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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 19769
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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What's monthly cost of spot and inreach?
A cheapo irridium sat phone plan is $60month for 20 minutes per mo, not sure how text msgs are billed.
I think the sat handset is high up front cost.
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DirkEXC
Junior Nomad
Posts: 64
Registered: 12-14-2006
Location: Sherman Oaks, Ca.
Member Is Offline
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The battery charging point is a good one. On my bike I have a battery tender. Battery Tender makes a USB charging adapter for their pig tail which I
have.
I can now charge my phone, and Delorme from my bike. In Baja if I'm separated from my bike I must be dead so this is as good as it gets.
They make one with clips for car batteries as well.
http://www.amazon.com/BATTERY-TENDER-Plug-Adapter-Charger/dp...
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Pappy Jon
Nomad
Posts: 494
Registered: 8-27-2003
Location: Wrong side of the Continental divide.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Temp rising.
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Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  |
=========
Pappy, can you turn off and on tracking to save $ or does one have to buy by the year/month etc
And now that Garmin owns the company I guess it will all change?? |
I can't speak for the annual plans since I use month to month as I want it.
They have four plans ranging in cost from $15/mo to $100/mo depending on what you want. At the $15/mo base rate you don't get tracking as part of the
monthly fee, but it is available at 10 cents a point. Text messages are limited to 10/mo, plus unlimited preset messages.
My preferred plan runs $35/mo and I only turn it on for the two months I'm in Mexico. That gives me unlimited tracking, which I consider a necessity,
along with 40 text messages. I also get unlimited preset messages, which I use as "I'm OK" messages I send twice a day.
| Quote: Originally posted by BajaGringo |
I do remember when we used the Delorme device it was always dinging us with extra fees, taxes and charges and usually with no explanation. And then
there were the firmware updates. (Grrrr) |
I have no idea what BajaGringo is talking about with extra fees. Sales tax yes, plus a 95cent "Fed USF Cellular" fee, but no other mystery fees. My
$34.95 base charge is only $38.48 on my credit card. While the cost of the inReach is more than a SPOT, not having an annual contract has paid the
difference in the two years since I've owned it.
Plus, the firmware updates have been a great feature. Delorme listened to its customers and improved the functionality of the device. All the firmware
updates are done off the PC, not on air, and cost nothing.
The battery argument is valid, and it was a concern when I bought mine. But, I did not purchase it for extended backpacks. It lives in a RAM mount on
my dash, always plugged in, so frankly, I don't care about the battery.
Old news. I don't believe this is still true. Yes, there is an ad attached to the end of the texts, but I don't believe it comes out of the allowable
number of characters. I think it is now added after the message is sent. As with the firmware updates, Delorme listened to its customers and made
changes.
Jury is out on the Garmin acquisition. I love my Garmins, but ...
[Edited on 3-5-2016 by Pappy Jon]
"The association of flowers and warm-blooded love is more than a romantic convention; it is based upon one of the great advances in the evolution
of life." Ed Abbey
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BajaGringo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3922
Registered: 8-24-2006
Location: La Chorera
Member Is Offline
Mood: Let's have a BBQ!
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| Quote: Originally posted by Pappy Jon |
They have four plans ranging in cost from $15/mo to $100/mo depending on what you want. At the $15/mo base rate you don't get tracking as part of the
monthly fee, but it is available at 10 cents a point. Text messages are limited to 10/mo, plus unlimited preset messages.
My preferred plan runs $35/mo and I only turn it on for the two months I'm in Mexico. That gives me unlimited tracking, which I consider a necessity,
along with 40 text messages. I also get unlimited preset messages, which I use as "I'm OK" messages I send twice a day.
| Quote: Originally posted by BajaGringo |
I do remember when we used the Delorme device it was always dinging us with extra fees, taxes and charges and usually with no explanation. And then
there were the firmware updates. (Grrrr) |
I have no idea what BajaGringo is talking about with extra fees. Sales tax yes, plus a 95cent "Fed USF Cellular" fee, but no other mystery fees. My
$34.95 base charge is only $38.48 on my credit card. While the cost of the inReach is more than a SPOT, not having an annual contract has paid the
difference in the two years since I've owned it.
Plus, the firmware updates have been a great feature. Delorme listened to its customers and improved the functionality of the device. All the firmware
updates are done off the PC, not on air, and cost nothing.
The battery argument is valid, and it was a concern when I bought mine. But, I did not purchase it for extended backpacks. It lives in a RAM mount on
my dash, always plugged in, so frankly, I don't care about the battery.
Old news. I don't believe this is still true. Yes, there is an ad attached to the end of the texts, but I don't believe it comes out of the allowable
number of characters. I think it is now added after the message is sent. As with the firmware updates, Delorme listened to its customers and made
changes.
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For those of you who only come south of the border once or twice a year, that Delorme/Garmin plan may make sense. For those of us who live and work
down here year round, that service plan would eat me up. I just now checked and with the current pricing and my usage, I would be paying well over
$400 annually in service fees alone with that unit.
I am happy that you don't need tracking outside of the safe confines of your vehicle but many of us have to venture out on foot well away from any
roads or trails and on occasion for days at a time. For us, the battery is a big issue.
As far as the billing issues. let me see if I kept any of my old bills from Delorme where mysterious charges ranging from 99 cents to 2.99 would pop
up. I could never get an answer back from their customer service other than they would get back to me - and they never did one time with an
explanation to my satisfaction.
As far as the firmware updates, perhaps the newer units now have the glitches fixed. In the past I dealt with several updates that left my unit frozen
and twice I had to send it in to be able to use it again. What I recall is that the that the second time they sent it back to me they did not include
the update and recommended that I not attempt to install it. A real problem for those of us who were using the units on a daily basis.
Glad to hear they dropped the policy of advertising on my dime. I found that especially irritating.
Looks like Delorme/Garmin will work for folks who only come down once or twice a year. Full timers, not so much...
[Edited on 3-6-2016 by BajaGringo]
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KurtG
Super Nomad
Posts: 1211
Registered: 1-27-2004
Location: California Central Coast
Member Is Offline
Mood: Press On Regardless!!
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I use my Spot year round in the US as well as Mexico so it appears that it is still the most cost effective for my needs. I'm still going to call
them and complain however.
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6189
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retireded
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This is a good discussion. I have been wondering which system would be best for me, and you guys have thrown out a few answers to questions I had not
thought to ask yet!
Since I fall into the occasional off-roader category, it sounds like the Delorme would be the way to go.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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willardguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6451
Registered: 9-19-2009
Member Is Offline
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absolutely! along with Spot/deLorme/Garmin I'd carry a sat phone along with both CDMA/GSM cell phone.....you know, to really enjoy the very last
little bit of adventure left down here while plotting your trip on google earth overlays on some navigation gizmo that tells you where to point your
HD satellite dish.
different strokes! salud 
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KurtG
Super Nomad
Posts: 1211
Registered: 1-27-2004
Location: California Central Coast
Member Is Offline
Mood: Press On Regardless!!
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| Quote: Originally posted by willardguy | absolutely! along with Spot/deLorme/Garmin I'd carry a sat phone along with both CDMA/GSM cell phone.....you know, to really enjoy the very last
little bit of adventure left down here while plotting your trip on google earth overlays on some navigation gizmo that tells you where to point your
HD satellite dish.
different strokes! salud |
Come on with the snarky attitude. As I have pointed out in another discussion here about the Spot I use it to let my wife and daughter know where I
am and that I'm ok since I motorcycle solo in semi remote areas both in Mexico and the US. It is not a navigation device. It has the ability to
signal for assistance but I have never needed that function and hope not to. I've carried the device for six years now.
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willardguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6451
Registered: 9-19-2009
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by KurtG | | Quote: Originally posted by willardguy | absolutely! along with Spot/deLorme/Garmin I'd carry a sat phone along with both CDMA/GSM cell phone.....you know, to really enjoy the very last
little bit of adventure left down here while plotting your trip on google earth overlays on some navigation gizmo that tells you where to point your
HD satellite dish.
different strokes! salud |
Come on with the snarky attitude. As I have pointed out in another discussion here about the Spot I use it to let my wife and daughter know where I
am and that I'm ok since I motorcycle solo in semi remote areas both in Mexico and the US. It is not a navigation device. It has the ability to
signal for assistance but I have never needed that function and hope not to. I've carried the device for six years now. |
I get that kurt....and I also bet you get my point? 
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PaulW
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3113
Registered: 5-21-2013
Member Is Offline
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My experience
Living in San Felipe the cell coverage is just fine until one heads west. Once one gets beyond the mountains or even hills there is no coverage. (My
radio has better coverage than the phone just about everywhere). My conclusion is a cell phone is worthless for my travels. I don't even take it with
me. So I rely on my SPOT with tracking option. Inreach is obviously better and way more expensive for year around coverage. And I am still to cheap to
get a sat phone even if it cost less than inreach.
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Mark_BC
Nomad
Posts: 137
Registered: 12-1-2013
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Is Offline
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I looked into the Spot satellite phone. I think that is more in line with what I would want since it isn't really more expensive than the Delorme.
$500 Canadian to buy it then you have your monthly plan. But it looks like Mexico is not in the home zone so you're going to be paying $1.50/min
Canadian every time you talk to someone. But for an emergency that would be worth it. But is seems that text messages are free, which would be good
enough for me unless something out of the ordinary happens and you need to talk to someone. If I break my leg out there I doubt racking up $100 in
phone bills is going to be high on my list of concerns.
I don't really need all the GPS options the Delorme has, I have a separate GPS device, I'd want the unit more for just communication and updating my
location to a website map.
http://www.findmespot.ca/en/index.php?cid=132
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