Anyone using an inReach 2-way Satellite Communicator?

Eddie, I've camped in some canyons where it took quite a while for a satellite to become "visible" to the radio so my message could be sent (~20 minutes or so.) There are a lot of "birds", but a lot of world to cover, too. Recall they are LEO and not geosynchronous. The moral is, don't fall in a deep hole and expect a signal right away.

[Updated]
You can send 5 free test messages a month and get a reply bounce automatically. They mention this in the documentation/website, but don't make the info easy to find. Apparently the new models have this built into the firmware.

If you have one of the original devices (without the built in test function) the test address has changed.

To test your inReach device send message to testinreach@garmin.com
I just used the new address and confirmed it works.
 
The new garmin has the test message built in so it's easy. You get 5 free tests a month
 
Anyone else purchase the SOS insurance. $18.00/year is pretty cheap.
 
It works with the SOS feature if you need to use it. If you incur costs associated with your SOS rescue, you can file a claim:

GEOS SAR Benefit Terms and Conditions
GEOS SAR is a prepaid private Search and Rescue membership program and is not an insurance plan, travel insurance policy nor a healthcare plan and, therefore, GEOS will not reimburse members for expenses they incur on their own. The GEOS SAR Benefit Plans are to be used as a supplement to your existing travel, and/or healthcare insurance. The exclusions set forth are for the protection of our members and to allow GEOS to continue to offer this high value of membership at affordable prices. If you have any questions about the terms and conditions, please contact our membership benefit team at +1.936.582.5807.

SAR 50 - MEMBER BENEFIT LEVEL

For additional necessary and reasonable search and rescue (SAR) expenses (including helicopter with prior approval from the GEOS IERCC), up to US$100,000 per subscriber in any 12 month period with a limit of US$50,000 for any one claim by a member who summons emergency (911/SOS) assistance as a result of an accident or other life threatening circumstance by activating their GEOS-approved device by
pressing the 911/SOS button, or by dialing 911/112 on a GEOS-approved Satellite telephone.
 
SOS insurance? I am looking at my Delorme Account page and I don't see any thing listed as SOS insurance.
I see GEOS SOS which is included in the service plan. I also subscribe to GEOS SAR and GEOS Medivac.
It sounds like you are discussing the SAR insurance. Correct? Or am I missing something? Thank you.
 
It's the geos sar 50 as I pasted above. When you first sign up with the garmin plan and turn on SOS it asks if you want to add the insurance
 
Has anyone tried to use the SOS feature when their truck breaks down? I assume this is not allowed since it's not a medical emergency. If that's the case what have people done to get help?
 
BobM said:
Has anyone tried to use the SOS feature when their truck breaks down? I assume this is not allowed since it's not a medical emergency. If that's the case what have people done to get help?
Click to expand...
I'm assuming that the SOS feature is for true medical emergencies.
If you have a mechanical issue you can text a friend in your contact list for assistance or have them call a tow truck etc.
 
SAR 50. Thank you Bob for the reply.
Can you tell me how I can check if I currently have this insurance? Where is this visible?
 
Shows up on the info section of my account page but I bought the garmin, not the Delorme. Inreach.garmin.com
 
BobM said:
Shows up on the info section of my account page but I bought the garmin, not the Delorme. Inreach.garmin.com
Click to expand...
It shows up on Account page under your personal information (even on explore.delorme.com) as GEOS SAR. You can check the box for auto-renew.

I've had mine so long that I originally had to go to a separate site to sign up. The Delorme integrated it into their, and now Garmin's, site.
 
Thank you Bosque Bill.
So I was initially confused by the phrase SOS Insurance. I contacted GEOS to bring some clarity to this discussion as I'm probably the only one that was confused.
Bosque Bill, you are correct. GEOS SAR which is listed on the Delorme site is the same as SAR 50. If someone is interested in SAR 100, they will need to contact GEOS team directly as there isn't an option on the Delorme site.

In discussion with the representative from GEOS, we discussed some of their services. He is going to contact me with more info but they offer a device for $149 with a yearly subscription of $100 that attaches to your car or camper. As he explained, it allows you to track your vehicle and will alert you whenever it is moved. For me this is interesting as I live in Iowa and am storing my vehicle in Arizona so I can return for some camping and some backpacking in various states along the west coast. Also, one of my fears is that I would return from a backpacking trip to find that my vehicle was missing. Yes, I currently have OnStar for this but it is very pricey and Im not impressed with their service. Anyway, I will provide another post on this topic as I have more info in case anyone is interested.

On the topic of using the SOS for a disabled truck.... He suggested texting a friend if it wasn't an emergency but cautioned that if the situation was such that you could be in danger then it would be appropriate. The example he gave was someone being in the desert, their truck breaks down, they are running low on water without someone around to assist them. Hopefully that is helpful.
 
If memory serves, I contacted GEOS a couple of years ago to ask if SOS was appropriate for reporting wild fires (grass fires, forest fires, etc.) They replied that this was acceptable, but to include that information in the text to them. I asked if this would trigger notices to my emergency contacts. I was thinking I didn't want to panic anyone when I was not personally in danger. The reply was that the contact notification was automatic and I was responsible for letting my emergency contact know I was OK in that situation.
 
Bosque Bill said:
If memory serves, I contacted GEOS a couple of years ago to ask if SOS was appropriate for reporting wild fires (grass fires, forest fires, etc.) They replied that this was acceptable, but to include that information in the text to them. I asked if this would trigger notices to my emergency contacts. I was thinking I didn't want to panic anyone when I was not personally in danger. The reply was that the contact notification was automatic and I was responsible for letting my emergency contact know I was OK in that situation.
Click to expand...
That is an interesting point. One of the services that the GEOS rep mentioned and promised to provide more information was an ability to be notified if there was any hazardous situations near your current location. Example: Wild fire in an area where winds are expected to shift toward your direction. Again, if it sounds like a good option, I will post it for the group.
 
FYI, if you have one of the original devices (without the built in test function) the test address has changed.

To test your inReach device send message to testinreach@garmin.com
 
rltports said:
On the topic of using the SOS for a disabled truck.... He suggested texting a friend if it wasn't an emergency but cautioned that if the situation was such that you could be in danger then it would be appropriate. The example he gave was someone being in the desert, their truck breaks down, they are running low on water without someone around to assist them. Hopefully that is helpful.
Click to expand...
That's kind of what I thought. If you are broke down on a busy highway have a friend or relative call AAA or a local shop. If not getting help could cause dehydration or starvation or inclement weather etc. do the SOS. Thanks for the clarification
 
Hopefully everyone was contacted but just in case.


NOTICE: Our inReach email addresses are changing

On Wednesday, December 21st, we are changing our system email addresses from delorme.com to garmin.com. You will notice that all the auto-generated emails sent by the inReach system will come from a Garmin address instead of a DeLorme address. In order to ensure that none of the emails sent to you get diverted to your junk mail, please update any email filters or routing that look for delorme.com addresses.

The two common system addresses which will be replaced are as follows:


We've also recently launched a new system status page at https://status.inreach.garmin.com, which includes posts about scheduled and unscheduled events that affect any area of the inReach system. To get updates automatically delivered to you, just click on the Subscribe to Updates button at the top of the page.


Sincerely,
The inReach Team
 
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