Delorme inReach SE Satellite Communicator

The Spot 2 is ten minutes. I read the new Spot 3 can be changed to 2 minutes.

I thought I read somewhere that 1 minute was the shortest interval. Looking for that info now...but I am sure I read it.

AND...I'm wrong, so status quo...http://support.delorme.com/questions.php?questionid=218

Is it possible that the tracking interval could be shortened with future firmware updates? I realize that a shorter interval reduces battery life but with the possibility of a powered mount in the future this would be a non issue.

Delorme has an Aviation plan that will allow for 1 minute tracking intervals. I don't believe it is listed on the Delorme website. See below for some more info:

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/delorme.htm

Just received, charged up and activated my new inReach SE, and I have a couple of questions for anyone who's been there and done that...

The manual says that after activation (which appears to have been successful) DeLorme sends a welcome message for testing the inReach. And that we can reply to it to test it further. Well, I haven't gotten ANY message yet, and it's been about an hour. Is there a way for me to initiate that test sequence? The manual also says you're allowed five free test messages per month, yet I cannot find any way to send a test message.

Is there any difference in cost between a Preset Message, Quick Text and regular messages? Or is it simply a question of convenience? I see that Preset Messages can be sent to multiple addresses... is there extra cost when using more than one address?

How are you guys liking the inReach SE? I got mine because I'm often riding in an area with no cell service and if something happens, well, I feel better about being able to summon help. Plus I don't have a cell roaming package for when I travel in the States, and the inReach SE would actually serve my limited text messages quite well for that, and at a lower cost than roaming charges on my cell.

Cheers!

It's working (although still no test message received from DeLorme) as I was able to send myself a message.

But going onto the explore.delorme.com website and clicking on the map tab shows that I'm somewhere in the ocean off the coast of Africa, rather than here in Montreal. Weird. I hope I make a trip report from Africa! :)

Your location is 0deg Lat and 0deg Lon until the GPS has time to find itself on the face of the earth. Did you place the inReach where it had a clear view of the sky and wait 30min?

It's been a couple of hours now... and the inReach is clipped on my bike and the bike is out in the middle of the parking lot with a clear sky view in all directions. Other than not having received the welcome test message from DeLorme everything else seems to be working. I can send and receive messages with other people, so the unit has got to be communicating with the satellites. I just checked the map again on explore.delorme and it still shows me as being out in the ocean off South Africa.

Good thing I don't need to send an SOS!

(My Garmin GPS's show my location just fine here.)

I just got the inReach SE today from an American retailer. Is it possible for a Canadian to register the unit under an American address to access the US service plans, or would my credit card address have to match the mailing address used to create the Delorme account? Just a thought, or am I waisting my time. I selected the US for the country and it allowed my to progress to the next step of putting in my mailing address, but I stopped at that step to give it some more thought. Any suggestions?
Thanks

Just realized the country is preset as Canada and I can not change this in the registration. I guess they lock the shipping address to each unit. Disregard above post.
Thanks

Well I set up my account at explore.delorme.com & got an email confirmation. Tried activating the unit outside but keeps getting held up on the waiting for confirmation step. Then when I tried to login to my account said "user account suspended". What the F#%K. Also, when I set up my second emergency contact the additional number I entered kept changing to my own home number. Setup seems to be a little glitchy. Waiting now for a call back from Tech support. I hope it's not as glitchy once setup. Not a good start. :eek1

There's not anywhere near enough documentation with this inReach SE or with the EarthMate app for iPhone. I've downloaded the full manual from DeLorme's site, but it doesn't answer my questions. Frustration!

On the inReach SE itself, in the top status bar sometimes I see "3D" and sometimes there is nothing there. Not mentioned in the manual.

If I log onto the explore.delorme site and look at the map, it shows this:



Again, no explanation of this. I'm in Montreal, but it shows that I appear to be in the ocean off the coast of Africa. And what's that line going to what my actual location is? And that little icon that looks like a text box (with nothing in it)?

Does tracking on the SE need to be turned ON for this to work? I haven't turned it on because all the tracking points cost money and no one else will be following my track. I'm just trying to understand how all this works. If it needs to be on in order for my location to show on the map at explore.delorme, I can live without it because I don't want to be paying for tracks needlessly. Again, I'm just trying to understand how it all works.

And with the EarthMate app (for iPhone) again there isn't enough documentation. For example, do Location Services on the iPhone for the EarthMate app need to be turned ON? If ON, then isn't it using the iPhone's internal gps and cellular to determine location? With location services OFF at the bottom left of the status bar, it *mostly* indicates "GPS Off", and on the right it says "inReach Connected". But some of the time the bottom left status bar reports "Acquiring GPS", and that appears for a LONG time (hours) and then it's back to GPS Off. There is also no "locate me" icon nor does my location appear on the map in EarthMate. So it would appear that location services on the iPhone for the EarthMate app need to be on. I thought this would work without needing to use cellular and/or WiFi connections. Anyone know more about how this works?

I rode home last night with location services turned on and the inReach connected to the iPhone and my location DID appear on the map. I just wonder what would happen if I'm in an area without cell service, or I'm in the States where I do NOT want to be hit with roaming/data charges on the phone.

Thanks for any help understanding this.

Sort of answered part of my own questions... I turned on tracking and sent only one tracking point (then turned it off) and the map on explore.delorme.com updated to show my current position.

The map on the EarthMate app also updated with a yellow dot place marker corresponding to my current position.

But the other questions remain: EarthMate doesn't show my position (other than that one-time yellow dot) as I move, unless I have location services turned on. If that's needed, how does it work when you either don't want to be using cellular services or you're in an area without service? And why does it say "Acquiring GPS" if location services are turned off?

I just spoke with Tech Support and they said they were having trouble with activations on their end? Should be fix today or tomorrow. F#$K sakes I have only been waiting for this unit since April, whats another few day I guess.

"You can always tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs."

Following this thread with interest, and hope you pioneers get these issues worked out. Appreciate your updates, thank you!

Let's see if I can help you out here...Replies inline

Okay, spoke to tech support (here in Canada they answered right away... no waiting!) and got a few things cleared up.

At the top of the display on the inReach SE, in the status bar, to the right of the time display, SOMETIMES there is a "3D" displayed and sometimes there is nothing. (Not mentioned in any manual.) The 3D means you're getting the best satellite connection possible, and the nothing just means it's NOT the best. No idea how lack of service would be displayed. SHRUG

On the map display in explore.delorme.com, your position will NOT display unless you turn on send tracking on the inReach SE. With tracking on or off, sometimes there is an icon which looks like a text box, and you cannot click it or move it. That simply shows your approximate position when you have sent a text message from the inReach SE. (Again not explained anywhere.)

(If you don't need to display your position to others on the map and you don't need it yourself, don't turn on the tracking on the inReach SE, or you will be paying for each track point sent, depending on the plan you have.)

About EarthMate on an iPhone, you MUST enable location services in order for your position to display on the map (and the map is actually quite good I think). They claim that even with location services ON, the phone is NOT using any cellular data, so if you're roaming in another country or in an area without service, not to worry, the inReach SE is supplying all the position data to the phone.

They don't know why I wasn't sent the welcome message to the inReach, but I found a button to click on the explore.delorme.com site to initiate that test message sending. I clicked it ONE time, and ended up with THREE identical messages, all time-stamped the same. And since you're only allowed five free test messages per month, I'm reluctant to try it again as if again three messages are sent, I'll be one over the five limit. The technician I spoke to said that if this happens, just to call and they'll reverse the overage charge.

So other than for the skimpy documentation, I think I'm going to be happy with this new gadget.

Now all I need is a RAM mount for it! (DeLorme is taking pre-orders for it, at $50 a piece. Shipping to Canada is ANOTHER $50!!!!!!!!!!!! So I'm not ordering it. GPSCity.ca says that once it becomes available, they will certainly also be offering it, and their shipping rates are much more fair.)

Dan.... THANKS!!!

(Your way of adding your comments within my original message makes it just about impossible for me to quote your message, but I'll just mention a few things...)

inReach SE's HELP text??? Until you mentioned it, I hadn't even seen there was one. Nor did I realize there was a second page of icons. Thanks very much for pointing that out! And you're completely correct... the help file addresses those status icons. (But they SHOULD be in the Quick Start manual and certainly in the full manual you can download - but they're NOT.)

You mention just deleting that first point... I didn't see any way to delete it. There's no right-click menu on it, nor is there any delete button on the screen. Nor any way to select it. But your position will not display on that map (the one on explore.delorme.com we're talking about) UNLESS you enable tracking and send at least one tracking point. And if it's only for you and not others to view, there's not much point in sending tracking points as each one costs money.

Seeing your location on that map is also possible if you send a message, as you said (and tech support confirmed). But again that should be in one of the manuals (didn't see that in the unit's help file either).

You said to read the Earthmate HELP text and that you do not need Location Services ON. Well, I've read every single page of it and don't see location services mentioned at all. Can you point me to where you saw that? The tech support guy I spoke with at DeLorme said you DO need to turn location services ON in order to see your position on the EarthMate map. And indeed, my own testing now seems to show that.

Thanks very much for your help, Dan. Much appreciated!

Well I did get an email from Tech Support today saying the inReach has been activated. Went outside and the activation was completed in a few minutes. I have been able to send/receive messages and track points appear on the map. . It was a little buggy getting setup but hope things will be OK from here.

Totally missed that as well. Thanks Guys