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dla
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dla
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 9:25 am 
I'm a long-term SPOT user (2008) and I have enjoyed the peace of mind that comes with keeping my loved ones in the loop on my adventures, and SPOT has worked perfectly for me. Over the years SPOT has increased the price of their service, and today I received an email notification that the most basic plan will cost $199/yr. So is it still worth it? Or is it time to consider something else?

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HitTheTrail
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 10:22 am 
You can get the Delorme/Garmin InReach basic plan for around $150/year. And have two-way communication with the peace of mind of knowing the other party got your message. As an added benefit other people with the same unit can message each other directly in the backcountry (or world wide). Sort of like long range walkie talkie.

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DIYSteve
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 10:51 am 
What Hit said. inReach 2-way communication > SPOT 1-way communication

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Chico
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 11:36 am 
BCHW has ditched satellite phones and SPOT, going with inReach. Even VHF radios are not all that reliable.

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dla
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dla
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 12:38 pm 
Ok, I'm going to look seriously into InReach - SPOT has hit the tipping point with me.

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dla
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 4:49 pm 
Ouch! SPOT is way cheaper than Garmin's products. I may not like the price increase but it is much cheaper than the outlay for a Garmin unit and service plan.

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HitTheTrail
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 6:49 pm 
Get the original InReach SE. They are much cheaper and quite a bit lighter then the new Garmin unit where they integrated the InReach with their 60CSX looking GPS. The SE is smaller also.

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HitTheTrail
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 6:55 pm 
In fact I know someone on this forum that might be willing to sell his that has only been used a couple of times.

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mike
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 8:32 pm 
Those garmin/inreach units seem like the worst of both. High price, crippled gps, poor/no maps, heavy, expensive subscription. edit: for my use the simple ResQlink PLB is best. No subscription required.

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canadug
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PostFri Jun 02, 2017 8:55 pm 
Get the InReach SE at MEC in Vancouver....359CAD which in Yank money is around $270 So much better and reliable than the SPOT.....Also, MEC still has a lifetime warranty on all they sell. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5033-920/inReach-SE

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dla
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PostSat Jun 03, 2017 10:17 am 
There is no difference in reliability between SPOT and InReach - not going to discuss that as I've "been there, done that" many times. I've discussed this with my family a bunch. Turns out that they mainly like being able to check up on me - "when they want to". Quotes to emphasize that they don't actually check on me most of the time. It's not because it is difficult, (I've created multiple mobile-friendly portals for them), it is because they like the notion of having the ability to see (even though they don't use it ). So adding two-way communication wouldn't add much safety-wise. Two-way would allow my wife to ping me when she is missing me, or tell me the dog died, etc. I was upset when SPOT raised their price for no increase in service. But the change over to InReach appears to be 3x the cost of SPOT. I'm just not seeing it make sense financially, and the increased functionality of InReach isnt worth it to me right now. So unless something changes my thinking, I'm going to stick with SPOT another year.

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Opus
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PostSat Jun 03, 2017 6:48 pm 
I'm in the same boat. My Spot Connect came up for renewal and they wanted $175. Just prior to this I had my credit card stolen and received a new one so they had the wrong number for their billing and simply canceled my account. Now it's $199 to renew. Since Garmin bought deLorme they've released upgraded versions of the inReach. They don't seem significantly better to me, unless I'm missing something. They have the old version of inReach SE for $250 on clearance lots of places now. Anyone think it's worth buying the new Garmin version? The price difference is an entire year's worth of service.

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mike
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PostSat Jun 03, 2017 8:18 pm 
Opus wrote:
released upgraded versions of the inReach. They don't seem significantly better to me, unless I'm missing something.
You're not. Garmin added some very basic gps features. Your phone will do better and you'll probably have it along anyway.

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Brian Curtis
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PostSun Jun 04, 2017 9:22 am 
dla wrote:
There is no difference in reliability between SPOT and InReach - not going to discuss that as I've "been there, done that" many times.
There is a HUGE difference between the SPOT and inReach. If you send an OK message with the SPOT it does not let you know if it fails. If the inReach fails it lets you know it failed. I've seen this play out and cause a big problem in real life with the SPOT. I've also had the two way communication with the inReach became very valuable when there was a problem at home. The inReach is a far better product.

that elitist from silverdale wanted to tell me that all carnes are bad--Studebaker Hoch
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Opus
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PostSun Jun 04, 2017 7:02 pm 
mike wrote:
You're not. Garmin added some very basic gps features. Your phone will do better and you'll probably have it along anyway.
Yeah, seems like the biggest change between the "deLorme" and "Garmin" inReach versions are the shape of the unit and a slightly bigger screen. I'm guessing slightly upgraded internals too but doesn't seem significant. I already use my phone for navigation and just want this for emergency use and possibly the tracking feature for future long trail hikes. Seems like switching to the older model inReach SE would be worth it. It's $250 to buy and $130 yearly for the basic subscription. Spot basic service is now $200 yearly so eventually the inReach is cheaper and has 2-way messaging.

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