Delorme InReach questions

[fike]

I have the SE. There are a couple things I like about the InReach. First, you an send and receive texts. Second, it doesn't require a yearly plan. You can go month-to-month. Third, the battery lasts forever.

If you only think of it as a text comms and SOS device that happens to have a GPS built-in to send your location, it compares well. If you want to consider it a full-featured GPS, THAT it is not. I find that most of my GPS mapping duties are being taken over by my iphone or ipad mini. They are good enough and with Gaia, I have everything I could want.

 

[rk_az]

I have had an SE for a while, have taken it on several trips, and love it. I have a handheld GPS (with dash mount) that I love (Garmin GPSMAP 60csx) for dedicated nav. So the SE is strictly for text comm in areas with no cell coverage (and SOS if ever needed). I think it really shines for that purpose.

 

[scarmke]

I have an inreach explorer and am pairing it with an iPad Air. All seems to work well but I want to have real time route planning capability using offline maps. Is there a solution for this? I'm traveling through South America in areas without constant cell service and even when I have it I want to keep data costs to a minimum.

Also I am playing around with MotionX but the maps seem to take forever to download for offline use and uses huge amounts of storage when looking at my route in Argentina. We are covering large daily distances so need a large route area. I am playing with min and max zoom, but I still seem to want to pull down too much data. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[robgendreau]

Maybe not. Some maps eat a lot of space; they're sort of like giant photos, one for each scale. Maybe a different type of map? One solution might be vector maps but you'd probably need a different mapping solution in that case. From what I saw of the InReach Explorer it was a fairly minimal nav unit; you're probably better off with the Air. You could also try GaiaGPS; I found it had more map choices than Motion X, and that might help.

 

[JLabr2]

My Jeep club in AZ have had some close calls and some injuries when out of cell service. After doing a lot of research, we decided on purchasing the InReach SE to have with us for emergency purposes. Just having this communication device with us now is giving us peace of mind that if something drastic happens, we can get help wherever we are.

 

[pugslyyy]

My Jeep club in AZ have had some close calls and some injuries when out of cell service. After doing a lot of research, we decided on purchasing the InReach SE to have with us for emergency purposes. Just having this communication device with us now is giving us peace of mind that if something drastic happens, we can get help wherever we are.

It's a good addition to any emergency kit.

 

[robgendreau]

Have you sorted out WHO you'd text in an emergency? I still haven't figured out who would be on the other end. I have friends and relatives but I'm not sure I want to rely on them, and they aren't gonna be committed to being available 24/7 just to deal with my vehicle breakdowns (I've, ahem, played that card a bit). Not even all 911 centers in the US can take text. And can you get emergency roadside service? Or would you have a third party call for you?

 

[pugslyyy]

Have you sorted out WHO you'd text in an emergency? I still haven't figured out who would be on the other end. I have friends and relatives but I'm not sure I want to rely on them, and they aren't gonna be committed to being available 24/7 just to deal with my vehicle breakdowns (I've, ahem, played that card a bit). Not even all 911 centers in the US can take text. And can you get emergency roadside service? Or would you have a third party call for you?

I pay for the GEOS SAR/MEDIVAC insurance that you can tie to the device. That's who I would contact.

 

[robgendreau]

I pay for the GEOS SAR/MEDIVAC insurance that you can tie to the device. That's who I would contact.

What about a mechanical though? Or other non life threatening situations? What's stopped me from going to all-text is the lack of support for things like that.

 

[pugslyyy]

You still do need a man-in-the-middle for that. In a pinch I would activate the SAR center and ask them to make the connection for me.

 

[JLabr2]

Have you sorted out WHO you'd text in an emergency?

Yes, our group discussed this and decided to have my wife on the list as she would know who to call with whatever we needed. Also here in AZ there are a few Off Road Towing services available. After talking with them, they said they would put our # in their system so they would know who was contacting them. And also a couple group leaders that could help in case of needed help.