Himalayan trek puts sat phone to the test

During a recent trek through the Himalayas, an 11-person mountaineering team put a satellite phone to the test, using it to call home, conduct business communications and act as a safety communications device if anything went wrong.

The mountaineering team was on an expedition to visit schools and Australian Himalayan Foundation (AHF) teacher training courses and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first school built by Sir Edmund Hillary, just 25 kilometres from Everest.

The mountaineers led the inaugural 18-day ‘Chairman’s Trek’ in the Himalayas, in April, in support of the AHF, which continues the work of Sir Edmund Hillary to help the Himalayan people through education, health and environmental programs. The expedition team was supported in their quest by the IsatPhone Pro satellite phone, from Inmarsat.

The device is capable of operating at temperatures ranging from -20 to +55°C, has a talk time of up to eight hours and can operate for 100 hours on standby. It can text, email and send location data in addition to making phone calls.

“We were at 14,500 ft (above 4000 m) and the phone was compact, light and super efficient. We had 100% reliable communications from Namche Bazaar,” said Simon Balderstone, AHF Chairman and a member of the 1984 First Australian Everest expedition.

After the first glimpse of Everest at Namche, the group continued to Khumjung, where Sir Edmund Hillary built his first school in the years after he summitted Everest. The trekkers enjoyed three days of celebrations, hosted by the school, before they headed to Lukla for a return flight to Kathmandu.

The 11-person Chairman’s Trek team was accompanied by 29 porters and support staff.

“The [device] made the team feel very secure and they were able to stay in touch with home whenever needed throughout the trek. I was able to conduct some urgent Foundation business as well,” Balderstone said.

The AHF plans to continue using the device during visits to its Himalayan projects in the future, including isolated parts of Nepal and India.