Delorme inReach SE satellite communicator

That's pretty darn good, but that's a wide open space.

I think people are complaining when they don't get good transmission/reception under thick, wet tree canopy, or in slot canyons, etc., and multiplexing off rock walls and man-made structures.

Although I've noticed this as well, for me it isn't something to complain about because it's a device that depends on good signals and I'm in an area where it can't get good signals.

No doubt there is fierce competition among some very sharp engineering minds to figure out how to work around these obstacles, but in the meantime it's best to know the limitations and plan accordingly.

However, I suppose the argument could be made that it's those who complain and demand better who spur advancements.

I think there's an expectation that it'll work like a mobile phone in the city.

Given that it's a breakthrough device I think it's fantastic – especially in terms of safety.

I spent some time testing my gen 3 spot under canopy and was very pleased. My spot is asymmetrical, i.e. it receives gps signal much better than it can transmit to the satellite. A reverse from the 1st gen.
I started testing in a wooded park – 100% . Finally i found a ravine canopied by trees and was able to break the signaling to the satellite. Summary: I now have a good idea of what my spot can do. And i suspect that the InReach will do the same since it likely uses the same off-the-shelf receiver.

Yah, good idea to check the unit out as the hiking season begins.

I bought an Explorer last spring when they hit the market – needed a way to communicate with folks at home while we were hiking the Colorado Trail. Now, I am not at all what you would call a "sophisticated" user (never paired the thing with a smartphone, just used the device). I thought the GPS locations were amazingly accurate, and we were able to send and receive all the critical communications.

The utility of the DeLormes and Spots blows me away – it really is space-age stuff.

They are great, but there are imperfections that can be a real problem.

On a recent trip my Delorme InReach SE seemingly wouldn't turn on, despite just being fully charged. For days I couldn't get it to turn on, so when I got back I called Delorme thinking it was busted and I needed to cancel service. Turns out it needed a "soft reset" that involved holding down a combination of the keys for a minute – something you wouldn't guess in the backcountry or have a way of knowing what to do. I was lucky it was just a work trip where other people had other methods of communication, but if it was solo backcountry trip where my wife is expecting me to be in contact then it would have been a bigger problem.

So I really like the InReach but there are downsides. Hopefully it a few more years we have something that is half the size and with a way better method of typing.

FWIW, a soft reset is X + down arrow for 60 seconds.

I originally owned a Spot and when I bought my first inReach, I did some side by side testing with the devices. I made several trips (different days) on a 10 K loop with both devices tracking my location. The area has some wide open spaces and some very heavy tree cover, so a pretty good test area. I also carried a Garmin GPS to provide a detailed breadcrumb track that I could compare the other devices to.

The Spot never managed a complete track. The best it could do was 2/3 of the trail. The inReach made a complete track 2 out of three times. It only missed one point on the loop that caused it to lose tracking (10 minute interval). The Garmin track didn't have any glitches.

The most disturbing thing that I noticed was that the Spot actually did send the missed points when it reconnected with the satellites, but it sent all missed coordinates to my "current" location (stacked them). This is really disturbing! This is a software issue (what to do with unsent points).

So when you evaluate the accuracy of one of these devices you have to remember that you are evaluating many variables, the most important being the devices ability to connect to the communication satellites, the devices ability to acquire a GPS lock, and what the programmers do with the information that is gathered (software reliability).

Since going from the SE to the Explorer, I've been impressed with the GPS tracks that it captures and I'm satisfied that I can now leave my Garmin at home.

Dan,

That’s why I put a label with soft reset instructions on the back of my InReach SE:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=75378&nid=734108

— Rex

Mike, was yours a Gen3 Spot?

I think they might've fixed that dumping/stacking issue because mine just skips track points when reception/transmission are blocked.

Nice Rex. It might be good to have a hard reset on there too. As I recall, Tanner's InReach needed one of those during the BMWO a few weeks ago but I'm not sure if he tried a soft reset.

Just out of curiosity:
– with Dan a soft reset has to last for 60 seconds.
– with Rex for only 30 seconds.

So what is it now: 30 or 60 ?

Delorme website states 60 seconds

Delorme

18 months ago it was 30 seconds, captured by Jim in a screen shot here:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=75378&nid=729135

30 seconds worked for me when I made the label.

Not sure what changed in 18 months, maybe DeLorme snuck in some fatter flux capacitors through a software update :-)

I’ll change the label.

— Rex

>> Mike, was yours a Gen3 Spot? <<

Mine was a Spot Connect (connects to an iPhone like the inReach and sends custom messages).

That was a couple of years ago so, I would hope that Spot has sorted out their software issues.

I switched to the inReach because a couple of important messages didn't get through (one was for a change in a planned pickup location and the other provided location info to a family member that was going to join me part way through a trip). After being let down by the Spot, I realized that a confirmation message from the people I sent the messages to was a really important feature.

I used my REI "dividend" towards the purchase of a delorme in reach explorer, and set up the cheapest plan to test it out on an overnight trip in Point Reyes. My buddy and I hiked 20 miles from Stinson Beach to Wildcat camp, intending to hike back the same route the following day.

En route to the campsite about 12-15 miles in, he injured his foot. Too far in to turn back, I loaned him my trekking poles and he limped into camp. I was able to text my wife that night, let her know what had happened, and arrange for a pick up in the am at the nearest trailhead about 5 miles away. During the hike back it was painfully slow ( for both of us :p ) and I text her again to let her know we were running late. She got all the texts, I got her replies, and she was able to see where we were at the time of the text message.

Despite the awkward keyboard interface, I was pretty impressed with the device. Glad I had it or it would have made for a REALLY long day.

I should probably read the instructions someday. I did own this for 1 month before I learned that it could be turned off. When it goes to sleep it still drains battery about 10% / day even when doing absolutely nothing — i.e., no messaging; sitting on my kitchen counter with tracking off and check messages on manual. Hard to figure out why that's the case (and easy to forget to turn off even if you know how) but I guess that's just minor annoyance. I am now trying to commit to memory the soft reset mentioned above.

Otherwise, I had a great time texting my wife while I was up north of Lake Superior this May. I learned the keyboard after a while and could knock off a 160 character text in maybe 5 minutes. Never had a problem sending/receiving, although I was never at the bottom of a steep canyon with a broken leg. It sometimes took a little while when I was walking through forest but that was expected. I very much appreciated the positive confirmation when it does send (a big advantage over SPOT).

It's also cheaper than SPOT for my particular use, since I only need it 1 or 2 months out of a year and expect to have it for the next several years at least.