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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Emergency communication
 
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kpdoyle
04/22/2017 06:34AM
  
Hello!
Like many of you, I am really excited for my annual May BWCA trip. This year is a bit different for me because my lovely wife is pregnant and due this summer. As a result I wanted to ask you folks about satallite texting options so that my wife can send me an "SOS" if something goes down. I was thinking about renting a unit like the DeLorme InReach. The outfitter I use does rent them but it seems to me the outfitter charges a premium. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe other cheaper places to rent from? I am open to other ideas. I am also not against buying something but I want to make sure I know all the options before dropping ~$300 on a device I may only need a few times in my life.

Thanks!
 
marsonite
04/24/2017 07:18AM
  
I needed one for three weeks, and was unable to find a rental, but with rental costs (at that time) being roughly half of a new unit, I bought an inReach SE for about $280. I sold it (on Amazon) the next spring for $235. Keep in mind that you do have to purchase a subscription to their service as well.
 
Blatz
04/22/2017 04:33PM
  
I'm seeing an outfitter renting a Sat phones for $10-15 a day +$3 a minute.Not sure how long your trip is, but this might fit the bill
 
Grandma L
04/27/2017 09:16PM
  
quote VoyageurNorth: "quote kpdoyle: "Thank you, everyone. As always I appreciate the responses. I am still trying to decide between the 2 way communicator or the sat phone but your input really helped.
And for clarification, my wife is due mid-August and I am going mid-May, so I think its a safe time to go :-) She just wants the piece of mind to contact me in the event of an emergency and I feel at the end of the day its a small price to pay."
Our rental phones have voice messaging, just so you know. Decided to pay to have it on the phones because you can have someone leave you a message and then you check once or a few times a day if you want, seeing if you have messages. No messages, no minutes charged. But if you have a message, then you can listen to it and call her back. Only then you have minutes used. And you also don't have to use important battery time waiting for a phone call to come through at a particular time.
(sorry board members, didn't mean to commercialize but thought this might be pertinent info for the "to be new father". "
thanks for the good information.
 
Grandma L
04/22/2017 10:19AM
  
I believe that Delorme was bought out by Garmin. There are a couple of models - some do communication and some communication and navigation. Renting may be expensive but not as much as buying a $500 unit and paying for service. Though, you might consider investing. Once there is a new baby, you probably won't want to leave home without it.
Or, a Sat. phone might fill your needs.
 
WonderMonkey
04/22/2017 07:34PM
  
quote Grandma L: "I believe that Delorme was bought out by Garmin"


Correct. I used to be a dealer for Delorme. Heck, I may still be, not sure, as it's been a while since I placed an order.
 
billconner
04/22/2017 06:29PM
  
Google "rent sat phone". I found one for $18 week and you can add unlimited calls for $4.50 a day. I think renting a sat phone is a good option. Need to figure out if it's on all day or just at certain times. Solar charger might be in your future.


You can rent satellite pagers as well. Found one for $35/wk.
 
VoyageurNorth
04/26/2017 09:47PM
  
quote kpdoyle: "Thank you, everyone. As always I appreciate the responses. I am still trying to decide between the 2 way communicator or the sat phone but your input really helped.



And for clarification, my wife is due mid-August and I am going mid-May, so I think its a safe time to go :-) She just wants the piece of mind to contact me in the event of an emergency and I feel at the end of the day its a small price to pay."


Our rental phones have voice messaging, just so you know. Decided to pay to have it on the phones because you can have someone leave you a message and then you check once or a few times a day if you want, seeing if you have messages. No messages, no minutes charged. But if you have a message, then you can listen to it and call her back. Only then you have minutes used. And you also don't have to use important battery time waiting for a phone call to come through at a particular time.
(sorry board members, didn't mean to commercialize but thought this might be pertinent info for the "to be new father".
 
cuylar
04/27/2017 05:44PM
  
It's the service that has the cost that makes the outfitter charge so much.... out of curiosity, how much did they want to rent it to you for your trip?


The new Garmin variant of the inReach is much more expensive and doesn't work with their BaseCamp software so I still won't buy it.


There are plenty of places online that will rent you an iridium sat phone on a daily/weeky basis.
* https://www.vzwsatellite.com/products/iridium9555


That way, you KNOW what she is trying to tell you rather than trying to interpret what is intended in an SMS.


Just my $0.02.
 
CrookedPaddle
04/25/2017 02:53PM
  
quote Blatz: "I'm seeing an outfitter renting a Sat phones for $10-15 a day +$3 a minute.Not sure how long your trip is, but this might fit the bill"


Rented a sat phone from Tuscarora last year, paid a weekly rate, no minutes charge. Worked great on Seagull (had my 6 year old son with me, had to provide daily communication with Mom all week)
 
butthead
04/24/2017 07:16PM
  
quote WHendrix: "This last message is wrong. At least with the Delorm Inreach you can receive text messages. I've have sent and received messages several times."


Same for the Garmin Inreach.


butthead
 
deerfoot
04/24/2017 07:27PM
  
As was suggested earlier, check with your outfitter regarding a sat phone rental. The Wabakimi Project now uses Globalstar which offers very good service and reasonable per minute rates. We carry two batteries for the phone which are swapped out on each weeks resupply flight with two freshly charged ones. Lastly, the phone is only turned on Wednesday and Friday evenings for routine communication. In emergency situations it would be used as needed. We have never exhausted the batteries.
 
kpdoyle
04/24/2017 08:25PM
  
Thank you, everyone. As always I appreciate the responses. I am still trying to decide between the 2 way communicator or the sat phone but your input really helped.


And for clarification, my wife is due mid-August and I am going mid-May, so I think its a safe time to go :-) She just wants the piece of mind to contact me in the event of an emergency and I feel at the end of the day its a small price to pay.
 
ockycamper
04/24/2017 04:11PM
  
The Garmin, Spot and Delorme all work pretty much the same. You send one of the message options, and the person back home gets the alert on his/her phone and email.


I don't think it will work backwards. If she sends you the message. . .and you are out of cell phone range you won't get it.


If this was my wife I would have a sat phone that she could call me on. However the problem there is that you would need to leave it on at all times and the battery will go down quickly.


Just for clarification. . .she is due this summer and you want to do a trip this summer? I can tell you how that would fly with all the women in my family.
 
WHendrix
04/24/2017 05:34PM
  
This last message is wrong. At least with the Delorm Inreach you can receive text messages. I've have sent and received messages several times.