Iridium 9575 EXTREME Charging Problems

Iridium 9575 Extreme

Iridium 9575 Extreme

The new Iridium EXTREME phone model launched in late 2011.   Outfitter Satellite purchased and tested 20 Iridium EXTREME phones.

The Iridium EXTREME was designed to survive in very bad weather — it can even stand up to jets of water sprayed at it (that is, it is IP65 rated).   In order to do this apparently the electrical contacts are on a protrusion on the battery that forms a rubberized seal to the phone when inserted.   Unfortunately, in about 10% of the phones we tested, the battery is slightly warped so that it does not seat on the phone correctly.  The electrical contacts of the battery do not quite touch the corresponding contacts on the Iridium 9575 EXTREME phone.   Iridium placed a sticker on the battery that recommends that you push the battery in with your thumbs.  Our experience is that the battery sometimes never seats.  Obviously, continuously holding the battery in with your thumbs in order to use the phone or recharge the battery is just not acceptable.

SOLUTION:   Get another battery.

What does the IP Rating of a Satellite Phone Really Mean?

The IP Code often called Ingress Protection Rating (but correctly the International Protection Rating) of a product is a classification that indicates how well the product resists intrusion of solids (such as dust) and liquids (such as water).

The first digit is the rating for Solids:

  • LEVEL 0  –  No protection against ingress of objects, even large objects such as fingers.
  • LEVEL 1  –  Objects larger than 50 mm cannot intrude.
  • LEVEL 2  –  Objects larger than 12.5 mm cannot intrude, e.g. fingers.
  • LEVEL 3  –  Objects larger than 2.5 mm cannot intrude, e.g. most small tools.
  • LEVEL 4  –  Objects larger than 1.0 mm cannot intrude, e.g. most small wires and screws.
  • LEVEL 5  –  Ingress of dust is prevented sufficiently to prevent it from interfering with product operation.
  • LEVEL 6  –  Dust tight.

The second digit is the rating for Liquids:

  • LEVEL 0  –  Not protected against liquids.
  • LEVEL 1  –  Dripping water (vertically falling drops) will have no harmful effect.
  • LEVEL 2  –  Dripping water has no harmful effect even if the product is tilted up to 15% relative to its normal position.
  • LEVEL 3  –  Spraying water(water falling as much as 60 degrees off vertical) has no harmful effect.
  • LEVEL 4  –  Splashing water will have no harmful affect, regardless of the direction it hits the product.
  • LEVEL 5  –  Water jets projected from a 6.3 mm nozzle against the product’s enclosure from any direction will have no harmful affects.  The test is done for 3 minutes involving 12.5 litres per minute at 30 kN/m^2 from a distance of 3 meters.
  • LEVEL 6  –  Powerful water jets from a 12.5 mm nozzle will have no harmful effect regardless of the direction of impact on the product enclosure.
  • LEVEL 7  –  The product is protected against immersion in water up to 1 meter below the surface for 30 minutes.

The ratings give the overall idea of the rating  omit some  specifics of the precise test conditions.   So, for example, the reader is advised that if  the product is rated LEVEL 4 against liquids, it may stand up to water but perhaps not some other liquid.  It may also standup to water for 15 minutes but not 20 minutes.    If the reader has a bad case of insomnia, he/she should look up the specific details of the IP Code for a better understanding than we have been able to present here.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:

The IsatPhone PRO is rated IP54.  The first digit 5 means that it is protected against dust and dust may enter its enclosure but cannot interfere with its operation but can enter.  The second digit 4 means it can withstand splashing at least within the bounds of the internationally accepted test conditions.

GeoPro Iridium Personal Tracking Device

Outfitter Satellite just finished testing the GeoPro personal tracking device based on the 9601 SBD modem.  This device in intended for tracking people not vehicles.

We found the GeoPro easy to use.  The GeoPro is a small weatherized handheld unit that provides two-way messaging through the Iridium network.   There is a web interface that can be controlled by one or more administrators who can see the people in their team superimposed on a map.   

Field users can set their status to be ”in field” or “out of field”.    The GeoPro’s automatic position reporting only occurs when the unit is “ in field”  — which saves on usage costs.   The system can be set to send position reports at constant intervals when it is in field.

Another powerful feature is the ability of the system to “check in” with the field users.  If a field user misses a check in, a reminder message is sent.   If that message is not responded to the system established an emergency condition and sends an email to pre-established emergency contact(s).    The web interface is designed to facilitate what people will be put into the emergency response team to go get the missing field user.

The field user can also declare his/her own emergency using a special button.  This button is protected by a flap to avoid accidentally being depressed.  

Advantages relative to the Globalstar SPOT:   GeoPro allows a two-way communication including free-style messages.   By comparison, Globalstar’s SPOT system which is simplex (only allows outbound messages from the field unit).  So, the people responding to the person who has sent out an emergency message have no way to communicate with the person in the field except to personally go out to the scene  — a very expensive process and one that often turns out to be a response to a non-emergency.   GeoPro’s two way communication eliminates this problem.

How long does it take to send an Emergency Message?   If the device has not previously registered a GPS fix or it has moved over 500 miles since the last GPS registration:  expect a GPS fix in about 40 seconds.  The message will then transmit in 20 to 30 seconds more.  These times assume a  clear unobstructed view to the sky.

Battery Performance:   The battery probably will last 5-7 days if the device is powered on but no messages are sent.    That is because the device will wake up 3 times an hour to check for messages which uses up the battery .  Sending one or two tracking messages per day doesn’t seem to significantly reduce the battery life.

Explorer 100 incompatble with new OSs

Mac OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and Windows 7 are becoming more prevalent among BGAN users. This has exposed a problem with the Thrane & Thrane Explorer 100 BGAN. The Explorer 100 USB drivers are not compatible with either Snow Leopard or Win 7. The user will get an error that says, “a suitable modem could not be found…”. Thrane & Thrane has indicated that they have no software releases planned to resolve this issue. In light of this, Outfitter Satellite has implemented a policy to provide a discount off our already low prices on a Wideye Sabre to replace an existing Explorer 100. You do not have to be a current customer to take advantage of this discount. Please call us at 1-877-436-2255 for more details.

Wideye Sabre Ranger

Wideye has announced the availability of a rugged weatherized BGAN called the Sabre Ranger. The Ranger is installed in an enclosure that allows it to be deployed in temperatures down to -40 deg C (requires optional heater) and up to 75 deg C. With an ingress protection rating of 65 (IP 65) the Ranger can withstand a very harsh environment. The Ranger supports features that make it ideal for a SCADA application. Contact us at the number above for more information.

Globalstar Satellite Launch Update

Globalstar has announced that it will launch the first six of its second generation satellites during a 90-day window that opens on July 5, 2010. The satellites will be launched on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Globalstar had previously announced that they would launch 24 satellites this year. No word at this time on when the subsequent launches will occur.

Trojan horse and Class I, II, and III BGAN’s

A trojan is a malicious application that appears to do one thing, but actually does another. Like it’s name sake, the mythical Trojan Horse, malicious code is hidden in a program or file that appears useful, interesting, or harmless. Popular examples are video codec that some sites require to view online videos. When the codec is installed, it may also install spyware or other malicious software. Other examples:
• Software downloads (i.e. a Trojan horse included as part of a software application downloaded from a file sharing network)
• Websites containing executable content (i.e. a Trojan horse in the form of an ActiveX control)
• Email attachments
• Application exploits (i.e. flaws in a web browser, media player, messaging client, or other software that can be exploited to allow installation of a Trojan horse)

A backdoor trojan differs from a trojan in that it also opens a backdoor to your system. They’re also sometimes called Remote Access Trojans (RAT). These are the most widespread and also the most dangerous type of trojan. They are so dangerous having the potential to allow remote adminstration of your system. As if a hacker were sitting at your keyboard, only worse. There’s almost no limit to what they can do. Some common uses:
• Use your system and Internet connection to send spam (yes, the majority of spam is now generated by infected systems).
• Steal your online and offline passwords, credit card numbers, address, phone number, and other information stored on your computer that could be used for identity theft, or other financial fraud.
• Log your activity, read email, view and download contents of documents, pictures, videos and other private data.
• Use your computer and Internet connection, in conjunction with others to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
• Modify system files, disable antivirus, delete files, change system settings, to cover tracks, or just to wreak havoc.
These issues can have devastating impact on your BGAN usage and cost of MB. If you have a class one BGAN a backdoor Trojan can use your MB in the background without your knowledge. Customers have had over 100 MB used in less than a couple of hours. If you have a HNS-9201, Explorer 500, or BGAN please make sure that your Virus an adware support is up to date.
If you suspect you’re infected with a backdoor trojan, the first thing you should do is disconnect from the BGAN Internet to protect yourself, and others. Then give us a call here at Outfitter Satellite Tech. Support and we will help you to get your BGAN in working order and will help you find a solution.

Iridium 9555 firmware & docking station

The latest Iridium 9555 firmware (HT09014) is not compatible with one vendor’s docking station. To make full use of this particular docking station the Iridium must be downgraded to the previous firmware version (HT09007). The docking station vendor has successfully tested a new beta version of firmware, but there is no word yet on when Iridium will release it. Docking stations provide a fixed location for the satellite phone in a building or vehicle. They usually support multiple interfaces such as RJ11, USB data, hands-free, external antenna, etc.

High quality audio over BGAN

Need to make a high quality audio broadcast from a remote location. You can use Scoopy from AETA Audio Systems and a BGAN. Use streaming IP or ISDN over the BGAN to create a high quality broadcast over the satellite network.

Globalstar Update

With the addition of $738M in financing earlier this year Globalstar is pushing closer to its launch of 24 second generation satellites beginning in Summer 2010. The six satellites scheduled for the first launch next summer are in final assembly integration and testing. Globalstar expects to have all 24 satellites in service before the end of 2010.

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