inReach as a safety device

Hi all,

inReach is advertised as, amongst other things, a service to summon help in the event of an emergency. The Iridium network is global and so it makes sense.

However I am surprised to read stories of people going into the wilds or across oceans where an inReach device is the only bit of kit for emergency comms. Surely a PLB / EPIRB would be what you need and in some cases, required for insurance purposes.

inReach is great but there is no way I would go across an ocean or hike in to the wilds with it as the only option for raising the alarm. There is too much to go wrong with software, firmware, batteries and the overall 'system'. Also, if you read my other posts you'll see how dissatisfied I am with Garmin product support. It must be the worst support service I've ever used and just doesn't fill me with the confidence required. There have been unexplained problems with sending and receiving messages. How can I be sure my SOS messages would get through?

I have a McMurdo Fast Find 220, bought originally for flying across water or in remote areas. Whilst it doesn't offer two-way comms or a verification of distress message received, I see it as a must-have, even where there is mobile / cellular phone coverage. I'd have to check to be sure but I would have thought there are standards the device meets which give me total confidence in its ability to help me should the worst happen. I had cause to phone their technical support a few years ago and I was very impressed. That only adds to my confidence.

I think inReach certainly had its place but I just couldn't rely on it as the last resort. As I say, I am surprised others do.

Does inReach meet any standards and does it have accreditations around the saving of lives? What are other people's thoughts?

Thank you in advance.

0 twolpert over 3 years ago

PLBs are subject to standards and Federal regulation to make sure that they meet the standards. CFR Title 47, chapter 1, subchapter D, part 95, subpart K. There are also requirements that the unique identifier for each beacon must be registered to the owner with NOAA.

I am not aware of any standards or regulatory requirements for iR devices. In order for an iR device to have satellite service, the IMEI must be registered to an active Garmin account, but that's a about it. I have seen some marketing smoke from Roadpost/inReach Canada to the effect that iR devices might help satisfy Canadian "lone worker" regulations.

iR devices are registered with the FCC and have received FCC approval. But this is nothing more than part 15 approval (doesn't interfere with other devices).

The ancestors of iR devices, back when DeLorme owned the technology, actually involved pairing a DeLorme handheld GPS with a SPOT tracking device. While not a true PLB, the SPOT device was a whole lot simpler than today's iR devices. Garmin has slowly merged iR technology with it's standard like of handhelds. As a result, you get all the complexity (and the firmware bugs, and short battery life) of a complicated recreational device.

It's a matter of choosing devices in which you have confidence. PLBs are pretty robust, but with limited range. A signaling mirror or a flare gun is reliable as long as rescue is in sight. IMO, a lot of the issues with Garmin iR devices have to do with the complicated infrastructure required to make them "social" devices - for example, bi-directional world-wide SMS communication, MapShare, or Facebook integration. SOS messages bypass most of that - more or less direct from the Iridium network to GEOS. (Which, of course, is now owned by Garmin.)