DeLorme inReach SE announced, ships mid to late April

Got the same 50 cent test message charge this month. Customer support couldn't explain, removed charge as a "courtesy".

Maybe a coincidence, test message happened the same day I activated a replacement inReach SE.

— Rex

"a replacement inReach SE"

What happened, Rex? I suppose it must have failed or been damaged in some way.

Mine has been trouble free, so far. My remaining gripe is the SE's use of days of the week instead of dates. This is hardly a fatal flaw; it's a gripe. Days of the week repeat (every seven days, I think), but dates never repeat. (Not talking about my personal life!)

Much too long of a thread here:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=93228

Short version: it stopped sending/receiving any kind of satellite messages. DeLorme replaced quickly.

Lesson: Test before important trips.

— Rex

Here are the notes:

https://support.delorme.com/kb/articles/44-inreach-se-explorer-firmware-update-release-notes

Minor update, largely devoted to a battery saving mode when tracking. Good news is that it updated on the first try without balking. Other nice thing is it didn't disrupt any settings. Haven't used it yet . . . presume it works.

I'm still annoyed at the failure to always use dates for messages in history. If there are any recent messages, dates disappear and are replaced by a day of the week. Ick!

With the latest point release, iOS 8.3, your faithful iDevice (an iPod Touch 5g, in my case) no longer gets the GPS data stream from the SE. Here's a page that reports on that for a couple of other GPS receivers of the same vintage.

http://blog.foreflight.com/2015/04/11/customer-notice-issue-with-apple-ios-8-3-and-external-bluetooth-gps-receivers/

I fixed the problem by backing up the 'pod, reinstalling iOS 8.2, then restoring the 'pod. Apple makes the previous point release available for a limited time, but I don't know how long that is. I have a copy of 8.2 for the iPod Touch 5g, which can be made available to others if needed, but if you have another iDevice, you need a version of iOS for your specific model. So hurry! Or don't hurry, if you haven't yet installed 8.3.

Until the glitch with 8.3, my experience with the SE has been trouble free. I use the Safety Plan, and almost all my message traffic is Preset Messages. So far, no additional charges beyond the $12/month. Worth it. I use it a lot, often skiing solo in the wilderness of the southern San Juan mountains in Colorado. Due to thin cover, skiing is nearly over without some big storms.

Sorry to hear about the iOS step backwards.

Meanwhile, but us Android users, an improvement:
— Te DeLorme Earthmate Android phone app's navigational functionality previously showed your position on a topo map. And that was pretty much it.
— But now it shows all those same routes and waypoints that you transferred to your Explorer. Plus it offers a waypoint GoTo function and some related options.
— Still nowhere near as robust as Backcountry Navigator, but with your phone in Airplane mode except for Bluetooth, you can use your phone as a GPS-enabled navigational device for *days* w/o needing any sort of battery backup!

Jim, thanks for posting this information.

This release is expected to fix the GPS data stream via Bluetooth to iOS devices running iOS 8.3, a problem mentioned previously in this thread.

I will wait until other parties test 8.4, and they vouch that it fixes the problem and doesn't cause other problems. Having to back out of 8.3 to 8.2 was sufficiently painful to make me shy of adopting a new release right away.

I'll let this forum know how it goes when I upgrade to 8.4 — stay tuned!

PS, shortly after my previous entry lamenting the early end of the ski season, it snowed repeatedly and often in the southern Rockies. I last skied on June 14 on Independence Pass between Aspen and Pbville CO. There was a backcountry skiers' BBQ there too, hosted by the esteemed Lou Dawson of Wild Snow. Where were you?

A few hours after Apple released iOS 8.4, Bad Elf announced that 8.4 had passed their battery of tests. All but the newest Bad Elf devices had the same problem with 8.3 that the inReach had. I have a Bad Elf, and that was my experience too.

I have an iPad 3, which I do not normally take into the backcountry because it weighs a ton. I thought the iPad would be a good way to ease into 8.4 and determine whether the inReach SE works with it properly. It does. Since the iPad has its own GPS, it was necessary to assure that the GPS data was coming from the inReach, not the iPad. It was. So far, so good. Next step is to update the iPod 5g, which is what I carry into the wild. It weighs about 91 g, which is much less than a ton, but I'm in no hurry to update since the 'Pod is running 8.2, and that works fine.

If anyone on this forum using an iDevice with an inReach tries iOS 8.4, please post your results. Chances are 8.4 will work for you too, but after the 8.3 Bluetooth glitch, I am more cautious. Everyone should be more cautious . . . about everything: Stay indoors. Get rid of your computers and cell phones. Disconnect your TVs and telephones. Don't answer the door. Drop the blinds on all windows. Be very quiet.