Thuraya Satellite Phone and SatSleeve Usage Tips

The Thuraya handsets and Sat Sleeves are very easy to use.

A couple of tips will get you making clear calls in no time at all. A good idea is to know where the satellite is going to be in the sky. You only need a vague, or rough idea, it's not critical.

Know roughly where the Satellite is:

You can find the approximate location in this list, pick anywhere within about 500km of your location - that will be accurate enough!

Extend the Antenna:

So now we'll extend the antenna fully -

you'll feel a light "click" as you pull it out, and again when fully extended.

Orient the handset "roughly" in the direction of the satellite.

And check - no obstructions

Remember, terrain, buildings, dense foliage, vehicles - they are all obstructions.

As Easy as that!

Register on the Network

You should see 4 to 5 bars in the top left of the display - if you don't - there is an obstruction between you and the satellite. When you have the bars it will be "Searching" - Once registered, it will show "Thuraya Australia" - and you are ready to start enjoying satellite phone calls!

The FIRST time, or if you've moved the handset 1000's of km - it may take some time for the GPS to lock in. This is normal, and the handset won't register until it has a GPS Location.

Voice Quality

The Thuraya voice quality is not quite cellular, but better than some other satellite networks.

The first few seconds of the call can sound a bit robotic - don't hang up! It can take a few seconds for everything to "sync" and after that the voice quality will be fine.

If you have on-going robotic sounding calls - check for obstructions - this makes a BIG difference!

Some Pitfalls to avoid..