Bbbring bbbring, bbbring bbbring...

So, much to my excitement as I'm sure you're all aware, we're taking a satellite phone with us on this trip. Good for times when you're caught out in the kuds and realise you've run out of baked beans so have to call Dominos pizza even though there's no mobile reception.

Also good for keeping in touch with you guys, the family and friends, nearest and dearest, when we're not so near and even more dear.

Please keep in touch with us! A text from people back home when we haven't seen another soul for 3 days or so could make the difference between insanity or not! And they're free! Listen up to find out how this fancy rap-rod thingamajiggy contraption works:

If you'd like to send us a text message (free for you, free for us):

- Log onto www.iridium.com on you computer.

- click the ''Send a Satellite Message" button all the way at the top of the screen (or just click this link: http://messaging.iridium.com/ ).

- type in our phone number in the first box (To): 881621463331 (it fills in the first 4 digits for you)

- ignore the second box about reply email, we don't have this facility.

- type your message in the third box; if it's a message directed at one of us in particular I'd suggest starting the message with one of our sets of initials (you've got MB, SM, KD or MM to choose from...)

- hit send message! Your 160 characters will wing themselves up to the clever spacemen people up in the satellites who will figure out wherever we are in the world and beam it down to us. Fancy huh?

We can text your mobile back direct, but our texts are charged at 50p each, so we'll probably be keeping them brief, and it might be best to not expect them coming in every day to chat about the football scores.

If you'd like to call us (free for us, not so much for you):

Call +881 621 463 331. If you're calling from a landline in the uk replace the '+' with 00, if you're calling from a landline in the US replace the '+' with 011.

Be warned! I don't know how much it costs to call an iridium satellite phone, but I have a sneaky suspicion that it doesn't come cheap. Please check with your telecommunication company or find a calling card that does cheap rates (please email us with details if you do so we can pass it on to others!).

Our rate for calling you back is about £1.50 a minute so we could in semi-emergency situations (like mother-worry-freakouts) give you a quick bell, but will probably be looking to keep these pretty sparse (donations appreciated).

Last word on this - we're not planning on keeping the phone on us at all times as it's worth a pretty penny, so will be hidden away in our secret cubby hole. We'll do our best to keep it switched on at all times, but if you find that we don't immediately get back to you, don't fear, we'll check it a couple of times a day or so.

So... call us, don't be afraid to just call us, maybe it's late, but just call us, call us and we'll be around... we're all getting pretty good at incar-karaoke; maybe we can give you a taster when you call...

Roger that? Ka-put krusader out.