If I were invited to join a boat as crew for an offshore trip, after an iPhone, a Garmin Inreach Mini2 would be the next piece of personal safety and electronics that I would bring along.
Purchase Cost: $432 including CA sales tax, on Amazon.
Monthly Subscription: $15 to $65 per month, purchased directly via the Garmin web site.
I chose a midrange plan at $35 per month that can be canceled any time.
Recharge: USB-C cord.
Battery LIfe: Supposed to last 5-6 days if the unit is untouched, but use of the device for messages appears to shorten that timeframe.
I didn’t set out to write a positive glowing review of the inReach Mini 2. I wanted a “can attach to my lifejacket and forget about” satellite communicator, and the Mini2 is that, but with a lot more than I expected. It responds to many of the basic communications and navigation questions that an offshore sailor would want to know:
This is not the same system that EPIRB and PLB’s use (Cospas-Sarsat), and one would probably want to have a fully-fledged EPIRB for a boat, but still. An SOS button with pre-set contact information from a company with a huge installed user base is fairly reassuring to me.
This feature will not work if the unit does not have a clear view of the satellite sky.
Apps-bluetoothing-to-devices feels a little flakey for me as someone who grew up installing-drivers-for-devices in poorly-performing Windows PC environments. The thing is, modern bluetooth seems to work really well. Add the app to your phone, turn on your bluetooth and shazam, everything is there.
With an app connection in the iOS environment, developers have much greater capacity for user interface design, settings etc. than is afforded by the tiny low-battery-use LCD screen with several buttons that is integrated into the Mini unit itself. Sending texts (including three user-customized pre-set messages) is also possible without an iPhone and the app, but it is more laborious.
Compared to passive tracking this method provides the recipient of the tracking information with more data in that the sender must be well enough to type the message or press the button.
Once one has the device registered and activated, a Garmin website profile can be set up where messages sent to the device can also be read, and a unique URL link can be set for the device, such as: https://share.garmin.com/tomvilhauer
There is also an option to get a Marine forecast for a dollar per download, showing a 7 day forecast with wind speed and direction, as well as wave height. One needs to be 5 miles offshore for this to work, and I haven’t yet had the opportunity to test it.
Disadvantages / Drawbacks
It’s not a "real" PLB/EPIRB and and it’s not totally waterproof. It’s supposed to be waterproof to an IPX7 standard, which means, google tells me, “waterproof when submerged in water at a depth of one meter, for 30 minutes.” So, don’t take it SCUBA diving.
Without the iPhone app, it’s a bit finicky for lack of buttons and with a small LCD screen.
All that said, for a tiny come-along satellite modem for my phone for texting etc? In all, it seems like good value.
Purchase Cost: $432 including CA sales tax, on Amazon.
Monthly Subscription: $15 to $65 per month, purchased directly via the Garmin web site.
I chose a midrange plan at $35 per month that can be canceled any time.
Recharge: USB-C cord.
Battery LIfe: Supposed to last 5-6 days if the unit is untouched, but use of the device for messages appears to shorten that timeframe.
I didn’t set out to write a positive glowing review of the inReach Mini 2. I wanted a “can attach to my lifejacket and forget about” satellite communicator, and the Mini2 is that, but with a lot more than I expected. It responds to many of the basic communications and navigation questions that an offshore sailor would want to know:
- Where am I?
- Can I call for help if I need it?
This is not the same system that EPIRB and PLB’s use (Cospas-Sarsat), and one would probably want to have a fully-fledged EPIRB for a boat, but still. An SOS button with pre-set contact information from a company with a huge installed user base is fairly reassuring to me.
- Can my friends and family track my location passively?
This feature will not work if the unit does not have a clear view of the satellite sky.
- Can I communicate with my friends and family in non-emergency situations?
Apps-bluetoothing-to-devices feels a little flakey for me as someone who grew up installing-drivers-for-devices in poorly-performing Windows PC environments. The thing is, modern bluetooth seems to work really well. Add the app to your phone, turn on your bluetooth and shazam, everything is there.
With an app connection in the iOS environment, developers have much greater capacity for user interface design, settings etc. than is afforded by the tiny low-battery-use LCD screen with several buttons that is integrated into the Mini unit itself. Sending texts (including three user-customized pre-set messages) is also possible without an iPhone and the app, but it is more laborious.
Compared to passive tracking this method provides the recipient of the tracking information with more data in that the sender must be well enough to type the message or press the button.
Once one has the device registered and activated, a Garmin website profile can be set up where messages sent to the device can also be read, and a unique URL link can be set for the device, such as: https://share.garmin.com/tomvilhauer
- Can I get weather information?
There is also an option to get a Marine forecast for a dollar per download, showing a 7 day forecast with wind speed and direction, as well as wave height. One needs to be 5 miles offshore for this to work, and I haven’t yet had the opportunity to test it.
Disadvantages / Drawbacks
It’s not a "real" PLB/EPIRB and and it’s not totally waterproof. It’s supposed to be waterproof to an IPX7 standard, which means, google tells me, “waterproof when submerged in water at a depth of one meter, for 30 minutes.” So, don’t take it SCUBA diving.
Without the iPhone app, it’s a bit finicky for lack of buttons and with a small LCD screen.
All that said, for a tiny come-along satellite modem for my phone for texting etc? In all, it seems like good value.
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