New Garmin InReach with photo and voice capabilities
- Thread starter bdalameda
- Start date
I have a DeLorme inReach SE that I purchased before they were bought out by Garmin. I carry it with me on all my trips from the Spring to the Fall.
If you're not aware of it, Garmin has a way to cut the costs of operation. You can subscribe to their services on a month-by-month basis. So I suspended my tracking service in September and will reinstate it again in May.
I've never needed to use this for myself, but I was very close to using the SOS feature for a friend who was having heart issues.
Chris
If you're not aware of it, Garmin has a way to cut the costs of operation. You can subscribe to their services on a month-by-month basis. So I suspended my tracking service in September and will reinstate it again in May.
I've never needed to use this for myself, but I was very close to using the SOS feature for a friend who was having heart issues.
Chris
For some reason I had never even given thought to using one for medical issues!
Do you have to pay an activation fee each time you reinstate after suspending tracking?
Yes, there's a charge to reactivate the subscription. It's about the same as the monthly rate. So if you're going to suspend the service for 1 or 2 months, it wouldn't be worth it. But if you're like me, my out of state travels are done till next May. All my riding is in the local area.
I wouldn't use it instead of 911, but if you're out of cell phone coverage, that's where it would be handy. In this case, we were on a trail in the foothills to the east of Mt Rainier. There's no cell phone coverage out there.
I don't use mine for texting. The only way I could see that being useful is if you're broke down, out of cell phone coverage and it is a non-emergency.
FWIW, if you think you ever would need to be airlifted out...you might want to look into the insurance coverage they have for being medivac'd. When the medics airlifted me out on June 8th, it was a $48,000 bill for the helicopter service alone...plus, the costs for the paramedics and ER. Luckily, Social Security covers most of that and TriCare for Life covered most of the rest. I haven't seen a bill for it yet.
Chris
Thanks for the info, I have a medi-vac insurance plan here but I doubt it covers needing an air lift from remote locations.
Actually, I was under the impression it did.
I couldn't see the situation where I'd ever need a medivac. Like, I haven't done a mission trip to somewhere like Africa since before the Fauci-Flu. But when I wrecked in Northern California, there was no real medical facilities locally. And no, I didn't wake up thinking June 8th was a good day to try killing myself. They were thinking I had a head injury, which might've been partially true since it took me 30 days to figure out what happened. But they airlifted me out, and I really didn't have much say in the matter.
Chris
I couldn't see the situation where I'd ever need a medivac. Like, I haven't done a mission trip to somewhere like Africa since before the Fauci-Flu. But when I wrecked in Northern California, there was no real medical facilities locally. And no, I didn't wake up thinking June 8th was a good day to try killing myself. They were thinking I had a head injury, which might've been partially true since it took me 30 days to figure out what happened. But they airlifted me out, and I really didn't have much say in the matter.
Chris
You might want to look into that more, just for peace of mind. If you check the Medicare rules, they need prior approval. Well, that's not going to happen usually. In the Seattle Metro area, there's lots of places they'd take you to very quickly. But in my case, it was quicker to medivac me to another state (Medford, OR) than to drive me to somewhere with more than a clinic.
My point being that there's no need to medivac you out if they can drive you to a hospital. So what's the insurance for? To airlift you to a real hospital facility where they can treat your injuries...not a walk-in clinic where they usually see people with sore throats.
Chris
There was no charge for suspending the Inreach. I suspended mine all the time outside riding season at no cost.
However, with the new plans, there is no option to suspend. You can downgrade the plan to "Enabled", which means the SOS is still functional. An enabled Inreach only plan is ~$8 a month. I've got the SAR 100 plan as well, which is active during "Enabled Only".
However, with the new plans, there is no option to suspend. You can downgrade the plan to "Enabled", which means the SOS is still functional. An enabled Inreach only plan is ~$8 a month. I've got the SAR 100 plan as well, which is active during "Enabled Only".
Last edited: