Testing One + SpaceX prior to loosing reception (and battery life)

Forums › One NZ (including Farmside) › Testing One + SpaceX prior to loosing reception (and battery life)

rjbathgate

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#318614 4-Feb-2025 10:48

Hey,

I'm wondering if there is a way to force a phone (in my case a Samsung Galaxy S24) into a mode whereby it doesn't get cellular reception, but will still look for SpaceX satellite messaging capability?

I'm pressing that if I turn on Airplane mode, this will disable the SpaceX Sat connection too.

Reason I ask - I'm keen to test it's working before I head into the land of no reception (aka bush) and potentially rely on something that doesn't work.

On a similar note, if SpaceX Sat only works when not in airplane mode, it's likely the phone battery will drain pretty quickly (in my experience, no cell reception = a lot of battery usage) - so again, having a way to disable cellular without SpaceX Sat would be great.

The phone has the ability to turn off cellular data, but this isn't the same as cellular reception (calls/SMS).

Thanks

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#3339034 4-Feb-2025 11:24

rjbathgate:

On a similar note, if SpaceX Sat only works when not in airplane mode, it's likely the phone battery will drain pretty quickly (in my experience, no cell reception = a lot of battery usage) - so again, having a way to disable cellular without SpaceX Sat would be great.

If you know you will be in a spotty area, why not just turn off the phone? Turn it on every hour or 30 minutes to check for updated messages, otherwise leave it off. If it's an important incoming call you wouldn't get it anyway.

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rjbathgate

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#3339035 4-Feb-2025 11:31

freitasm:

If you know you will be in a spotty area, why not just turn off the phone? Turn it on every hour or 30 minutes to check for updated messages, otherwise leave it off. If it's an important incoming call you wouldn't get it anyway.

Yes, this would be one solution for battery drain - but I was thinking if there's a solution to my 'how to test SpaceX Sat' that allows me to turn off cellular completely, then it would double as a solution to the battery drain too!

coffeebaron

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#3339058 4-Feb-2025 12:06

You might be able to manually select Space-X network to test, but not sure how sticky that is.

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pdh

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#3339066 4-Feb-2025 12:29

>> rjbathgate:

>>On a similar note, if SpaceX Sat only works when not in airplane mode, it's likely the phone battery will drain pretty quickly (in my experience, no cell reception = a lot of battery usage) - so again, having a way to disable cellular without SpaceX Sat would be great.

> freitasm:

>If you know you will be in a spotty area, why not just turn off the phone? Turn it on every hour or 30 minutes to check for updated messages, otherwise leave it off.

Surely there may be good reasons to leave the phone on - but just dodge the cell-hunting battery drain ?

Seems like there's a role here for an app to check for texts at a regular interval.

Say turn on cellular for 5 minutes, harvest texts (if service is available), then shut down cellular for a longer period. Rinse & repeat.

This would save battery loss 'hunting for cellular' - while leaving you in communication with the world and able to use your phone for photos, maps, games, etc.

wellygary

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#3339067 4-Feb-2025 12:30

rjbathgate:

Hey,

I'm wondering if there is a way to force a phone (in my case a Samsung Galaxy S24) into a mode whereby it doesn't get cellular reception, but will still look for SpaceX satellite messaging capability?

I'm pressing that if I turn on Airplane mode, this will disable the SpaceX Sat connection too.

Reason I ask - I'm keen to test it's working before I head into the land of no reception (aka bush) and potentially rely on something that doesn't work.

On a similar note, if SpaceX Sat only works when not in airplane mode, it's likely the phone battery will drain pretty quickly (in my experience, no cell reception = a lot of battery usage) - so again, having a way to disable cellular without SpaceX Sat would be great.

The phone has the ability to turn off cellular data, but this isn't the same as cellular reception (calls/SMS).

Thanks

I would have thought that the phone polling satellites 500km up, would be a bigger drain than looking for terrestrial based sites,

If you are worried about battery drain, they look at getting a battery bank to be able to recharge your phone..

rjbathgate

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#3339082 4-Feb-2025 12:48

pdh:

Surely there may be good reasons to leave the phone on - but just dodge the cell-hunting battery drain ?

Seems like there's a role here for an app to check for texts at a regular interval.

Say turn on cellular for 5 minutes, harvest texts (if service is available), then shut down cellular for a longer period. Rinse & repeat.

This would save battery loss 'hunting for cellular' - while leaving you in communication with the world and able to use your phone for photos, maps, games, etc.

Yes, absolutely agree - I'd be using my phones for mapping and photos - so generally it's in airplane mode - and then in the case of SpaceX Sat messages, would turn off airplane mode when I need to send, or receive.

The concept for an app is a good idea -- I think it exists after having a quick scan of Automation and scheduling apps.

Doesn't solve my desire to test SpaceX / Sat before going into the bush thou :-)

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rjbathgate

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#3339083 4-Feb-2025 12:50

wellygary:

I would have thought that the phone polling satellites 500km up, would be a bigger drain than looking for terrestrial based sites,

If you are worried about battery drain, they look at getting a battery bank to be able to recharge your phone..

Not sure TBH -- I find that the battery drains a lot when there is no cellular service, i.e. it's trying to connect but failing - whereas with satellites in theory there is a connection - but I have no experience or data either way.

And yes, I have battery banks and use them, but that doesn't mean I don't want to preserve battery if it's possible! :-)

rjbathgate

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#3339094 4-Feb-2025 13:42

coffeebaron:

You might be able to manually select Space-X network to test, but not sure how sticky that is.

Yup, this worked a treat, thanks for the suggestion! Was able to test sending and receiving over sat whilst stood in the middle of town.

jjnz1

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#3339628 5-Feb-2025 15:01

rjbathgate:

Yup, this worked a treat, thanks for the suggestion! Was able to test sending and receiving over sat whilst stood in the middle of town.

What was your experience like during your testing?

rjbathgate

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#3339728 5-Feb-2025 16:56

jjnz1:

What was your experience like during your testing?

Pretty good - I tested sending about 5 messages. A couple reported "message not sent" in my messaging app a few times, but after hitting "Resend", they eventually went. All five messages were sent after about 5 minutes. And I got a few replies in that window too.

moosee

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#3422314 6-Oct-2025 19:14

I'm keen to test it's working before I head into the land of no reception (aka bush) and potentially rely on something that doesn't work.

Hi, just wondering how you got on using your phone in the bush? Would be keen to know your experience as I'm considering joining One for the purpose of the same.

Thanks.

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rjbathgate

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#3422635 7-Oct-2025 10:48

moosee:

Hi, just wondering how you got on using your phone in the bush? Would be keen to know your experience as I'm considering joining One for the purpose of the same.

Thanks.

Yeah it's been pretty good -- not had the opportunity to use it heaps, but it's definitely worked. Not tried in the depths of a dense-bush valley though...

moosee

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#3422871 7-Oct-2025 19:34

That sounds good. Did you have issues with battery drain or was it not a problem?

boosacnoodle

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#3422884 7-Oct-2025 21:00

moosee:

That sounds good. Did you have issues with battery drain or was it not a problem?

In my experience, with SpaceX D2C you will get around 1 bar of service. So your battery drain will still be fairly high.

rjbathgate

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#3422887 7-Oct-2025 21:06

moosee:

That sounds good. Did you have issues with battery drain or was it not a problem?

Nothing crazy, but I would tend to put it in Airplane mode when I don't need to use it (or expecting a reply), as you would no doubt drop in and out of coverage which would impact battery life. In short, it will no doubt drain more battery than if you're sat at home with perfect signal :-)

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