Satellite Radios

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A satellite radio is a push-to-talk handset that uses the Iridium network instead of a repeater tower. Press the button and everyone on the talkgroup hears you at once, whether they are on the next ridge or on another continent. There are no towers, no line of sight to a repeater, and no range limit to design around.

Picture a convoy strung out over forty miles of desert, or a search team working three separate drainages. On handheld radios they lost contact an hour ago. On satellite phones they would be dialling each other one at a time. Satellite PTT is the tool for a team that needs one channel rather than a stack of individual calls.

Satmodo sells the Icom IC-SAT100 handheld and the IC-SAT100M mobile unit for vehicles and vessels. Both run on Iridium PTT airtime with sub-second latency.

Satellite PTT, land mobile radio or a satellite phone?

These three get compared constantly and solve different problems. This is the fastest way to tell which one you actually need.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

 Satellite PTT radioTraditional LMR / UHF radioSatellite phone
Talk patternOne to many, instantOne to many, instantOne to one, dial and wait
RangeGlobal, anywhere on the Iridium footprintLine of sight, extended by repeatersGlobal
Infrastructure neededNoneRepeaters, towers, licensingNone
Time to talkUnder a secondInstantDial and connect
Licence requiredNoUsually, for business useNo
Calls ordinary phonesNo, channel onlyNoYes
Best forConvoys, search and rescue, dispersed crewsA single site, a building, a vesselIndividual calls and calls to ordinary numbers

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Also consider the Iridium Extreme PTT, a full satellite phone with a PTT channel on top, or UHF two-way radios for short-range work on a single site.

Satellite radio FAQ

Direct answer first in every case.

How is satellite PTT different from a walkie talkie?

A walkie talkie transmits only as far as its radio signal carries, so hills, buildings and distance end the conversation. Satellite push-to-talk sends the same press-to-talk transmission up to the Iridium network and back down to every handset in the talkgroup, wherever they happen to be. The experience is identical; the range is the whole planet.

Do I need an FCC licence for satellite PTT?

No. Satellite PTT runs on licensed satellite spectrum operated by Iridium, so there is no separate licence for you to hold and no frequency coordination to arrange. This is a real advantage over conventional land mobile radio, where business use of higher-power UHF equipment generally does require an FCC licence.

How many radios can be on one talkgroup?

Talkgroups scale well beyond a typical crew, and a single radio can belong to several groups so a supervisor can monitor more than one team. The practical limit is usually organisational rather than technical. Tell us how your teams are structured and we will map the talkgroups before the radios ship.

Can a satellite radio call a normal phone number?

No. The IC-SAT100 and IC-SAT100M are radios, not phones, so they work only on their talkgroups and cannot dial an ordinary number. If you need both, the Iridium Extreme PTT is a full satellite phone with a talkgroup channel added, which is why team leads usually carry that one while the crew carry radios.

What airtime does an IC-SAT100 need?

Iridium PTT airtime, which is a different subscription from ordinary satellite phone airtime and is priced per radio on the talkgroup. It is billed monthly rather than by the minute, because push-to-talk use is not metered the way a phone call is. We activate it before the radios ship.

Can I rent PTT radios for one job?

Yes. Both the Iridium Extreme PTT and an Icom PTT radio are in the rental fleet, priced by the week with the airtime included, which suits a race, a shoot, a survey or a disaster response rotation. It is also the cheapest way to find out whether push-to-talk suits how your teams work before buying a fleet. See PTT rentals.

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IC-SAT100M PTT
$2,799.00

Why Choose Satellite PTT for Remote Operations?

Satellite PTT technology bridges the gap between traditional walkie-talkies and global satellite coverage. To understand how this technology can enhance your field operations, consider these key operational advantages:

Instant "One-to-Many" Communication

In emergency scenarios or fast-paced industrial environments, speed is everything. Satellite PTT radios allow a supervisor to speak to an entire group of dispersed workers instantly. There is no need to dial individual phone numbers or set up conference bridges. By organizing your team into specific "Talkgroups," you can manage communications efficiently, ensuring that safety alerts and logistical updates are received by all relevant personnel the moment they are spoken.

Seamless Global Coverage with Iridium

Our PTT radios operate on the Iridium satellite network, which offers 100% global coverage. This means your talkgroup can consist of a manager in a headquarters in New York and a field team in the Amazon rainforest, and they can communicate as if they were in the same room. Because the Iridium network uses a mesh architecture of Low Earth Orbit satellites, the latency (delay) is minimal, providing a natural conversational experience that is critical for tactical coordination.

Interoperability and Rugged Design

Modern satellite radios are built to integrate with your existing equipment. Devices like the Icom IC-SAT100 are IP67 rated for dust and waterproofing, making them tough enough for fire crews and military use. Furthermore, through the use of RoIP (Radio over IP) gateways, these satellite radios can be bridged with your existing UHF/VHF land mobile radios or even LTE cellular phones. This allows for a unified communication network where every device talks to every other device, regardless of the technology they are using.

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