Bought a Garmin inReach Explorer + and I have a question

[MichelD]

Well I bit the bullet and finally bought a Garmin inReach Explorer +

Now I'm hesitant to even take it out of the box before I read all about how to make it work. Reading all the "Getting started" instructions on the Garmin site first, starting with "How to turn it on," and what the buttons do.

I am not usually very good with programing or operating electronic devices.

I'm wondering how useful other users find the Delorme maps already loaded in the device?

I have a very out-of-date Smartphone that is not compatible with the Explorer + so I can't upload better maps from Earthmate as Garmin suggests is possible.

[HD95]

Don't be afraid to turn it on and start playing with it.I'd have the manual handy and refer to it often,,,,you cannot hurt it. It's a learning experience

[bcshadow]

I have had one for about three years and had the same concerns. Play around with it and use the manual like hd95 said. You will soon feel comfortable with it.

[upperleftcoaster]

the gps is really straight forward to use. a bit of a pain to type with for messages...but the website part that links to your garmin account is easy to navigate as well.

if you ever do upgrade your smart phone, i've been very happy with the app using the bluetooth pairing to the device. i just keep the gps on the outside of my hunting pack and i can grab my phone and use the maps and messages easily.

[Hugh Mann]

Two things.
Buy a back roads map card if you can. Rediculously superior to the default maps. Beyond night and day difference.

Don't ever let the battery fully drain. First time I did that on my 66i and it was bricked in the middle of a hunt.

Beyond that, Garmin Explore App is overrated and don't be afraid to play around with it, pretty straight forward.

[MichelD]

Two things.
Buy a back roads map card if you can. Rediculously superior to the default maps. Beyond night and day difference.

Don't ever let the battery fully drain. First time I did that on my 66i and it was bricked in the middle of a hunt.

Beyond that, Garmin Explore App is overrated and don't be afraid to play around with it, pretty straight forward.

BC Backroads Map is not compatible with the inReach.

[todbartell]

not with the Explorer +, but it is with the Garmin 66i and Montana 700i

[mod7rem]

You may be better off spending more money and going with the 66i. Then you can easily use better maps by using the micro SD card slot.
Im going from a Delorme Inreach SE plus a garmin 60csx GPS to the Garmin 66i because I already have different maps on SD cards and don’t want to lose the ease of use.

[albravo2]

I've been using the InReach since they first came out. They are good, but not flawless. I've been in several situations where my messages did not send, even though the "sent" indication was displayed. The same thing has happened to others I know and it has created more than a little stress.

My wife and I now have a system-- she responds to each message with a "message regarding "x" received at "time". I don't assume she has received a message until I get that confirmation. If I don't get that confirmation I keep sending messages until I do. Sometimes they seem to get stuck in the system somewhere and multiple messages seem to eventually bust the digital logjam.

It is the best system out there, just not perfect. Enjoy your purchase.

[grantk]

You should be able to add Openstreetmap to your unit for free through the Inreach page, follow the instructions at the link below. I don't know how often they update their maps from the main Openstreetmap site, but it's very good and free. Depending of how active people are in your area at keeping the map updated, it is often better data than BRMB has.

https://support.garmin.com/en-CA/?faq=WEcKUBmQyk4t2c3c2eD5WA

[grantk]

I should add that you don't update the maps through your phone, but through a computer using the InReach sync program.

[MichelD]

You should be able to add Openstreetmap to your unit for free through the Inreach page, follow the instructions at the link below. I don't know how often they update their maps from the main Openstreetmap site, but it's very good and free. Depending of how active people are in your area at keeping the map updated, it is often better data than BRMB has.

https://support.garmin.com/en-CA/?faq=WEcKUBmQyk4t2c3c2eD5WA

Thank you. Sounds good.

[Wagonmaster]

You might consider not using your InReach for navigation as that requires it to be turned on the entire time you are hunting. For me, the whole purpose of the unit is for safety and you do not want to risk having the battery run down. I just carry it in my pack and only use it to communicate with home or hunting partners. A full charge will last more than an entire season. Get a Garmin GPS and buy a Backroads Mapbook SD card for BC and use that for navigation. It will run on AA batteries, so carry a couple of spares and you should be good.

[Salty]

There's lots of ways to go Michel here's what I did. I got one last year used it as a gps on one trip and it did fine but tiny little screen and simple contour only map left a lot to be desired. My phone using the ihunter app is way better for navigating so now I just use that and the inreach stays in the pack only used to text or there for an emergency. I went with the $14 something a month plan with inreach that leaves it on all year but no other features I don't need. I didn't bother syncing my phone to the inreach.

[MichelD]

There's lots of ways to go Michel here's what I did. I got one last year used it as a gps on one trip and it did fine but tiny little screen and simple contour only map left a lot to be desired. My phone using the ihunter app is way better for navigating so now I just use that and the inreach stays in the pack only used to text or there for an emergency. I went with the $14 something a month plan with inreach that leaves it on all year but no other features I don't need. I didn't bother syncing my phone to the inreach.

Thank you Salty. I bought it for the communication features to reassure my wife I was okay on my solo trips and that is my intent.

It's been the very rare occasion that I felt I needed a GPS and even then it was because I wanted to know if I had crossed a regional boundary and a GPS doesn't have those boundaries indicated anyway.

[jlirot]

@MichelD I've had the 66i for a couple months now. I bought it for similar reasons to you. I want to be able to communicate when I'm out of service and with my 9 year old son. Fortunately we've been able to use it a fair bit this year.

The entire system is obviously several legacy systems kludged together. There are some things you can only do on the web app, some things that can only be done on the phone app, and some things you do on the device. It seems a little odd and it's not exactly intuitive but overall it's a great system because it does things that no other system can.

Here is a good overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPa3VE8yegU&t=2922s

The guy who made the video (hikingguy.com) also has a web page where he goes through a bunch of stuff. I haven't gone through his web page yet but that's on the list.

I'm also considering this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswTYBkxEqo . I don't usually like doing Youtube 'classes', especially if I have to pay for them, but I've found that the 66i is a space shuttle (probably an apt analogy because that too was a mix of a bunch of different kludged legacy systems) and i'm driving it like a bicycle.

[Salty]

Thank you Salty. I bought it for the communication features to reassure my wife I was okay on my solo trips and that is my intent.

It's been the very rare occasion that I felt I needed a GPS and even then it was because I wanted to know if I had crossed a regional boundary and a GPS doesn't have those boundaries indicated anyway.

Same here I only seem to use gps to figure out road systems in new areas once in a while that's about it. Enjoy your inreach! That's why I got mine too, just to keep my wife from worrying and its awesome for that.

[albravo2]

I didn't bother syncing my phone to the inreach.

I don't know if it is true or not, but when I was having trouble with messages not going out InReach told me it was essential to sync for the system to work as designed.

That said, they also told me they hadn't heard of my problem before but a couple other friends had reported exactly the same problem so I know they were lying.

[walnutz]

I took mine out this weekend for the first time and i must say the BRMB is way better if you want to use the inreach for a GPS. Even on a main FSR it does not show the road or trails like the BRMB does. It shows land marks and lakes but not very good if you want to see trails and look ahead to see where a road or trail goes. I think i will take mine back and get the 66I so i can install the maps that im used too.

[MichelD]

@MichelD I've had the 66i for a couple months now. I bought it for similar reasons to you. I want to be able to communicate when I'm out of service and with my 9 year old son. Fortunately we've been able to use it a fair bit this year.

The entire system is obviously several legacy systems kludged together. There are some things you can only do on the web app, some things that can only be done on the phone app, and some things you do on the device. It seems a little odd and it's not exactly intuitive but overall it's a great system because it does things that no other system can.

Here is a good overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPa3VE8yegU&t=2922s

The guy who made the video (hikingguy.com) also has a web page where he goes through a bunch of stuff. I haven't gone through his web page yet but that's on the list.

I'm also considering this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswTYBkxEqo . I don't usually like doing Youtube 'classes', especially if I have to pay for them, but I've found that the 66i is a space shuttle (probably an apt analogy because that too was a mix of a bunch of different kludged legacy systems) and i'm driving it like a bicycle.


I considered the 66i but there were so many negative reviews online I shied away from it and got the Explorer +

[jlirot]

It's their flagship so I think they've fixed most of the problems. The negative reviews were about glitchy software. I have had no trouble with it. Other than the troubles that affected the entire InReach system recently (Garmin was hacked and you couldn't send/receive messages for a few days - or at least they were delayed).

I too almost didn't buy the 66i because of the reviews. Now, I'm glad that I did. Of course YMMV.


I considered the 66i but there were so many negative reviews online I shied away from it and got the Explorer +

[MichelD]

Well, activated it and sent my first message to my home email.

He says he got there fine.

By the way, somehow I seem to have entered the wrong time zone and my device says it is 3 hours ahead.

Does anyone know the path to correct that?

I can't find it on the site.

[Salty]

I don't know if it is true or not, but when I was having trouble with messages not going out InReach told me it was essential to sync for the system to work as designed.

That said, they also told me they hadn't heard of my problem before but a couple other friends had reported exactly the same problem so I know they were lying.

Good to know thx al. So far I'm about 30 for 30 sending and receiving messages with no problems so I'll leave things be for now. The only little glitch not really complaint is at the end of the day I'll boot it up and type out a message, send it and then I'll get a reply a few minutes later but its hours old and made my last message redundant. lol There's just a delay that's sometimes a little slower than others no more than 5 or 10 min IME yet sometimes its pretty much instant.

[Salty]

Well, activated it and sent my first message to my home email.

He says he got there fine.

By the way, somehow I seem to have entered the wrong time zone and my device says it is 3 hours ahead.

Does anyone know the path to correct that?

I can't find it on the site.

Let me know if you find out how I think mine's still blinking 12 o'clock :p