Stratos Iridium phones for Sydney Hobart race

by Rob Kothe on 23 Dec 2001 Stratos Iridium phones for Sydney Hobart race

Stratos Iridium mobile satellite phones to boost media coverage of this year's Sydney to Hobart race.

Don Campbell the specialist Marine Electrics and Electronics dealer in Cairns is supplying Stratos Iridium mobile satellite phones for a number of the high profile yachts competing in this year's 630 mile Sydney to Hobart race.

The same model Motorola 950 Stratos Iridium satellite phones have been used by Sail-World to communicate with the Australian expeditionary vessel 'National Investment Institute' 5000 kilometres from the nearest phone booth in the Southern Ocean.

After the Iridium system collapsed last year, the administrators sold the complete system to a new company, who purchased the total equipment of 70 low-earth-orbiting satellites and ground stations for a very small percentage of its original cost. The US military have purchase large blocks of airtime, which has made the Iridium system fully viable and had reduced call costs to an affordable level.

While CDMA phone have improved communications on the coast to a limited degree, the Stratos Iridium phone system is now a very reliable offshore communications system which works anywhere across the world's oceans.

Sydney to Hobart skippers, who have specifically sought approval from the CYCA, can talk to the media during the race. Sail-World's reporters, along with other media covering the race will be able to conduct interviews with these skippers bringing a little of the emotion and drama of this ocean classic to a wider audience.

For full coverage of the 2001 Sydney to Hobart, the Indec Melbourne to Hobart and the Strathfield Pittwater to Coffs, go to Sail-World, the largest sailing web site in the Southern hemisphere.

For full sked graphics, progressive results, photos and detailed stories click on

http://www.sail-world.com/sydneytohobart
http://www.sail-world.com/melbournetohobart
http://www.sail-world.com/pittwatertocoffs


For more information on the Stratos Iridium system

http://www.iridium.com
http://www.stratos.ca