Anyone ever had any experience with the DeLorme InReach satellite communicator? The cheapest unlimited texting plan they have is $50/mo. and the gadget costs about $380 to buy. They have a “pay as you need” plan but the monthly rates are higher and it’s a minimum 30 day commitment per shot. With my schedule that wouldn’t make any sense. So all told it would be about $1000 the first year and $600 every year after that.
What I’d like to know is how the texting and social media aspects of it work. Do the texts come from a new satellite number or from the cell number you already have? Does it have a full Facebook app or just a half-assed one? Most importantly, if anyone’s ever had one before, was it worth the money? It’s cheaper than a sat-phone, but how convenient is it to use?
It’s Facebook functionality is limited to just posting text status updates. The texting connects to your phone via Bluetooth using an app on your phone. I’m fairly certain it doesn’t text via a normal phone number but I’m not sure of any more than that. Make sure the people you text from it realize there is a delay, I think it only downloads texts every five minutes or so.
It used to be cheaper to have a Globalstar phone (when their Unlimited plan was $40 a month) but now they want ~$150 a month I think.
It all comes down to how much you want to stay in contact with shore. I didn’t consider it worth it personally but multiple people on my last OSV had them and texted constantly while offshore.
I have one. It works good for short texts, with its own phone number, bluetoothed to an iPhone, but I only use it very occasionally for important can’t wait communications.
I’ve had my inReach since they came out with the first one available for android and iPhone. I can’t recommend one enough. I call it my “poor man’s EPIRB/SatPhone” the plans are reasonable, I suspend my account if I’m ashore for a while so I don’t have to pay while I’m not using it. The tracking feature is useful and you can share your location with whoever you like, my old lady likes hearing from me even if it is only 160 characters at a time…
The Facebook and Twitter features work alright, but Facebook makes you re-authorize your inReach periodically.
Contacts can be phone numbers or email addys…just be careful who you share your inReach contact info with, just like a SatPhone you get charged for incoming messages. I’ve used mine from Nome to Peru, Hawaii to Florida…it works ANYWHERE (unlike SPOT).
Hope this helps.
ps.The model I have is not the SE (I’ve had guys offer to trade their more expensive SE for my older unit even-steven) they can be bought new on Amazon for about $210 shipping inc. …a little less if you don’t mind a used one.