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1. 

   KayakVagabond
   Member

   Would love to hear from any 'Tribers who ditched their SPOT and now have an Inreach Mini.  Would you recommend it?  How's it working for you with the Watertribe tracking map?  Do you have to bag it to prevent water intrusion?

   Battery life was originally an issue for me, but the Mini 2 has improved on the original.  According to Garmin, the Mini 2 provides 14 days of juice on the default 10-minute tracking mode. That said, my SPOT batteries last for an EC and months after.

   I have a SPOT gen 3, and other than the gen 4 update that fixes the odd quirk that you have to power it off/on daily or tracking stops, I don't see a compelling reason to upgrade to another SPOT.

   What's your take?

   Thanks,
   Greg / KayakVagabond

   Posted 2 months ago #
2. 

   PrivateHam
   Member

   Hey Greg,

   I use an InReach Mini and am happy with it. I don't bag it to protect it and keep it attached to my PFD (so it gets plenty wet and beat up on). I keep it in the "extended tracking" mode which, per the manual, indicates it will last 24 days at 30 minute tracking intervals. I use extended tracking mode with 15 or 20 minute intervals and the battery still has plenty of juice after each event. I also carry portable batteries with USB charging for my phone, so I could top it off with that if ever needed.

   I bought the InReach because of the two way texting which is not a big deal during the EC. I do like it for other trips when in the backcountry hiking, camping, etc. The fact that Garmin literally owns the emergency response center that most of the other providers use is nice as well.

   https://boatingindustry.com/news/2021/01/07/garmin-acquires-geos-worldwide/

   The downside is that it's not as easy as hitting a single button once for the OK message like it is on the Spot. In order to send the preset OK message on the Garmin, you have to hit the same button like three times in a row to move it through the menus to send the message. I can pretty much send an OK without looking at the device so it's not a big issue.

   The integration with the phone is pretty great too. You can use their app to request weather updates as well as to send/receive text messages.

   You are welcome to borrow mine for a weekend trip any time if you would like to test it out.

    

   -Mike

   Posted 2 months ago #
3. 

   KayakVagabond
   Member

   Mike, thanks for the feedback and for your kind offer to try your InReach. Much appreciated!

   So it sounds like using the Inreach Mini for an EC, with 10 minute tracking, shouldn't require recharging with a brick during the event (although I do carry one to charge my phone and my gpsmap86).

   Best,
   Greg

   Posted 2 months ago #
4. 

   PrivateHam
   Member

   Greg, given how quickly you complete an event, I can't imagine battery life being an issue. I'm curious myself, though. My mini is at 95% right now. I'll set it to extended tracking at 10 minutes and will leave it outside so it can see the sky and will see how long it lasts. Not sure if it being stationary will make a difference though. I'll post back in a day or two with the battery status.

   Posted 2 months ago #
5. 

   PrivateHam
   Member

   Looks like the experiment might be a bust.. if you don't move for 4 hours it reduces the send interval to 4 hours until you start moving again.

   https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=fxpOTJ33Kf60kr4BnAWU4A

   Posted 2 months ago #
6. 

   AndyMan
   Member

   Nate and I love our InReach, after 2 EC's in firehose conditions on fast cats, still going strong.

   The Relive feature is really neat, and your shore crew can watch you on the Garmin site if the WT tracker jams up.

   The charging cradle for the 86sci chartplotter does not like being submerged in salt water and this has been a issue as the contacts are sensitive, we should have had a dedicated water bottle to keep it rinsed.

   We plan to add a Inreach Mini this year in a dive case for tracking, fully charged it will more than likely last the entire event.

   Our 86sci will have its charging cradle under the deck of our Dovekie so it will be much drier than on the tramp of a SuperCat...

   Can't recommend them enough, after 2 Spots in 2 years on a monohull we upped the abuse 10 fold on catamarans, no issues.

   Hope this helps,

   AndyMan

   Posted 2 months ago #

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