Two-way communication is important to prevent false positive emergencies, too. There have been several times I've used my inReach to message that I'm going to miss my planned check-in time, but everything is OK - no need to alert SAR.
Also to communicate on-the-fly decision-making to inform potential SAR - "I'm making good time, going to head up this extra peak before continuing the planned route."
I'm happy to have a cell phone backup to the inReach, but I don't see this Starlink offering as a replacement. That goes double if you're out in winter. Phone batteries aren't great in the cold.
Phone batteries are fine down to -20C and usually are functional to about -30C.
You should have no problem with that anywhere in the world as long as you keep it in an inner pocket. Perhaps pack wired earphones just in case you need to make a long call while keeping the phone itself warm.
Notably the battery should not be charged below about 5C. If you do, it will be permanently damaged.
Respectfully, I don't know about that. I wouldn't trust it if my life was on the line. I go for walks and bike rides when it's -25C to -30C air temperature (before windchill) and I've had old samsung galaxies and newer pixels both crash if I take them out to take a photo. I presumable due to voltage dip.
This is exactly the reason why I'm sticking with the CAT S6x series phones and willing to put up with mediocre performance/features, as far as smartphones go.
They've been the only ones that don't just turn off in really cold temperatures, even without babying them in warm pockets.
The general ruggedness is also pretty good to amazing, depending on how fragile your previous phones were. For example: it survived a ~10 meter (32ft) drop on rocks, whereas everyone was convinced it was done for.
Once I was stuck with a ridesharing car opened and off in -20C because my old samsung s8 throttled so bad I couldn't even reboot it. It was completely unresponive with the flashlight still on discharging it even faster.
I couldn't leave the car too, being responsible for damages during the rent.
After a bit of time I remembered that to force shut down newer androids you have to hold volume down and power. Why would they not keep it as a long press is beyond me.
To someone that lives in a place where we just had an entire summer of 40°C and higher, -25°C sounds like Antarctica, or Mars. And you do that on a bicycle? Clearly, you must be an alien!
Thanks for the laugh. I send my australian friends photos of snowbanks and iced up hair. The hardest part if having a plan if something goes wrong, e.g. I'm not changing a tire or fixing a chain at that temperature. I've been tempted to wait on a bus at a slow train crossing. At least cold I can layer up with and move. I'd die at +40C.
I had that in my hometown in eastern France at 800m altitude, a town a few km away has a record of -41. -15/-20c was almost a yearly occurance when I was a kid
I don't know if those exist. I imagine if you are a linemans or working in the oil field you might have a rugged phone/radio or leave it in the truck cab.
> Notably the battery should not be charged below about 5C. If you do, it will be permanently damaged.
This depends on the specific battery chemistry. The
BMS should prevent the charging scenarios which would damage the battery.
For some it's 0C not 5C. Some can handle charging below 0C.
Isn't that a stock feature on pretty much every chip? I mean, if you've got a temperature sensor for overtemperature protection, including undertemperature protection is trivial.
Even the cheapest chips from TI and ST seem to include it. And modern cell phones often advertise extra-fast 20W+ charging, so I doubt they're using the cheapest chips.
My last two phones (Xiaomi 9T and Pixel 7) have struggled below about -5C. They still work but the battery drops very quickly so you can't rely upon them. Keeping them in an inner pocket works but I then take them out and see the battery drop. The sudden temperature change might not help there.
my iphone 6s and 12 pro beg to differ. both saw serious drops in battery in pretty normal 10-15F chicago winters while I was outdoor ice skating or even just going for a long walk with the phone in my pocket.
Also to communicate on-the-fly decision-making to inform potential SAR - "I'm making good time, going to head up this extra peak before continuing the planned route."
I'm happy to have a cell phone backup to the inReach, but I don't see this Starlink offering as a replacement. That goes double if you're out in winter. Phone batteries aren't great in the cold.