Hi Andrea

I can tell you that there is an Optus tower on Koolan Island and you can get reception from some parts of Talbot Bay.
You can get Limited Telstra Service south of Hells Gates just out from Waterfall Beach, at the top end of King Sound. There is also a Telstra tower at the top of the Dampier Peninsula. Not sure of coverage range.

Hope this helps.

Mark Blechynden.

Hi Andrea,  Cel-Fi Go has become very popular with the northern commercial fishing fleets, and I have friends with boats in Darwin who have recently installed it. All are happy with it.

Much of the NT coast has Telstra Mobile at indigenous communities. But as per Blechy’s reply, there is minimal Telstra mobile service in the Kimberley Coast, which limits the value of the Cel-Fi Go in the KC. But from what I’ve heard, it will definitely expand the signal distance from the limited existing Telstra service in the KC. Last year I very briefly got Telstra and received a few text messages on my IPhone near Deception Bay, so that may be another area the Cel-Fi will work.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as inexpensive marine satellite data.

McGowan Island camping ground will let you use their WiFi for a small fee if you need to get on the internet. Phone a friend on a sat phone for a BOM weather forecast verbal update was my main source of weather before I invested in an expensive KVH V3 data system.

Even if you have the satellite hardware to use marine data system, doing internet banking over marine satellite data will use heaps of data and cost a fortune. Lot cheaper to get the Cel-F Go hardware and only go on the internet when you sporadically get Telstra Mobile reception.

Cheers, Ross

Hi Andrea; Re communication

We purchase a Garmin InReach Explorer should look it up.

Small and portable pairs with your phone can be be used for inland tracking, SMS. Seven day weather, cheap data plan very good pice of kit.

Cheers Simon<!–more–>

Andrea,

2019 we used an Iridium Go with Predict Wind unlimited data plan. Expensive, but best choice for weather, unlimited SMS, limited free calls, email & tracking. Best decision I made.

Cel-Fi Go is great, but only if you have coverage which is not very often. Putting a phone in a bag and winching it to the top of the mast with a hot spot turned on works well for patchy coverage.

Forget about internet browsing. Ask a friend to brows for you and to SMS/email the information to you.

HF Pactor Sail mail coverage/propagation was very poor in the Kimberly.

Have a great trip.

Craig