Satellite internet companies?

[Jason Tunzer]

I need to price out what it would cost to get a satellite internet connection (dish,software,monthly connection fees)Has anyone looked into this?What company would you recommend?I've contacted a few companies and it looks like the dishes are running from $4-6k.Any ideas and/or suggestions would help.Thanks Jason Tunzer

 

[Tyler Allison]

for mobile or home use?

 

[B Ozanne]

For your home what about DirecWay? I know the upfront cost is only around $600 if you are on a contract. Now, if you want something for you car/suv I have no idea.

 

[John Diel]

B's right. Direcway (Directv) is about $600 for the equipment (dish, receiver, etc.) about about $40 per month for the service. It's speed is about half of Standard DSL.

For mobile use, you could simply carry the dish with you and line it up every time you needed to use it. Of course this is time consuming.

A while back, I looked into it and I found there were auto-setup dish systems that started around $2000 and went up from there.

It ain't cheap.

 

[Jason Tunzer]

Sorry I should have been more specific.This would need to be a mobile setup as it would go on our communications van.I would like to go with an auto setup type dish.Thanks Jason

 

[Jay Cazel]

Originally posted by Jason Tunzer
Sorry I should have been more specific.This would need to be a mobile setup as it would go on our communications van.I would like to go with an auto setup type dish.Thanks Jason

If you want something while in motion here is this
http://www.gpsphones.com/ttcm.htm
scroll down the page just a bit and you will see it.

If you want something that you can't use in motion but faster try this
http://www.internetanywhere.us/pages/883501/index.htm

or this
http://www.groundcontrol.com/mobile_001.htm

or this
http://www.dustyfoot.com/

hope this will help you out.

Also I was talking with the people at the satellite phone store
http://www.gpsphones.com/
they told me starting next year (March 2006) there will be a smaller satellite dish (about the size of a brifecase)that all you do is point it towards the satellite it should hit speeds of 300k.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

$4-6k for mobile satellite internet for spotting around Omaha? Damn. REACT getting homeland security money? I can't help but think a decent cell plan and a modem would be just as worthy(since you'd be around the city). That or a decent wifi setup. But if money isn't a problem I guess might as well go all out on one of those. Tracvision was the only one I had heard of.

 

[Jason Tunzer]

Actually getting the money from Homeland Security is the idea.It's actually through a group called OMMRS.which involves alot of volunteer organizations in Douglas/Sarpy county.And it wouldn't only be used for storm spotting,we are also backup communications for the EMA's,so the need for this can be well justified.Besides we are the only group that can actually communicate with all the fire,rescue,opd,sherriff in the surrounding counties.

 

[Bob Schafer]

This is a little off-topic, but barely.

While Floss and I were volunteers with the Red Cross in Sept, we got deployed to help administer a shelter for last-minute evacuees (many of whom were special-needs people) from Lake Charles who were leaving on buses on Friday, Sept 23, too late to really get out of Rita's way. Some were already evacuees from NOLA. We all went to DeRidder LA and rode out Rita in the high school gymnasium with no power and no communications....for three days. There were about 20 of us vol's and about 400 evacuees.

By Monday, someone showed up with a Globalstar satphone. I have used one since 2001, so I helped the other volunteers use it to let family know we were all safe. It's not that complicated, but there's a few tricks that are helpful to know with those things.

You can also do data transfers, but that's slow and expensive and you need to use a car kit and....... better left for a previous thread, LOL.

The evacuees finally got picked up a little after midnight Monday night and were taken up to AR. We then drove back to Baton Rouge, arriving near dawn. We got Tuesday off, LOL.

Bob