Satellite GPS Messenger’s

Gobicon2017

Gobicon2017

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What do y’all recommend for a good / reliable gps messenger. I’m thinking something like the spot-x. I’ve seen a thread on here somewhere but I’m unable to find it again. Please merge if needed.


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I have the Garmin Inreach GPS handheld. It’s great, because it pairs with my phone and I can message directly from my phone thru the inreach and talk to my family where ever I am. I have it hardwired to my Jeep, So I don’t worry about keeping it charged. Since I bought that one, they came out with a smaller version of it which I could conceal very easy in the Jeep. But there is not a hardwired mount yet.

The service plan is monthly, and is as low as $10 per month. It’s a great safety item if you run trails away from any cell signal. It gives my wife comfort knowing she can get a hold of me.


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wjtstudios said:
I have the Garmin Inreach GPS handheld. It’s great, because it pairs with my phone and I can message directly from my phone thru the inreach and talk to my family where ever I am. I have it hardwired to my Jeep, So I don’t worry about keeping it charged. Since I bought that one, they came out with a smaller version of it which I could conceal very easy in the Jeep. But there is not a hardwired mount yet.

The service plan is monthly, and is as low as $10 per month. It’s a great safety item if you run trails away from any cell signal. It gives my wife comfort knowing she can get a hold of me.


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I’ve briefly looked into that and didn’t realize the plan is that low! I’ll have to look again [emoji106]


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wjtstudios said:
I have the Garmin Inreach GPS handheld. It’s great, because it pairs with my phone and I can message directly from my phone thru the inreach and talk to my family where ever I am. I have it hardwired to my Jeep, So I don’t worry about keeping it charged. Since I bought that one, they came out with a smaller version of it which I could conceal very easy in the Jeep. But there is not a hardwired mount yet.

The service plan is monthly, and is as low as $10 per month. It’s a great safety item if you run trails away from any cell signal. It gives my wife comfort knowing she can get a hold of me.


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I’ll look that one up. Just looking for peace of mind. I go several places where there’s no cell service at all. We like to go 30 or more miles down the beach where there’s no one around. IMG_3127.JPG


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Another vote for the Garmin inreach. We use it here to get ahold of helicopter crews that are in areas without cell reception. It doesn't have super fast response time but it works

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Yes, but you need to set the unit to check for messages every minute or two. The default is ten minutes. That slows down the response time. The plans do get more expensive depending on how many messages that you want to send. Depending on the plan, it also sends unlimited tracking pings so that your jeeps position can be tracked from anyone else that you give your log in too from their desktop.


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wjtstudios said:
Yes, but you need to set the unit to check for messages every minute or two. The default is ten minutes. That slows down the response time. The plans do get more expensive depending on how many messages that you want to send. Depending on the plan, it also sends unlimited tracking pings so that your jeeps position can be tracked from anyone else that you give your log in too from their desktop.


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Thank y’all. Just need to make up my mind on version. Most seem to do the same functions. I saw that the Garmin as mentions has good reviews.


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I have no experience with the products that have been recommended but I can tell you this. Nothing beats verbal communication. I am taking my ham radio test next month and I will also be purchasing a satellite phone. 2 is 1 and 1 is none. Ham is far superior to CBs and trails like the Rubicon have a dedicated repeater with people constantly monitoring. If all else fails a sat phone putting you in verbal contact with a dispatcher will get you the appropriate resources quicker than text messaging.
 
First lookup satellite networks and their reviews. Then make a decision. And yea a sat phone sounds all sunshine and lollipops until the fucker drops calls faster and more often than a TJ hooker drops her panties. They have limitations also. It’s a cell phone after all.

Spot is on Globalstar. Garmin is on the Iridium network. Both have pros and cons. Choose a plan that best suits you and the device that has the options you want.

I have an older Delorme Inreach Explorer. Pretty sure Delorme went tits up or merged with Garmin last year. Made it kinda difficult to figure out billing in the process. Other than that I have been happy and it gives the piece of mind my wife was looking for.

Eventually I’ll upgrade to the newer Garmin units but I’m waiting till mine gives up the ghost.
Cool stuff is coming with communication. It’s amazing just within the last 5 years how much more accessible and affordable it has become.
 
I’m pretty sure Garmin bought out the Delorme inReach system. I bought a garmin inReach before driving cross country recently and it worked real well to send texts here and there. Just as beneficial as that I think is the tracking feature on it. You can preset how often you want the unit to plug a waypoint onto a map with your location. You can give a website link to anyone you want to be able to follow you. So in almost real time (slight delay) anyone that has the link opens it right up to a map and it shows where you are on it. It plots your course waypoint to waypoint as you’re moving showing speed/direction/time etc. This was a really cool feature for friends and family to see where I was along the way. Also good if you’re off the grid and happen to be stuck or not moving for an extended time in an emergency situation.


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RSQCON said:
I have no experience with the products that have been recommended but I can tell you this. Nothing beats verbal communication. I am taking my ham radio test next month and I will also be purchasing a satellite phone. 2 is 1 and 1 is none. Ham is far superior to CBs and trails like the Rubicon have a dedicated repeater with people constantly monitoring. If all else fails a sat phone putting you in verbal contact with a dispatcher will get you the appropriate resources quicker than text messaging.
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I agree, verbal comms is best. But For me anymore, I’m never more than an hour away from from a cell signal and a sat text device is ideal. I needed to ability for my family to get a hold of me in camp, if there was a problem, I just drive out and make a call. Years ago, I spent a good bit of time in Africa and Alaska. Those locations a sat phone suited us better. Another key feature of the garmin inreach is the SOS feature which is affectively the same thing as an EPIRB or rescue beacon.

I am, someday, interested in getting into amateur radio. My worlds just a bit to crazy now. But that is a great skill to have.


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All good points. I currently have vhf / uhf in the jeep, still need to tackle the license part someday. I like the thought of a sat phone but not the service charge, and as mentioned I would assume they drop calls frequently. I think the inReach or similar is going to best suit our needs. I like that you can turn them on or off as needed and not pay yearly dues.


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Highway clearly you have no understanding of sat phones cause they operate on the same low orbit satellites as the messenger devices. I have 10 years experience using sat phones and my 2 complaints would be cost (both initial and minutes) and that there is a delay when talking (but you get use to that). I cannot say I’ve researched every messenger/tracking device out there but many of them use a 3rd party center to communicate with the authorities. Let’s say you have a roll over that pins someone in your vehicle or let’s say there is no safe spot for the helicopter to land. It’s going to be a lot harder to communicate that you need specialized equipment such as air bags or a helicopter that can do a hoist operation.
 
wjtstudios said:
I agree, verbal comms is best. But For me anymore, I’m never more than an hour away from from a cell signal and a sat text device is ideal.
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Which is exactly why you need a sat phone. We, in emergency services, call it the golden hour. When something traumatic happens from the moment it happens we have 1 hour to get to you, work on you and carry you through the doors of the trauma center. If your in a location that doesn’t have cell service chances are that trauma center is a couple hours drive and that couple hour drive is a 30 min flight.

If you guys are skeptical about sat phones dropping calls there are plenty of companies out there that rent them. Everyone thinks the beacon devices are the end all he all. While they do work they are marketed to the consumer industry while sat phone are predominantly still marketed to businesses and government entities.

Always be prepared. If you’ve got a ham know the repeater frequencies in the area you’re traveling in. If you’ve got a sat phone know the 9 digit business phone for highway patrol. Fire, county sheriff (who usually is the SAR coordinator), etc
 
RSQCON said:
Which is exactly why you need a sat phone. We, in emergency services, call it the golden hour. When something traumatic happens from the moment it happens we have 1 hour to get to you, work on you and carry you through the doors of the trauma center. If your in a location that doesn’t have cell service chances are that trauma center is a couple hours drive and that couple hour drive is a 30 min flight.

If you guys are skeptical about sat phones dropping calls there are plenty of companies out there that rent them. Everyone thinks the beacon devices are the end all he all. While they do work they are marketed to the consumer industry while sat phone are predominantly still marketed to businesses and government entities.

Always be prepared. If you’ve got a ham know the repeater frequencies in the area you’re traveling in. If you’ve got a sat phone know the 9 digit business phone for highway patrol. Fire, county sheriff (who usually is the SAR coordinator), etc
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Very good information. It’s great to have the prospective from the other side of those circumstances.


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Like others, I bougth a Delorme inReach which is now Garmin. Before that, I used to have the original Spot. So far, I've been lucky in that I've never had to use it in an emergency but it is nice to have just in case. Clearly, a sat phone would be a better option if you can afford it.
 
RSQCON said:
Highway clearly you have no understanding of sat phones
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Did I offend your precious satellite phone? lol

Well, with you here. No one needs to do any research on their own. Just do exactly what you say I guess. You are the authority on the subject.

Or... as I mentioned. Look up and read reviews of the bigger satellite providers and make a better informed decision. The network you choose should be a higher priority over what device to get. Sat phone or personal locating beacon.
 
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