Garmin InReach SE+/Explorer+ (Garmin/DeLorme combo)

[joshmo]

I took my inReach to Alaska last fall for my moose hunt.
It was AWESOME!

After 9 days in the bush and using it everyday, I still had ~20% battery life.
And the weather feature was spot on in the forecast!
When it said it was gonna rain... it rained! and when it said no rain... it didnt

I brought an external power source in case I needed it - never did.
But one thing to mention is that the InReach wont accept any USB cord, it must be the cord that comes with your unit.

Awesome shot cnelk! Glad you were happy with the SE! That's one other improvement on the new one..the USB connector. Should work with any now!

 

[joshmo]

I really liked having the inreach this season .... kept the wife in the loop when I was out of service, which was often. Made for smoother sailing at home keeping in touch. Well worth the monthly expense.

Happy wife equals...well more hunting!

 

[Beendare]

I can see the value to these and am glad Garmin has moved in this direction.

I like the idea of everything in one unit ; GPS, with good built in maps and communication capability . The good/cheap backup power supplies now make it easy.

on the Garmin site....they list US plan and other country plans. Will these units work all over the world if you have the US plan?

$15/mo for 10 texts [freedom plan] and $35/ mo for 40 texts...seems a bit high for texts. Any chance these prices will drop?

 

[camping1601]

I took my inReach to Alaska last fall for my moose hunt.
It was AWESOME!

After 9 days in the bush and using it everyday, I still had ~20% battery life.
And the weather feature was spot on in the forecast!
When it said it was gonna rain... it rained! and when it said no rain... it didnt

I brought an external power source in case I needed it - never did.
But one thing to mention is that the InReach wont accept any USB cord, it must be the cord that comes with your unit.

Can elaborate on the cord issue? Mine fits any cord for charging atleast.

 

[cnelk]

@beendare
Preset texts are unlimited. Just set that up and sync at home before heading out.
Mine say something like this
'Just checking in. All ok. No reply required'

This lets everyone know not to reply because if they do if counts against your monthly amount.

@camping1601
One time I just grabbed a USB cord to be able to charge the unit with an external power source and it would not work. Any USB 'fits' fine but wont work. I have to use the cord that came with the unit

 

[COlineman78]

@camping1601
One time I just grabbed a USB cord to be able to charge the unit with an external power source and it would not work. Any USB 'fits' fine but wont work. I have to use the cord that came with the unit

I've never had a problem with this either.

 

[Whip]

I can see the value to these and am glad Garmin has moved in this direction.

I like the idea of everything in one unit ; GPS, with good built in maps and communication capability . The good/cheap backup power supplies now make it easy.

on the Garmin site....they list US plan and other country plans. Will these units work all over the world if you have the US plan?

$15/mo for 10 texts [freedom plan] and $35/ mo for 40 texts...seems a bit high for texts. Any chance these prices will drop?

To add on to Beendare's question, is the text limit both incoming and outgoing? Do you use it simply to send messages home letting them know your OK, or do you go back and forth? Probably need an unlimited plan with my wife! Lol What plan do you go with for a 2 week hunt?

 

[cnelk]

When I went to Alaska I changed it to unlimited plan.

 

[cnelk]

And yes. Incoming and outgoing texts count towards your monthly allotment

 

[cnelk]

This time of year I carry the unit when I go into the mountains ice fishing on my snowmobile alone. Works perfectly with the minimum subscription and the preset messages

 

[colonel00]

Just thought I'd share how I have my three preset messages setup to serve multiple purposes:

Message 1 Starting point for the day. This is also a positive response (Yes) to a question.

Message 2 Stopping here for the night. This is also a negative response (No) to a question.

Message 3 Just checking in. Everything is fine. Remember, messages are limited and have additional cost. Try to maximize the 160 character limit of each message.

This way I can communicate without wasting paid messages. I also had to setup the third message to remind people to make use of the 160 characters instead of getting several short messages.

 

[Low_Sky]

I can see the value to these and am glad Garmin has moved in this direction.

I like the idea of everything in one unit ; GPS, with good built in maps and communication capability . The good/cheap backup power supplies now make it easy.

on the Garmin site....they list US plan and other country plans. Will these units work all over the world if you have the US plan?

$15/mo for 10 texts [freedom plan] and $35/ mo for 40 texts...seems a bit high for texts. Any chance these prices will drop?

Inreach works on the Iridium satellite network, which covers something like 98% of the earth's surface. Signing up for a "US" plan just tells them how they need to bill you (you have to pay federal communications infrastructure fees just like your cell phone bill).

Texts count against you incoming and outgoing. 160 characters in a message. The name and location tag that Inreach adds to the end of your message DO NOT count against that 160 characters, so don't panic when you send a 160 character test message to your cell phone and you get two SMS messages. Basically, the inreach is like a time machine back to the late '90s, before cellphone plans had unlimited text.

I have the recreational plan, and use my inreach almost every weekend. My preset messages (free to send) are set up as "I'm leaving my truck here.", "I'm back at my truck.", and "Just checking in, everything OK."

40 free-text messages covers my needs pretty well, and if I run out and really need to communicate in an urgent non-emergency situation, I'll just eat the overage charges. They aren't that high.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CrzyTrekker]

I'm excited to see where Garmin takes this. For now, I'll continue using a Delorme SE and a Garmin Foretrex 401. I have a lot of experience plotting MGRS (military grid reference system) and UTM coordinates, so I don't need mapping in my device. At some point in time I am sure I'll be wowed enough to upgrade.

 

[OR Archer]

Until they add a micro sd slot for use with OnX map chips I'll pass. Love the concept but with no expand ability of maps I'll pass on it until it's an option.