One of the most common technical support requests that we receive for the Inmarsat IsatPhone PRO is how to receive an SMS. In Inmarsat parlance an SMS stands for Short Message Service. You can receive an unlimited number of 160 character SMS messages on your IsatPhone PRO for FREE, so it is no surprise this is a popular service. Of course, there is a charge for sending SMS messages from your IsatPhone PRO.

Sending Your IsatPhone PRO an SMS Message:

You can text your IsatPhone PRO in three different ways:

1. Send a text from your cell phone

2. Send an email to 870xxxxxxxxx@message.inmarsat.com using the Inmarsat Email-to-Text service

3. Use the Inmarsat Messaging system web portal

If you have a cell phone configured to allow international text addresses, you can send a text directly to your IsatPhone PRO, but unfortunately, some cell phone rate plans have a significant per event charge for international texts. So, Outfitter Satellite recommends that you use Email-to-Text. It is easy. Here is how to do it.

Send your email to 870xxxxxxxxx@message.inmarsat.com (where 870xxxxxxxxx is the IsatPhone PRO mobile number). The message will automatically be converted to an SMS message. Our experience is that usually the SMS is received by the IsatPhone PRO in less than a minute. An audio alert and a message appear on your LCD screen to notify you that the new SMS message has arrived.

Usually, an SMS message takes only 30-60 seconds to be transmitted.

Checking for and Replying to Inbound Text Messages on your IsatPhone PRO:

1. Use the “Left Selection Key” (found in the upper left hand corner of the key pad) to access the IsatPhone PRO “Menu”

2. Go to the Text Menu by highlighting the “Envelope” icon and pressing the “Center Select Key”. Highlight the “Inbox” to see the number of messages you have received. To view one of the messages in the Inbox simply highlight that message and press the Center Select key.

3. Use the “Left Selection Key” to reveal additional choices including: Reply, Forward, Call, Delete ... Select Reply, then edit your reply message. Use the Left Selection key and “Send” the reply message.

Sending Text & Email Messages from your IsatPhone PRO:

1. Enter the Menu area as in the section above. Highlight and select the “Envelope” icon. Highlight and select the “New Message” option.

2. There are two options: Text message and Email message.

1. To Send a Text Message (max of 160 characters), highlight and select the Text message option. Enter the mobile number to which you want to send the SMS message. For example, to send an SMS to a U.S. cell phone with mobile number (615)123-4567, you would enter the following number: “00 + Country code + Area code and Mobile Number”: 0016151234567.

2. To Send an Email Message, highlight and select the Email message option. Press the up selection key and enter the Email address to which you want to send the email message. After you have entered your message, use the “Left Selection Key”. Highlight and select “Send”. The phone should indicate that the message is sent. Message delivery may take several minutes.

3. After you have entered your message, use the “Left Selection Key”. Highlight and select “Send”. The phone should indicate that the message is sent. Message delivery normally takes several minutes. Hint: if you need special characters like "@" or " ," press the "*" key on the LCD screen which will review the extended character menu.

You can Text Your current GPS location to a Friend from the IsatPhone PRO:

Enter the Menu as before and select the “GPS application''. You will be able to see your last GPS fix. Select the option to update to your current GPS location. To text your GPS information, use the “Left Selection Key” to view “Options” and select “Send GPS location”. You will be given the option to: Text message or Email message.

Let us know if the instructions on this page are helpful by sending us a comment!