Apple Watch to Eventually Gain Satellite Connectivity Feature for SOS and Emergency Contacts

[Analog Kid]

There are two ways to do this, use the L band and utilize the watch band, or use Ka band and require an external attachment such as the charging cable assembly.

For SOS, I'd pick the former.

For iPhone and iPad, Apple can just use the Ka band with out any significant external attachment. Maybe a flip out bunny ear antenna.

“Any engineer proposing flip out bunny ears will be taken to the rainbow pavilion at Apple Park and pilloried until such time they are determined to have been sufficiently reformed.“

Maybe it would help if you propose a strawman link budget? You went from discussing microstrips versus lumped components to handwaving around spectrum, but I don't see where the effective power comes from yet to complete the link. GPS uses L band, a high gain antenna and 50W to get 6 bytes per second to the user segment on the ground from a MEO satellite. Starlink uses a fairly large dish to balance the antenna aperture and gain at Ka band wavelengths to get higher data rates to LEO satellites. What assumptions are you making here about that link?

 

[0924487]

“Any engineer proposing flip out bunny ears will be taken to the rainbow pavilion at Apple Park and pilloried until such time they are determined to have been sufficiently reformed.“

Maybe it would help if you propose a strawman link budget? You went from discussing microstrips versus lumped components to handwaving around spectrum, but I don't see where the effective power comes from yet to complete the link. GPS uses L band, a high gain antenna and 50W to get 6 bytes per second to the user segment on the ground from a MEO satellite. Starlink uses a fairly large dish to balance the antenna aperture and gain at Ka band wavelengths to get higher data rates to LEO satellites. What assumptions are you making here about that link?

If you are willing to compromise on link rate, you don’t need that much power.

Iridium Go is super small, for example, you can make it slower and weaker than that and it will be sufficient for SOS. You only need around 3 bytes of data to be sent.

 

[Analog Kid]

You only need around 3 bytes of data to be sent.

3 bytes?

 

[0924487]

3 bytes?

2 bytes for location, 1 byte for routing and the nature of emergency

 

[Analog Kid]

2 bytes for location, 1 byte for routing and the nature of emergency

Now I know why search and rescue operations are so expensive…

”Team, we got notification through our satellite network that a hiker is lost and their Apple Watch places them in or near Delaware. Go get ‘em!”

 

[DaveN]

GPS is not the right comparison to make here…. GPS receivers are, well, receivers… They don't send anything.


You realize how huge that is compared to an Apple Watch, right? That thing on the top corner is the antenna.

45mm S7: 16.7 cubic cm, 38.6g
InReach Mini 2: 133.6 cubic cm, 100g



Not to say LEO satellite comms couldn't ever be put in a watch, but let's not make it sound like the Garmin device proves the problem is solved...

I'm not saying the problem is solved. I'm saying Garmin also uses LEO satellites and it requires significant energy. Also, as you point out, the antenna is larger on the Garmin, much larger than a watch, so that wouldn't work. In addition, the size of the Starlink antenna for the internet systems is much larger and needs to be pointing towards the satellite so there is that. Bottom line, voice calls via satellite isn't happening anytime soon.

 

[0924487]

Now I know why search and rescue operations are so expensive…

”Team, we got notification through our satellite network that a hiker is lost and their Apple Watch places them in or near Delaware. Go get ‘em!”

I don’t think that requires satellite SOS, you can just call 911.

Satellite SOS is only for maritime, polar expeditions, ski trips, diving trips, alpine climbing, etc. Not anything reachable by the city police.

 

[Analog Kid]

I don’t think that requires satellite SOS, you can just call 911.

Satellite SOS is only for maritime, polar expeditions, ski trips, diving trips, alpine climbing, etc. Not anything reachable by the city police.

Sorry, may have been a regional reference. Delaware is a US state. And I wasn't suggesting it would only work in Delaware, but that they'd only be able to narrow the location to an area the size of Delaware. Actually somewhat bigger than Delaware.

The point is your plan, if well implemented, leaves search teams somewhere around 8000 square kilometers to search. I can think of a few ways to optimize it a bit further, but I'd be curious how you think it would work.

You sprinkled enough technical language into your responses that I thought you might have some insight, but you're really not thinking these things through. If you can put together something convincing, I'd be interested to discuss it, but if it's just casual half thought assertions then we're probably as far as we can go.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Okay correct me if I'm wrong

I know some luxury watches have this feature, but using this feature costs $$$.

I remember reading a story from 10+ years ago where a guy was lost in the ocean or a forest and he activated his SOS and it cost tens of thousands of dollars...?

It was probably the actual rescue that he was billed for. Helicopters ain’t cheap to operate.

 

[randyhudson]

Nah, people suggested that a big antenna was needed to do this SOS thing. This older Spot does it, and smaller devices can do it too. The Spot is about the size of a Smartphone.

Actually, no they can't. That's why the Spot is a huge device and not a watch.