inreach text messages

[rhjanes]

What I do is set the tracking to like 2 hours. So it doesn't use all that much battery. When I get up at a camp site, I power it up, get the food bag, water a tree....normal stuff. When I am doing final pack up I send the auto message "starting here", clip it to the pack and take off. When I stop to camp, I set it on a rock and send the preset text of "stopping here". If wife wants to reply, she will. I check it and power it back down around an hour later or when I turn in. The battery last a week or more doing that. I carry a battery back up so can recharge out in the woods. It I use my smart phone to run a GPS, THAT eats up most of the power and needs recharged everyday.

[jefals]

What I do is set the tracking to like 2 hours. So it doesn't use all that much battery. When I get up at a camp site, I power it up, get the food bag, water a tree....normal stuff. When I am doing final pack up I send the auto message "starting here", clip it to the pack and take off. When I stop to camp, I set it on a rock and send the preset text of "stopping here". If wife wants to reply, she will. I check it and power it back down around an hour later or when I turn in. The battery last a week or more doing that. I carry a battery back up so can recharge out in the woods. It I use my smart phone to run a GPS, THAT eats up most of the power and needs recharged everyday.

Sounds like a pretty good plan. Thanks!

[ADK Walker]

I was planning to just keep the thing turned off till I wanted to send a message. Save the battery that way. But that brings up a question: Suppose somebody sends me a message while I've got it turned off. Say I turn it on 2 hours after someone has sent me a message (or, more accurately, 2 hours after someone has replied to a message I had sent to them ). That message from them should show up as soon as I turn it on, shouldn't it?

I think it should. You should see icon flash if the device is sending/looking for messages. If I'm expecting a message I will shorten the time period between checking for messages (unless I'm using the "check continually" mode) and then set the message receive alarm to beep constantly until I pick up the device and open the messages.
This keeps me from looking at the device every 2 minutes.

Also: Be sure to send a Test message before each outing. It should confirm that your device is working.

[jefals]

[QUOTE=ADK Walker;2218186]

I think it should. You should see icon flash if the device is sending/looking for messages. If I'm expecting a message I will shorten the time period between checking for messages (unless I'm using the "check continually" mode) and then set the message receive alarm to beep constantly until I pick up the device and open the messages.
This keeps me from looking at the device every 2 minutes.

Also: Be sure to send a Test message before each outing. It should confirm that your device is working.

Ok, thanks. Especially during the day, I'm planning to keep the garmin "binered" to my shoulder strap. I haven't tried that yet; hopefully I'll be able to reach the on-off button. So if I want to send a message, or check for incoming message, I'll turn it on, and do my messaging via the cell phone app.
Then just turn it back off.

[Shutterbug]

I have used the inReach since they first came out. Sometimes it takes longer than other times depending on the position of the satellites. Sometimes it is almost instantaneous. Other times it can take 15 minutes or more.

[jefals]

I have used the inReach since they first came out. Sometimes it takes longer than other times depending on the position of the satellites. Sometimes it is almost instantaneous. Other times it can take 15 minutes or more.

I noticed that this morning. I sent a message, and she replied. After 18 or 19 minutes, I asked her to reply again. I almost immediately got them both. One she sent 20 minutes earlier and the one she had just sent.

[jefals]

just thought of something else; what about when you push the SOS button. Is the communication with rescue folks going to be faster?

[Hatchet_1697]

The inReach uses the Iridium satellite constellation (66 of them) for messages. The satellites are over 450 miles up moving at 16,000+ mph. If one is passing directly above you messaging is fairly fast, if it’s offset from your position by a few hundred miles it takes longer. For any messages (routine or SOS).

Here’s a good review on the mini, lots of good info.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/05/...th-review.html



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[jefals]

The inReach uses the Iridium satellite constellation (66 of them) for messages. The satellites are over 450 miles up moving at 16,000+ mph. If one is passing directly above you messaging is fairly fast, if it’s offset from your position by a few hundred miles it takes longer. For any messages (routine or SOS).

Here’s a good review on the mini, lots of good info.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/05/...th-review.html



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Great info. Thanks Hatchet. I think I get that one thing that slows down the messages is that the unit only checks for messages every 10 minutes, altho you can change this. So, if someone sends you a message one minute after the last check, there's automatically going to be a 9 minute delay, just because of that.

[FreeGoldRush]

Just got a garmin mini and testing it. Sent a text message (thru the earthmate app). Looks like it took about 10 minutes for the recipient to get it. Is that normal?

I used mine daily on the Sheltowee Trace Trail this summer. It took 1 minute to 6 hours, just depends. Called support last week. They said to set the device back to factory settings and then re-sync. They agreed it was a problem. Did not know why. Did not know why a re-sync should fix it.

I keep the device positioned exactly as required with a clear view of the sky. Makes no difference on send times. The problem is present whether hiking or with it setup at camp.

[jefals]

Just got a garmin mini and testing it. Sent a text message (thru the earthmate app). Looks like it took about 10 minutes for the recipient to get it. Is that normal?

I used mine daily on the Sheltowee Trace Trail this summer. It took 1 minute to 6 hours, just depends. Called support last week. They said to set the device back to factory settings and then re-sync. They agreed it was a problem. Did not know why. Did not know why a re-sync should fix it.

I keep the device positioned exactly as required with a clear view of the sky. Makes no difference on send times. The problem is present whether hiking or with it setup at camp.

Did it get better after you did that?

I recall seeing something about syncing it, and there were two ways to do it. One involved removing the battery - but I have no idea how to do that.
The other was a lot easier and you did it with the earthmate app.
I wasn't 100% sure that you could use either of these two methods to accomplish the same thing. I hope so. Also, not exactly sure what exactly I'm syncing the device with.

[FreeGoldRush]

Did it get better after you did that?

I recall seeing something about syncing it, and there were two ways to do it. One involved removing the battery - but I have no idea how to do that.
The other was a lot easier and you did it with the earthmate app.
I wasn't 100% sure that you could use either of these two methods to accomplish the same thing. I hope so. Also, not exactly sure what exactly I'm syncing the device with.

It will be a few weeks before I can test it on the trail again. If it is a known issue they should be fixing it with a firmware update if possible. At the very least their tech. support people should have an understanding of the problem and an understanding of why a re-sync fixes it. So I'm a bit disappointed. If the re-sync fixes it then how often must that procedure be done? How does one do that out on the trial for an expenteded period of time? btw, Mine is not the mini. It is the InReach SE.