True Stories of Satellite Technology in Action

We like to talk about how satellite technology can help you in many different fields. Today we’d like to share some actual stories from the field, which we have gathered from Iridium, makers of some of the best satellite technology out there. Check out the practical applications real users are finding for this technology.

Satellite Technology Along for the Ride on World-Record Balloon Journey

On January 25, 2015, Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev journeyed from Japan to the Mexican coast over the span of 6 days, and Iridium satellite technology was along for that record-breaking ride. They broke the records for longest duration of a balloon in the air and longest distance traveled by a balloon. The pair travelled 6,646 miles and were flying for 161 hours and 17 minutes.

Mission control for the flight equipped the pilots with an Iridium Go!, an Iridium Extreme and an Iridium partner tracking device from spidertracks. One of the team’s largest challenges was unpredictable weather. They weren’t sure where the balloon was going to land because of changing meteorological conditions. Bradley said, “It is imperative to have good communications when you are on a mission depending on meteorology.” Iridium provided just that by providing instant communication solutions. Spidertracks allowed mission control to track the team and keep them out of harm’s way.

Satellite Technology Keeps Alpine Climber Connected in Pakistani Mountain Range

Graham Zimmerman is a professional alpine climber who had the goal of climbing the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. He is passionate about climbing technical routes on some of the highest mountains in the world. He takes the road less traveled, or sometimes totally uncharted, because he enjoys the challenge. His enthusiasm for mountain climbing takes him to some of the most remote places on Earth. Zimmerman needs reliable connection to the outside world for safety’s sake.

During this trip to Pakistan, Zimmerman and his long-time climbing partner, Scott Bennett, were there to climb the remote 21,000 foot mountain Changi and an unclimbed face of a 23,000 foot mountain, K6. A major part of staying safe during these climbs was keeping track of the weather. The team had to move during windows of clear weather, so having reliable communication through satellite technology kept them safe and helped them make their journey up both mountains. They also needed lightweight communication tools to easily transport them up difficult mountain faces. Their lightweight satellite communication tools enabled them to communicate with their U.S.-based weather forecaster so that they could stay on top of all developing weather fronts.

Zimmerman relies on Iridium satellite equipment to keep him connected to his family back at home, as it’s difficult to be away from your loved ones for months on end. Communicating through satellite technology helped bridge the distance between the climbers and their families. He says, “We believe that they [Iridium] make the best satellite communications equipment, and we are very happy to have it every time. For us, it simply makes the most sense to have the best equipment that will also work anywhere we choose to go in the world.”

New York Mobile Satellite is proud to carry “the best satellite communications equipment” found anywhere in the world. Cell phones, cameras, tracking devices…we have it all. For more information, contact us today. Let us help you stay connected, no matter where you are.

New York Mobile Satellite LLC, veteran-owned, headquartered in New York City, provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer, and industry specific needs, sets us apart from the competition.

GSatMicro – Tracking Literally in the Palm of Your Hand

What if you could transmit your location, SOS alerts and virtually any kind of data from all across the planet from a device the size of a golf ball? Sound like science fiction?

The GSatMicro personal Iridium tracker makes all of this a reality. It can do all of this (and more) using an advanced low-Earth orbiting satellite network.

The GSatMicro is currently the smallest self-contained tracker of its kind in the world. In addition to being a self-contained Iridium tracker, the GSatMicro can be connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone or iPad. There’s a specially designed mobile application that allows you to access many features of the GSatMicro from your iOS devices. You can track the current statistics from the device, such as the RSSI value, battery level, accelerometer range and temperature. You can also view the unit’s GPS, which allows you to track from a mobile device where the unit is at all times, instead of opening a desktop device. Let’s say you’re on the move and have your tracker stowed away in a safe place in your vehicle. As long as you’re within Bluetooth range, you can message through your iPhone or iPad using the GSatMicro without moving the unit from its storage place.

Other features of the GSatMicro that you can access from your mobile device are Iridium, caching, GPIO, compass and settings functions and much more. The GSatMicro is scriptable so any user can design a script to support their application. This makes connecting the tracker with monitoring hardware, user input interfaces, environment data or other hardware much more simple. What can scripting do for you with this device? You could have external interfaces to additional equipment or log data and queued transmissions. You could even create custom message formats.

Applications

This tracker would be very useful in maritime applications, where you may quickly need access to satellite communication channels, GPS or the compass features in remote locations. Emergency relief could benefit from these trackers to ensure the safety of their people, track GPS, follow the compass and use the messaging feature to communicate in the event of an emergency when traditional cellular networks are jammed with excess traffic.

Members of the media could stay connected wherever a story takes them and would benefit from the mobile application features.

Outdoor enthusiasts who hike and camp in remote locations could also make great use of this device. The compass won’t fail them, and if they have an emergency, they would have the capability to message from a mobile device or send GPS location to someone back home even on the remotest of trails.

Government and military agencies needing to track assets could employ this tracker. Just about any field with employees working in remote locations could benefit from having these — airlines, gas and oil workers, miners and utility workers, just to name a few. The GSatMicro could be a lifeline for remote workers out in the field. It could also help improve processes by transmitting important data back to the home office from the field or to clients who need information right away.

New York Mobile Satellite has the technology you can use in your business and your life. Contact us today to learn more about the GSatMicro.

New York Mobile Satellite LLC, veteran-owned, headquartered in New York City, provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer, and industry specific needs, sets us apart from the competition.