Outfitter Satellite rents and sells state-of-the-art satellite phones that operate on four major satellite networks, covering various regions of the globe. All our rental equipment is tested by a qualified technician before it is sent to you. Our sales and technical support staff can help you select the best phone for your application. After that, it is up to you to:
1. Understand the real capabilities of your equipment.
2. Follow the operating instructions.
3. Make your first call using the satellite phone before travelling to any remote location. Contact us immediately for technical support if you have trouble.

Globalstar: What should you expect?

Globalstar uses regional gateways to route calls from the satellite network to the destination phone number. VOICE QUALITY (best case) IRIDIUM FAIR GLOBALSTAR GOOD THURAYA GOOD INMARSAT GOOD DATA SPEED (best case) IRIDIUM 2400 bps GLOBALSTAR 9600 bps THURAYA 9600 bps INMARSAT varies up to 452 kbps

UNDERSTANDING GLOBALSTAR: Globalstar is a regional satellite phone network that offers voice and data services in many regions of the world via a network of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and regional gateways on the ground. Roaming service is available outside of the Home Service Area in parts of Europe, the Middle East, andSouth/Central America -- though performance of the network in these roaming areas varies (see coverage map).

Globalstar repositioned its satellite constellation in the period between mid-October 2006 and February 2007 in preparation for the expected insertion of 8 additional first generation satellites sometime in 2007 to replace satellites that have degraded. On February 6, 2007, Globalstar issued a further clarification acknowledging faster than expected degradation of the S-band satellite antenna power amplifiers on their first generation satellites and that in principle they could lose the ability to support two-way voice and data communications sometime in 2008 if the problem is not corrected. On March 19, a statement was issued tentatively discussing the expected May 2007 launch of the first 4 replacement satellites with an expected launch of 4 more replacement satellites later in 2007. Globalstar also stated that their expectation is that: “With the successful launch of eight new [first generation] satellites scheduled for this year, along with our existing satellite network, Globalstar will continue to provide and support two-way voice and data satellite services to our customers through the launch of the second-generation constellation.”

For these reasons, at the current time, Outfitter Satellite only recommends Globalstar for basic calling services by land-based users in the lower 48 US states and southern Canada. Furthermore, these users should expect to only make occasional short voice or data calls. Due to degradation of their first generation satellites, Globalstar now has a significant number of satellite signal gaps within its coverage region, and it is not unusual to wait 2 to 7 minutes for signal. Much longer wait durations are also occuring.

GLOBALSTAR DATA SERVICES: Globalstar offers a 9600 bps data rate. In combination with a variety of powerful compression software and email services, this means that Globalstar is very suitable for light to moderate data applications such as email or web browing. Outfitter offers both Express Data and SkyFile. SkyFile will support sending and receiving email and even PC faxing.

If your application is extremely data intensive, e.g. transmitting large files such as video clips, an Inmarsat terminal, may be a better choice, but Globalstar users have reported success even when downloading megabyte-sized files. SkyFile is very helpful here because it supports "Crash & Recovery" which lets you transmit even large email attachments despite call drops during the internet session. SkyFile simply prompts you to make another call and then automatically continues your internet session where you left off.

BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING: When you make a call from your Globalstar phone, the call goes up to a satellite and is then re-directed immediately to a Globalstar gateway on the ground which routes the call to the destination phone number. Your Globalstar phone must maintain a direct line of sight with at least one satellite in order to make a call. If you are in a "primary coverage area" and there are no tall obstructions blocking more than 15 degrees of elevation above the horizon, you should have very few periods without service and those periods will tend to be very brief (ie minutes). Here are some common user errors and what you can do about them:

1. Many customer support calls turn out to be due to wrong dialing sequences. Please re-read the helpsheet instructions to make sure that you are dialing correctly.
2. Toll free "800/888/877/866" numbers usually cannot be called from outside of the US, so if you are having trouble calling a toll free number, see if a direct dial number is available.
3. Always verify that the Globalstar phone has actually registered on the network before making calls. The GSP-1600 indicates that it is registered by displaying an icon that looks like an"i" with a circle around it that appears on the right hand side of the screen under the battery indicator. The SAT-550 indicates that it is registered by displaying a "satellite" icon on the right side of the screen under the time indicator.
4. If you are in a fringe or extended coverage area, you may be able to make occasional calls, but the duration and quality of calls will be severely limited. Though this is difficult to see from the map, Cuba is not covered.
5. If you are experiencing a lot of call drops or poor sound quality, you probably have inadequate signal strength. If you are around mountains, trees, or other tall obstructions you will probably experience an increase in the duration and frequency of signal loss. Obstructions tend to block direct line-of-sight from the satellites to your position. Be patient, generally waiting a few minutes until the satellites have moved clear of the obstructions will enable you to make calls. If it is convenient, you can also move to a nearby area with less tall obstructions before making calls. If you are in a primary coverage area and have good signal strength, it is not unusual for Globalstar users to make 30 minute or longer calls, but even under these conditions, unexpected call drops will occur, and the user agrees to understand this when he or she chooses to use Globalstar service.
6. Electromagnetic interference, such as from nearby radio transmitters, can cause problems. Move a larger distance away from the transmitter and try again.
7. Globalstar phones are capable of making calls in most weather conditions. It is possible that interference from powerful electrical storms will disrupt calls.
8. Occasionally customers complain of unexpected roaming charges. By default, your Globalstar phone tries to use the strongest signal available to it. Even though you are in the Globalstar USA HOME SERVICE AREA, it is possible for the signal from a non-Globalstar USA gateway to be the strongest available to you. This generally happens when you are closer to the non-Globalstar USA gateway than to a Globalstar USA gateway. The gateway positions are indicated on the coverage map above as satellite dish icons. In particular, parts of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, or US near the Mexican border may have strong signals from roaming gateways. It is your choice whether you use the roaming gateway's signal. You may want to use it because it is the strongest, but in this case you will be charged roaming fees because you are using a non-Globalstar USA gateway. It is the customer's responsibility to notice if his or her Globalstar phone has switched to a roaming service as indicated on the LCD screen of the phone. The customer has the ability to lock out individual gateways (call our technical support or see your user manual). For example, locking out the Globalstar Mexico gateway would prevent roaming charges while you are near the Mexican border on the US side.
9. Low battery level can cause the phone to operate poorly. Keep your batteries charged. If the phone is operated in a high temperature environment the phone might display an "Offline" message. If the phone is positioned on a black surface (such as asphalt) in direct strong sunlight, the temperature near the surface can be remarkably hot. Obviously, the solution is to cool the phone down.
10. If you are having trouble with data calls or internet access, call our technical support staff using the phone number indicated on your paperwork. Since computer support calls can take a moderate amount of time, we strongly recommend that you resolve computer setup issues before leaving for a remote location. Although you must take ultimate responsibility for understanding your own computer equipment, we have excellent staff that can support most Windows and Macintosh operating systems and normally can get you underway as long as you have all the necessary physical hardware and software. Technical support of this type is free to our customers: you only pay for the satellite airtime while you are getting the support. This is another good reason to seek our technical support before you go to a remote location and must use the satellite phone to contact us!

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