Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,955
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Post by Westy on Dec 15, 2020 6:33:15 GMT -8
almostthere Thanks for the post, very informative. I like the non-emergency crisis suggestion!
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almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
Posts: 696
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Post by almostthere on Dec 15, 2020 7:02:42 GMT -8
By the way, the InReach Mini does not require the phone. The phone makes it easier to text, but if you texted on those old flip phones, using the device itself without a smart phone is pretty much just like that. And you can also pre-program five (or is it six?) set messages, and one of those can be, "We are having a non-emergent crisis that will prevent our continuing on foot as planned, please contact dispatch and have them send help plz" - which is being nice to SAR teams if you have a problem keeping you from continuing but is not life threatening. Actually the phone is very helpful in dealing with waypoints and tracking as well. Far from perfect but better and more powerful than the built in display. Actually you get three unlimited messages. These have to be set with a browser via the Garmin Explore site. I can do this with my phone's browser if there is service to change them on the fly. The unlimited messages have to be less than or equal 160 characters and can be addressed to multiple recipients. The recipients can be either email or SMS/txt. I think the intent of these is more day to day. One of mine is "I am here and I am fine". The messages include GPS location.
At first I instructed my wife to not respond to any of my msgs unless she had something really important but I found that sometimes I would like to hear back from her. So we changed it to if I end a msg with +1 it was an invitation to answer back. These type of msgs go toward msg count.
Actually if you need SAR you should likely trigger an SOS. The first thing they do is see if you can answer back by sat message. if you can then they start a dialog with you about the nature of the incident. All messages during an emergency event are no charge.
I don't bother using it as a GPS except to check the coordinates against a map. Waypoints are set in a different app and I don't use tracking as it eats a ton of battery. So I wouldn't have known that. Good information.
As a former SAR volunteer I can tell you that nuanced info is very important to triage and prioritize, and also, telling the people at home lets them give dispatch the choice of giving you a text for further info. As happened to me during the Creek Fire - the deputy gave Mom her phone number, which Mom gave to us, which we used to communicate directly with the sheriff's office for four days while we were figuring out which direction to go. We exited over Piute Pass and gave the helicopters more room for others. Having the message passed through home also gave home reassurance that we were ok. Once we're talking directly to the deputy, home gets no real updates - that was a complaint made by our three families, that they would call and get no information. Having the overage charges on the service plan was fine by us afterward, because responding to texts made it much easier to reassure and also to get more information on the fire and road closures as the deputy was only doing brief check ins and not telling us much. I think it added twenty bucks to the bill, after getting a few hundred texts back and forth...
SAR teams are not infinite and we would end up with the quandary of how many people to send. SAR very much appreciates not having a 911 where none is needed - showing up with everyone to find out the party just needs something we could have handled with six people is a waste of taxpayer dollars. The first thing they do is answer by sat message in some cases... not all, as all teams in varying jurisdictions have varying funding and thus varying ability to do anything, really. I always paid for all my gear and training, because we're just not wealthy here. I'll only be 911-ing if it is legitimately a case of needing rapid evac - cardiac issues, serious medical issues, or the person absolutely cannot walk another mile.
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ErnieW
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I want to backpack
Posts: 9,875
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Post by ErnieW on Dec 15, 2020 8:05:29 GMT -8
I believe that unlike the PLB system both InReaches and Spots go first to their own service centers. If you trigger an SOS and can't respond a full blown rescue is initiated. If you can respond they supposedly can arrange appropriate help. Unfortunately this may be one weak spot in these systems. With such diverse set of agencies they may need to contact this might be easier said than done.
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rangewalker
Trail Wise!
Agitate, organize and educate.
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Post by rangewalker on Dec 17, 2020 12:23:54 GMT -8
How long did the battery update take? I'm deciding whether to have the battery changed or upgrade to this year's model. It should have taken 10 days. I got a UPS notice that it was ready for pickup from the Houston ship electronics shop that did the work. Then a hurricane destroyed the shop? I did get the unit six weeks later. The work had been done. My insurance covered a new one. I gave it to my Daughter. I do question the shop story, they did close after the storm. They fought my claim. Same month, I sold a gun through a dealer here. The store I bought it from in Tucson reported it stolen twenty years ago. So I had a week of my insurance company, local police and BATF.
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