Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Microcap & Penny Stocks : Globalstar Telecommunications Limited GSAT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RMiethe who wrote (5612)	7/9/1999 12:36:00 AM
From: Nancy Haft	Respond to of 29987

Gee, I rather liked TMann's Globalstar poem although I do agree that if taken at face value the questions posed seem a bit simple-minded. Maybe we could all write another Globalstar poem. Here, I'll contribute the first line - Twinkle, twinkle Globalstar . . .

To: RMiethe who wrote (5612)	7/9/1999 1:11:00 AM
From: Rocket Scientist	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29987

Welcome back RMiethe! I was beginning to think you'd taken Jeff Vayda's advise to take a hike (post 5404) literally. But seriously, I think you are way off base criticizing TMann's poem. Other than the fact he's undoubtedly infringed on Dr. Seuss, Inc's IPR (that's a joke) his poem is absolutely right on as well as very funny. The fact is that right now the investment and potential user communities don't know most of the answers to his poem's questions. Well, the stock market will eventually adjust to reality once it is known, and I can wait for that, but the consumers will very soon need to know precise, unambiguous answers to all those questions and many others. The guidance from the company so far has been pretty cryptic, so interested investors/customers/distributors have been forced to extrapolate from the not too stellar Iridium reviews or rely on Internet posters such as "TradeMachine" on Yahoo, Maurice Winn, and your second hand post of someone who arrogantly calls TMann's question imbecilic. I sure hope (s)he's not leading the marketing campaign. To my knowledge the company has only said in it's SEC filings that the phones may not work in the core of high rise buildings...leaving the impression that it should work in most rural/suburban settings or near (non-Kryptonite) windows. Yet Maurice's (limited) experience indicates trees can block the signal. And I've read that the demo G* call at May's s/h meeting was made by a guy standing in an open field. If you read the "Globalstar disclaimer" on the Vodafone Australia site, one gets the distinct impression that you need clear line of sight to a satellite. Consumers (Imbecilic or not) have the money that we need to make an ROI on our investment. The company needs to humor them without being patronizing or arrogant. I was standing in the "core of a high rise building" recently waiting for an elevator with someone talking on his cell phone. I was mildly surprised that the phone worked under such conditions. I was even more surprised when he was P.O.'d that he lost the signal after we entered the elevator and the doors closed. Was he an imbecile, too? Maybe...but he and all the other millions we want to sell service to will want to know what they're paying for, and then get it. G* needs to start answering TMann's questions. I sure hope their attitude won't be like the "someone who has used the phone on two continents." Best regards and welcome back (seriously). RS

To: RMiethe who wrote (5612)	7/9/1999 2:09:00 AM
From: brian h	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

RMiethe, Same here with RS. Welcome back. I thought you did take an hike advice from Jeff. Eager to see the launch successfully thought I am not as excited as before. It is just another launch! Best, (just added more dead-money shares on LORAL) Brian H.

To: RMiethe who wrote (5612)	7/10/1999 9:03:00 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 29987

RMiethe, Actually, you are wrong and passing on somebody else's insults was bad. You have complained about Yahoo! type comments and now have lowered the tone yourself. There was no need to call TMann imbecilic then elaborate by calling him transcendentally imbecilic. Here are the very reasonable questions again. Globalstar would do well to pin them to their front door and read it each day so that they understand a bit better the marketing job they need to do. The video advertising they have planned, while very good, attention getting and giving the right overall idea, will mislead people to think that the phones will work anywhere. They'll have to show a globe, with the coverage in red so that people will get at a glance an idea of the actual coverage. Maybe at the end of the video, they could have a slowly rotating world, with the red bits obvious. ------------------------------------------------------Thursday, Jul 8 1999 9:37PM ET Reply # of 5621 To: Drew Williams who wrote (5587) From: TMann Globalstar Worries Does it work under a tree? Will it receive signals 50 miles at sea? Does it work in the rain? Will it function on a high speed train? Does it work on a cloudy day? Will the other end understand what I say? Does it work in the fog? What about Los Angeles smog? Does it drop calls under an overpass? Will its signal penetrate my office glass? Does it ring with the antenna down? Will it work between skyscrapers downtown? Does the battery expire too quick? Will my friends laugh, cause its as big as a brick? Can it perform a cellular to satellite switch? Is service affordable only to the rich? Of course these concerns are in addition to marketing missteps of the bumbling service providers (Guess that poem comes later). Can any of you 'privileged' who have tested the service answer any of the above? I'm glad Bernie is keeping the faith with more purchases! ---------------------------------------------------------- Here are your answers: 1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. Yes. 4. No.-- nor does a cellular phone. 5. Yes. 6. Yes.-- if you speak a language intelligible to another human. 7. Yes. 8. Is there a difference from number 7? 9. As often as a cell phone does. 10. Yes, if the glass is not made of kryptonite. 11.Yes. 12.Yes, if you have it in cell mode. 13.Depends on how long you think a cell battery should operate before needing recharge. 14.It's probably not as big as your brain. Also, one does not know what kind of "friends" you have. 15.Yes. 16.Depends on what you mean by "rich". ---------------------------------------------------------- Here are the correct answers [I hope, but no guarantees]: No, it doesn't work under a tree. Maybe it will get through some leaves, but not many. I tried it under a pathetic little tree on one continent and it dropped the call. I dare say it would do the same on most other continents. Somehow, the signal is tough enough to go thousands of kilometres, weakening as it goes, and it can plough through kilometres of atmostphere, but it is too pathetic to get through more than a bit of tissue paper. Out at sea it will work okay, but only if there is a gateway covering that area. It will work 1000 miles out at sea even. A gateway in NZ would cover as far as Sydney. But no gateway = no sea coverage, or land coverage. The signal goes from the handset straight up to the satellites and the incoming signals go from the satellites straight down to the handset. So the distance out over the water doesn't matter, as long as a satellite can see both the handset and the gateway simultaneously. Does it work in the rain? I don't know about that one, but I bet it loses a bit of oomph with rain, unless raindrops are like ants in a microwave oven and are too small to absorb the long wavelength used in Globalstar. High speed train with an antenna on the roof, yes. Or with a window between the handset and a satellite. Also okay in an aeroplane with the right aerial fitted or a satellite in view out the window [though maybe the window is too thick or coated with something which will stop the signal. Cloudy day would be similar to rain, but I don't know how much attenuation that causes. I bet some, despite the ant in the microwave effect. Yes, the voice quality is very good. People at the other end will understand you well. I talked to somebody from San Diego to a GSM handset in NZ and the voice was excellent. The same to Chicago from San Diego. In fog, I dunno. Same as clouds I guess. Smog is a completely different thing and I expect much less absorption because smog is made of much smaller particles. But maybe both are so low it doesn't matter. Underpass, buildings, everywhere, the calls will drop if the satellite goes out of sight. Office glass should be okay if a satellite happens to be out that window. With the aerial down, it will ring if it can see an unobstructed satellite. But I don't know about being inside a building. Iridium uses a paging signal which tells you to run outside. I don't think Globalstar has that handset feature yet, but plans to do so. Between skyscrapers, it will work intermittently, as satellites come in and out of view. It won't be much fun! Battery life is hopeless. Less than 10 hours in standby mode. Only an hour or so talk mode. Something like those figures anyway. It'll depend on the situation, but it's bad. I suppose those will improve but only slowly until they get satellites with decent sized antennae in 5 years time with the next constellation. Then they could really make them small with a great battery life, especially if methanol fuel cells are available then. Your friends might be impressed. Sometimes people are impressed more by big ones than small ones. No, it can't yet swap from cellular to satellite during a call. Yes, this baby is for the rich! Especially the way they plan to sell it: few customers paying a high price rather than millions of customers enjoying cheap calls. Nevertheless, it has such prospects that I continue to own it and am pleased to see yet another successful launch and a rising share price. It always seems weird to treat questions as being imbecilic. Of course people don't know things until they have some way of knowing. The 20th century would have been invented 5000 years ago if things were that easy. When the questions come in the form of a fun poem, it's even better. So, let's play nice! Maorice {Passing on an insult is the same as making it oneself}