Xi External Interface Satellite Phone

Looks great, my main concerns would be weight and comfort of all the separate pieces- what’s the situation there?

Of the units themselves only the main unit is any real weight being slightly less then a normal satellite phone. The headband is the same as a bluetooth unit, the armband is made of fabric, the chest harness is fabric (and optional) and the antenna is just a coiled helix with insulation and plastic cover. As for comfort; the head band is adjustable, as is the armband and antenna and the main unit is ergonomically shaped to fit in your hand and has large buttons for ease of use for cold fingers

To be honest, I don’t really see anything in the idea.

Wearing a headset with a helmet, a band with a battery pack around my arm and also a wrist band while climbing all day long? No thanks.

I would only use a satellite phone in an absolute emergency, and I’m not going to wear 3 units for just that… it’ll save me 5 minutes (tops) compared to getting a normal satellite phone from the top of me pack and making a call that way. And I would need to get the phone from the pack anyway, cause I won’t wear a phone on the optional harness either- it’ll get in the way.

A normal, rugged, satellite phone with some sort of emergency button would be more useful, so one with big buttons, and preferably an ‘SOS’ button. Hit it and it’ll ask you put in a grit reference (optional), and then send an SMS to whatever rescue service its programmed to. Waive with the phone to get better reception.
Button size isn’t that much of an issue though, I can even type a text with my clumsy dachstein mitts on, and I have a motorola RAZR… not exactly a mountain phone.

Thank you for your opinion but for one it is clear that you havent looked at the design properly as you would have seen that the arm unit is the antenna not a battery pack and has to be external so as to be of any use. And two, the Xi is for use in extreme conditions only, as in minus 20 celcius and below, so the ‘five minutes’ you saving means that your hands and face are not exposed to the elements for that five minutes which is useful as exposed skin can contract frost bite in 60 seconds at -20 degrees.

The modular system of the unit also allows for ease of use when injured as all you have to do is press a button, not stop, open your bag, take out your phone, dial and then hold it to your face.

It is clear that you have misunderstood the purpose of the Xi and have not read the information given. Hopefully this reply will allow to understand more fully.

Sorry, mis-read about the battery pack- but still- wearing stuff for just a phone is something I would never do. Your statement about exposing skin is also not true, I can get a phone out of my pack with my mitts easily, and talk through a balaclava.

Have you tried wearing a hat, a helmet and then a headset underneath it- for say 10h long, when climbing a mountain in the cold? I think it would at least be really annoying, when I wear a normal headset it starts to hurt after a few hours. I can’t imagine wearing one with under layers of clothing, helmet, when its cold, I’m utterly knackered, dehydrated and there’s spindrift pouring down my neck- no thanks.

The headset as depicted will be useless in a mountain environment anyway, remember that it should also work in a 70mph gale, and something a good few inches away from your mouth obviously doesn’t, in my limited experience of the things.

I’ve spoken to a few people who have tried using two-way radio’s when climbing, but most find that in interesting weather conditions its easier to work with tugs on the rope or whatever, showing that speaking into a communication device in bad weather is really difficult. Hence my suggestion for a spoken/text message send to emergency services, combined with GPS coordinates, this could be very useful.

And a last thing, please don’t state that I’ve misunderstand stuff, I bloody well understand the design, and think the modular design presented as such had a couple of flaws in it.

Again thank you for your opinion however i have had this tested, i have talked to experienced arctic climbers and travellers and i have thought the design through, and there is little point in getting angry that i said you misunderstood, you did, as calling the antenna unit a battery pack shows. As to the rest of the points you made again if you read the material you would know that A) the design is for use to communicate with other people then those on your team, why would you use a satellite phone to contact someone who is only ten feet away? and the head works on a modulating diaphram ie. a boomless microphone which means that all it needs is vibration through the jaw to work. As to the head set its is designed to be worn with comfort because as you stated a normal one would be uncomfortable.

And last do not think that i am attacking you in any way with these comments as you seem to for some reason i am merely defending my design. I have done alot of research on the problem and while you make interesting points they are not anything i havent already considered and disregarded.

Unfortunately our single web page format is a very limited medium, and as with the other ideas submitted, doesn’t always show the amount of background work that has gone in to an idea or how much practical proof of concept development has already been carried out. It is great to have some debate on the positive and negative merits of the design and the event at the Outdoors Show will allow the entrants to communicate the particulars of their ideas in greater detail.