IPhone 15 or In reach ....

[Erict]

THIS is what Apple has to say on the subject. Fairly informative, but I'm not sold.....yet.

 

[Poser]

I have T Mobile and haven’t seen any starlink connectivity yet.

I think the analogue satellite devices will be around for at least another couple of years.

 

[CRJR45]

THIS is what Apple has to say on the subject. Fairly informative, but I'm not sold.....yet.

Thank you .

 

[R55]

I use an inReach Explorer+ paired with the EarthMate app for the reasons mentioned, especially the texting/update functions for non emergency comms. I also agree it’s a matter of time before phones have that added.

 

[yfarm]

Apple lends Globalstar $252 million for satellite-enabled iPhones

Globalstar said Feb. 28 that Apple is lending the company $252 million to help cover upfront costs for replenishing its low Earth orbit constellation.

spacenews.com

Plenty to read about Globalstar vs Iridium sat phone coverage and performance. Interesting that apple would choose to partner with the weaker of the two companies. Perhaps Iridium didn‘t need Apples business. Garmin uses Iridium, others buyer beware.

 

[mtwarden]

A looooong time ago I purchased a couple of sat phones for our region (very, very poor cell coverage throughout). I purchased a phone that relied on Globalstar satellites. It was not reliable, again a long time ago, but Globalstar left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[wapitibob]

Buddies Inreach sucked at getting connected to satellites, we all use Zoleo.

 

[mtwarden]

Hmmm- they both use Iridium

Never had a problem w/ my Garmin (including in some pretty deep canyons)

Not sure with Zoleo, but Garmin isn't great letting you know there is a needed update- if you don't update it can definitely impact the performance of your inReach

 

[william schmaltz]

Globalstar products are dead weight in AK and I’m guessing northern CA. Both companies use LEO satellites, but I think they have like 25 units compared to Iridium’s 66. It’s my understanding Globalstar has very limited webbing near the poles with their current coverage compared to Iridium.

 

[MTtrout]

@mtwarden first post said it best. Besides being able to hit the SOS button myself I purchased the inReach so my wife could do the same if something bad happed at home and needs to inform me

 

[mtwarden]

@mtwarden first post said it best. Besides being able to hit the SOS button myself I purchased the inReach so my wife could do the same if something bad happed at home and needs to inform me

Exactly; the ability to communicate both ways is huge!

If it ends up on my iPhone, all the better, but until then I'm hanging on to my inReach

 

[ODB]

Hmmm- they both use Iridium

Never had a problem w/ my Garmin (including in some pretty deep canyons)

Not sure with Zoleo, but Garmin isn't great letting you know there is a needed update- if you don't update it can definitely impact the performance of your inReach

I read apple uses globalstar, not iridium.

 

[mtwarden]

I read apple uses globalstar, not iridium.

he was talking Zoleo- they both use Iridium

 

[elkivory]

My inreach absolutely saved my life. I wrote it up on here, so I'll not repeat my story. My daughter just completed a solo archery hunt near Pagosa Springs, CO. Little to no cell coverage. I dropped her off every morning and picked her up at dark. Using map share, I could see where she was whenever I wanted throughout the day. We could text to coordinate pickup points, etc. She could keep me posted on what went on throughout the day. I would love to replace inreach with my iphone, which I use OnX for navigation, but for now, I will keep my inreach. I left it at my Colorado house for my grandson to use on first season rifle hunt.

 

[t_carlson]

Naive to believe that no technology will ever come along at any point in the future that will combine InReach-type of technology with some other piece of technology, existing or new.

Just a few years ago being able to use a smart phone for satellite SOS was unheard of. Just this past week some hikers used it to get help for a fellow hiker in the Grand Canyon. That too was unheard of just a few years ago.

Lots of rapid advancements on this front.

Who said the technology would never be combined? I never said that. This whole thread is, in fact, about combining multiple technologies into one device.

What I said was I don't want EVERYTHING combined into one device, because if it fails you're in real trouble. And failure doesn't necessarily mean the electronics fry. It can be a lot of things, including a drained rechargeable battery. If you're using your phone as a GPS and camera, that is more likely to happen.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Who said the technology would never be combined? I never said that. This whole thread is, in fact, about combining multiple technologies into one device.

What I said was I don't want EVERYTHING combined into one device, because if it fails you're in real trouble. And failure doesn't necessarily mean the electronics fry. It can be a lot of things, including a drained rechargeable battery. If you're using your phone as a GPS and camera, that is more likely to happen.

Your "independent emergency device" is not independent. It already combines communication and location detection capabilities. So the precedent has technically been set for merging capabilities into a single device. To be truly independent, you'd need one device to provide location and then a second device to be able to relay that information to another party for help.

--- This is 100% generic and not targeted ---
History is full of people with archaic thinking that were proven wrong. If those people had their way we'd still be walking as all other forms of transportation (animals, ships, cars, planes, trains, airplanes, rockets, spaceships, etc) would all have been "too unreliable" to put our trust in.

You personally can carry whatever you want in the backcountry as that is your prerogative. All of us have our own level of acceptable risk. You do whatever works for you and let others do what works for them.

Just think of all of the "emergency use" satellite phone users that went Chicken Little when InReach-type of technologies first came out. How much of their doom and gloom actually came to fruition? Now it is the "emergency use" InReach users turn to play Chicken Little. Give it enough time and some piece of technology will exist that will allow full-blown communication damn near anywhere in the world at any given time. And once the Co-Dependent 10K is the standard, its users will also get to play Chicken Little when the next thing comes along to replace it.

There already are multiple documented instance of people being rescued due to Apple's integration with satellites; that type of rapid success should be celebrated and goes to show that Inreach-type devices are no longer the only viable game in town. Hopefully this will put more innovation pressure on other companies to make better products and services. However, it all depends on what type of thinkers are running the show at those companies: those living the past or those looking towards shaping a theoretically better future.

 

[t_carlson]

Your "independent emergency device" is not independent. It already combines communication and location detection capabilities. So the precedent has technically been set for merging capabilities into a single device. To be truly independent, you'd need one device to provide location and then a second device to be able to relay that information to another party for help.

What are you on? I'd like to stay away from it at the next party.

If I carry an InReach and use my iPhone for the camera and gps, I have TWO devices. The emergency device is INDEPENDENT of my camera and GPS. If I'm in the back country long enough, I'll drain the battery on my camera/GPS. I'm also more likely to drop my phone and break or lose it, since it is in my hand more. I don't like that.

If my InReach is turned off and inside of my pack, its pretty safe.

I'm not some kind of a luddite for thinking this way. History is also full of idiots who went out into wild places, didn't plan for contingencies, and ended up dead. What do the Army Rangers say? "Two is one and one is none" or something like that?

If you think that having emergency/camera/gps is no less safe than emergency + camera/gps, then there is probably no order in which I can arrange the 26 letters of the english alphabet to help you understand my point.

Good day.

 

[Beendare]

Zoleo here….works like a champ…hat tip to my buddy Chris for recommending it.

its how I got the message in the backcountry a couple weeks ago my daughter was in the hospital…otherwise I wouldnt have known.

 

[Portland]

If the 15 can pull it off that might be a game changer

I agree. I guess we'll find out very shortly. My 15 Pro Max arrives in a week or so ◡̈

 

[pirogue]

I’ve never had a problem sending a message(prerecorded) in the backcountry, with my Spot. Never had to use the SOS feature, thank goodness. But I’ve never picked up any of my Garmin units, after I got OnX.