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battery empty after few hours

7478797
3 months ago

No trackng, no backlight, no bluetooth connection active - but device stored over night in a house switched on - so at starting the tour the battery is nearly empty.

Yes - there was obviously no view to the sky, but it's a safety issue that the messenger sucks empty the battery instead switching to an idle mode and showing a note on the display.

I don't understand what activity at all is running in this situation - it could just be looking for GPS coordinates.

I would like to get an software/safety update fixing this.

  • 0 3 months ago

    The device periodically connects to the Iridium satellite to check for new messages. If it cannot connect to the network it will retry more frequently. This process drains the battery quite fast.

    If you are indoor it most likely cannot connect to the network, so this will quickly drain the battery.

    This is simply how the product and technology works. So if you are inside best turn off the device to conserve battery.

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to JungleJim

    Thanks for the answer.
    My suggestion to Garmin is to change the algorithm to increase availability of the device and by this increase safety. If you forget to switch it off in the car or building you have a bad surprise at starting your tour.

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to 7478797

    If you want to share ideas with Garmin you can do so here: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/

    Concerning safety, I’d say that it’s best to be prepared and to check the battery level well before you start your tour.

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to 7478797

    The problem here is that it IS a safety device. Once the device starts an operation, it (re)tries VERY hard to finish it. This applies to the automatic message check, a manual message check, sending a point, sending a message, or whatever. Every inReach device I have ever seen behaves this way. Pretty sure Garmin is not going to change it.

  • +1 3 months ago

    inReach handhelds are designed to be used outdoors. We suggest testing the device before you head out on your trip, but do so outside. If the device is powered on indoors, the battery will drain noticeably faster as the handheld will not be able to find the signal for sending/receiving messages or tracking points. Additionally, the handheld will have to try a lot harder to find a GPS signal. For more information, see Improving the Battery Life of Garmin inReach Products.

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to Garmin-Chris

    Thanks for the answer. I understand the status quo. My intention was to make a suggestion for improvement.

    Situation: 10-day mountain tour with several overnight stays in a hut. You think the battery will last 28 days, but after one night it is empty. Yes, you check it next morning - and then have to wait 2 hours to recharge it because you didn't expect it to be empty? No - you continue the tour with the useless device.

    Proposal: if the device recognizes that there is no connection, give a message to the user but do not suck empty the battery. In my eyes this would improve safety without disadvantages.

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to 7478797
    7478797 said:
    if the device recognizes that there is no connection, give a message to the user

    but this does already happens, the device informs the user of the situation visually an by sound, so the user can react and switch it off when not needed.

    The device, when switched on, must search for satellites contact, otherwise it would be not able to find out if it is moving or not and if any communication is outstanding

    e.g. how will it otherwise find out it is stationary if it is not allowed to make at least a fix?

  • 0 2 months ago in reply to skyeye

    There are two different issues here. One is the use of the GPS radio. The device does, indeed, check position periodically in order to determine if it is moving or not. I believe (but do not know for sure) that it would not do this if it was not sending track points by satellite. (The moving check is for the purpose of switch to 4 hour send interval if not moving.)

    The other issue is the iR radio. This is a larger power suck that the GPS radio. As previously noted, the device (re)tries very hard to complete any operation it starts. This includes the automatic hourly message check, which cannot be disabled.

    I have no idea if the Messenger device has an audible warning when it has problems with this. I think there probably is a visible warning, but that does not help if you are ignoring the device. And I am unable to confirm the visible warning on Messenger. 

    Bottom line: Turn it off when you are not using it OUTDOORS.

  • 0 2 months ago in reply to 7478797

    The forums are not an official support channel. You can make suggestions here:

    https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/

  • 0 2 months ago in reply to twolpert

    Thanks for the explanation.
    Turning off inhouse is now what I do. But originally I expected from the technical data that I do not have to think about the device during an 1-2 week tour.

    I will propose a different algorithm on the link you shared.