Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Satellite phones and other options
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andym |
The Ingear takes a lot less battery to keep on and receive text messages and so is better for getting notified in an emergency. Belt and suspenders: Ingear to get notified and set up a SAT call. Whether that is worth it depends on the people and situation. |
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billconner |
I feel beyond the point in life where any emergency would justify this need for me. Someone dies, my presence won't make a difference. My wife and I address the issues before each trip. I do understand that with minor children in particular and perhaps older parents that the need is real. |
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mgraber |
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Ohiopikeman |
When you pair it with a smart phone, you can send text messages quickly and easily. The messages don't go through immediately like when you are at home, but we never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a message to be transmitted. Our group of 4 guys probably sent/received 25 ~ 50 texts every day and we were 225 miles out from Anchorage where there is absolutely nothing (other than lots if great pike fishing). We didn't have any emergencies, but the InReach was perfect for coordinating a pick-up time and location with our pilot as well as keeping in touch with the families back in Ohio. I rented a satellite phone as well for this trip as a back-up safety feature. We turned it on once in Anchorage before the trip to make sure it would work, and we never opened the box again; working with the InReach was plenty good for our needs. Dave |
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schweady |
BernardBeil: "I googled information about satellite phones and came across your discussion. I need a satellite phone to keep in touch with my family when I travel to Canada. Which one would you recommend to buy? Where is the best place to order?" By the time we're all allowed to travel to Canada again, there will be a number of new models and a whole generation of new technologies. Patience. |
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Learningtofly |
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schweady |
So... I have a lead on a used Delorme Inreach SE for a good price. I only hesitate on the purchase while obtaining some understanding of the long-term costs of ownership and use. I get how you can activate service a month at a time (yes, it's a slightly higher price per month than a full year contract, but it still makes the most sense to us), however, I understand there is an additional annual fee for ownership... required so that you are registered and therefore have the option of "turning on or off" the service. Can anyone shed light on this? |
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TipsyPaddler |
The ability to pay month to month requires a “Freedom Plan” subscription which is $25/year. It has similar line of sight requirements to a satelite as a satphone. But I found it worked fine through the light tree cover at a typical BWCA camp site...slight delay occasionally but not terrible. |
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AmarilloJim |
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Blatz |
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TipsyPaddler |
AmarilloJim: "Are the Q/BWCA background maps on the Garmin InReach good?" I would rate them “OK” in the BWCA. I have not used in Quetico. I recommend plotting your route or at least waypoints for portages and targeted campsites on a laptop before hand on the Garmin web site and then synching with your Inreach before departure. I also have the Inreach linked to my IPhone for easier texting as others have described. I have the Gaia app on my phone as well and the Gaia maps have better portage and campsite information. Flipping back and forth between Gaia and Garmin apps on an IPhone is easy. If I was buying an InReach today I would probably get the Mini as I take my IPhone for photos, Gaia maps and rainy day/evening reading of ebooks anyway. |
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VoyageurNorth |
Instead, tell your wife you will be turning on your phone & checking to see if you have any messages every (you insert hours/minutes/whatever). She can leave you a message. Then when you turn on your phone, you see you have a message on the screen, go into your voice mail, listen to it and if necessary, call her back. I know some people have the tracking devices that do messaging back & forth, but you'd also have to be watching that as often as you check the phone for messages. And actually talking to her for an emergency would probably be more productive, especially if you had to also talk to a doctor, as in the case of your son's emergency. |
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walllee |
To me, the phone seems like the quickest way to get help. Whether that is the case or not, I don’t really know. Sometimes it’s just nice to call home when I’m on a solo when I get tired of talking to myself. That being said, it’s been a long time since I used the phone on a trip, but good to know it’s there. |
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scotttimm |
Learningtofly: "What are some options where someone could reach me when I'm in the back country? In August, I was in the BWCA and there was a medical emergency with my son back home and, of course, my wife was unable to reach me. I would like to give her some comfort that if she needs to get a hold me, she can." Last summer, my cousin-in-law's mother was struggling with cancer, and she wanted to be able to communicate. She THOROUGHLY researched ways to rent a sat phone - this was the cheapest, arrived at her house so she could check it before, and was sent back in the mail as we exited the BWCA. The cheapest version is $8/day. Goes up from there. She actually had to use it a few times to talk with her mom, sent and received texts easily. They just had a pre-arranged time to talk every day. She was very happy with it. Roadpost |
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BernardBeil |
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ghamer |
The weather function is also nice. |
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VoyageurNorth |
For a tracker type, a rental one may not have all that even as inexpensive as a satellite phone. |
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sns |
Learningtofly: "What are some options that someone can reach me when I'm out in the back country?" You have options. Sat phone probably at the top-end in terms of performance and cost. I have a similar dilemma with a twist: my wife also wants to be able to reach me in case of emergency. The problem lies with my wife's definition of an emergency... |
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SourisMan |
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gravelroad |
Next question? ;-) (Very satisfied user for nearly three years.) |
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timatkn |
I really only got it because it was so cheap—the Delorme version was discontinued and Cabelas had it on sale for less than $200. With my Cablelas bucks and other discounts it was pretty cheap. The best part is I can get weather reports that are updated every 4 hours I think. Came in really handy when I was traveling Pickerel last year. T |
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Marten |
Globalstars Spot X now competes but has no weather. I worry about Globalsars poor financial situation. I have used Globalstar satellite phone for 12 years but plan went from $360 us per year to $1100 last year. I dropped the plan but just signed on again for $415 for 13 months. My low offer came from someone in the main office. I think they are really hurting for cash. I also found out that since it is an emergency service the card company sends them the info for your new cards after the original has expired. |
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Bearskin Lodge |
I like sat phones and think if you are having an emergency, they are the best choice (money being no object and if you are not interested in the secondary features offered by the trackers such as tracking and mapping). I think the Inreach is really close to as good. However, for the OP's situation, I think the inreach would be better than a sat phone. The inreach can be left on and receive messages all day, where as the satphone is really best for outgoing calls. With our Imarsat phone, it just rides around in our barrel turned off the entire trip, and with no satellite connection no one could get a hold of us. So in summary, sat phones: good at outgoing calls, inconvenient for incoming (unless this is just the case with the Imarsat system and not all sat phones). Quinn |
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paddlinjoe |
Also, just this year, SPOT released the SPOTX which can also do two way messaging. Up until now, the SPOT would only send location and texts. Cost is less for the device, but the service contracts are annual subscriptions. Either one can also be rented from outfitters or online. |