Garmin inreach satellite communicator

[disorderly]

Now that we are venturing further afield and sometimes finding ourselves up to 80km's or so from land, the missus has invested in a Garmin Inreach..

I wouldnt have bothered myself but because she is often out there with me its nice to know if something happens to me that she has some way to contact help and be able to text back and forth..

It seems pretty cool with ability to send and receive texts and weather reports and shows your GPS location..I just punched in the coastguard number and we will give it a try out there this weekend..its also meant to be waterproof so you can use it even if you end up in the water..

I realize we FNQ fishers probably have to travel further then most fisho's to get on the good ground but has anybody used these or considered it...

Any tips or concerns..?

https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/592606

[Dignity]

Seems a reasonable price, $25 a month subscription plus text messages cost seem reasonable. I've been looking at various systems and they have been double that.

[disorderly]

Dignity its pretty cheap piece of mind for my missus...

The model she got is quite small though..it might also be worth checking out the slightly larger model with larger screen and buttons and see which is the most functional for you..although most stuff can be done on the phone app..

[ericcs]

A friend bought one just last month, pretty sure it's the same model. he paid $476 from Paddy Pallin(club membership). his can send out a ping every X minutes which allows other to see your exact position and path. I noticed Garmin also has a larger model, don't know what extra functions it has, but it was $700 plus!

[Bremic]

The larger model will also have some mapping, but not as good a mapping as a proper garmin unit.

Also, the larger model will also have a bigger screen, be able to see more on the screen than the smaller unit.

[disorderly]

We used the inreach for the first time the past couple of days on thursday and friday...

As alluded to by Bremic the extra mapping features of the more expensive models are probably most used for hiking and land based activities where it can double as a GPS with maps but for fishing most folks will have a good quality GPS onboard with a much larger screen so the inreach mapping is pretty much redundant if that is the case...

Ann had flattened the batteries prior to the trip so the start of the track was on one of the reefs once she recharged the device onboard..

The first image is the zoomed out aerial view of a 24 hr period while the zoomed in view is on one of those dots and shows pings at 10 minute interval over the course of one hour of trolling on a shoal ...that level of detail doesnt show on the zoomed out larger first photo because of the closeness of the pings in a small area... ...also got 3 spanish macs, a longtail and some Shark macs in that hour so it doesnt show actual stopping time but only where you are at the end of that 10 minute period....

The Spanish were thick and of good size out there and we also got some on floating pillies whilst bottom fishing as well..

But just remember these are not actual track maps like you see on your GPS but merely locations where you are situated at those 10 or how ever many minute intervals that you determine when setting it up..

inreach.jpginreach11.jpgIMG_2034 (2).jpg

[disorderly]

Garmin inreach providing the only communication with the outside world after the Tongan volcanic eruptions...

https://www.forres-gazette.co.uk/new...tOcR9NaRvDgjHs

[baitable]

I have a sat phone sleeve. Thuraiya network. 15 bucks per month and uses your i phone to recieve texts. At 50c a pop to send out a text its not horrible and i believe recieving calls are free but yet to put that to the test. U will get nailed to make a call but the work around is to send a text and get someone to call you.

[snatchy]

So you fished Eddy, Farquharson and Yamacutta? I think we launch at the same ramp :-)

I'm a bit late to the discussion, but anyway:
I've been using a SPOT device for over a decade. Similar to the Garmin inreach but less features and cheaper. They are about $250 for the Spot 3 unit and then $270 a year for the subscription.

I've used it on land for recreation, work and on the boat. The best safety feature I think is the 10 minute tracking, as you showed on your screenshot, where it leaves a breadcrumb trail created in real time on a digital map, accessible to anyone with the link.

IF you have left instructions and links with a reliable person on land, then if you don't return at the end of the day, your last known point and time you were there can be easily found. It is a backup in case you end up in the sea and an EPIRB is not able to be activated, and should expidite your rescue.

The inreach/SPOT devices can also send messages to give an "in between" message of having a problem offshore that requires assistance, but not a full blown EPIRB worthy emergency. Assuming of course the VHF radio isn't able to help.

I think they are very useful safety devices for boating, camping, hiking etc

[disorderly]

I have a sat phone sleeve. Thuraiya network. 15 bucks per month and uses your i phone to recieve texts. At 50c a pop to send out a text its not horrible and i believe recieving calls are free but yet to put that to the test. U will get nailed to make a call but the work around is to send a text and get someone to call you.

Baitable the difference as i can see it is that with using a phone you actually have to dial and get through to someone and explain your situation and have them organise a rescue....in an emergency boating situation that may not always be practical or possible....

With the single push of a button on the inreach or SPOT type device your coordinates and a preset message are sent and it basically immediately activates a rescue process...

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/...-inreach-mini/

So you fished Eddy, Farquharson and Yamacutta? I think we launch at the same ramp :-)

I'm a bit late to the discussion, but anyway:
I've been using a SPOT device for over a decade. Similar to the Garmin inreach but less features and cheaper. They are about $250 for the Spot 3 unit and then $270 a year for the subscription.

I've used it on land for recreation, work and on the boat. The best safety feature I think is the 10 minute tracking, as you showed on your screenshot, where it leaves a breadcrumb trail created in real time on a digital map, accessible to anyone with the link.

IF you have left instructions and links with a reliable person on land, then if you don't return at the end of the day, your last known point and time you were there can be easily found. It is a backup in case you end up in the sea and an EPIRB is not able to be activated, and should expidite your rescue.

The inreach/SPOT devices can also send messages to give an "in between" message of having a problem offshore that requires assistance, but not a full blown EPIRB worthy emergency. Assuming of course the VHF radio isn't able to help.

I think they are very useful safety devices for boating, camping, hiking etc

Yeah good eye there mate..mostly fish from Clump point but sometimes also Mourylian...

Have you had to use your SPOT device in all those years..?

It seems the only real difference with the garmin is that you can message back and forth..I reckon if I was in the water it would be a nice feature to ease some anxiety that my call for help was heard and rescue was on its way...

I wonder if its like an EPIRB where a call might first be made to the contacts you have listed upon registration to ascertain if its a genuine emergency or an accidental activation...?..that might also be advantageous in terms of getting the rescue started if you can instantly answer them back with an afirmation that help is needed now..

[BigE]

I went the sat sleeve route as well..... no charge for incoming calls on your plan, so the wife rings regularly and if im in real trouble i'll pay the dollar a min to get help.

Works well.

BigE

[snatchy]

Yeah good eye there mate..mostly fish from Clump point but sometimes also Mourylian...

Have you had to use your SPOT device in all those years..?

It seems the only real difference with the garmin is that you can message back and forth..I reckon if I was in the water it would be a nice feature to ease some anxiety that my call for help was heard and rescue was on its way...

I wonder if its like an EPIRB where a call might first be made to the contacts you have listed upon registration to ascertain if its a genuine emergency or an accidental activation...?..that might also be advantageous in terms of getting the rescue started if you can instantly answer them back with an afirmation that help is needed now..

I've never had to press a button on the SPOT or EPIRB yet, so not sure how it will go. Apparently SPOT in their US office rings your contacts to check, then rings AMSA in Canberra.

Interesting story about pressing the button... I was riding a motorbike for a few days with another guy and we each had a SPOT. He was behind me after lunch and being a bit dusty I rode ahead for 45 mins and stopped and waited for him at a lookout. Never heard anything for 20 mins so I started riding back to find him. He was in the valley on a dry rocky river crossing in a dense forest stopped with a bike issue. He was fine (no crash or anything) but had decided to press the SOS button on the SPOT. His bike had stopped as a rock had flicked up and hit and broken the sidestand switch, stopping the engine. The switch is just a safety feature that kills the engine when you put it in gear so you can't ride off with the sidestand down as you will likely crash soon. There was no phone reception there.
So old mate has decided to do a full blown "call in the cavalry" because his bike dies and I'm not there for ~40 min and he doesn't know how to fix it. What an over reaction.... so I suggest he pushes the OK button to try and cancel out the SOS button and stop any rescue that might be starting. I get to work bypassing his sidestand safety switch and 10 mins later we are ready to roll. We continue on and eventually there is phone reception.
He calls his wife and father, who are listed as his emergency contacts. Apparently neither of them received a call and i can't remember who else he contacted, but the SOS signal had never got out. So his false alarm/overeaction had not been transmitted to anyone anyway due to the dense tree cover where he had stopped

So this is what I have found out;
- The SPOT device has a relatively weak signal to the satelites and the signal doesn't transmit well through any tree cover. No problem in an open sky but poor in a forest
- The Garmin devices use about 4 times ( i think?) the signal strength as the SPOT, so goes better under some tree cover than the SPOT
- Both systems have much weaker signal than either an EPIRB or PLB
There are lots of articles around discussing the merits of each devices. in case anyone wants better info on this.

So while the SPOT and inreach are usefull devices, EPIRBS and PLB's are the best to get a signal out in a proper emergency. No surprises there.

I think the Garmin's text messaging feature is very useful. I agree - Definately handy for getting a message out and receiving a confirmation that help is on its way. It would ease the concern while your legs are dangling in the water!!!

[docaster]

I have a spot for work and the last year or so I've found the 10 min tracking is lacking. From what I've researched, they have now less satellites in the southern hemisphere.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[snatchy]

I have a spot for work and the last year or so I've found the 10 min tracking is lacking. From what I've researched, they have now less satellites in the southern hemisphere.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Thanks for that. Very interesting. I couldn't find any more info when I searched . Would you have any links I could follow up please?

The last time I used my SPOT in the hills it had only 3 tracking points in 3 hours. I thought it was odd.