Satellite Phone Blog

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Globalstar - degradation of the amplifiers


One thing you really want to have as a satellite communications company is a nice collection of well-functioning satellites. Without them, to state the incredibly obvious, you own a nice collection of space junk. And that is the problem that now faces GlobalStar, the satellite communications provider.

On Feb 7th, 2007 the company filed an incredible 8-K document with the SEC. In a section labeled “Satellite Constellation Operations,” the company made some disturbing disclosures. Globalstar has previously said that a number of its satellites have suffered from degradation of performance of power amplifiers to the S-band antenna which provides the downlink to subscriber phones or data terminals.

The result can be reduced quality and call duration. If the S-band antenna stops working, then you can’t have a two-way conversation using the specific satellite. GlobalStar conjectures that the amplifier problem might relate to irradiation in orbit, but it isn’t entirely sure. The company says it has managed the issue in various ways, including placing spare satellites already in orbit into service and moving its satellites to different orbits. Previously, the company has said that with the addition of eight spare satellites planned for launch in 2007, two-say service would be viable until a set of next-generation satellites were placed into service in 2009.

And now, the punch line: Based on data recently collected from satellite operations, the Company has concluded that the degradation of the amplifiers is now occurring at a rate that is faster than previously experienced and faster than the Company had previously anticipated. In response, the Company, in consultation with outside experts, has implemented innovative methods, and plans to continue to implement additional corrective measures, to attempt to ameliorate this problem, including modifying the configuration of its constellation as described above, and thereby extend the life of the two-way communication capacity of the constellation. Nonetheless, to date the Company has been unable to correct the amplifier problem and may be unable to do so.

GlobalStar says it is “exploring the feasibility of accelerating procurement and launch of its second-generation satellite constellation, to attempt to reduce the effects of this problem upon its customers and operations.” It says the company “will be able to forecast the duration of service coverage at any particular location in its service area and intends to make this information available without charge to its service providers, including its wholly owned operating subsidiaries, so that they may work with their subscribers to reduce the impact of the degradation in service quality in their respective service areas.”

4 Comments:

  • At 7:42 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    No, its NOT the best satellite service. One cannot say this. Regarding coverage, Iridium is the best service appliciable. Thats for sure.

    Taking coverage not into account, the LEO-service cannot compete with services like Thuraya, AcES or Inmarsat. I'm familiar with both technologies, and I'll tell you: it IS annoying when the particular LEO-Satellite on which you are linked up to decides to fly behind a building or tree or something, so either you have to follow it or your connection dropped. At least this was my experience with Iridium. Not to mention the poor speech quality of this particular service.

    I'm now with Thuraya, and I REALLY prefer it. First of all, I can use it with my cellular contract, but still I do not have to pay heavily overpriced airteam. E.g. Globalstar-service with cellular-simcard costs around 4.50�/minute, while when roaming on Thuraya I pay less then 1.50�/minute.

    Second, the connection is much more stable then I ever experienced with Iridium. Provided there is a connection. Of course the rather low angle of clear view to the sky needed to hook up to the Thuraya-satellite especially from northern-Europe is a limitation, even more when travelling in a mountained region. However, if you have the connection (which is really not too hard to set up), its stable. And, last but not least, look at the handsets, please. The "New" Globalstar handsets looks like the GSP-1600, except that the Display and the battery were replaced, and the cellular unit was dropped, therefore resulting in a slightly thinner and lighter phone. But, especially regarding the features, one cannot call it "modern". Tss.
    Cheers,
    Chris

     
  • At 10:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    A number of its satellites have suffered from degradation of performance of power amplifiers to the S-band antenna which provides the downlink to subscriber phones or data terminals.

    The result can be reduced quality and call duration. If the S-band antenna stops working, then you can’t have a two-way conversation using the specific satellite.

    Basically, it simply doesn't work right now. It's very unreliable.

     
  • At 3:23 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Things happen, so Globalstar's satellites are degrading at a faster rate than expected.
    I have used Globalstar as an SP for over two years now and yes it is not as strong a signal as before(their working on that), but I use it almost everyday and still, I'm able to get a connection when I need it. You must remember it is not like wireless you must be in direct line of sight of the
    satellite(s). If there's tree's or buildings of any sort within 10-15 feet it WILL impair reception. My car kit keeps reception no problem when I'm driving I get full bars most of the time, as soon as I park in a driveway or small parking lot I go down to 2 bars and sometimes loose connection, only to get it back within five minutes of driving. So unless the whole network of satellites is down in the case of emergency, instead of waiting 20 minutes for signal in the bush take five or ten and find an open area, walk through a swamp if it's really urgent, climb a mountain or a tree, maintain line of sight....It's a phone designed for everyone to afford and use were no other means of communication is possible, with very clear sound. You can't expect it to be perfect. Iridium is expensive, and sound quality is poor compared to Globalstar, yes they have better signal because their satellites are higher in orbit, line of sight is more easy to obtain, quality suffers because of that, when you can still connect with Globalstar and you clearly hear what is said, as good as any cell phone. Thanks for reading :)

     
  • At 10:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I had Globalstar for 4 years. The past year, service degraded to the point where it is almost useless. This August 2007, I purchased and Iridium. I personally side by side compared the two phones - no comparison. The Iridium makes a call anytime, anywhere, within seconds. I would say 99% of the time the Globalstar is "looking for service". DO NOT buy globalstar until they actually get the new constellation in place - not the 8 spare satellites. They already put up 4 spares, and made NO difference in services. The Iridium costs about twice as much, but it works.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home