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iridium sat provider and buy the iridium extreme phone it has a sos button and then you don't have to rely on having your smartphone with you and its nice to be able to talk to someone rather than just text….. I bought them all last year and really tested them out which reminds me anyone looking for a global star phone or inreach se pm I have both and want to sell they are literally both like brand new
No, there is no contract, but there is a $30 activation fee.Quote:
Originally Posted by crazybushcreature
You can cancel after hunting season if you wish, but the following season would require another $30 activation fee. Alternatively, you can "suspend" service, pay $5/month to keep your account open, then simply upgrade when you want to start using the unit again.
And to be clear the In-Reach SE and Explore units do NOT require pairing to a phone, they are stand alone units with the OPTION to pair to a phone.
yeah true about phone pairing but texting on the unit its self isn't really fast and if you leave it on and track your route it has about a 4 day battery life if that, so for weekend trips its all right but if your really getting out there and need the battery to last that feature is useless because you'll end up turning the unit on only when you need to send messages….imho the in reach is a great economical way to stay in touch but there is a reason most the pro's carry a real sat phone…. in a real emergency its nice to be able to call local rcmp or SAR instead of texting your wife or best buddy to try and co-ordinate your rescue
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiverOtter
In a real emergency you hit the SOS button on the inreach, you dont have to coordinate anything, the message is directly sent to GEOS with your exact location.Quote:
Originally Posted by primmed99
yup but I can guarantee if your in tight tree cover or down a ravine it won't get out……nice to be able to hear a voice on the other side. We test the hell out of these things and again there is a reason the pros carry a iridium phone. When you have a man down and can actually talk in real time to a dispatch to co-ordinate extraction the phone is priceless
but I agree with most on this post the inreach is best for your hobbyist and weekend warrior, it will do the job
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trekker
X 2 on what primmed99 says;
If you can afford the monthly charges, get a SAT phone, nothing else compares.
There's nothing better than actually talking to another human being in real time instead of sending out text messages and left wondering if anyone received it, or if they even got it at all ???
Especially true if in an emergency situation.
We decided 8 years ago that we weren't going to cheap out on our safety and got our SAT phone, unlimited calling "in" and "out" 24/7/365 for $50/month, no additional charges.
Have used it all over western Canada and up north, in the some really remote locales, eastern Canada, southern US, and all over the Caribbean. No roaming fees, no long distance charges.
Really handy when not hunting or fishing when travelling through areas where there's no cell service.
Considering what we've got tied up in all the other gear and equipment we've got, it's an inexpensive piece of kit, well worth the piece of mind and security.
As I posted before, On my last trip went in with an iridium sat phone and inreach se. My Sat phone quit during a conversation with Janet at Alpine Aviation with regards to an early p/up time and date. Was able to continue the arrangements by text with her using my inreach SE. She also has the inreach se in all her planes now as well for the pilots use. Was also able to e-mail (using my inreach se) the airport inn in whitehorse to get our room dates changed. On long trips i pack a small 50,000 mah battery bank. All the while my family and friends who I had sent my inreach map trip page to were able to see where we were and what we were doing. So they too knew exactly what was going on. Personally I find my inreach se, is far more functional and can do so much more for me than my Sat phone every could.
Similar experience Iridium phone cutting out mid conversation spotty reception i was suprised as everyone said it was so much better than Globelstar..Sar will contact you by text on Delorme to ask how badly hurt the someone is so you do get to communicate with them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stresd
Garmin bought inreach? Hmmmmmm
yup but they use the iridium same as the phone….I talk on my iridium extreme roughly 150-200 min monthly, and sure it drops the odd call I would be a liar if I said it doesn't but never had to wait longer than 3-5 min to regain signal and make that call again….. we tried to do our work strictly with the inreach and literally everything took twice as long in most cases because a lot of older guys don't text and most people have a little notification when a text comes in instead of a phone call that rings off the hook.
To each their own I guess
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatehouse