Garmin Inreach

[Norvic]

Back in the 90s switched from HF Flying Doctor comms to vehicle Optus Satellite then handheld Inmarsat, all served me well. However found I have evolved to using email only so have been toying with switching to the cheaper subscription Zoleo or InReach systems. Well I bit the bullet and went with a big screen ie bigger touch keyboard for old eyes and big fingers, got a Garmin Montana 700i back a month or so....

Wow lovely big 5inch bright sunlight viewable colour touch display, Birdseye View map overlay included along with upgraded Toppos. Been happy as using Android phone w/. Oziexplorer plus Garmin Rino 750 when prospecting with Son but this newer tech has replaced the Inmarsat. InReach has shown to be easy as, much cheaper and the added bonus of that SOS button, and syncs with phone/PC either via BT, WiFi or USB. 

First become aware of InReach on a thread on DP a fair while back so maybe is time to refresh and discuss InReach/Comms again.

 

Edited March 17 by Norvic
Clarify

[peterinaust]

Looks a good unit, but what cost for subscription a month Australia. Can you do a subscription for 6 months? of the year.

[Gold Catcher]

Excellent, Norvic. This is a great device. I am using the gpsmap 66i (now there is a newer 67i). It combines iridium sat 2 way communication with all the map features and basecamp compatibility that the explorer sereis did not have. Can't go wrong with Garmin, but the manuals are not good and alot you need to find out by trying/ intuition. The good news is that there are a lot of youtube reviews that explain in details, no need to read manuals 😁

GC

[strick]

Have had a couple rhinos for years..they are nice because you can see exactly where your mate is on the screen when they transmit. Cant go wrong with this kinda stuff except the $$. Been tinkering with maybe getting a Garmin Tread for the side by side but they are a little spendy.. if I didn't have Sourdough Scott with me I would have taken a wrong turn last year lol. There are so many options these days OnX etc...plus I hear that maybe apple is coming out with something for their I phones?? I don't have an I phone so maybe someone else knows about this? 

strick 

[Norvic]

GC your not wrong about Garmin manuals, I started out in GPSs with the Magellans back in late 80s, early 90s. They were more user (read mug😉) orientated manuals and operation. But the Garmin Rino like Strick has found are magic for knowing where your mates are, anyway was the Rino that swung me over to Garmin. I`ve found this site GPSrChive very handy for sorting out Garmins "double dutch". Shame Garmin hasn`t updated the Rino with InReach other than it syncs with InReach devices, I think, Son has my Rino presently working with his Son, getting him infected with gold fever.

PIA this Garmin Australia Site sets out the various subscription options for InReach. inReach® Consumer Subscription Plans | Garmin I`ve gone with the $20/mth annual plan.

Yeah Strick I started looking at the Mini2 and Messenger then up... 66i, 700i and Tread, finally decided on the 700i sort of still a handheld (big one) display is tops for old eyes. For me the Birdseye view maps overlayed over the Toppo give you a good idea of where to walk into some country, stopped using the Yamaha Viking as the tracks were like neon signposts for others to follow in FNQ AU heavy grassed areas. Gone back to walking about, usually following narrow Brumby trails (wild horse) with detector on, pushing ahead not swinging much, linear detecting which time has proved pays in my backyard. 

[Norvic]

A query re. InReach use, any users use the Mapshare feature and thoughts on it? Myself I`m a wee hesitant to use.

[geof_junk]

"Quote''

GC your not wrong about Garmin manuals, I started out in GPSs with the Magellans back in late 80s, early 90s. They were more user (read mug😉) orientated manuals and operation. But the Garmin Rino like Strick has found are magic for knowing where your mates are, anyway was the Rino that swung me over to Garmin. 

 

Those words are the same as mine. I got their first 2 channel multiplex Magellan's (very limited back then till they went to 8 channels version) and upgraded till they ceased manufacture of their platinum model. When the Garmin Rhino first came out, I got 4 in a two for one deal for Carol and Me with one spare and one for my oldest son. Their features covered all my prospecting, bushwalking and kayaking needs and as you say it bonus of seeing were your partner is located and not having to carry an additional two-way radio. I even got a RV GPS for my 4WD and Van since then. 

[Norvic]

Yeah GJ reckon we enjoyed a similar path, couple of 1000k apart, age wise through a big leap in tech advances, detectors etc we are very privileged to enjoy this electronic gold rush journey. From memory think that first Magellan was around $1200 about 3ozs at that time, an oz hit $2800 AU recently which will buy 3 such much more advanced handheld GPSs.

[GotAU?]

Here’s an alternative to carrying a phone and a separate GPS;  Apple iPhone 14’s come with SOS EMS satellite messaging and location services, and you can also share your location via satellite with friends for free, but you can’t message them.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/send-your-location-via-satellite-iph2aac8ae20/ios

As for phone mapping, there’s Gaia and XMap (I don’t know which of these will work outside the US, probably Gaia only), and a few other subscription mapping apps that you have to pay for their maps with.

In the US, I have been using Topo Maps - a great $8 mapping and navigation app. It uses free USGS and Canadian topographic maps that you download off the web.  I am writing more about it separately on a different post.

An iPhone 14 with a mapping app like Topo Map may be a good alternative to the Inreach if you don’t want to pay a subscription fee for maps and satellite emergency services or for sending location tracking to your friends or family.

 

 

[fi4451]

I use the Garmin Inreach Mini and pair it to my cell phone (Earthmate app)...I pay 34 dollars a month for the service which includes 50 satellite texts and bread crumb tracking every 10 minutes.  Eventhough I am not a big fan of subscriptions, I do like the fact I can turn it off for months at a time and reactivate it when I am more likely to use it frequently.  (I don't need it in the winter).  I like the fact that the mini is small, and I always have my cell phone with me so I don't need to have an additional spendy Garmin unit as my phone works great with the mini (provides detailed map, positioning, satellite texting through the mini, etc).  It's cheap insurance, I use it when I fly and when I prospect in the middle of nowhere.