LOCALadk Magazine

Fall 2020 LOCALadk Magazine 61 LOCALadk ADK-INSPIRED APPAREL & GOODS Pureadk.com We are seeing that more people are adventuring further and further into the backcountr y, often where cell phone ser vice is unreliable or not available. Whether it be for hiking, skiing, paddling, hunting and fishing, or other similar activities we are getting into the deep woods. This also then means we are getting further away from help. The choice to explore whether with a group or solo is ours of course but with that choice it is important to consider safety. One product we have researched and received feedback from users is the Garmin inReach, a handheld satellite communicator with GPS navigation. The device sends/receives text mes- sages and GPS location coordinates to the Iridium satellite network (used for satellite phone ser vice). This information is then transmitted to ground stations for connection to the in- ternet and text message ser vices. It does not need cell phone network connectivity. The inReach can also be operated in SOS mode. An emergency request is sent to a 24X7 moni- toring ser vice which relays the SOS to relevant local search and rescue ser vices worldwide. Local hiker Joe B who is a 46er many times over shares some of his thoughts on carr ying an inReach. "I have been using my inReach SE for almost four years. I have used it ex- tensively in four-season hiking and I am complete- ly confident in its ability to send tracks and custom messages without failure in all types of terrain and weather. After a message is sent a confirmator y beep signal is sent back from the satellite. This is a ver y important inReach feature because the user is sure that the message got through. I keep my inReach zipped in the top panel of my pack. There is no problem with performance and it is protected from loss or damage. My inReach (I'm not sure of the newer models) has plenty of batter y ca- pacity and performance is not affected even on below-zero temperature days. A typical day hike with 10 -minute tracking and custom messages consumes between 10 -20% of batter y capacity. Settings are available to conser ve batter y power even more for days of use. I use Garmin's Earthmate app on my smartphone to operate the inReach. Typing is awkward on the device (up/down/left/right interface) but it works. As with phone use in general, care must be taken in winter to keep the phone warm to conser ve batter y power. In summar y, after almost four years of use I am completely satisfied with my inReach SE. I have not need- ed it for an emergency but I am confident that the message would get through and result in greatly reduced response time for first-responders to arrive." Gear Review: Garmin inReach By Staff

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