inReach mini suddenly croaked

[Brad Rogers]

Sounds like the battery is shot.  Not sure how easy it would be to do a replacement but I imagine there is a tutorial video out there somewhere.

I’m sure Garmin can do it too but it will be more money.

[Cameron M]

After the factory reset, do the firmware update. If all that does not change the situation, then something, somehow is likely wrong with the hardware. But going deep on resets, firmware etc is where you start.

[Brad W]

The most important thing is-what is Garmin saying to do and have you done it?

[AK Granola]

Garmin said the same thing y’all have said – full reset, firmware update, etc. Yes have done all that.  Yesterday I had it fully charged after all of the above, and turned bluetooth off. This morning it’s fully drained again. I think the battery is definitely shot. Without a whole lot of use! I’ll contact them again later today. At least their support responds quickly.

[Brad W]

Hopefully it’s just a bad battery and they can offer some solution. It happens.

[AK Granola]

So I did the factory restore, firmware update, sync app, etc. etc. Garmin is great about being available, and the reps seem knowledgeable. They also send chat transcripts to my email which is also really nice. however, the third support contact was the charm, I suppose. They will send me a new device as a courtesy, even though it’s two years since purchase and the warranty is only one. So that’s great. I guess the battery was just toast, despite good care on my part. The company is great but I have to say I’m not impressed that the thing didn’t last very long. I still have an old clock radio from the mid-1970s that works great. “Old woman shakes fist.”

But… they have no stock at the moment and he didn’t think it would get here by the time I leave for my three week hike. So my pack will be a few ounces lighter, and we’ll go the old fashioned way, without any connection to family. In a strange way, it’s a sigh of relief. But I’m glad I’m not soloing this time, just in case anything does go wrong. I have two incredibly reliable fellow hikers – one a scientist who has done loads of stuff in remote places, and the other an officer in the air force, as solid as you can get. I’m the weak link, for sure, but have the most knowledge and research about the area.

[Brad W]

Well kudos to Garmin for stepping up. Things break, things are not made like the use to be. It’s great resolution.

[AK Granola]

Update on this story – well Garmin managed to get a replacement to me in 7 days. So my pack weight just got 4 ounces heavier, but it’s nice to have a functioning device. Have tested messages, sending and receiving, recharging with my Anker battery, etc. etc. All is well. I kept thinking it was user error, and it may have been, but I’m not making the same error with the new one so…

I’m not sure I’d buy a new one, because I really hate messing with electronics at all, but at least I can speak well for Garmin’s tech support and service.

[Bonzo]

Glad to hear that you got the situation resolved.  I’ve been back and forth on getting an InReach vs. a different PLB, and this information helps.   Thanks for posting the update.

[Hikin’ Jim]

I have a full size InReach.  I notice that leaving it on overnight will eat the battery, maybe 15%.  A full size InReach has roughly double the battery capacity of a Mini as I understand it, so maybe a 30% or so decline would be reasonable for a Mini.  Full discharge overnight seems excessive, even for a Mini.  Kudos to Garmin for being willing to exchange it after the warranty period.

HJ

[Kelly C]

I don’t use the Earthmate app with my Mini.  For me Gaia is better for navigation.  The only reason I would use Earthmate is if I sent a lot of custom messages.  I don’t.  I find the Preset messages adequate for the vast majority of my comm needs.  The few times I’ve sent a custom message I haven’t found the scroll text feature on the Mini itself to be that awful despite reports to the contrary.  That’s what works for me anyways.  Another reason I don’t use a Earthmate is it does drain the battery quicker having to maintain a Bluetooth connection.  I suppose you could only connect Earthmate when texting and that would minimize battery drain.

[Author]

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