Globalstar satellite phone on Vodafone SIM

Does anyone else on here use a Globalstar satellite phone with a UK
Vodafone SIM card? I don't seem to be able to get my Ericsson R290 to
work anymore - I just get a "No network found" message in satellite
mode. GSM mode is working fine. Has the roaming agreement ended or
could it be a fault with my phone? Vodafone customer services aren't
much use - they were unaware of this facility when I contacted them.
Could somebody give their phone a try to see if it still works? Thanks
in advance.

"RichardC" <lyndhurst25@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1183137742.012645.286730@o61g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> Does anyone else on here use a Globalstar satellite phone with a UK
> Vodafone SIM card? I don't seem to be able to get my Ericsson R290 to
> work anymore - I just get a "No network found" message in satellite
> mode. GSM mode is working fine. Has the roaming agreement ended or
> could it be a fault with my phone? Vodafone customer services aren't
> much use - they were unaware of this facility when I contacted them.
> Could somebody give their phone a try to see if it still works? Thanks
> in advance.
>

I use to use Globalstar with a Vodafone sim card years ago but that was
contract sim. If your trying it with a vodafone pay as you go it want work.
Not sure contract sims still work not used Global star for years.

--

www.experimentalist.co.uk Global sim cards & Satellite Phones.

In article <1183137742.012645.286730@o61g2000hsh.googlegroups .com>,
lyndhurst25@hotmail.com says...
> Does anyone else on here use a Globalstar satellite phone with a UK
> Vodafone SIM card? I don't seem to be able to get my Ericsson R290 to
> work anymore - I just get a "No network found" message in satellite
> mode. GSM mode is working fine. Has the roaming agreement ended or
> could it be a fault with my phone? Vodafone customer services aren't
> much use - they were unaware of this facility when I contacted them.
> Could somebody give their phone a try to see if it still works? Thanks
> in advance.

I tested my R290 the other day in view of the crummy weather and local
power failures. It worked fine - took a bit of time to acquire a signal
but that's not unusual.

It worked when I first got the VF contract a couple of years ago, but
stopped a few weeks later. I rang customer services at the time to see
whether roaming had been blocked - it hadn't so I explained about the
satphone and the guy said that it wasn't roaming that would stop that
working but that "premium services" was barred. He lifted the bar and
the phone has worked ever since.

I still give it a quick test from time to time, just to be sure.

I do have an issue with the Telit Sat 550 that I picked up recently -
it'll work with any VF or O2 SIM I put in it (GSM only) except the VF
contract SIM that it actually needs to work with. Any ideas? The SIM
works in any other unlocked phone. The phone works with any other SIM.
If I get no response here, I'll try posting the question separately!

On Jun 29, 6:22 pm, RichardC <lyndhurs...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Does anyone else on here use aGlobalstarsatellite phone with a UK
> Vodafone SIM card? I don't seem to be able to get my Ericsson R290 to
> work anymore - I just get a "No network found" message in satellite
> mode. GSM mode is working fine. Has the roaming agreement ended or
> could it be a fault with my phone? Vodafone customer services aren't
> much use - they were unaware of this facility when I contacted them.
> Could somebody give their phone a try to see if it still works? Thanks
> in advance.

I'm answering my own question here, but the information might be
useful to others. After buying another R290, thinking that it was a
fault with the phone, I find that the problem still persists.
Apparently Globalstar are having problems with their satellites
breaking down and the service is degraded.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalstar

I hope that the problem is sorted out soon as my emergency phone won't
be much use in an emergency if I can't get a signal.

On Aug 1, 11:01 am, RichardC <lyndhurs...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Jun 29, 6:22 pm, RichardC <lyndhurs...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Does anyone else on here use aGlobalstarsatellite phone with a UK
> > Vodafone SIM card? I don't seem to be able to get my Ericsson R290 to
> > work anymore - I just get a "No network found" message in satellite
> > mode. GSM mode is working fine. Has the roaming agreement ended or
> > could it be a fault with my phone? Vodafone customer services aren't
> > much use - they were unaware of this facility when I contacted them.
> > Could somebody give their phone a try to see if it still works? Thanks
> > in advance.
>
> I'm answering my own question here, but the information might be
> useful to others. After buying another R290, thinking that it was a
> fault with the phone, I find that the problem still persists.
> Apparently Globalstar are having problems with their satellites
> breaking down and the service is degraded.
>
> See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalstar
>
> I hope that the problem is sorted out soon as my emergency phone won't
> be much use in an emergency if I can't get a signal.

Corporate globalstar that now owns the gateways in north americam
central america, and parts of western europe has elimated all roaming
services. Apparently it does not fit there 'business model.' Most of
the indendent gateways such as elsacom(central & east europe), turkey,
russia, australia, etc. still offer roaming for gsm customers. You
could get a globalstar europe SIM to use in your phone. If you do this
you can get unlimted service throughout the coverage area; this even
includes free calls to premuim rate cell phone number, etc. the cost
is 35 euros per month. BUt there is a problem the globalstar
satellites are having serious communications problems as they have
gotten old. Expect to wait a significant amount of time for a
functioning satellite to fly overhead and than be cut off after a few
minutes. If the financing does not fall through it will be sometime in
2010 when service starts returning to normal. The satellites will be
launched over a period of years; so I would not expect uninterupted
service before 2014 or so. There are many of us who watch this
industry who do not expect to ever again see reliable globalstar
service. I costs about $1 billion dollars to launch satellites for a
company that earns about $25 million per year. You do the math.

If you need a reliable sat phone that has good tariffs look into
thuraya. the website is www.thuraya.com. they have a prepaid plan that
only cost $0.39 per minute for calls from europe to most of the world.
You can also roam onto thuraya from most gsm plans.

On Aug 6, 3:11 am, SatPhone...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Aug 1, 11:01 am, RichardC <lyndhurs...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Jun 29, 6:22 pm, RichardC <lyndhurs...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > Does anyone else on here use aGlobalstarsatellite phone with a UK
> > > Vodafone SIM card? I don't seem to be able to get my Ericsson R290 to
> > > work anymore - I just get a "No network found" message in satellite
> > > mode. GSM mode is working fine. Has the roaming agreement ended or
> > > could it be a fault with my phone? Vodafone customer services aren't
> > > much use - they were unaware of this facility when I contacted them.
> > > Could somebody give their phone a try to see if it still works? Thanks
> > > in advance.
>
> > I'm answering my own question here, but the information might be
> > useful to others. After buying another R290, thinking that it was a
> > fault with the phone, I find that the problem still persists.
> > Apparently Globalstar are having problems with their satellites
> > breaking down and the service is degraded.
>
> > See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalstar
>
> > I hope that the problem is sorted out soon as my emergency phone won't
> > be much use in an emergency if I can't get a signal.
>
> Corporate globalstar that now owns the gateways in north americam
> central america, and parts of western europe has elimated all roaming
> services. Apparently it does not fit there 'business model.' Most of
> the indendent gateways such as elsacom(central & east europe), turkey,
> russia, australia, etc. still offer roaming for gsm customers. You
> could get a globalstar europe SIM to use in your phone. If you do this
> you can get unlimted service throughout the coverage area; this even
> includes free calls to premuim rate cell phone number, etc. the cost
> is 35 euros per month. BUt there is a problem the globalstar
> satellites are having serious communications problems as they have
> gotten old. Expect to wait a significant amount of time for a
> functioning satellite to fly overhead and than be cut off after a few
> minutes. If the financing does not fall through it will be sometime in
> 2010 when service starts returning to normal. The satellites will be
> launched over a period of years; so I would not expect uninterupted
> service before 2014 or so. There are many of us who watch this
> industry who do not expect to ever again see reliable globalstar
> service. I costs about $1 billion dollars to launch satellites for a
> company that earns about $25 million per year. You do the math.
>
> If you need a reliable sat phone that has good tariffs look intothuraya. the website iswww.thuraya.com. they have a prepaid plan that
> only cost $0.39 per minute for calls from europe to most of the world.
> You can also roam ontothurayafrom most gsm plans.

I've ditched the R290 Globalstar phone - no use me buying a Globalstar
SIM (now needed because the Vodafone roaming agreement has ended) if
you can't get a satellite signal half of the time!

As a replacement, I've invested in a Thuraya Hughes 7100 and I'm very
pleased with it. No problems getting a satellite signal, half the size
of the R290 and also acts as a GPS receiver. Best of all, Thuraya have
a roaming agreement with all the main UK GSM networks so I can use any
prepaid O2, Vodafone, Orange or T-mobile SIM in it - no need to bother
with a complicated and expensive satellite contract. Just what I
needed for an emergency phone. Thanks.