Best Way to be Tracked when both Parties are off cellular?

Afternoon!  I am unsure where this would be suited to post.  I asked a Garmin representative for help and after buying equipment, I think he misunderstood what I wanted or I am unable to put this all together.  So, I hope that someone here can tell me what I need.

Equipment currently owned -

     Fenix 6S Pro Solar - Inreach Explorer+ - Inreach Mini2

What I want to accomplish -

     I want to go hiking by myself towards a destination on a map and be picked up by my husband.  Neither of us will have cellular service so he will need the ability to track me.  And, as with anything, the less amount of $ I can spend the better.  :)  

According to the Garmin representative, the mini 2 has the capability to track my watch...?  or that is how I understood him.  However, now that I have bought the mini2 I am struggling with verifying that.  

Any help would be wonderful!!  Thank you all so much!

  • You watch is not "trackable" unless there is cell or WiFi coverage. Then it be via Connect, I think.

    In order to be "trackable" otherwise, you will need to carry one of the inReach devices. It does not matter (much) which one it is. 

    On a personal account, there is no way for one iR device to know the location of another. On a professional account, I believe that two devices on the same account can "see" one another provided that that both devices are sending track points. However, I don't have access to a professional account - so I could easily be wrong.

    For your scenario, the best solution is probably for each of you to carry one of the iR devices. You can send iR to iR messages to keep your husband posted on your progress. The Explorer+ has maps. I believe that it would be able to display the location from which a received message was sent. It's a legacy device. I no longer have an active legacy device, so I can't check that. Either way, the iR message does carry location information which can be examined on the receiving device.

  • group tracking

    this is a function which was available with byte paid professional accounts. We have such account with delorme devices, and there is a tab on the explore website for it. This is not the cheapest thing in the world. It causes lot of iridium traffic and all this needs to be paid for.

    The current professional accounts do not have this feature any more. The tab for setting it up is simply missing. The reason is that today the plans say you can send infinite track points, but is meant the one devices. If someone would start using group tracking, this will immediately cause multiple amount of iridium traffic which would not be covered by the plan.

    If still needed, sales at Garmin can arrange for special plan for the devices in question and group tracking can be organized.

    so for normal operation, sending preset msg also to the inreach address of the other device would be probably most economic solution.

  • Did you find a solution? My husband and I want to do the same.  I've searched and searched for a solution for my husband to have live tracking of my route when each of us may not have cell service. So far,  I'm still searching. Thanks

  • The only solution is the one suggested by @skyeye (whom I cannot tag, for some reason). Apparently this now requires both a professional account AND a special plan which allows for group tracking. Group tracking is apparently no longer a "standard" feature of professional accounts. 

    With a normal personal account, there is no way to see the "sent" track if you do not have Internet access. If you have no cell coverage, you have no Internet access. So you cannot see the MapShare page.

    Everything I can think of gives a "point in time" location, not a continuous view of the sent points.. You can send iR-to-iR messages giving your location at that time. You can have somebody at home watch both MapShare pages, and periodically send MapShare to iR messages with location. Neither of these really satisfies your requirement for continuous location information for the other device.

  • The just released Tread Baja devices can do group tracking over Iridium,  so it is physically possible,  but Garmin changes the rules so often I have no idea if any other devices have been able to do this or ever will. 

    I so want this in a handheld device...

  • Yes, I had a look on this Baja devices and it makes really group tracking as it used to be or still is with per byte charged accounts. It costs not even too much, I think it was something like 110$

    As the byte charged account still can simply use this function too, the system of the servers can definitely handle it without problems.

    I did contact sales for that and was told that they can switch it on even for current professional accounts without any technical problems, but we have to make some extra contract for it with garmin sales. I was not told any price tag however...

    So if this would just make 110 instead of some 70-80, this would be sure a solution even for handhelds.

  • not sure I am allowed to suggest also other method of mutual tracking.

    I have here a box with so called Gotenna ( https://gotennapro.com/products/gotenna-pro-x2 )

    those are mesh devices, they communicate on various frequencies and so a group can have same information. It does not use any satellite network to exchange information, but transmits it via something similar to LoRa. It is operated by a smartphone where one can see all members of the group in a app.

    Similar thing is in fact LoRa based Meshtastic, devices someting like 20$ and otherwise no charge.

    I have Gotenna Pro devices here for our rapid response teams, however somehow they did not get the 'taste' of it so far.

  • No easy answer yet.  although some great information from others.

  • Just an idea: If you are traveling/following a course/track, the course/track could be installed on both devices. Then send a iR message with location data to the other iR device. 

    And then:

    support.garmin.com/.../

    This works with all iR devices (except the new iR messenger, which target audience seems not to need this functionality).