satellite phone or inreach

Hycntryhtr

Member
Feb 22, 2014
145
0
north colorado
Hey guys, so sept my wife is due with our first. I have permission to hunt every weekend till our little girl is born. But like most places we hunt I don't have cell service. I'm looking into either a sat phone or the Delorme inreach, just in case I'm up in the hi country and need to get back asap. Looking for some help in this decision. Thanks and best of luck this fall. It's almost here!
 

mandrroofing

New Member
Jan 26, 2014
41
0
I have an inreach and live the thing,sometimes its a little slow to connect but still great

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 

Laddy

Member
Nov 19, 2013
93
1
Idaho
Hey, must be getting close if we're talking about communication with the wife! :)

I have a sat phone, an Iridium 9555 which runs me $29.99 a month. They're expensive, at least they were when I bought it; been using it for a few seasons now. I was using a SPOT locator as my "i'm alright" technology.....right before a trip with my nephew, my sister in law asked that I place her cell phone number on the SPOT contacts so she would get the email when we would "check in." So I went into internet explorer and accessed my account on SPOT, saved the addition, and exited. Never really gave it too much thought.....nephew flys in, we head out at the butt crack of dawn for Utah for ten days.

10 days later when we're coming out I can't reach my wife's work number, I call my dad so he can call everyone to tell them we're coming home. His first words are, "You need to call your wife now, everyone in her family has been panicking....we never got one of your check ins." SPOT doesn't support IE, you're suppose to use Chrome, and all the people on the list who were suppose to receive my alerts were deleted. Needless to say I was in hot water for awhile....my Nephew calls it "the trip we ticked off the whole family."

Anyway, satellite phones are great, but pricey.....monthly as well as initial investment. However, you can rent them by the week, which is a great idea for someone only needing it once in a while. I sort of rationalize the expense by thinking back to the long drive home from Utah knowing Thanksgiving dinner was going to be a treat, and I really only use it for 3-4 weeks a year.

If you have any questions let me know, and good luck.
 

eastcoast

New Member
Jul 17, 2015
1
0
Just purchased the In Reach SE. I was solo back in 14 miles scouting blacktail in NorCal and it worked great. You can also suspend your service if you are not using it. I rented a sat phone in the past and it worked great as well but a text is all I needed to say all ok. In Reach is not as costly. If you hunt with partners maybe you could chip in. Good luck with the newborn.
 

RockyMtnGuy

New Member
Jul 27, 2015
9
0
I have used satellite phones a bunch for work. Sometimes the reception sucks and they can drop calls. With text messages, people know exactly what you are saying/writing. If you think you will only need it for this season, consider renting a unit. I know the local raft shop here rents satellite phones. It might be worth checking out.

We are in the process of converting to the inreach setup at work. One advantage is that several people can share the same data plan, so if you have friends who have one you can get together and save $$.
 

sneakypete

Veteran member
Aug 9, 2011
2,811
249
Oakdale Ca.
Question, I'm heading to B.C. Hunting in about four weeks, where is the best place to rent a satellite phone ? And what is a good daily rate?
 

Sawfish

Very Active Member
Jun 9, 2011
767
126
Peoples Republik of Kalifornia
Hey, must be getting close if we're talking about communication with the wife! :)

I have a sat phone, an Iridium 9555 which runs me $29.99 a month. They're expensive, at least they were when I bought it; been using it for a few seasons now. I was using a SPOT locator as my "i'm alright" technology.....right before a trip with my nephew, my sister in law asked that I place her cell phone number on the SPOT contacts so she would get the email when we would "check in." So I went into internet explorer and accessed my account on SPOT, saved the addition, and exited. Never really gave it too much thought.....nephew flys in, we head out at the butt crack of dawn for Utah for ten days.

10 days later when we're coming out I can't reach my wife's work number, I call my dad so he can call everyone to tell them we're coming home. His first words are, "You need to call your wife now, everyone in her family has been panicking....we never got one of your check ins." SPOT doesn't support IE, you're suppose to use Chrome, and all the people on the list who were suppose to receive my alerts were deleted. Needless to say I was in hot water for awhile....my Nephew calls it "the trip we ticked off the whole family."

Anyway, satellite phones are great, but pricey.....monthly as well as initial investment. However, you can rent them by the week, which is a great idea for someone only needing it once in a while. I sort of rationalize the expense by thinking back to the long drive home from Utah knowing Thanksgiving dinner was going to be a treat, and I really only use it for 3-4 weeks a year.

If you have any questions let me know, and good luck.
After reading this post, I sent an e-mail to SPOT customer service asking if they no longer supported IE, and was my SPOT inoperative if I did not have an alternate browser like Google Chrome. As of yet, I have not received a response.
 
Last edited:

ore hunter

Very Active Member
Jul 25, 2014
699
114
ive just got a in-reach,but am just now getting it set up and testing it,,,a bit complicated.
 

sneakypete

Veteran member
Aug 9, 2011
2,811
249
Oakdale Ca.
I checked on the internet and found a satelite phone rental for around $250 a month with 60 free minutes, extra battery all the charging adaptor sand waterproof case. The additional charges were to and return shipping for a total $ 350. It sounds fare, but it also sounds like a lot of $.
 

jaxdialation

New Member
Oct 5, 2015
6
0
Northern Colorado
I got an InReach for my upcoming Elk hunt.
I have tested it out thoroughly, and it works just as advertised.
Instead of my wife worrying, she will prolly be riding me for being lazy :)
 

hoshour

Veteran member
Question, I'm heading to B.C. Hunting in about four weeks, where is the best place to rent a satellite phone ? And what is a good daily rate?
I just did a quick internet check and found rentals as low as $18/wk (Globalcom) but remember that with any company you have to pay for minutes (texts are free with Globalcom) and you pay to ship it back. Some companies charge you for activation or have hidden charges. Be very careful to get ALL the details.

If you rent in Canada you probaby pay in Canadian dollars which are a lot cheaper now but I didn't see a price as low as in the US.
 

Kevin Root

Very Active Member
Jun 22, 2011
868
0
San Jose, California
web.me.com
I'd say if you can afford it and you are going every weekend, go the sat phone route. For you and your family, voice just is always better communication value than a text. If I went more often off the grid, out of cell service than I do I'd get one other than just having the location beacon. And one of these days, I'll gather I will regret putting it off or not renting one when having the extra communication value will come in handy or even life saving.