Solara Testimonials

I used this tracker onboard my little 29-foot yacht ‘Teleport’ last year while sailing her up the east coast of Canada, across the Labrador Sea to Greenland, up it’s iceberg-filled coast and then over the top of Canada through the infamous Northwest Passage. Not only did Solara’s Field Tracker 2100 allow me to share our progress with friends, family and the interested public from anywhere on Earth, but with its inbuilt 2-way SMS messaging service and configurable emergency notification systems, this unit also formed a key part of my safety kit. I found it quite simple to use, reliable, durable, had impressive battery-life, and it worked a treat. It’ll come with me on all my expeditions from now on.
 
Compared with competing products such as the ‘SPOT Messenger’, this tracking device from Solara has many important differences:
 
1)   Being Iridium satellite based means it works anywhere on Earth – whereas the ‘SPOT Messenger’ for example wouldn’t even function at the latitudes we were in the arctic due to lack of their satellite coverage.
2)   The ability to both send and receive simple SMS messages is not only wonderful for keeping in touch, but also invaluable in an emergency situation for authorities to be able to confirm it is indeed a genuine emergency, and then being able to request specific information. Not only can’t ‘SPOT Messenger’ receive messages, but there is no confirmation that the messages you send from it are even received at the other end, which is an important comfort with the Solara unit.
3)   The tracking interval is completely programmable – even remotely changeable on the Solara unit, whereas ‘SPOT Messenger’ is locked at 10-minute bursts, which in many applications (such as my sailing) is just wasting power.
4)   It’s rechargeable, and for fixed installations, can even be externally powered. The ‘SPOT Messenger’ however, is not.
5)   As it has an LCD display (unlike ‘SPOT Messenger’) it can display your current GPS position which makes it a backup GPS unit for my own navigation and for reporting in emergency situations.
6)   The Solara tracking information can be embedded within any website’s Google Map which looks much more professional and convenient rather than only visible on the tracking company’s own website like with the ‘SPOT Messenger’.
 

John Booth of Landwide Satellite Solutions has supplied me with two exceptional bits of gear which I consider absolutely ideal for Remote River Man expeditions – the Iridium 9555 sat phone and the Solara Field Tracker 2100.  I cannot stress how important both these products are in giving me peace of mind when I’m completely alone, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest human being. 

The Iridium satellite network has a proven track record of long-term reliability, and the 9555 is a perfect phone choice that combines durability, compactness, light weight and simple, user-friendly features.  Aside from its vital use in case of emergencies, this phone also allows me to keep sponsors and the media updated with my progress, and lets me assure my family that I’m eating piranhas for lunch, and not the other way around.

The Solara Field Tracker 2100 is really quite an amazing piece of equipment.  Among other things it allows people anywhere in the world to track your position on a map through advanced GPS technology, and also has a very cool global texting feature that uses the same excellent Iridium satellite system.  I couldn’t believe how light and small this thing was – it’s a cutting-edge multi-function marvel, and a perfect tool for someone like me who conducts lengthy solitary expeditions.

Remote River Manjourneys are all about self-reliance, but they’re also about being able to rely on the gear I take with me.  With Landwide Satellite Solutions, this is not an issue – John Booth and his enthusiastic crew really know their stuff.  They keep me informed about new technology that might benefit my highly specialized expeditions in the future, and are always there for support or any queries a technology-challenged guy like me might have.  Equipping myself with Landwide’s superb and easy-to-use communications gear was one of the best decisions I ever made as a remote river explorer.  Knowing that my communication needs are all sorted, I can now concentrate on other things - like avoiding electric eels and tropical rattlesnakes, and trying to remember that termite soup recipe...  

Kevin Casey / Remote River Man 

www.remoteriverman.com

Our crew at www.outbacktravelaustralia.com.au  heads into remote areas every few months and we’re well equipped for this type of travel. We’re all current first-aiders and we carry a comprehensive first-aid kit, a personal locator beacon and a list of emergency phone contacts. We have two satellite phones – from Landwide Satellite Solutions, naturally – and CB radios and cell phones.
So, at first inspection, the Solara Field Tracker looked like a redundant piece of equipment. However, fitting it was simplicity itself: a robust suction-cup mount stuck it to the side window of our 4WD wagon and it plugged into a 12-volt outlet. Job done.
As we lived with the unit over a month of Outback travel, we came to understand just how useful it could be.
For example, we experienced unseasonal rain in the desert, forcing us to make several detours off our planned route. The Landwide staffer monitoring our progress back in a Sydney office saw that the Solara was moving well away from our stated course, so our Landwide satphone crackled into life:
“Are you blokes all right,” came the question. “We can see that you’re many kilometres from where you told us you were going and our mapping shows that you’re currently running alongside a wide river – are you in it?”
“No, we’re not in any water, but we’re running along the bank of a dry watercourse – we’re fine, thank you,” we replied.
Clearly, the Solara’s position-sending accuracy wasn’t affected by the bouncing we were doing, over large river stones in Roma Gorge, in the Northern Territory. Significantly, the ‘fix’ had been made without any intervention on our part.
The satphone call started us thinking how useful this device could be for the many remote-area workers we know - blokes and girls who spend weeks on end in the scrub – because the Solara Field Tracker can tell a base contact exactly where they are. Also, both ends of the communication stream have the ability to send and receive text message for a fraction of the cost of satphone voice contact.
Sure, most of the gangs we know carry satphones and the Solara can’t do voice communication – only text - but it would be great back-up for a satphone. The Solara can be set up to accept scheduled text calls at regular intervals, so if a text message isn’t sent from the Solara the base knows something may be amiss.
Because the Solara is a passive unit, sending its location at pre-set intervals, it will do so without intervention, which could be a life-saver in the event of an accident that resulted in operator unconsciousness – an EPIRB or satphone is no use if no-one’s able to switch it on. A static Solara that should be moving is positive indication that all may not be well.
Another advantage is that the unit sends its successive locations to home base, recording actual movement that is an accurate track of where the unit has been. This feature saves ground crews a lot of time, with no need to run periodic GPS ‘fixes’.

For those who need to monitor the welfare of people in remote areas the Solara Field Tracker 2100 could be just the ticket.
 

Because it’s not always affordable to buy these sorts of things, renting is a great option. If you need a Field Tracker or Satellite Phone for your next trip, I highly recommend you contact the guys at Landwide, they’ll sort you out.

Clark Carter
 
www.ClarkCarter.com