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Two way satellite communicator

Austinhikes

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
May 2023
Hey everyone, just wondering what everyones opinion is .

I own a two way satellite communicator and I mainly use it for when I’m backpacking in remote areas here in Canada and the USA for family back home to track my journey and communicate with them through text and email and also to initiate a SOS if I were to need it .

Do you think it would be useful to bring just in terms of communication back home? Or is cell service good throughout the Camino Frances where it’s not needed?

Just wondering as I’ve only done wilderness trails and the Camino is basically a new world to me in terms of infrastructure. I hear cell reception is good for the most part… still like to hear your thoughts?

Thanks
Austin
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
C clearly said:
Cell service is better all along the Camino Frances than it is in my neighbourhood of suburban Vancouver. The only reason to carry it would be as a conversation piece with retro-techno nerds. (No disrespect to them - a perfect valid reason!)
Click to expand...
Totally agree about not necessary on the Camino. I can’t speak to what u are used to in Canada as far as roaming cell phone access, but I have two Garmins (inReach) myself, one mini and one of the bigger older ones. On the Frances the cell coverage is awesome. No need to go Satellite. Now your choice there is also interesting though… I’ve always been lazy and selected an ATT International plan instead of a local sim…
 
It’s not necessary, as others have said. However, if you already have a subscription active, you could take it for the tracking feature if your folks back home like to watch where you are, or if they’re very worried about you (nothing to worry about on the Camino, but some people can be worry warts). Also, international plans can be very expensive, or at least they were the last time I checked. It’s very cheap to take an unlocked phone and get a local SIM card in Spain. You can also get an international calling card for just a few euros and that would give you a lot more affordable talk time.
 
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agree about the cell phone service. You can get a sim card and get a prepaid plan from Orange, Movistar or Vodafone to name a few. I was using Orange and it was very good. Now I use Vodafone. I pay about 20E every 28 days. (I have to recharge as I walk longer distances). I get more than enough calls within Spain and got something like 60 or 80 gigs of internet. I use Whatsapp or Facetime to call home. It works great and I never had to worry about using up my internet. Also it is super easy to recharge with Vodafone. They will send you a link when you need to recharge. The link has an English language site and it takes about 30 seconds to recharge your phone for another 28 days. Remember when you go to Vodafone bring your passport and also you have to recharge your phone with the same pre-paid plan. It is hassle free and easy and I think for most people alot cheaper than an international plan.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Yes, you CAN take your Satellite GPS for this reason. But - you could also use an app on your phone to serve the same purpose. I did consider taking my Garmin InReach Mini last year - but so glad I didn't.
 
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