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Delorme inReach SE

our volunteer fire department has four of them here in Nome,AK. So far we really like them but have not had too much use of them so far this fall. I would recommend it if someone was looking for a tracker like this. A big improvement from the Spot trackers we have used in the past. Jay
 
The inReach works much better than SPOT at high latitudes since it uses the Iridium satellites rather than Globalstar. I like the two-way texting feature very much and it works well. I've not used the SE since I have an Android device in the 'plane anyway for my moving map display. I've not yet tried to send a text while flying and also have not used the tracking feature. The inReach seems more robust, but it is bulkier. Cost to buy is much more than SPOT and it costs at least twice as much annually to use it.

Does SPOT have two-way texting now?
 
I have one. My wife really likes the map feature. She can track my progress so she isn't waiting for me to call. Something I was never good at with the Sat phone.

I like the text feature and the 911 button. With a Sat phone you'd have to be physically able to get out of the plane and make a call to get help. Also who do you call? Is their number busy or you get voice mail.... With the Delorme you just press the 911 button and help is on the way. Also saves over $240.00 a year over the Sat phone and I don't have to mess around with sim cards, minutes, expatriation dates etc..

Take care,

Crash
 
Bought one this summer and really like it. Great battery life, and the texting feature is awesome. I have had it overheat on me a couple times when I left in on the dash in the sun or with the windshield heat on. Had to let it cool off for several hours, but it came back just fine each time. I strap it up high and turn it on and then control it via Bluetooth with the iPhone. Works like a champ.
 
I have had one now for a little less than a year. My wife saw an add for it in one of my magazines and after reading that she could track my flights she told me I had to have it. So far its been great. She can track where I am at, what altitude I am at and how fast I am going. So far everything with it has been great and I havent had any issues!
 
I had the SPOT2 and recently got the inReach SE.

InReach is light years ahead of the SPOT. It uses Iridium, so it works everywhere. The 2 minute GPS tracking broadcasts speed, altitude, and heading, so my wife knows the details of the flight as opposed to just getting a simple lat/long on the SPOT. I use my inReach SE in paired mode with my iPad and it works like a charm. 2-way texting is super handy on the inReach SE and its well worth the money.

Upgrading is worth the money, I feel. The free-form 2-way texting on inReach SE is way more practical than relying on 2 "canned" messages you get on the SPOT.

As far as SOS goes, its a neat upgrade with the inReach SE: both SPOT and inReach broadcast your SOS to GEOS Emergency Response Center. The inReach SE lets you do 2-way 160 character texting with GEOS when you are in SOS mode at no charge. So that way, you can validate that its a bonafide SOS, and you can also tell GEOS what special assistance you need.
 
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I've had a Spot for quite a few years and it has performed well for me. I flew 80 some hours in July and had 2 missing reports and most of that time was in Canada and Alaska where Globalstar coverage is spotty. No complaints from me with my Spot.

But I've always felt the ten minute interval between reports was too long for airplane use. So in August I looked at the InReach SE and the plans available for it. All of the standard consumer plans are also ten minute gaps except the most expensive plan at two minutes. That plan is $75 per month. But I found they offer what they call the Enterprise side of their program and reports down to 30 seconds are available. You buy so much data per month and it can be used for both texting and reporting position. At a five minute interval their plan 2 gives you about 19 hours per month. Texts would reduce that some. There is a chart that spells out how much data is used per report and text. You also have the option to pick your reporting increments. The cost is $26 per month for this plan. So I bought the SE and have been using it now long enough to know I like it, especially the five minute reports, at a reasonable cost.

The ability to text using an iPhone from anywhere is a big plus too.
 
spinner2 said:
I've had a Spot for quite a few years and it has performed well for me. I flew 80 some hours in July and had 2 missing reports and most of that time was in Canada and Alaska where Globalstar coverage is spotty. No complaints from me with my Spot.

But I've always felt the ten minute interval between reports was too long for airplane use. So in August I looked at the InReach SE and the plans available for it. All of the standard consumer plans are also ten minute gaps except the most expensive plan at two minutes. That plan is $75 per month. But I found they offer what they call the Enterprise side of their program and reports down to 30 seconds are available. You buy so much data per month and it can be used for both texting and reporting position. At a five minute interval their plan 2 gives you about 19 hours per month. Texts would reduce that some. There is a chart that spells out how much data is used per report and text. You also have the option to pick your reporting increments. The cost is $26 per month for this plan. So I bought the SE and have been using it now long enough to know I like it, especially the five minute reports, at a reasonable cost.

The ability to text using an iPhone from anywhere is a big plus too.
Click to expand...

I have the same and use a 2 minute interval. I figure a lot can happen in two minutes when in a plane out joyriding.
 
The one problem I found out on the InReach is they have updates. I found this out when I needed it. When I pulled it out the back light came on but the screen was blank. The only option I had was to hit the SOS. It was beeping at me that I was getting messages but nothing showed up on the screen. About an hour and a half after hitting the SOS the screen came up with something about a malware update if I didn't want it press a button. The screen came back and I was able to not only talk to the emergency people but more importantly the wife that was freaking out over getting a call that I hit the SOS button. I had my dad down as the second contact and he knew where I was flying they reported me a ways from where I was he told them my flight plan then they figured it out. When I was able to text the emergency people she said she had me in the water off the beach a ways. When I got home and checked my tracking everything thing there showed correct? Everywhere I've used it up here it's worked great no problems sending or receiving messages just make sure you check for updates before you go anywhere with it.
 
spinner2 said:
I've had a Spot for quite a few years and it has performed well for me. I flew 80 some hours in July and had 2 missing reports and most of that time was in Canada and Alaska where Globalstar coverage is spotty. No complaints from me with my Spot.

But I've always felt the ten minute interval between reports was too long for airplane use. So in August I looked at the InReach SE and the plans available for it. All of the standard consumer plans are also ten minute gaps except the most expensive plan at two minutes. That plan is $75 per month. But I found they offer what they call the Enterprise side of their program and reports down to 30 seconds are available. You buy so much data per month and it can be used for both texting and reporting position. At a five minute interval their plan 2 gives you about 19 hours per month. Texts would reduce that some. There is a chart that spells out how much data is used per report and text. You also have the option to pick your reporting increments. The cost is $26 per month for this plan. So I bought the SE and have been using it now long enough to know I like it, especially the five minute reports, at a reasonable cost.

The ability to text using an iPhone from anywhere is a big plus too.
Click to expand...

Do you still have the Iridium 9575? Why the InReach instead of the Iridium? Both offer tracking and texting and SOS messaging but only one offers voice calls. It seems the 9575 would be better.
 
I love mine, have had it 2 years now, it has worked flawlessly except for the last update. Typing from a connected iphone is much easier than the built in keypad and you have access to all your contacts. App is handy for having easily viewable versions of topo maps or Noaa charts.

Last update I update the Earthmate app on the phone but not on the InReach, ended up confusing my wife and mom's phone numbers, all texts were going to my mom, didn't matter if I typed in the number directly or used a contact. After I updated the InReach it worked flawlessly again, but would have been frustrating to find out once away from an internet connection. Also didn't realize that the new app update require redownloading all the maps to the iphone or ipad to use that feature.

I fully recommend it but do not do an update right before leaving for a trip without testing it out.
 
stewartb said:
Do you still have the Iridium 9575? Why the InReach instead of the Iridium? Both offer tracking and texting and SOS messaging but only one offers voice calls. It seems the 9575 would be better.
Click to expand...

I still have the Extreme model phone. But this is my last month to use it.

Following a track online for someone is much easier with Spot or the InReach devices. The new Spot app is great. Texting is much easier using the iPhone paired with the InReach.

I also dont like iridium's minute policy now. When they took paid-for minutes from me two years ago I decided I'd be done with them. It's taken this long to get to that point. My other problem with the phone is my friends and relatives who travel to remote areas are always borrowing it and there have been times I wanted it but it was gone. It has been to Africa twice, China, and Alaska many times. After a trip to the Grand Canyon by a friend it came back rather beat up. It is going to a relative who says I can borrow it. 😉
 
Thanks for the reply. I still use the Northern Lights plan and still value my Iridium service. Looking forward to the Axcesspoint and GO units working better with the new satellites. I wonder if InReach will offer a wifi unit once the new satellites are up? That would get my attention.

For a tracker I'd favor the Spidertracks S3 Lite over the InReach but it's good to have choices. The texting feature isn't important to me. Automatic on and off? That's important. :)
 
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The InReach SE can be set to automatically turn on and off with ship's power. It can also be set so that it just sends one ping every four hours if there isn't any movement.
 
My spot plan is about to renew and I was alarmed at what it was going to cost. Everybody still think the InReach is a good way to go (for those on a budget)?

sj
 
Love the InReach. I still have the yellow one. A buddy recently got the orange one with a map and I may soon upgrade. Having it blue tooth to your phone makes it a breeze to text. The wife loves tracking me and seeing if I am still moving. Got rid of the Sat phone. And now you can text for weather, at a price. Got the wife to know how to read weather reports so she can text me back the weather I want. That was my only worry about getting rid of the Sat phone was not being able to call Kenai or Fairbanks for weather. At the last Airmen's show I even asked if they had any plans to offer texting at the main weather hubs and they said resoundingly "NO!" I was never a fan of the SPOT. Also with the InReach it is easy to text your other buddies who have one while in the field together. With a Sat phone you never called another on the phone, battery life was too tiny to keep it on all the time.
 
I think it is the best tracking/communication unit. Dropped Spots. Ploardds summed it up.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
Definitely an inReach fan, and the new ability to get weather is great. I have one of their mounts in the SQ2 and in the 185, quick and clean to transfer between ships. Interested to see what Garmin will do with it now that they own the company, you know they've got something up their sleeve.
 
I bought one after reading comments here and listening to reports from buddies who used it sailing their Swan across the Atlantic from Spain. They said it performed flawlessly as advertised.
 
The weather app is a nice feature update, handy for marine forecasts if out of radio range, but the basic weather is somewhat limited in detail I have heard. You can get weather for where you are or a point you mark somewhere else.
 
Another vote for InReach, found you cannot depend on Spot in our part of the world.
 
I've had mine for a year now and like it. I've gone to the enterprise plan 3 now which is 8000 bytes per month. I monitor my usage and adjust the tracking intervals between 2 and 5 minutes depending on the bytes remaining and my estimated flying time left in the month.

Texting from the paired iPhone works very well. I used that feature quite a bit from SE Alaska in June while we were fishing.

The Earthmate app on the iPhone is a bit clunky but for texting it does the job.

I did a firmware update a few weeks ago and see the weather option now but haven't played with it yet. With excellent WX coverage through XM on the Garmin and My-Cast on my phone, I haven't had a need yet.

You won't be sorry if you get an inreach.
 
I picked up an Explorer version today at REI. Had time to set it up and play with it a bit. I'm excited about the texting and weather functions and will get my money's worth from that alone. Tracking? For airplane use it doesn't hold a candle to Spidertracks but on the snowgo or wandering alone with a fly rod it'll make wifey happy to know where I am. Thanks for the comments about it. They helped me pull the trigger.
 
I've had mine for 2 years now, basic plan, 9.95 a month I think. No trackang, I prefer that nobody knows where I go.

Glenn
 
I've had mine for a year and turn it on every flight. I'm on the enterprise plan that costs $25/month if you don't go over. I go over in heavy flying months, but the overage rates are pretty reasonable. I haven't used the texting or weather, mine's solely a tracker that I can depend on.

My wife loves it, as she doesn't fly with me that much and I'm terrible about remembering to text or call her when I get somewhere.
 
I drooped the Iridium sat to try the Inreach. Can now put more gas $ to fly. Will also cancel the Spot one year subscription when it finishes.

Monthly plans are nice.

It is a really nice little unit. I velcroed it near the skylight, and tie it to me in case of a rapid exit.. Battery life is great. Waterproof too.

But the weather function could really be better. Not very accurate....

But I'm sure they will upgrade the forecast.





It should have said: Chance of HEAVY thunderstorm and hail, with 50+mph winds.....


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All our airplanes have Spidertracks and I also carry my InReach on every flight. I've had some issues lately with real-time tracking on the InReach. My last flight today, I landed about 1700 and the track just showed up on the MapShare page at 2000. I still love it and have never had an issue with the texting feature, but based on my experience with comparing the two side-by-side, I would have to agree with Stewart and give the edge to Spidertracks for pure tracking reliability. But as to SJ's question, if on a budget, I think the InReach is the way to go.

I also had my original SE die about two years in. Wouldn't charge, wouldn't turn on. They sent me a new one free of charge.
 
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