Found ANOTHER use for Garmin InReach!
General Topic
I was 20 min from home this morning when I realized I left my cell phone at home. No time to go back for it. SO when I got to work, I pulled out my handy InReach and texted my wife to let her know to call me on my office phone if needed. ALso, to tell our daughter so she knows- since I have to pick her up from school after swim practice.
Just another benefit of the device that I never thought of! ;-)
Why didn't you use your office phone?
Because my wife is a teacher and can't talk on her phone at work. She can check her texts on her breaks and at lunchtime, but taking calls is not allowed during school hours.
My inreach saved me a ton of money on my car insurance. Seriously though....it’s a great product
Love my inreach. I don't have it turned on most of the year but it is invaluable during hunting season. I will turn it back on in April and May for turkey season.
I’m like Brotsky. Mine gets activated in summer and shut off in winter.
Mine is in my truck all the time. Activated. When I leave home to go do just about anything outdoors, I have almost 2 hrs of no cell service driving thru canyons.
Same here cnelk! It is activated year round and I take it whenever I go in the woods or on the lake fishing, hiking, mtn biking etc...…………… lots of places I go fishing, hiking, hunting and biking cell service is sketchy.
WELL worth the $12 per month for the annual safety plan! ;-)
One of the best products ever. Right up there with GPS and Thermacell.
I also went to a yearly plan, the cost difference was minimal and i now have no excuse not to use it for other outdoor activities through the year, fishing and hiking and camping ... what can hurt. I am really looking foward to some new up dates from them...sat phone? Camera? More Keyboard functionality and better GPS.....
I'm never out of cell signal while hunting. But offshore fishing the inreach is invaluable my only complaint is that text can't be inniciated by a 2nd party for instance if I'm 60 miles offshore & there's an emergency at home. I think they should change that
+1 Trial, would love to be able to send pics through my phone via inreach.
Very handy product. You no doubt lost a half days worth of work sending those texts out. :)
If they would only add a sat phone for occasional voice communication!
I’m in the market for one if anyone no longer has a use for theirs.
I keep the 10 texts per month year round plan and keep it with me too.
Timex- not sure what you are saying there? You saying your family cannot text you from home?
bb- actually it wasn't bad. I sat in the parking lot when I got here and it only took a couple minutes to send a short text and I am getting better with it the more I use it. I have the safety plan, so I don't send a lot of texts on it.
My InReach in my Kuiu pack also goes into the high country ice fishing
Timex, once you have texted someone, they can always text back.
The reason you have to initiate contact is so you have control. Otherwise your buddies will be constantly sending you messages asking ". dude, any fish? TTFN", and putting you over your limit.
Good point. This would be good to use as ammo t prove to your wife why one would need to purchase an In Reach. Since I had heart surgery this year I'll just point at my chest to my wife while I am typing in my credit card information. :)
Anyone can initiate a text you if they know your InReach email address
Timex, when you activate your account at the start of fishing season you send an inreach text to whoever you want to communicate with. It will show up on their phone as a strange number.
They save that number as “Timex inreach” in their contacts and then they can get word to you whenever they want.
They have to send texts to that inreach number they get when you initiate the first time, not to your normal cell number.
Only the very first message to each person you want to communicate with has to come from you.
Dunno cnelk. I got tired of my mailman constantly texting me to make sure I was alright and still hunting when I was remote. Nice he was concerned, but I took him off the list.
I downloaded the Garmin explore app to my phone and it links to my inreach via bluetooth. It allows to send and receive texts on the cellphone through the inreach. Makes texting a whole lot easier. A simple text message for me generated on the inreach might take a a day and a half
Be cautious saving an InReach number to contacts because since its satellite, there are times a different number [satellite] can be used. Not always the same number.
Whenever I get somewhere and want to communicate, I send out a new txt, telling the respondent to reply to that number as it can change
I never knew that Brad. Thanks for the info! I knew it sent a number and exact GPS location with it but I didn't know that number was subject to change with location/use.
Ftr...I just verified that the number it used for me all season was the same from New Mexico to Montana and everywhere in between.
I'm glad you fellas like 'em. Be cool to stay in touch with the family and hunting buds when hunting in secluded areas for numerous days. But, as a safety device, I never understood the reasoning behind them. Because when its your time to go, you are leaving here. Whether you are setting in the best hospital in the world or, on your bed at home.
I sure hope there's alot of in between. Best safety device I know of! If you don't have one you're fooling yourself. There will definitely be people that live longer due to this device than they would have without.
In case you didn’t know, the unit doesn’t need to be powered up to use the SOS button.
WV- I sure wish I had one of these 2 summers ago when I was bit by a Timber Rattler! I was right next to a closed state forest road but 2.2 miles from the trailhead. I could have hit the SOS button and summoned help immediately. Could have saved me a LOT of pain and suffering(short term AND long term). When "time is tissue" as first responders say, every minute counts! And it took me an hour to (barely)walk out and get help. If I had an InReach they could have literally driven the ambulance up the road(after opening the gate) and right to me. I likely would have gotten the first round of anti-venom an hour or more sooner which I'm sure would have meant a lot less tissue damage and a much quicker recovery. Probably would not STILL be dealing with the effects 19 months later! : (
ANd if I had been an additional mile or 2 further in, it could have made the difference between life and death!
Sounds like the email I get from my wife about once a week.
Don’t misunderstand me fellas. If you like them, buy and use them. By all means don’t let my opinion upset you. I’m sure they have indeed saved lives, going to save more, and are everything that you guys need them to be.
People don’t die from discomfort. People don’t live because they were rescued an hour earlier. There is some circumstances that in reach could certainly change. But, if the Good Lord says your time is up, you are leaving. And, if he intends for you to stay when experiencing a potentially life threatening ordeal while in the outdoors, he may very well nudge your conscious to buy one.
I hope you fellas never have to use them in a bad situation. Take care and God Bless.
I sure wish I had one on me 3 years ago when my friend came off his horse and landed on a big rock had a broken leg, six broken ribs and a ruptured spleen and no cell service. I own one now.
WV- I agree with you that the Good Lord is in control- 100%! But that does NOT mean we shouldn't be careful and take precautions!
BTW, he didn;t just nudge me...…………………………………….he hit me over the head with a freakin' 2x4! ;-)
Some information - I sent Garmin a message regarding the number that shows up when a message is sent. They sent a reply:
Question: When a message is sent and the recipient gets it, a number with an area code shows up. Can the recipient store the number as a contact or can /will that number change at a later date when another message is sent - a month or two later? Thanks
Hello Brad,
The number that shows up in the text message is the server code for the provider that transferred the message. It isn't any sort of phone number that can be used to send messages to. Only a direct in-line reply to the message will be transmitted to the inReach device.
Thank you for choosing Garmin,
Chris
Product Support
Garmin International
I've been using mine for offshore fishing, which is similar in many ways to backcountry hunting. Offshore boaters typically use a PLB (personal locator beacon), which is about what the old Spot was. There are some differences between using the InReach and using a PLB for offshore boating.
The InReach requires a subscription, the PLB is a one time purchase. Each has a red "come and get me now" button, but the InReach also allows texting for more detailed communication. The PLB is fully waterproof and floats. I don't know how waterproof the InReach would be in a saltwater environment, and it definitely won't float. The battery on the InReach lasts for days, whereas a PLB's battery is good for 20-30 hours.
By not having a subscription the PLB becomes more cost effective, but lacks the ability to text which could give Coast Guard folks a lot more information about your emergency situation. This may help them decide whether to deploy a rescue by boat or helicopter.
That's good to know cnelk- thanks! I never knew there might be a problem if any of my contacts had to initiate a message. Guess that is just another reason to let folks know when you are starting a trip. So they can text YOU if they need to get ahold of you.
WV M, I'm with you. Can't intervene on what the Good Lord has ordained. But I just can't explain that to the wife.:)
I have my hunting buddy's server code saved in my contacts. So if he sends me an inreach text to my phone, it shows as from "Jays inreach". The server code is subject to change but his has been the same 2017/18/19. No idea if it will be the same when he activates this season.
Lost my phone so texted myself with my inReach...was in the truck....
"people don't live because they were rescued an hour earlier" What world do you live in?!
Yeah, that statement was a little puzzling...………………………………...
Yeah, I could stop at the bar and have a couple beers on my way to the fire if that is true WV.... ;)
WV.
There is a test to find out if being rescued an hour earlier would save someone’s life
try this
Put your head in a plastic garbage bag tape it around your neck wait 30 seconds and Have someone standing next to you rip it open
Then run the second phase of the test and put your head in a plastic garbage bag tape it tightly around your neck and wait one hour and 30 seconds Before your associate rips it open
Then have your helper compare whether that extra hour mattered or not and have them report back to the bowsite on your behalf with the results
