NunavutPA-12
FRIEND
67.8N,115.1W CYCO Canada
I feel compelled to write a plug for this amazing little device.
My wife and I just returned from nearly a month at our camp, 110-miles from the nearest human being, just east of the Coppermine River at latitude 66 degrees 17 minutes north.
After finding out that my first-generation InReach would no longer be able to request weather forecasts, I shelled out $472 Canadian (a little "ouch"!) for the new mini. Despite the price, I'm very happy with the purchase. It worked flawlessly every day and I was able to keep in touch with our house-sitter and friends back home. I set it up on the picnic table outside and, while I sit comfortably in a warm, dry cabin the little InReach listens on Bluetooth, takes the text message from my 'phone, fires it up to the Iridium satellites and, presto - my contact gets the text or e-mail on his 'phone. InReach seems to have solved the message-delay problem now. Everyone got their message within a minute and fired one back to me. I now get weather in graphic form instead of text, which is kinda cool. Battery life is amazing and we can recharge via USB from our little solar system.
This gizmo is about one-third the size of my old InReach and it fits easily in a small pocket of my life vest.
I had no problem texting from the 'plane while still 100-miles from the nearest cell tower.
The interface between the InReach and my 'phone is very easy to use.
The Canadian InReach agent does not support the Mini (for some strange reason), so I had to go direct to Garmin US for the subscription. I think they charged me $30 US to activate. I'm paying $44 per month (US), which gives me 50 messages a month. A request for weather doesn't cost but they charge 75 cents to send you the forecast. I understand that I can suspend the service through most of the winter at zero dollars per month. All in all - pretty reasonable.
Highly recommended, despite the initial cost.
Edit: Actually, the prices I'm charged are in Canadian dollars - even better!
My wife and I just returned from nearly a month at our camp, 110-miles from the nearest human being, just east of the Coppermine River at latitude 66 degrees 17 minutes north.
After finding out that my first-generation InReach would no longer be able to request weather forecasts, I shelled out $472 Canadian (a little "ouch"!) for the new mini. Despite the price, I'm very happy with the purchase. It worked flawlessly every day and I was able to keep in touch with our house-sitter and friends back home. I set it up on the picnic table outside and, while I sit comfortably in a warm, dry cabin the little InReach listens on Bluetooth, takes the text message from my 'phone, fires it up to the Iridium satellites and, presto - my contact gets the text or e-mail on his 'phone. InReach seems to have solved the message-delay problem now. Everyone got their message within a minute and fired one back to me. I now get weather in graphic form instead of text, which is kinda cool. Battery life is amazing and we can recharge via USB from our little solar system.
This gizmo is about one-third the size of my old InReach and it fits easily in a small pocket of my life vest.
I had no problem texting from the 'plane while still 100-miles from the nearest cell tower.
The interface between the InReach and my 'phone is very easy to use.
The Canadian InReach agent does not support the Mini (for some strange reason), so I had to go direct to Garmin US for the subscription. I think they charged me $30 US to activate. I'm paying $44 per month (US), which gives me 50 messages a month. A request for weather doesn't cost but they charge 75 cents to send you the forecast. I understand that I can suspend the service through most of the winter at zero dollars per month. All in all - pretty reasonable.
Highly recommended, despite the initial cost.
Edit: Actually, the prices I'm charged are in Canadian dollars - even better!
Attachments
Last edited: