One of the very best parts of this country is its vast, rugged landscape. As pilots, we possess a unique ability to explore some of the most remote parts of Australia with complete freedom. But with this freedom comes a lack of communication ability both with loved ones and, if necessary, emergency services.
If you’ve ever been anywhere even slightly rural in this country – on the ground or in the air – you know that phone reception can be a bit hard to come by. If you’re heading out for a cross country flight, going on a multi-day trip or doing some bush flying, you want to be able to let people know where you are and how you’re doing. That’s where ZOLEO comes in.
ZOLEO is a nifty little satellite communicator device that takes the worry out of going remote – both for you and your loved ones. Designed in Australia and backed by an Australian publicly listed company, ZOLEO is built for the Australian traveller. In a nutshell, ZOLEO is the link between your smartphone and a global network of satellites, enabling you to send SMS and email messages no matter where you are in the world. Pretty cool, right? Let’s take a look at exactly what it can do.
Lightweight, tough and small enough to fit in your palm, ZOLEO can easily be mounted to your windscreen and taken on any journey, ensuring you remain in contact no matter where you find yourself. It’s dust-, shock- and water-resistant, and has a whopping 200+ hours of battery life to get you between destinations. It’s built to handle anything you can throw at it, but how does it actually work?
ZOLEO gives you your own dedicated SMS number and email address to send messages from, that is able to connect to the Iridium™ global satellite network. By connecting ZOLEO to your phone via Bluetooth and downloading the ZOLEO app, you effectively turn your phone into a satphone – albeit one capable of sending messages only, no voice calls .
Through the app, you’re able to sync your contacts and send messages to any phone number or email address, both via conventional mobile networks (4G/5G/WiFi) and satellite. The cool thing about ZOLEO is that it will always try to send your messages via conventional networks first, only sending via satellite (and therefore counting towards your message quota) if absolutely necessary. This is perfect for pilots who are flying on the fringe of phone coverage or through patchy areas, helping to keep costs down.
While you can message through the app, the device itself also has a couple of simplified messaging options; check-in and SOS. The check-in button allows you to send a quick, straightforward message to your nominated check-in contact(s) to let them know you’re OK at the click of a button – saving valuable phone battery and making checking in with multiple people a breeze. If something were to go wrong, the SOS button on the device will send your help signal and GPS coordinates to nearby emergency services for immediate response.
ZOLEO is a fantastic device that gives you that added peace of mind that no matter where you’re heading, you can make contact with the world. We here at SportPilot think it’s a great addition to any cross-country pilot’s flight bag. In fact our Editor, Nicholas Heath, will be taking one on his next longrange journey. Be sure to look out for his full review in later editions!
