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wolffie
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PostTue Mar 17, 2015 10:13 am 
BigSteve wrote:
wolffie wrote:
I've had one off by 0.8 mi
Sounds like a multipath error resulting from sat signal bouncing off something, e.g., a cliff
I was traversing a somewhat steep forested north slope (steep enough to be very glad I had a ice ax for descending after I popped a rib). 3 suspects: --steepish north slope --tree canopy --excitement of the moment resulting in SPOT3 unit getting poorly positioned in the top pocket of my pack.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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ranger rock
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PostTue Mar 17, 2015 9:33 pm 
Standing next to a cliff often threw off my old GPS and my SPOT the view of the sky is very limited.

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wolffie
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PostWed Jul 13, 2016 4:28 pm 
Here's another SPOT anomaly: 35 & 36 are way off. I was messing around on a steep slope with high canopy, making cairns and such to mark a spectacular dangerous washout -- dumping the pack, moving around in odd ways -- quite similar to the circumstance I mentioned above. 38-45 are OK; Google maps does not show the PCT detour there down to the new bridge. 12 is also correct -- I was off-route on snow.
35, & 36 are way off -- possibly because I was messing around on steep slope with high canopy, marking a trail washout.  38-45 are OK:  Gurgle Maps does not show the PCT detour down to the new Milk Creek Bridge.
35, & 36 are way off -- possibly because I was messing around on steep slope with high canopy, marking a trail washout. 38-45 are OK: Gurgle Maps does not show the PCT detour down to the new Milk Creek Bridge.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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dla
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PostThu Jul 14, 2016 11:34 am 
Thanks for posting that. That is the strangest error I've ever seen. I don't mess around in that sort of terrain anymore (got old somehow) so your experience is of great interest. By the way, I just got a $10 yearly increase in the price of renewal - no warning or explanation. I think it would've been polite for them to at least announce it ahead of time like Netflix has.

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wolffie
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PostFri Aug 19, 2016 9:50 am 
Yes, I noticed the price increase too, but I think there may havae been an email notification. Last trip was on tame terrain, all trail, no anomalies -- signals got out in forest, but it was east side, thinner canopy. I keep the unit in a deep corner of the map pocket. I should experiment with tossing the pack around, upside-down, sideways, to see if poor orientation of the antenna induces inaccurate GPS locations.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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khp
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PostFri Sep 09, 2016 9:49 pm 
My wife really worries about me when I go solo backpacking or bc skiing so I am thinking about getting the Explorer Inreach. I don't want to update any social websites, or have this tracking me for mapshare. I will not be texting much. The presets would work just fine for me. I would go with the basic safety freedom plan. It sounds like you can put waypoints in the inreach and use it to go to those waypoints. Can the inreach Explorer track me on the unit without sending track points via satellite and then allow me to upload those track points to mapshare or google maps from my computer? I use my old PN-20 for logging my trips and I have important waypoints in there if needed. I really don't want to carry the PN-20 plus Inreach. I love using Greentrail maps and have been playing around with UTM and using my GPS for grabbing the UTM coordinates and then finding that spot on the map. From what I am reading about the Inreach I would be able to do this with that.

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khp
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PostSat Sep 10, 2016 4:40 pm 
Looking a little deeper into the Inreach Explorer and it looks like UTM is not an option. Bummer.

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Luc
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PostSun Sep 11, 2016 9:36 pm 
I recall the inreach can have go-to waypoint function, but it actually doesnt have a map. Just breadcrumb display, which is pretty sad. I've used one primarily for sos and txt but relied on my htx for real gps. Perhaps the spot would be better, esp if you're OK with precomposed mssgs.

GNGSTR
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DigitalJanitor
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PostMon Sep 12, 2016 7:03 am 
khp wrote:
I use my old PN-20 for logging my trips and I have important waypoints in there if needed. I really don't want to carry the PN-20 plus Inreach.
THIS, only I have a PN-40. I keep hoping I'll see an update on the Inreach and we'll finally have a fully capable GPS + emergency communication device in one, in.which case I'll buy. Until then I'm holding off.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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khp
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PostMon Sep 12, 2016 8:21 am 
Yeah I'm holding off too. It will be interesting to see if Garmin after purchasing Delorme expands the Inreach.

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thename
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PostMon Sep 12, 2016 9:36 am 
Just an FYI for anyone still thinking about an inReach: Massdrop has them for a decent discount.

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HitTheTrail
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PostMon Sep 12, 2016 7:28 pm 
You have always been able to bluetooth it with their Earthmate smart phone app and get full GPS capability. I tried it one time as an experiment and it seemed to work fine. But...if you are packing a smart phone anyway it is much less hassle to use Gaia for GPS and the Delorme for communication.

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pcg
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PostMon Oct 03, 2016 3:13 pm 
khp wrote:
Looking a little deeper into the Inreach Explorer and it looks like UTM is not an option.
I have the inReach Explorer and the first thing I did was set the coordinate system to UTM.
khp wrote:
Can the inreach Explorer track me on the unit without sending track points via satellite and then allow me to upload those track points to mapshare or google maps from my computer?
Yes. "Logging" on the inReach means setting an internal track that is not sent to anyone. I have mine set to 10 min., but you can set it down to as small as 1 sec. intervals. According to the manual, you can export this log track via KML or GPX formats, after first uploading it to the Delorme portal(Earthmate map), though I have not tried to do this. "Tracking" refers to what gets sent to others. I have mine set to 1 hr. to save battery power. No need to export it as inReach automatically sends it to your Earthmate map online. I always carry a topo map, but never carry a Smartphone. The biggest drawback to the inReach Explorer is that it does not display maps, only a breadcrumb display of your GPS log. A map would be nice, but not having it is fine for me as I have it for communication, not navigation, with one exception. The high res (as fine as 1 sec logging of position) breadcrumb logging I have used when navigating crevasses, in case I have to go back in low visibility and need to follow my route back. I've never had to rely on this so can't say how accurate it is.

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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Oct 04, 2016 3:54 pm 
pcg wrote:
The biggest drawback to the inReach Explorer is that it does not display maps,
You have a map if you pair the InReach SE with your smart phone Earthmate app via Bluetooth. You just do a onetime map download first before you leave home. In fact the Earthmate app is pretty nifty. On my latest trip I found myself with plenty of time up on Windy Ridge below Mt. Cashmere so I got out my iPhone and Delorme SE, paired them and did some testing. I was chatting with my wife via txt just like we were sitting in opposite ends of a mall. I also sent myself some emails with my position as a test. During all of this I was way out of cell range. Everything worked great. Earthmate gives you all the capibility of your smart phone keyboard and address book. You do not need to have the addresses stored in the Delorme. I did not bring up a map because I had not downloaded it beforehand. I stopped doing that a few years ago because I use Gaia as a standalone GPS mapping/navigation system now.

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