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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 6:52 pm 
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Joined: March 15th, 2016, 5:49 pm
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Location: Thunder Bay
Hello,

I understand Garmin bought Delorme, but there are still some Delorme InReach's in the market.

I am wondering what would be a better purchase? Delorme is significantly cheaper. What features do I lose?


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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 7:16 pm 
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Joined: November 6th, 2009, 9:37 am
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Location: Kingston, ON
One issue I have is that Garmin bought Delorme 2 years ago. The batteries on the DeLorme inReach are not replaceable (at all!). So how much of the product life has already passed sitting on the shelf? They are also only servicing DeLorme product as long as they have parts.


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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 7:31 pm 
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Joined: January 3rd, 2010, 5:59 pm
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Location: Kanata
Has any one had an issue with the batteries? I've had mine for almost 4 years now, only really use it int he summer months and have never had an issue with battery life. Ok, once I left it one over night and was left with 65% battery for the next 10 days. But that was my fault, not poor battery charge.

rab


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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 7:40 pm 
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Location: Kingston, ON
That's good to know! I'm considering getting one too. I still think it's goofy to release a survival product with non replaceable batteries. The original InReach took 2 replaceable AA batteries. Why did they change this.


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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 9:28 pm 
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My older Delorme SE has a microUSB port for sealed battery charging.
On 3 week long trips and checking in daily, I never needed to recharge it.
I also carry a small charging unit for other small units like my camera and other stuff but hasn't been needed for my Delorme InReach SE.

Ted

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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 10:47 pm 
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Joined: August 29th, 2006, 7:57 pm
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Location: Toronto
Here is a comprehensive review of the Garmin inReach Explorer+.

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/ ... lorer-plus

Near the end of the review the writer provides a comparison with the old Delorme Explorer and with the Garmin SE+. He notes the following -

The Garmin inReach Explorer+ vs. The (discontinued) Delorme inReach Explorer

    The app and the connectivity of the devices stay the same. The main differences are in the physical device itself:
    Garmin version has a much larger screen — 1.75" x 1.5" vs. 1.4" x 1.2"
    Delorme power button is easy to accidentally press — must press another button to turn on, this makes it mostly safe from accidentally being turned on
    Same on-screen menu, Delorme has a social media button instead of a weather button
    No weather forecast on Delorme
    Garmin inReach Explorer+ can get a three-day weather forecast updated via GPS location

The Garmin inReach Explorer+ vs. The Garmin inReach SE+

    Identical messaging capabilities
    Both are IPX7 rated — full submersion up to one meter for 30 minutes
    Only differences between the two models are in GPS navigation features
    inReach SE+ provides basic grid navigation — drop waypoints, mark locations, track progress, follow points back to base
    inReach Explorer+ provides guidance through pre-loaded topo maps and waypoints

I ended up moving on from The Spot Connect to the Garmin Explorer +. It was an excellent choice but it does cost much more to buy and more to have connected to the satellite system.

IFor the past two years there has been a $100. or $150. discount in June and July, depending on which one you buy and which level of service you choose. You might wait until then buy one.

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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 10:51 pm 
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So what is the monthly charge for these things?


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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 10:59 pm 
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Joined: June 20th, 2001, 7:00 pm
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Location: Toronto, Ontario Canada
If you update the firmware on the Delorme version the weather icon appears and you get the same forecasts on both devices, 3 days for a basic forecast (1 message credit used) or for the "deluxe" 7 day forecast (slight extra charge).

The battery in my Delorme version is spec'd at 100 hours, in my experience that is extremely accurate, Like all my lithium devices I try to keep them at about a 2/3 charge in the off season, after 3 years of use (160 days in the field) the battery charging, discharging and ability to retain a charge has not changed one bit (125 days of use in the field).

Unless you need the mapping the Delorme versions will pretty much operate exactly as well as the Garmin versions. The only other benefit is a slightly better button layout.

In my opinion Garmin have succumbed to the dreaded "feature bloat" all that does is increase the weight of the units and dramatically shorten battery life.

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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 11:02 pm 
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Location: Toronto
Roadpost handles Garmin InReach In Canada. Here is the web page which outlines various service plans.

https://inreach.roadpost.ca/contract-fr ... ost-plans/

I went with the $54.95 a month plan. My service has been frozen since last October after our last canoe trip. You pay a $2.95 a month charge for each month your service is suspended. There is no charge to start it up again!

Not having owned a Delorme inrach I can't comment on how battery life compares. Doubt that it is "dramatically" worse or even different than that of the older Delorme. I do know that my Garmin ran just fine for a week while I kayaked down the Goergian Bay coast and was at 50% at the end of the trip. Pretty impressive, I'd say.

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Last edited by true_north on March 4th, 2018, 11:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 11:06 pm 
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true_north wrote:
Roadpost handles Garmin InReach In Canada. Here is the web page which outlines various service plans.

https://inreach.roadpost.ca/contract-fr ... ost-plans/

I went with the $54.95 a month plan. My service has been frozen since last October after our last canoe trip. You pay a $2.95 a month charge for each month your service is suspended. There is no charge to start it up again!



Those plans are no longer available to new users....

"These plans are available to Roadpost inReach subscribers with accounts created prior to September 20, 2017."

The current Garmin plans are nowhere near as cheap and flexible.

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PostPosted: March 4th, 2018, 11:15 pm 
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I had to go to Garmin's web site to find the new (since September 2017) inReach service plans that recped mentioned. Scroll down to the bottom and you'll see the chart -

https://explore.garmin.com/en-CA/inreach/

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PostPosted: March 5th, 2018, 10:55 am 
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Joined: March 15th, 2016, 5:49 pm
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Location: Thunder Bay
Wow, thanks a lot for all the great information everyone! Hopefully I can manage to wait until that sale comes on.


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PostPosted: March 5th, 2018, 9:08 pm 
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Just to add to the mix, I was talking with a representative from Spot at the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show this year. He mentioned that Spot will be introducing a two-way messenger this year. He said the device will have a full keyboard like a Blackberry. It will be interesting to see what they come up with to compete with Garmin.


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PostPosted: March 5th, 2018, 9:18 pm 
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Spot (Globalstar) better have something to stay alive. Their cheapest satellite phone plan totals over a $1000 US per year now. Want to buy my phone?

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PostPosted: March 5th, 2018, 9:23 pm 
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Those Garmin subscription prices are not bad - the basic plan for $20 a month is pretty much what most people would need.

Can you park the plan in the off months?

Regarding Spot - ug a keyboard? Don't they know that RIM already went out of business on that one? Nobody cares about a keyboard.


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