Cost effective remote comms device for occasional use?

[Aushiker]

This morning's update. There is no progress, as I had to cancel my existing subscription. I thought they could transfer the account over, but apparently not. So, something to keep in mind if you are an existing subscriber.

[Aushiker]

All setup at ProtoGear. Their user platform and tracking interface are quite good, and I feel more intuitive than what Garmin offers. You still need to use explore.garmin.com to manage tracks, contacts, preset/check-in messages, and MapShare. So, there are two management points, but the day-to- ona nd day stuff, such as turning your plan on and off, is done at ProtoGear. I think the charging is automatic, depending on the plan chosen and when you turn on tracking and turn it off.

Your most current location (and, by default, the last 7 days) will be visible for friends & family on this website - as soon as the device has been powered on and the menu TRACKING has been activated under open sky. (Data points older than 24 months are automatically deleted, please download regularly by GPX export).

Heading off camping for three days on Monday so will see how it goes.

[Aushiker]

HMD has released its OffGrid product in Australia

Maybe another alternative?

Details at https://www.hmd.com/en_au/hmd-offgrid?sku=8P00000336

[Lamont]

All setup at ProtoGear. Their user platform and tracking interface are quite good, and I feel more intuitive than what Garmin offers. You still need to use explore.garmin.com to manage tracks, contacts, preset/check-in messages, and MapShare. So, there are two management points, but the day-to- ona nd day stuff, such as turning your plan on and off, is done at ProtoGear. I think the charging is automatic, depending on the plan chosen and when you turn on tracking and turn it off.

Your most current location (and, by default, the last 7 days) will be visible for friends & family on this website - as soon as the device has been powered on and the menu TRACKING has been activated under open sky. (Data points older than 24 months are automatically deleted, please download regularly by GPX export).

Heading off camping for three days on Monday so will see how it goes.

G'day Aus,

about to recommence my Inreach activity and found this Protegear- it looks good for my use on their 'Safety' plan-which is what I had with Garmin.

I know you have the 'Tracking' plan but, were the costs as you thought they were?

With Garmin the useage was flawless. Has changing to Protegear raised any connection issues at all?







Thanks.

[ggorgeman]

I've just re-activated my Safety Plan on my Inreach Explorer. A bit of research prior and it looked like I would have to go to one of their newer plans (much higher activation costs etc etc). But I decided to proceed with reactivation to see what happened and it appears that the invoicing remains based on the earlier (cheaper) pricing, which I was happy with. I'm yet to actually see the end of month invoice so will wait and see. I like the Inreach's features and ease of use; not the cheapest option but for my infrequent use I've always felt it was still good value.

[andrewa]

A guy we recently met in NZ used an ACR bivy stick messager. I’d not heard of them before.
It was able to provide him with messaging service where our Iridium Go didn’t….☹️.

In fact the iridium thing was really lousy….whilst we were in a steepish sided valley, we were not in trees, and there was plenty of sky, and sat reception only lasted about 5 mins max before dropping out.

It required a monthly plan, but at least it worked!

Andrew

[Aushiker]

G'day Aus,

about to recommence my Inreach activity and found this Protegear- it looks good for my use on their 'Safety' plan-which is what I had with Garmin.

I know you have the 'Tracking' plan but, were the costs as you thought they were?

With Garmin the useage was flawless. Has changing to Protegear raised any connection issues at all?

It has worked fine for me. The only thing I got caught out on was the suspension of the service, so I had to pay for a month of no use. That was as much my fault as anything but.







Thanks.

[Lamont]

G'day Aus,

about to recommence my Inreach activity and found this Protegear- it looks good for my use on their 'Safety' plan-which is what I had with Garmin.

I know you have the 'Tracking' plan but, were the costs as you thought they were?

With Garmin the useage was flawless. Has changing to Protegear raised any connection issues at all?

It has worked fine for me. The only thing I got caught out on was the suspension of the service, so I had to pay for a month of no use. That was as much my fault as anything but.







Thanks.

Thanks Aus,

do you mean you forgot to suspend the service for a month when you stopped walking-so had to pay for that unused time?

I think this might be the only potential negative-forgetting to deactivate when you're still for a while.

Ta again

[Aushiker]

Yes, that is what happened.

[Lamont]

Yes, that is what happened.

Damn!
Ta for your help.

[Aushiker]

Ausdroid has a 'review' off the HMD Offgrid ...

I can already hear the comments, that this isn’t practical for everyday use and you’re right. But if you’re someone who spends any amount of time in areas where there is no mobile signal, then this is a product that — in the current day and age of connectedness — lands in the realm of a no brainer. Even if you never need it, that safety aspect can’t be overstated.

HMD has done a great job delivering a device that caters for a niche group, who will really appreciate what they have. The up front cost is pretty reasonable at $329.00 and you can easily utilise the month to month subscription if you’re not a frequent traveler; or even share the cost with some friends.

I’m genuinely impressed with this and will happily be investing in one for my bag when I travel, and the potential of being Offgrid in my emergency services role.

[Allchin09]

Thanks. I didn't realise they had the 350 messages for $112 per year. That sounds to be more suitable for the occasional user. Not sure if that includes tracking though.