In what can be looked at as the ultimate vote of confidence for a particular product, the elite Australian search and rescue teams are now including the IsatPhone Pro handset in all of the survival packs that they issue to vessels in danger.
After an extensive trial run of various handset communication devices, where the Canberra based Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) employed exhaustive testing, they chose to go with Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro.
As the primary source of communications for vessels in danger, the IsatPhone Pro will be used in each of AMSA’s tier one AeroRescue Dornier aircraft.
Up to this point, AMSA has already supplied seven of the handsets in emergency packs for incidents involving stranded yachts. In these cases, the handset is dropped inside a metal capsule, along with a standard radio kit, food, water, and first aid supplies. The handsets have also been used in multiple instances involving motorists whose cars have broken down in the Australian outback.
One of the IsatPhone’s biggest supporters, Gary Stevens, the AMSA search and rescue training and resources officer, has been quick to acknowledge some to the handsets great features.
“The phones are loaded with 100 minutes of pre-paid talk time. The IsatPhone Pro is programmed with several RCC numbers and is the preferred means of communicating with us if there is an extended rescue time expected.”
“The phone is not locked, so survivors may call friends and family as well as the RCC.” Stevens also mentioned.
Along with these important factors, simple instructions are supplied with the phone, including how to employ the antenna and receive incoming calls, along with how to display the user’s GPS position. This user-friendly approach allows those in emergency situations to focus on getting rescued, rather than figuring out the intricacies of their communications device.
Seeing the efficiency of the device first hand, Mr. Stevens went on the say, “We feel this will become a permanent addition to our survival kits.”
Considering that Australia contains some of the most treacherous geography in the world, both on land and at sea, getting a vote of confidence from the leader of one of Australia’s best search and rescue teams is a sure sign that the IsatPhone Pro is unsurpassed in quality and demonstrated effectiveness.