Satellite Push-To-Talk (PTT)
2 results
Satellite Push-To-Talk (PTT)
2 results
Rent a Satellite Push-to-Talk Radio for the Whole Team
Your crew is spread across a job site, a vessel, or a stretch of border with no cell signal, and a single satellite phone only reaches one person at a time. Satellite push-to-talk puts everyone on one channel at once, no towers, no repeaters, just a talkgroup that follows the team.
The date you choose is the day it arrives. Pick the day you want the equipment in your hands, not the day you leave. Your rental starts the day you receive it and ends the day we get it back, so leave yourself a day or two to test everything before you travel.
Available now
What you can rent
Every unit is pre-tested and activated before it leaves the warehouse, so it works the moment you switch it on. Most orders ship the same day, and you can collect in San Diego if that beats waiting on a courier.
What satellite push-to-talk actually is
Press the button and everyone on your talkgroup hears you at the same moment, the same way a radio works on a job site, except there is no tower and no repeater standing between you. The channel runs over the satellite network itself, so it reaches as far as that network's coverage extends, not as far as the next hilltop or the next repeater site.
That makes it the right tool for a team that needs to talk as a group, not call one person at a time. A survey crew split across two ridgelines, a security detail covering several checkpoints at once, a production crew scattered across a remote location. One press, the whole group hears it, wherever each person happens to be standing.
Every radio in a talkgroup reaches the satellite directly. There are no towers and no repeaters between them, which is why the crew can be scattered across a continent and still share one channel.
PTT, a radio, or a phone?
These three tools solve different problems, and renting the wrong one for a short deployment is the most common mistake we see.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Satellite PTT | Land mobile radio | Satellite phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range | As far as the satellite network reaches | Limited by terrain and line of sight, extended by repeaters | As far as the satellite network reaches |
| Who hears you | Everyone on the talkgroup, at once | Everyone on that channel, within range | One person, whoever you dial |
| Infrastructure needed | None, talks direct to satellites | Repeaters or towers for anything beyond line of sight | None, talks direct to satellites |
| What it suits | A team that needs to hear each other constantly | A single site where everyone is close enough for line of sight | Reaching one specific person, wherever they are |
The two radios we rent
Both run on the same Iridium network and both work the same way once a talkgroup is set up. The difference is the shape of the thing in your hand.
Iridium Extreme PTT
A satellite phone that also does push-to-talk, so the same unit dials a normal call and runs a talkgroup. Choose it when someone on the crew also needs to reach a number that is not on the channel.
ICOM IC-SAT100
A dedicated radio, not a phone. One large button, no dialling, no menus to get lost in. Choose it when the crew wants something that behaves exactly like the handhelds they already use.
How a talkgroup works
Iridium reaches pole to pole, so a talkgroup does not have a coverage edge to plan around.
A PTT rental is billed as a monthly talkgroup access plan rather than a bundle of minutes. Everyone assigned to the same talkgroup shares that one channel for the length of the rental, and any of them can press the button and be heard by the rest.
One limitation is worth stating plainly, because it changes how you plan: a talkgroup has no number to dial, so a US phone number cannot be added to a PTT rental. If part of the job also needs someone reachable by an ordinary phone call, that has to come from an Iridium handset or the Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 running alongside the PTT radios, not instead of them.
Who this isn't for
If you only need to reach one specific person and not a group, a satellite phone is the simpler tool for the job. If your whole team is going to stay within sight of a single repeater on one job site, ordinary land mobile radio does the job without a talkgroup plan at all. Push-to-talk over satellite earns its keep when the team is spread out and cell or repeater coverage is not an option.
How many handsets do you need
Add one handset per person who needs to talk on the channel, not one per location. Everyone on the same talkgroup already hears everyone else, so the number that matters is how many people need a unit in hand, not how many sites you're covering.
Two satellite PTT radios are available to rent, both on the same talkgroup plan.
Booking a PTT rental
Booking follows the same flow as any rental here: pick the radios by how many people need one, choose your start and end dates, add any accessories the job needs, then enter billing and shipping. Every rental can be shipped to arrive on the date you choose, or collected in person from our San Diego location, whichever suits the trip better. Rental insurance is available as a per-day add-on if you want the extra cover.
Support runs around the clock, and the team handling the order are the same specialists who set up and test the radios before they ship. Most orders go out the same day they are placed, with priority shipping inside the US, and the store carries a 4.8 out of 5 rating from 451 Shopper Approved reviews.
Questions people ask before they book
What is satellite push-to-talk?
It is a radio channel that runs over a satellite network instead of towers or repeaters. Press the button and everyone assigned to your talkgroup hears you at once, the same way a two-way radio works on a job site, except the range is the satellite network's coverage rather than line of sight to a repeater.
What's the difference between a satellite phone and a PTT radio?
A satellite phone connects you to one person at a time, the same as any phone call. A PTT radio connects you to everyone on your talkgroup at once with a single button press. Rent a phone for one-to-one calls, rent PTT when a whole team needs to hear the same thing at the same time.
Can I add a US number to a PTT rental?
No. A talkgroup has no number to dial, so a US number cannot be added to any satellite PTT rental. If part of the team also needs to be reachable by phone, add an Iridium handset or an Inmarsat IsatPhone 2 rental alongside the radios.
Is satellite PTT the same as a normal two-way radio?
It works the same way at the button, one press and the group hears you, but the similarity ends there. A normal land mobile radio needs a repeater or tower and loses range past line of sight. Satellite PTT talks direct to the satellite network, so range is set by the network's coverage, not by terrain.
How many handsets do I need for my team?
One per person who needs to talk on the channel. Everyone on the same talkgroup already hears everyone else, so count people, not job sites. A five-person crew spread across a site needs five handsets on the same talkgroup, not one per checkpoint.
Is the PTT plan billed by the minute?
No. A PTT rental runs on a monthly talkgroup access plan, not a minute bundle. That is a different billing shape from a satellite phone rental, so budget it separately if you are renting phones and PTT radios together for the same trip, since the two plans do not combine into one bundle.
Which PTT radio should I rent, the Iridium Extreme PTT or the ICOM IC-SAT100?
Both run on the same talkgroup plan. The Iridium Extreme PTT gives pole-to-pole coverage, which matters for a team crossing oceans, borders or polar routes. See both pages for the full detail before deciding, since the right pick depends on your route, not just the radio.
Does the PTT device arrive ready to use?
Yes. Every device is pre-tested, activated and verified before it leaves the warehouse, so it is ready to join your talkgroup as soon as it's powered on, rather than needing setup once you're already in the field with no time to spare.
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