Re: Interfacing alarm panel to satellite phone

["Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

Rapid Deployment wrote:
> Currently have a DSC PC5010 alarm panel installed on a marine vessel.
> A Skyroute has been installed to send alarm data back to the central
> station.
> Alarm transmission works well as long as cellular coverage is available in
> the area.
> They can, however, dock at ports where there is little cellular
> coverage.......
>
> Challenge:  They have a GlobalStar GSP1600 sat phone on board and wondering
> about interfacing alarm with sat phone.
>
> Anyone had an experience or recommendations?    The GlobalStar has a data
> port which will take RS-232 data 9.6kbs. and I know DSC has a PC5401 data
> interface module.
>
> Thanks for any leads.
>
> Jamie Patterson
> Rapid Deployment Inc.


Jamie, there's one big reason why I don't use any wireless transmission
devices on my boat alarms. Doing so would require the boat owner to
notify the central station every time they were docked at a new port.
I'm presuming that the owner knows where the boat is, that is .... he'd
piloting it. If he's the only one getting the call, and he's willing to
pay for it, then it's a go. If there are others on the call list or any
authorities, if the central station doesn't know that the boat is in
another port, others on the call list receiving a call that the boat
alarm is tripped, ..... somewhere .... is of no use. If you think the
captain/owner is going to remember to tell central station every time
he's in a new port, ...... it aint gonna happen. And, as you've
mentioned, there's no guarantee that you're going to have service
everywhere the boat can go.

If the alarm is only going to be used out of it's home port, then it'd
be worth it.


There are some paging type alerts that will ( or claim to) be able to
transmit to a special pager within a mile of the boat. But my
experience with them has been about a quarter mile to half mile .... at
best. I've not experimented with higher or longer antennas though.