I have another thread where I've been adding short tutorials on the inreach for the last few years.
A few weeks ago, I did a livestream where I activated an Explorer+ in real-time. Once you get to the youtube page, I added section in the description to skip to the good parts. However, I few questions that were posted here recently that were answered.
- can I use the GPS and not activate? Yes. However if you need to use the messaging, SOS, weather, you need to activate. You will see an activation icon on the device which goes away once you actiavte.
- can I download maps? You can sync 3 types of maps from the inreach portal (delorme digital atlas, openstreet map).
- how long does it take for the device to activate? from the video, it took 10 minutes to get the device fully activated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA45d1x0M0M
Post with the other tutorials
https://forums.garmin.com/forum/on-the-trail/inreach/inreach-general-topics/148499-