Garmin Inreach question

isu22andy

WKR
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Messages
417
Location
IA
Thinking about buying one and one of the limited message programs for a months use . Anyone buy a refurb ? My question is I will probably need 20-40 messages to check in with the hunny but occasionally a work group message or buddy group message fires up and could eat up my 40 messages in a day . Do you get every message sent to your phone through your Inreach or do you get to choose what ones you use your messages on ?


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Joined
May 3, 2017
Messages
46
Location
North Dakota
I have an old Delorme inreach and it has a different number than my cell phone so only people that have the number or you text from it are going to know it and be able to text you, this may have changed with newer versions?
 

Ucsdryder

WKR
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
5,487
Your Inreach has its own phone number

how do you find that number?

also to the OP, every text you receive and send counts. I tell people to message me only in an emergency. I do the 10 per month for emergencies only.
 

DavePwns

WKR
Joined
Dec 9, 2017
Messages
441
Location
ID
I'm sure you can look it up on the Inreach website but You can send a text to your phone from the Inreach and that is your inreach phone number.

Side note, you can pick 3 pre-written texts that you can send unlimited times (with any plan) with the pre attached recipients.
 

fwafwow

WKR
Classified Approved
Joined
Apr 8, 2018
Messages
4,880
Thinking about buying one and one of the limited message programs for a months use . Anyone buy a refurb ? My question is I will probably need 20-40 messages to check in with the hunny but occasionally a work group message or buddy group message fires up and could eat up my 40 messages in a day . Do you get every message sent to your phone through your Inreach or do you get to choose what ones you use your messages on ?


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The 10 message "Safety" plan is $14.95 per month. Spend another $20 for the "Recreation" plan and you get 40 messages and unlimited tracking at 10 minute intervals. HOWEVER, you are only charged an extra $0.50 per text over your allotment, so unless you are into the 10 minute tracking, you're better off doing Safety, even if you use 40 texts. Note that you can also just set it up for a one month period. I did the "Expedition" last year (unlimited texts plus 2 minute interval tracking) but didn't use it enough to justify the cost.
 

Aluminum Rain

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Messages
222
Also, any message you send will have your coordinates on it. So be careful who you message or they will have your hunting spot.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2015
Messages
536
Location
Wyoming
Also, any message you send will have your coordinates on it. So be careful who you message or they will have your hunting spot.

You can turn that on and off. My wife posted a screenshot of a map share on Facebook when I told her I had an elk down... wasn’t pumped about it. Thankfully it was indistinguishable.


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11boo

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
2,275
Location
Grand Jct, CO
You can get the mini for a shade over 300 new, why buy used?. The data plans are what they are. Keep the woman happy, take care of business and have a bail out SOS if we need it. We have come a long way in my lifetime.

i wish I could throw all the electronics in the trash when I go hunting sometimes.
 

ODB

WKR
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
3,735
Location
N.F.D.
You can get the mini for a shade over 300 new, why buy used?. The data plans are what they are. Keep the woman happy, take care of business and have a bail out SOS if we need it. We have come a long way in my lifetime.

i wish I could throw all the electronics in the trash when I go hunting sometimes.

Fixed it ... ;-)
 

bmejia

FNG
Joined
Aug 25, 2020
Messages
62
I've traded in 2 or 3 busted Garmin devices under their warranty program and they replaced them with refurbished devices. Each of the refurb's were great and lasted. None of them were inReach devices but I'd feel good about the quality if it is coming directly from Garmin.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2015
Messages
536
Location
Wyoming
I don’t think so. Or if there is, I can’t find it.

I agree. You do have an inReach number six you can go device to device. If you send someone a message to their SMS number they can then reply to that. It isn’t a unique phone number but the messages always come back. It’s a pretty interesting system. All my presets also send to an email I set up just as a backup.


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Axlrod

WKR
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
1,122
Location
SW Montana
Thinking about buying one and one of the limited message programs for a months use . Anyone buy a refurb ? My question is I will probably need 20-40 messages to check in with the hunny but occasionally a work group message or buddy group message fires up and could eat up my 40 messages in a day . Do you get every message sent to your phone through your Inreach or do you get to choose what ones you use your messages on ?


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40 messages in 1 DAY? That is not a hunting trip!
To use the Inreach with your phone you download the app to your phone. Then your phone is tethered to your Inreach, so you can use your contacts in email and text, but the messages are delivered through the Inreach service. You can do all of this with the Inreach, but it is WAY slower to navigate and use than your phone. As stated you will have a different # for the IR. the area code is from Maine that will come up on the receiving end of the text. Email is normal I think. I have had my IR going on 5 years, but i'm sure I haven't sent 40 messages total.:)
 

RO1459

FNG
Joined
Jun 13, 2020
Messages
65
I use the Recreation Package on a single monthly basis. I use the 10 minute tracking feature as a safeguard in case I become incapacitated. That is not available with the Safety Package. Those I care about, and care about me, can see exactly where I am and send help. For those of us that hunt elk out of state, we are already spending several thousand dollars to get there, get licenses, food, etc. The extra $36 dollars is nothing. ($35+$1 for premium weather) In truth, last year was my first year with it and with all the additional messages, it cost a whopping $51. Peace of mind is worth the little extra to me. Especially at 9,500 feet during the third season in Colorado.
 

muddydogs

WKR
Joined
May 3, 2017
Messages
1,099
Location
Utah
There is some misunderstanding about the phone number associated with your Inreach message. When you send a message to a cell phone a random phone number get assigned to it, this number is not your Inreach phone number as there is no such thing. From talking with Garmin the assigned number with the message may stay tied to your Inreach for a month or six they didn't have a guarantee that it would be good for more then a few week.

As I remember I tried to send a text to an Inreach using the phone number that came to another person and I got an error message so it doesn't appear that the number transfers from phone to phone.

All Inreach messages go through the Inreach and outgoing as well as incoming text's each count as 1 message, except the outgoing preset message is free but any incoming message generated from the preset counts against your plan. Its best to inform anyone you plan to send Inreach messages too to say what they need to say in a message or two and don't do the usual couple word texts and 20 texts to tell you what they need to.
 

dla

WKR
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
302
Location
Oregon & Idaho
Also, any message you send will have your coordinates on it. So be careful who you message or they will have your hunting spot.
Garmin has a number of options to control that information.
  • Turn off location on your messages. But enable location pinging in your password protected mapshare so that your SO can see where you are at.
  • Restrict who gets your checkin messages and tell them to keep quiet.

 
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