1285 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Yes.

[Mike K.]

^ This Ontario cancelation is an excellent example of emotions controlling political agendas.

This last week or two have been the most embarrassing time for Canada that I can remember.

 

Way too much emotion, not enough charisma.

 

Doug Ford is all over the place. I can't take anything come out of Ontario seriously any more.

[LJ]

screenshot-x_com-2025_02_10-08_19_36.png

Hmm, I'm not sure it is free until July, I think it starts in July, at least that is the message I got when I registered.

[Victoria Watcher]

BREAKING: SpaceX has announced that @Starlink now has over 5 million customers, up from 4.6 million in December 2024 and 3 million in May 2024. Starlink added on average 6,780 new customers per day in the last 2 months.

 

[LJ]

Hmm, I'm not sure it is free until July, I think it starts in July, at least that is the message I got when I registered.

It is free until July and then you can, if you wish start paying for it. I have it now.

It is only useful if you often go out of cell coverage from any provider. If you can roam on another provider you won't be able to use Starlink. 

Not much use for me, I am very seldom outside cell coverage and I get free roaming.

[Blair M.]

I think cell-to-satellite is primarily a replacement for folks who've been regularly using something like an In-Reach or Spot device (or a Sat Phone), or who semi-regularly travel the many tens of thousands of miles of backcountry roads and campsites in the U.S. and Canada.

Those would be hunters, overland campers, hikers, climbers, fishermen, etc. 

 

There are also lots of folks in Canada and the U.S. who have homes in completely rural areas lacking any form of wireless connectivity at all, and who will see benefit from this new technology. Think a farmer working his distant back 40 all day, completely outside of cell coverage and away from the land line inside his house. 

 

For the average person though, who has only ever owned a cell phone, and who has never (or rarely) experienced lack of coverage when trying to establish connectivity, cell-to-satellite won't make much difference at all, except perhaps in that rare and unpredictable emergency (which IMO is a strong reason to indeed make use of the technology).

 

I've been handling my communication needs in the backcountry to date with a Garmin In-Reach, but now have moved to a Starlink Mini with my iPhone cell-to-sat as a back-up. It gives me 100% secure connectivity at all times wherever I wind up camping, areas that put me out of cell coverage about 70% of the time. 

Edited by Blair M., 02 March 2025 - 07:00 AM.