inReach Mini Maximum Email Length.

My last crossing of the Atlantic was a inReach Mini success (SMS, emails, tracking), I am now contemplating receiving weather forecasts and routing via email for the next crossing.

Is there a device and/or plan limit on email length (similar to txts/SMS)? And if there is a plan one, does it also apply to the Expedition plan?

0 twolpert over 2 years ago

Not sure what you are asking.

Messages sent from iR devices are limited to approximately the length of an SMS message - roughly 140 characters. The available text length varies with the number of recipient addresses for the message.

Messages sent to the device have a similar limitation. Responses to an iR weather request appear to be an exception, but are not. Weather information is a special case which is sent via multiple messages.

You cannot send an email directly to the iR device. You must use the "reply web page". When you send a message from an iR device to email, the email contains a link to such a reply page. Although I have never tried it, I think you will find that the reply page has a similar limitation. If it does not, I believe that the text will be broken into multiple messages, each of which will be charged separately.

All of these limitations are built into the Iridium short message text mechanism, which is what the iR devices use for satellite communication. It is not a matter of your plan.

0 Duvelo over 2 years ago in reply to twolpert

Thanks Twolpert.

It sounds like any satellite communication (SMS or email) is limited to approximately 140 characters, regardless of where it is initiated (iR or contact).

Also in the scenario of an iR to weather-routing service request for information (typically longer email - I am not referring to the Garmin weather option but to third party weather and routing services), a "reply" message from the service (certainly) exceeding the size limit will be truncated and the excess will be sent in compliant chunks. Maybe.

Did I get that right?

Thanks again.

0 twolpert over 2 years ago in reply to Duvelo

As far as I know, yes.