Anyone using an inReach 2-way Satellite Communicator?

Out of warranty repair

There was one set-back during preparation for my last trip. I use the Satellite Communicator to stay in touch when off the grid, or for emergencies. Since I don't text a lot with it, and then only during camping season, I subscribe to the Freedom plan I can put on hold in the off season.

While reauthorizing the device for the new season it died. The display faded to black and the device was dead as a doornail. This was after I had already charged the device and update the firmware. I called tech support and they couldn't figure it out, so I mailed it in for repair before leaving town.

FYI - to hard reset your device press and hold the X key and the down arrow for 30 seconds. Or at least this is what tech support told me. It didn't work in my case.

Also, make sure you have problems during weekday business hours, as that is the only time tech support is available.

Repairs were completed and I got my unit back on May 28th, but DeLorme said since it took so long, they would not charge me for the out-of-warranty repairs. They were very helpful at every stage and I though this was an inconvenience, I'm pleased they fixed the unit and all I paid was the original shipping cost.
 
Nice to see a manufacturer stand behind their product, even beyond their warranty period.
DeLorme went the extra mile, and that's something that I value in my profession.
 
I bought an InReach when they first came out. It worked well once you did all of the firmware updates. I always worried that my cell phone would run out of juice when we were on long hikes because it was a pain to manually type text messages. Last week I found an Iridium 9555 on craigslist for $400. It was essentially new. It's surprisingly light and super easy to use. I think the best feature is that you can arrange to have a US area code telephone number for it. People can also leave voicemail messages if you don't have the phone turned on. The phone will alert you when you turn it on when you have received a voicemail. You can then listen to the voicemail. I worked with a company called Satmodo in San Diego to get the Sim card. I have no affiliation with them. I found a reference to them on Trip advisor. They were super nice and responsive. My plan is about $60 a month, with 20 minutes of talk time that can roll over into the next month. Also, additional talk time is $1.75 per minute. So figure that a 10 minute call will cost you less than $20. Not bad for a real important situation. Using texting with the InReach is much more limited. Plus with a real phone, you can call any number and are not limited to emails or mobile phones that can receive texts. For us, given lots of travel plans to remote areas, it was worth the extra expense.


Sent from my iPhone using Wander The West
 
Vic said:
Looks like they released a new feature this week - weather forecasts on demand. I updated my firmware and tried it out yesterday. Not a super detailed forecast but I could see this as a nice feature when out in the boonies.

http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-info/inreach-weather.php

works as advertised.
Click to expand...
I haven't tried this new feature yet, but think it is a great addition. There have been a number of times I had weather concerns, but could not pick up any WX weather radio station.

You can turn on the Premium forecast in settings (I've seen the setting in their Earthmate app. I assume there is a similar setting on the device itself, but haven't looked.)

The Premium forecast cost a dollar; the standard forecast costs one message out of your plan.

"The Basic forecast includes temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure details for three days in six-hour intervals. Each forecast counts as one text message against your data plan.

The Premium forecast includes temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure details for seven days. The first twelve-hours are forecast in one-hour intervals, followed by intervals of increasing length for the remaining days. Each forecast costs $1 per request."
 
Our SPOT device died last Saturday afternoon.

The Lady has been the prime user of the SPOT. Her biggest complaint with the SPOT is knowing if the position message has been sent. She is a very direct person and wants definitive answers. Waiting around as in "You think that's enough time? Do you think it's sent? Should we give it a few more minutes?" is not in her make up.

Based on the above, we will most likely replace the SPOT with an InReach SE.

Can folks who have used the InReach now for several months give us some feedback on sending messages and receiving confirmation?

Also, to how many email (or phone text) recipients can a message be sent to - as in "this is where we are camped tonight". The SPOT has a limit of 10.

Thanks and we appreciate the assistance.
 
I switched from a Spot Gen 1 to Inreach Explorer last summer. I had the same complaint about the Spot.... an uncertainty that the message had gone out.... particularly if somewhere in the sending sequence the flashing lights went to alternate flashing (indicating loss of signal) and returned to normal.

With the Inreach I get several indications regarding the outgoing message. The screen shows a circling set of dots, a red light comes on a bit later indicating an outgoing message hasn't been sent yet, and then when the message goes, a brief 'inflight' tone plays and the red light goes out. The whole process mostly takes just a few minutes unless the unit has no visibility of satellites. And in that case you have the flashing red light to indicate the message hasn't gone out yet.

As to messages, there are 'Presets' and 'Messages'. You compose up to three 'presets' in your account and can send an unlimited number of them. You also get up to 10 free 'messages' (the ones you compose on the Inreach) per month, then it's 50 cents per message thereafter in the plan I have (Contract Safety plan). In our trip west this Spring I sent 'OK' presets for 48 days at no additional cost.

-Old Crow

PS- For Spot users. I used to get confirmations of outgoing messages on the Spot by including the email-to-phone version of my own phone number on the distribution list on my canned OK and Help messages. That of course only worked in cell-phone range.
 
Ski, we bought the Inreach and really like it. Usually sent just the we are camping here tonight pre-set message. Love the map planning feature that allows those we include to follow along. jd

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app
 
We got an inReach last spring and have been using it on backpacking trips in the Sierra all summer. We're pleased although I wish you could send a longer text message, I forget what the character limit is but it's pretty limiting. Other than that we're very pleased, the battery lasts a long time, it does confirm that the message has been sent, bluetooth connection to the iphone works well. I sent my Dad a link to our explore page where he can see where we are and can message us if there's an emergency. I did have to buy a separate 12v charger for it as it didn't like our current unit. I would recommend it.
 
i used InReach SE for the first time in Utah this spring. Family liked knowing I am OK every night. My family got a map with my location along with my 'camping for the night' message. One housebound relative enjoyed zooming in to see where I was staying each night (zooms in to Google Earth apparently). Stayed in a Pilot truck stop one night on the way home and he called to see if I was OK since this was the first time I tried that LOL.

jim
 
Thanks all for the additional information. Another difference compared to the SPOT is the rechargeable battery and a read out of remaining battery strength.
 
ski3pin said:
Thanks all for the additional information. Another difference compared to the SPOT is the rechargeable battery and a read out of remaining battery strength.
Click to expand...
Good point on the battery differences. That brings up the need for some thought on battery backup if we're going to use the Inreach away from the truck. I've made the mistake of failing to keep the rechargeable battery up and realizing it when I arrive at the trailhead for a walk. With the Spot, I could just swap in the spare batteries I kept in the pack. Inreach recommends a solar charger for backup but I decided to carry an Explorer-specific AA battery pack (this one) loaded with a set of lithium AA batteries. Those batteries also work in my GPS and, in a stroke of luck, the battery pack even works with my el-cheapo dumbphone.

Those who already carry some type of on-the-trail backup solution for their phone need only verify it will work with the Inreach (and GPS?).

Also- I see Delorme also bundles the SE and Explorer into 'Extreme Communications kits' which include a Goal Zero panel, a rechargeable battery pack, and a flotation case.

(And of course the freebie solution is just remember to keep the battery charged up!)
 
Small things add up.
We like the same mini USB jack that matches our Samsung Note2/3 phones.
It simplifies the charging protocol in the camper when all the devices are compatible.
 
ski3pin said:
Our SPOT device died last Saturday afternoon.

The Lady has been the prime user of the SPOT. Her biggest complaint with the SPOT is knowing if the position message has been sent. She is a very direct person and wants definitive answers. Waiting around as in "You think that's enough time? Do you think it's sent? Should we give it a few more minutes?" is not in her make up...
Click to expand...
I had to laugh when I read this...your wife and mine might be sisters in another universe.

We will be taking the InReach class at Expo East in a few weeks and hope to fine it as easy to use (and as reliable) as others have reported.
 
Thanks to all for your user based insights. This has been helpful.

We had to go down the hill one evening this week so took the opportunity to stop in at an REI to hold one in our hand and operate it. Unfortunately it was a waste of time. They only had a display dummy unit that did nothing, the display case was covered in tiny text, the salesperson could not answer specific questions, no one in the store owned one, and we received the suggestion to go on youtube.
 
Ski, bummer. We had a guy who uses it on backpacking trips all of the time. We would come up with some questions and go back into REI and he would answer each while showing us on our Inreach. It really is easy and the mapping is great. You can down load your topo maps and then plot your way points from the trailhead to your destination. On the website they have a series of videos that cover the main points. Jd

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app
 
John, thanks for the information. Nothing against REI in my above post, we know many of the people in the store, so overall we all made a joke out of the incident. But it is a sad commentary on the changes in retail sales.

Again, thanks for the answers to my questions.

We will be replacing our SPOT with the InReach.
 
Once you set-up your account and register you can download the Earthmate app on you phone and then download the topo maps. Sitting at the computer you can pull up maps and zoom in. The last 2 zooms take you to satellite view. 1st time I plotted the road routes and then zoomed in my lines weren't real close to the road. It depends how close you want to be to the road or trail. Obviously plotting a 15 mile hike is way easier than a 1500 mile highway mapping. Many hiking trails show up on the topos. You will like it and I will be interested how it turns out when you start plotting along the trails. jd

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app
 
Upgraded from the Spot to the iNreach last Christmastime. Been very happy with the Inreach. I like the fact that you can verify messages are sent and I get that the real-time response if necessary - even if its just checking in. When I go out fishing by myself I always shoot my wife one (so she knows where to send SAR) and then check in when I'm headed back - she really appreciates that. Used it when we were camping in Lassen to get an important unique message out that would have otherwise required a 30 mile drive to cell service. Battery life seems very good; the GPS is marginal as far as features so I wouldn't recommend it for that, but good as a backup GPS. I get a lot of peace of mind for ~$12.50/ month. I would do it again.
 
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