InReach Mini: filter texts option to suit data plan?

[Bluto]

For this with a mini or in the know: if I have the data plan (just for example) that allows your presets plus 10 texts, how to you keep from burning them plus paying for the 48-text-group thread-from-hell you didn’t want to be a part of anyway?

In other words, I only want to send/receive messages from my dad and my wife. Possible, or do I just have to hope no one texts me for 9 days in the woods?

 

[Miflatlander91]

Not exactly what your looking for but you can leave text groups or I wonder in sent to do not disturb on the groups for your trip would work as well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Titan]

I have the regular inreach - you get a phone number specific to that unit. So you will share that number only with the people you want to stay in touch with.

 

[Bluto]

I have the regular inreach - you get a phone number specific to that unit. So you will share that number only with the people you want to stay in touch with.

Money - seemed that would be the easy solution, just hadn’t been able to find the policy written anywhere. Thanks!!

 

[Titan]

Also, if you use the "freedom plan" instead of the contract, the cheapest option is the best bang for your buck. You get 10 messages and each overage is $0.50. The next plan is $20 higher for 40 messages.

Even if you still sent 40 messages, you would pay $30 instead of $35 ($15 for an extra 30 messages). I'm not sure what genius came up with that pricing.

 

[Bluto]

I was just doing the same math....thinking I had missed something.

 

[mrbillbrown]

I used to do the unlimited plan when taking hunting or kayak camping trips. It’s been far less expensive to pay the “overage” vs paying for unlimited texting that we never really use to it’s full potential.

 

[muddydogs]

Don't send a message to anyone but your wife and Dad, yep its that simple.

If your thinking you are going to get all the messages that are text to your phone your not. You are only getting messages sent to your InReach and the best way to initiate these messages is send an Inreach message to your wife and dad.

So set up one of your preset messages to go to your wife and dad saying your OK or some such deal, the preset doesn't cost you a message to send and they can then reply to this message to send you one. I have a preset saying "i'm out of cell service and if you need to contact me then reply to this message" that I send to my folks, wife and anyone else that may need to get in touch.

 

[muddydogs]

I have the regular inreach - you get a phone number specific to that unit. So you will share that number only with the people you want to stay in touch with.

Yes you do get a number but you just can't type this number in and send a message, you need to reply to a message that was sent. Plus this number changes over time.

The only sure way to send a message without getting a message first is setting up people in the Map Share page.

 

[Trial153]

Unlimited plan. Last thing I am wanting to do is worry about counting texts.

 

[muddydogs]

Unlimited plan. Last thing I am wanting to do is worry about counting texts.

How many months do your run the unlimited? How many messages do you send? Do you move up a plan then spend the $25 to drop the plan?

I know that I can run the cheapest plan on the Freedom deal, pay for a few text messages over the plan at $.50 a message and save a few $100 a year. Heck to just drop from a higher plan to a lower plan cost $25 which is 50 messages. Whats one month of the unlimited plan $65, thats $40 more then my $20 plan or 80 messages so in one month I can send 130 messages plus the 20 that come with my plan before it would be cost effective to switch. Add a couple months at the higher rate or the month you have to pay because you forgot to change plans by a certain data and your costs just go up. And no I don't worry about counting messages one bit, 150 is a lot of messages for me and if I do happen to run long a few extra bucks is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Trial153]

How many months do your run the unlimited? How many messages do you send? Do you move up a plan then spend the $25 to drop the plan?

I know that I can run the cheapest plan on the Freedom deal, pay for a few text messages over the plan at $.50 a message and save a few $100 a year. Heck to just drop from a higher plan to a lower plan cost $25 which is 50 messages. Whats one month of the unlimited plan $65, thats $40 more then my $20 plan or 80 messages so in one month I can send 130 messages plus the 20 that come with my plan before it would be cost effective to switch. Add a couple months at the higher rate or the month you have to pay because you forgot to change plans by a certain data and your costs just go up. And no I don't worry about counting messages one bit, 150 is a lot of messages for me and if I do happen to run long a few extra bucks is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I use the unlimited plan roughly from August to March. It's cheap at even double the cost for what it is and does. Being able to text my wife and children and maintain a semblance of contact while I am away is worth it. Then figure in use for communication with air transporters, friends and relatives and the SOS ability.
I might just switch it over to an annual contact, it's a great value.

 

[shanny28757]

The send/receive phone number is not the same as your regular cell phone. So you won’t get messages from everyone throughout the trip - only those that you send a message to from your inReach - or I suppose those that you give the inReach number to.

Realistically, the data plans aren’t that much more expensive to go from base to unlimited. Don’t quote me, but i think it’s like $40 per month. If it’s potentially an issue, maybe just pop for the unlimited.

I went on a trip where I told guys I had one they could use to text their spouses. One guy went bonkers. Luckily I had bought the unlimited plan thinking that might happen.

 

[hikenhunt]

I'm on the Freedom Safety Plan. I send preset messages to my wife frequently because they are unlimited. She just wants to know I'm safe. If something comes up at home, she can text back and get a hold of me. I've also used it to for minimal communicate with other hunting buddies in the backcountry, inreach-to-inreach. I'm not trying to have full text conversations in the backcountry so I don't need anything more than the safety plan. It's $15/month vs $65/month for unlimited custom texts. The annual version (not the Freedom) is $12/month for the safety plan vs $50/month for unlimited custom texts.

 

[Bluto]

Is inreach to inreach fairly reliable? A better question - do you have to be actively using the device to receive, or will you get messages “next time you log in?” (Basically, like email?)

 

[hikenhunt]

Inreach to inreach has been very reliable for me. You get a chime for confirming the message was sent. The receiving inreach gets a chime to alert you to an incoming message.

You have to have the device on to receive the message, but you are always "logged in" when the device is on. You can also manually check for new messages as well.