Garmin mini came today

ellsworb

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 19, 2016
Messages
150
Location
Lake Tapps, WA
Now have my Mini in my hands. . wow. I bought this after wanting a satellite communicator for years. . . but not wanting the clunky units that were available. I do almost all of my navigation on my phone and didn't love the idea of carrying an even heavier unit for comms. This thing is so light that I'm amazed it can keep a connection under the dense canopy of the PacNW. None the less, it does. Sent messages, tracked my movement in the earthmate app. So glad to have this in my pack now!
 

Muleyczy

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
260
Location
Nevada
If I understand it correctly, the major difference between the mini and regular one besides obvious size, is the mini uses your phone to send messages and regular uses built in touch screen?
 

tater

WKR
Joined
Dec 9, 2012
Messages
436
Location
BC
If I understand it correctly, the major difference between the mini and regular one besides obvious size, is the mini uses your phone to send messages and regular uses built in touch screen?

I've had my Mini for about ten days now. Amazing little rig with good battery life (curious to see how it is in cold weather).
You can text without pairing it to a cell, but it is a lot slower process (scroll to find letters and enter). Great to know if your phone pooches that you can still text.
 

Beendare

WKR
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
8,247
Location
Corripe cervisiam
That DC Rainmaker review was one of the most comprehensive reviews I've ever seen

$350 for the device...and $300 a year.....I dunno...thats 4 yrs of sat phone rentals
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Messages
1,979
Location
BC
Beendare, I only use the unlimited InReach texting plan when I am on a remote hunting trip, otherwise dumb it down for emergency use and pay per text. My InReach plan allows 12 changes per year, and I ended up using most of them over the past 12 months. Don't know if the latest Garmin plans offered with the Mini offer as much flexibility? They are a heck of a good unit for me. Good luck this fall.
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2014
Messages
2,398
That DC Rainmaker review was one of the most comprehensive reviews I've ever seen

$350 for the device...and $300 a year.....I dunno...thats 4 yrs of sat phone rentals

But can you have 12 months of sat phone for 4 years at that price? You can also do the Inreach on a month by month basis.
 

mtholton

FNG
Joined
May 9, 2018
Messages
65
Location
Minnesota
Has anyone found the specs on the battery capacity? Mine arrived this weekend, and the size is impressive. Just wondering how much juice from my portable battery pack I should "set aside" for this on a week trip.
 

efnm

WKR
Joined
Oct 1, 2015
Messages
320
Per Garmin website (Access Denied

Up to 50 hours at 10-minute tracking with 2-minute logging (default); up to 30 hours at 10-minute tracking with 1-second logging; up to 20 days at the 30-minute interval power save mode; and up to 1 year when powered off
 

efnm

WKR
Joined
Oct 1, 2015
Messages
320
Got it. Do you actually know what it draws in current? Not sure the amp-hours would be useful without that.
 

byz250f

FNG
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
33
Location
MT
I like the size of the mini but I dont like the battery life and then you have to run blutooth on your phone and will wear battery down more on it also. I was only able to get 4 days on my inreach explorer on last trip, sounds like you would be lucky to get 2 days with the mini.
 

robie

WKR
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
846
Location
Houston, TX
I like the size of the mini but I dont like the battery life and then you have to run blutooth on your phone and will wear battery down more on it also. I was only able to get 4 days on my inreach explorer on last trip, sounds like you would be lucky to get 2 days with the mini.

Were you using it as a GPS?

I'm curious why anyone would need anything other than " up to 20 days at the 30-minute interval power save mode". I just need mine for a text and don't need it on 1 minute intervals. If I decreased the interval down to every 15 minutes it should last me days.
 

efnm

WKR
Joined
Oct 1, 2015
Messages
320
Yeah, you don't have to run bluetooth-connected phones to use this. I wouldn't look forward to typing out a message on the mini but you could.

I think it is exactly perfect because I used an inreach last year and never needed it but for a few messages. I didn't use its GPS, I didn't navigate with it, and I am much happier carrying this instead of that.
 

JPD350

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
779
Location
Abq NM
So why do you want your mini Inreach to track you?

I have one but have not turned on the tracking although I didn't buy it to use as a GPS or a tracking device, it's only purpose is to send an emergency signal and to stay in touch with whoever through texts. So far the battery on mine is still pretty full and I have been messing with it a bunch and have used it on two different weekend trips from an area with no service, I am pretty sure the battery on this thing is going to be more than enough for any hunt I will ever go on using it this way. I was also really impressed with how fast it was to get texts out, my texts went right out and I had responses from my wife in a minute or so, basically I only had the phone and Mini on for about 5 minutes each time and at that rate the battery will last and last, even if I went ten minutes with it on each day it would last for a lot of days.
 

byz250f

FNG
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
33
Location
MT
Were you using it as a GPS?

I'm curious why anyone would need anything other than " up to 20 days at the 30-minute interval power save mode". I just need mine for a text and don't need it on 1 minute intervals. If I decreased the interval down to every 15 minutes it should last me days.

ya I used it as a GPS, checked weather a few times a day, and we also tracked a bear with it. I didnt play with the interval tracking to see what it was set to. IM sure 15 minutes would be fine.
 

robie

WKR
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
846
Location
Houston, TX
ya I used it as a GPS, checked weather a few times a day, and we also tracked a bear with it. I didnt play with the interval tracking to see what it was set to. IM sure 15 minutes would be fine.
Doesn't sound like the mini is for you. I feel it's designed for the guy who only uses it for texting.

For me this thing is perfect. I can text a few times a day and this will keep the wife happy and me hunting longer.

Sent from my SM-G892U using Tapatalk
 

jnagel32

FNG
Joined
Jun 5, 2017
Messages
22
Location
PENNSYLVANIA
I'm interested in purchasing one of these. Do you know if multiple phones can be paired to it at the same time (for multiple guys hunting together) or is it one device connected only?
 
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