15 Advantages the Icom SAT 100 Has Over The Competition
Icom and Iridium: A Match Made In Low-Earth Orbit
The exciting IC-SAT 100 radio is a result of a partnership between Iridium Communications Inc. and Icom Incorporated. The result is the world’s first dedicated satellite push-to-talk (PTT) radio.
The SAT 100 offers talk capabilities at the push of a button between users anywhere in the world. The product and service combine to provide essential communication far beyond the range of trunked radio networks.
“The industry spoke, and we listened. There is a clear demand for this type of Iridium Connected product,” said Bryan Hartin, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Iridium. “This new satellite PTT device is unlike anything ever offered commercially in terms of capability, and it would not have been possible without the great partnership we’ve built with Icom, who are de-facto experts and leaders in the LMR industry. Icom has created a small, lightweight, and very high-performing radio that’s perfect for LMR users.”
Icom Incorporated started in 1954 in Osaka, Japan. Since then, they have built a reputation for high-quality products in HAM/amateur, avionics, land mobile, marine, and network radio solutions.
Iridium Communications Inc. was founded in 2001. In 2010, Iridium became the first commercial customer of SpaceX. Between 2017 and 2019, SpaceX launched 75 next-gen Iridium satellites into low-earth orbit on Falcon 9 rockets.
“Iridium is really a company that has changed the paradigm in space communication and is going to continue doing that with the Iridium NEXT constellations,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO.
The Iridium constellation features 66 Iridium Next low earth orbit (LEO) satellites covering 100% of the world. These Iridium satellites are 46 times closer to the earth than geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO) satellites, which offers better coverage and service.
Mobile organizations, including emergency services, NGOs, and businesses, require a solution that allowed the long-range communication capabilities of satellite PTT to integrate with land mobile radios. The SAT 100 offers this capability, along with many other advantages over both PTT and satellite phone devices.
What Makes the SAT 100 Superior to Push-to-talk Radios?
- The device and airtime service combine to provide essential communication far beyond the range of trunked radio networks.
- Coverage and talk groups managed over the air through the Iridium PTT Command Center, simplifying device administration.
- Integrated GPS receiver displays the compass direction where the device you are talking to is located.
- Emergency backup: Allows communication where there is no communications infrastructure or when the infrastructure is down or destroyed due to disasters.
- Subscription-based airtime provides one-to-many communication without the need for investment in infrastructure. “What we’re finding is a lot of governments now are not really interested in developing their own infrastructure. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars [on an LMR system] and, every 15 years, it has to be updated. It has to be maintained, and there’s a huge expense to that. They would rather just lease air time,” said Jim Backeland, executive vice president for Icom Canada and Icom America.
What Makes the SAT 100 Superior to Satellite Phones?
- More reliable network coverage with LEO satellites as compared to GEO.
- Smaller and lighter than typical satellite phones.
- High-quality, ruggedized, radio-style design.
- Interoperable with other Iridium devices.
- Interoperable with any existing deployed LMR systems with Icom VE-PG4, an interoperability gateway.
- Lower latency: “The delay on this system is about 500 milliseconds—the same as it would be for any trunked radio system that currently exists as a terrestrial. With every other satellite system, you’re looking at much longer delays because you’re going up 300,000 kilometres instead of 500 miles—a huge difference,” said Jim Backeland, executive vice president for Icom Canada and Icom America.
- 1500 mW of clear, robust audio for noisy environments.
- IP67, totally protected against dust ingress and protected against short periods of immersion in water.
- Tested to the MIL-STD-810 environmental test standard.
- The AquaQuake™ function can clear any water ingress that may penetrate the speaker grill of the unit.
Interested in learning more about the Icom SAT 100? Contact us today at 1-877-721-7070 or online here.
