vacation if that's worth anything to you.

You might want to check with local captains/crew on the mobile phone question as that could be a much cheaper and more reliable mode than satellite. I'm guessing they're in range in Peleliu, but not sure what kind of coverage is available when they anchor in German Channel.

 

[schrader]

Guys thanks for the quick advice!

Altaskier, after doing a little bit of research it looks like Palau only offers GSM service so unfortunately I won't be able to get data access off the mobile network. I've sent a message to PNCC (the local mobile network provider) to verify this.

Mossman, I hear you on the PITA factor with sat comms. I usually do it from the sundeck at night when the boat is more likely to be anchored in calm waters....I've gotten it to work pretty well using a compass and low-bandwidth mail. We are pretty set on doing a liveaboard (we just cancelled our PPR reservations!) so I'd like to figure out a way to make this work....ironically, this is my perverse way of putting my vacation before my job!

Given the likelihood of a GSM-only mobile network it looks like I'm probably going to need a satellite terminal to stay connected. The question then becomes: which satellites cover Palau? Iridium for sure, but I wonder if there is a better service than that!