Reviews

Welcome to my reviews, here you will find reviews on equipment that I use. Now I must stress the point that it is equipment that I have actually used in the field and not something I've been given to review.  Also I don't go out and intentionally abuse the hell out of my gear just to test it, after all equipment is expensive and I do have to buy all my gear.I usually aim for the best and look after it accordingly, that's my belief, dosen't always work out well,  but I believe  lifes too short to put up with crap. You will notice that I am a bit of a gadget person and tend to op for the more military / tactical  style tools / equipment, I find its simply more robust and flexible in its design. Anyone who has hiked or carried heavy loads for any period of time will appreciate good design and flexibility, thats why I generally stick to established brands or brands I have looked into.

 

Garmin 650t comparison with a dedicated car GPS

Recently a friend said to me " why did you need to buy a GPS for hunting can't you use your Navman??" what my friend was referring to is a older 2011 Navman GPS. My friend dosen't hunt so he dosen't understand the requirements when you're out in the scrub versus driving around on paved roads.

On a recent hunt I pulled to the side of the road to do a quick video of the difference between the two. On a paved road both will do the same job, the main difference is how they do it and what they display. For example my Navman car GPS will reroute and display trip data on the map screen, with the Garmin 650t you have to switch to a different screen to see the trip data then back to the map. Also the 650t will not reroute if you miss a turn, its up to you to stay on course.

the point here is if you plan on going off track hiking/hunting and you're looking for a all in one GPS to get you from home to your destination and it involves firetrails/bushbashing you'll need a proper hiking GPS ( dosen't have to be the Garmin 650t, its their flagship model lower spec ones will work as well)

Please do not try to use a dedicated car GPS in the scrub you're just asking for trouble. Having both actually is the best solution, I'll be uploading a short video on this soon..

 

Iridium Extreme 9575

I'll start by saying this Satellite phone is the only one I have owned or used so I can't make any comparisons with other handsets. What I can tell you is how useful it is to be able to make a call anywhere, anytime, that's cool!!! the only real condition is that you need clear visibility to the sky. Light cover such as trees and buildings won't affect it too much although best to avoid if you want good signal strength. Most people are used to GSM phones, they play with their mobiles and spend endless hours on these things, so for me it was kind of refreshing to have a handset that I could rely on for calls and that's all. This phone dosen't even have bluetooth so no fancy gadgets to add, no games or memory expansion slot. It is built to make and receive calls anywhere, simple as that. The actual design of the phone is ruggered, its got a textured rubber cover that runs around the sides and a big retractable antenna which bends at the tip to avoid breaking.  

 



The screen on this handset is a grey-ish color and compared to modern mobile phones it is small. The thing to remember here is this is a Satellite phone, not a GSM mobile phone. Very big difference, so I won't be making any more comparisons to GSM phones. I'll comment on what I think are important for me as a lone hunter out in the scrub.

Battery Life    Rating 3.5 / 5

On a full charge the battery will last you for at least 24hrs, its most likely more but I generally don't leave the phone on. I do carry a spare battery but I think its better to conserve battery and use it when you need it. Although I will turn on for a few hours around morning and dinner time just in case my family needs to call. My phone has never ran out of battery on a overnight hunt, but it does depend on your usage.

 

Weight and Size.      Rating   4 / 5

I think most people will be surprised how light it is I sometimes walked around with it clipped on my shoulder strap if it was turned on, otherwise it would be in my pouch, either way I really didn't feel the weight at all. the size on the other hand, some people may find it too big for their pockets so its best carried clipped via the supplied cover or in a pouch that's easy to get to.

Reliability         Rating 4 / 5

This phone worked every time I needed to make a call and I received calls fine as well, SMS messages came through no problem either. My only issue was sometimes the quality did vary even though it was clear blue skies, it would also sometimes bounce between searching and registered. Although this could simply be the satellites moving above. Overall it did the job fine.

Toughness          Rating 4.5 / 5

If you go to Iridiums web site they have a animation to show you how tough this phone is and it could very well be that tough. But time will tell if this is true, the few times I will being out in the wilderness with this phone it hasn't really coped a whole heap of extreme weather or abuse. So its really hard to say how tough it really is. From the feel of the phone when you hold it in your hand it certainly feels tough, there's no play in any of the joints, the battery compartment itself is very firm requiring a firm push in the centre of the battery pack to engage rubber seals that protect the contacts. The battery pack is actually held by a turning metal lock that folds flat, same style as on the high end the Garmin GPS.

Features         Rating  3.5 / 5
If you look at the marketing of this phone the one thing they talk about a lot is the GPS feature and SOS button. Its claim is that this is the first Satellite phone handset to incorporate this. Now I don't know every single satellite phone brand but it is sure handy. When you receive the Extreme 9575 the SOS button and GPS is not programmed or enabled, you'll have to do this yourself. For me I already carry two dedicated mapping GPSs with me so for me its this is just another layer of safety redundancy which is always a good thing.

Summary    Overall   4/5
In all I would say I am pleased about my purchase, a expansive purchase at that. just under $1300 for the handset and a extra battery, that's also including the government subsidy of $700. I was very happy to be approved for the scheme as I spend a lot of time outside of GSM coverage.  There's also airtime which needs to paid each month, the call rates are more expensive but then again this is a phone that will work anywhere, including out at sea. For more specific details and features you can look it up on youtube or go to the Iridium website.




Coming soon...................
Maxpedition 3 day Pack
Led Lenser  MT7 Torch
Gerber LMF Infantry 2
CamelBak 3 litre Storm hydration bladder (older model no link available)
Camelbak 1.5 Pakteen Reservoir