Delorme inReach activation questions

[cg2737]

1.
I purchased this unit to take along on my first elk hunt in CO August 30- Sept. 14. Would it be worth the money to activate the unit now, or would activating it in August give me enough time to feel comfortable with this unit?

2.
In activation section there is a spot for a promo code. Does anyone know of one that they would like to share?

 

[TJ]

Personally, I would activate in time to have a chance to familiarize yourself with it.
I would also download the earthmate app to my phone. I thought it was a great addition to the Delorme.

I think they go month by month, so your stuck with a two month minimum anyway.

 

[Finch]

I only have about a week's worth of experience with one (rental) but I received it a couple days before my hunt in 2015 and had plenty of time to familiarize myself with it. There's not much to it.

 

[cg2737]

Thanks guys. I was thinking about doing the minimum plan for July and August then bumping it up for September.


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[jwb300]

Thanks guys. I was thinking about doing the minimum plan for July and August then bumping it up for September.


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I did some sums on it for my situation. Essentially I will only use it when on hunting trips but want it available at all times just in case. When you consider the cost to drop your cover level back down, it was cheaper for me to enter into the 12 month contract on the minimum plan, pay for extra texts (I think up to about 80 extra texts per year beyond what the plan covered) than it was to do either the minimum pre-paid option or the minimum contract and increase the contract when required.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[rayporter]

i put the minimum on it and just leave it on all year. if i want to do anything unusual at anytime i carry it along. fishing, hiking, trail riding all could be out of cell range.

a pain to try to remember when to turn it up or down.

and i say do it now!! there are a few things that practice helps with.

 

[missjordan]

When I got my Delorme I opted to pay for the monthly contract because 1. it was cheaper per month 2. You can upgrade plans for free 3. When I'm done using it during the summer and hunting season I can drop down to the minimum plan for around $10 a month plus the one time fee of $25. To me it's worth paying on even when I'm not using it as much in the off season. I plan on upping mine to the cheaper unlimited plan in months of heavy use and the price savings was significantly better doing it that way


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[Bubblehide]

It won't receive messages from numbers unless you specify them or send them a message first. So yes, taking a little time to familiarize yourself, and make sure you can communicate with those you may want to can be important. I know a guy that brought his on a hunt, but resorted to using mine, because he didn't want to waste any of his texts (he did not have an unlimited plan), he din't realize that he did not fully activate it.

 

[muddydogs]

I tried the freedom plan with mine but found I was leaving it on most of the year and paying the $10 extra a month for the freedom plan so I switched to the yearly contract and have it set to the $25 a month plan. This plan takes care of most my needs except for a month or two during hunting season were I might send more then 40 texts but upon figuring out the costs I found it was cheaper to just pay the $.50 for each text over the 40 then it was to pay for the next higher plan then pay the $25 to move back down a plan when I didn't need the extra. To go to the next higher plan and then move back a plan would cost $50 more over my current plan at $25, well the $50 extra is 100 extra texts so I could send 140 texts one month for the same cost as jumping plans.

I leave mine on all year as I take it with me all the time, I have the dang thing so I might as well have it with me in case I need it. There are still stretches of interstate in the Western US that have very limited cell coverage so why not have the InReach along when road tripping in case something happens. I strap it to the ATV when going for a ride or my pack when going for a short hike just to have it.

 

[muddydogs]

It won't receive messages from numbers unless you specify them or send them a message first. So yes, taking a little time to familiarize yourself, and make sure you can communicate with those you may want to can be important. I know a guy that brought his on a hunt, but resorted to using mine, because he didn't want to waste any of his texts (he did not have an unlimited plan), he din't realize that he did not fully activate it.

Its also important to note that when you send someone a text InReach assigns the message a temp cell number that the text receiver can reply back to but this number is only temporary. The guys at Garmin told me that the number is only good for 2 to 3 days. So don't send someone a message a week or two before the hunt and expect them to be able to use it to get in touch with you. Best way to ensure important people can get in touch with you is set up the Map share page, this allows the important people access to your tracking log as well as the ability to send you a message anytime they want via the Garmin account.

What I also do is when I get to camp I send out a message to all my important people telling them I made camp and to use the message to reply to my InReach. Multiple addresses can be selected in one message so it only takes the one message to let everyone know.

 

[SWOHTR]

I'm on my second unit and third year (lost the first one on the mountain...). My recommendations are to set it up at least one week in advance, send test messages, and leave it on for a day or two. I was out yesterday and thought all was well, then it locked up and I thought it was dead/done. Got home, looked up the problem, and found out it required a firmware update that requires 1) AC power and 2) a computer with internet.

Summary: play with it now, don't set it up 1 hour prior to your first adventure.


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