Footpeg Diaries

How does the price of a satellite phone compare to that of the Garmin InReach?

Grunder said:

How does the price of a satellite phone compare to that of the Garmin InReach?

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InReach Mini 2 is on special at Navworld for R7,600 - when I researched Sat phones, the pricing was R30k and upwards.

AdvGramps said:

I'd love to hear @WildWood experience with this, as I went and bought one on Friday - I understand 100% that the emergency services in SA are in general a disaster. My main reason for getting one is for when I'm riding solo to be able to check in with the family, when there's no cellphone signal, they can track my riding and if something would to happen that I can share a location with my contacts, who can more easily co-ordinate a rescue or recovery. I've been with 3 friends that have crashed and each time there was zero cellphone signal - was a nightmare trying to coordiate the location with the ambulance, as the calls were made 20 to 30km's from the crash site. It's definitely not a fool proof solution and is most certainly not as reliable as in other parts of the world, but it is at least a more reliable means to communicate, when one's out of cellphone signal. It's one of those devices you hope you never have to use, pretty much like short-term insurance. Well that's my view on this, I might be totally out of touch with reality.

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i believe it works well for that application.
If you want emergency response you’re in for a nasty surprise!

Noneking said:

i believe it works well for that application.
If you want emergency response you’re in for a nasty surprise!

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Absolutely, that's my intended use - whether one has an InReach or cellphone signal there's little chance of having much success with the emergency services.

The last incident was just outside Cullinan, took them over 3 hours to get there, their protocol is to send you a link via SMS / WhatsApp to confirm the patients location, after much deliberation we eventually got them to agree to accept the location where I had cellphone signal to meet the ambulance and then take them to my mate - not even What3Words was an option with Netcare - I just recieved an "eish" when I asked the operator if I could share the phrase from What3Words.

Fillmore said:

Hi Pierre, ek neem aan julle het redes om nie iets soos Garmin InReach te gebruik nie? Sal graag jou mening hoor.

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Hoesit!

Ja, daar is 'n plek vir sattelietgebaseerde noodkontaktoestelle. Ek weet net nie of dit miskien bietjie overkill is in die groter RSA nie...?
Ons was darem nie in Kaokoland, of in die rooi duine van Botswana se Kgalagadi nie. Net 'n vinnige back-track van selfoonsein af.

As jy jou location wil share met die familie, is daar baie apps wat jy kan gebruik, en as jy uit selfoonsein uit is, is dit redelik maklik vir hulle om uit te werk waarheen jy oppad is en wat jou posisie behoort te wees.

As jy alleen ry, is dit natuurlik 'n ander storie. Dan kan jy nie gaan soek vir hulp nie, dit moet na jou toe kom. Ons ry omtrent nooit alleen nie, maar wanneer ons wel in die wildernis is (Woestyn of die ander dele van Afrika) het ons gewoonlik so 'n sattelietmasjientjie in die groep.

I have never heard of what3words until now. If a Netcare operator does not know about it, then clearly it is not used here for emergencies.

AdvGramps said:

I'd love to hear @WildWood experience with this, as I went and bought one on Friday - I understand 100% that the emergency services in SA are in general a disaster. My main reason for getting one is for when I'm riding solo to be able to check in with the family, when there's no cellphone signal, they can track my riding and if something would to happen that I can share a location with my contacts, who can more easily co-ordinate a rescue or recovery. I've been with 3 friends that have crashed and each time there was zero cellphone signal - was a nightmare trying to coordiate the location with the ambulance, as the calls were made 20 to 30km's from the crash site. It's definitely not a fool proof solution and is most certainly not as reliable as in other parts of the world, but it is at least a more reliable means to communicate, when one's out of cellphone signal. It's one of those devices you hope you never have to use, pretty much like short-term insurance. Well that's my view on this, I might be totally out of touch with reality.

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I had a really bad experience the on and only time I had to use the InReach. The hardware part my 700i Montana worked perfectly but the support from Garmin was diabolical.
They responded within a minute (very good) but downhill from there. We were in a remote Lesotho mountain range with a foreign guest who was unconscious, dropping vitals and broken bones. The responder (text) assured me a helicopter was on route with eta of 90 minutes. We kept in regular coms and they kept reassuring me help was on route. After 2 hours eta for the chopper became another 3 hours. My wife and a mate (ex mountain search & rescue) who I rely on as my local liaison in the mean time contacted Garmin USA and the truth slowly unfolded. Garmin apparently had no idea where Lesotho was and had contacted 'Sea Rescue' in Cape Town. The beacon sent from the InReach seems a bit vague. My home base contacted Grant Tyson at Search & Rescue and he gave us a good dose of reality. The supposed SADF helicopters were never going to get to us on the same day as they had to arrange permissions to enter Lesotho airspace. I managed to contact the Lesotho Airforce by some good fortune and local knowledge and within 40 minutes a very welcome Bell with 3 paramedics arrived and all ended well.

And here's the great part. I have never heard from Garmin again about the matter. We simply left the seen and road through the night to our destination. No conclusion, feedback or followup. Certainly a lesson learnt and I now once again carry my sat phone wherever I go.

What the InReach is good for is to send messages to loved ones like 'reached camp safely' but I'd be nervous to rely on it if I'm in a real tight spot. They simply don't seem to be geared for Africa. I'm sure if you had a ski accident in Europe you'd have a chopper in minutes.

WildWood said:

I had a really bad experience the on and only time I had to use the InReach. The hardware part my 700i Montana worked perfectly but the support from Garmin was diabolical.
They responded within a minute (very good) but downhill from there. We were in a remote Lesotho mountain range with a foreign guest who was unconscious, dropping vitals and broken bones. The responder (text) assured me a helicopter was on route with eta of 90 minutes. We kept in regular coms and they kept reassuring me help was on route. After 2 hours eta for the chopper became another 3 hours. My wife and a mate (ex mountain search & rescue) who I rely on as my local liaison in the mean time contacted Garmin USA and the truth slowly unfolded. Garmin apparently had no idea where Lesotho was and had contacted 'Sea Rescue' in Cape Town. The beacon sent from the InReach seems a bit vague. My home base contacted Grant Tyson at Search & Rescue and he gave us a good dose of reality. The supposed SADF helicopters were never going to get to us on the same day as they had to arrange permissions to enter Lesotho airspace. I managed to contact the Lesotho Airforce by some good fortune and local knowledge and within 40 minutes a very welcome Bell with 3 paramedics arrived and all ended well.

And here's the great part. I have never heard from Garmin again about the matter. We simply left the seen and road through the night to our destination. No conclusion, feedback or followup. Certainly a lesson learnt and I now once again carry my sat phone wherever I go.

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Thank you for sharing the details @WildWood if I may ask, did the InReach facilitate the communication to ultimately get the Lesotho defence force to assist with the rescue ord did the InReach not add any value to the ultimate rescue?

WildWood said:

What the InReach is good for is to send messages to loved ones like 'reached camp safely' but I'd be nervous to rely on it if I'm in a real tight spot. They simply don't seem to be geared for Africa. I'm sure if you had a ski accident in Europe you'd have a chopper in minutes.

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Hectic!
I totally share your feelings, especially when it comes to those so-called "one touch" or "inertia-activated" wonder devices with an "international emergency reaction plan."

I just don't trust it.

We never rely on Garmin systems for emergency assistance. It has no reference to the reality of the third world. It's only there for navigation.

We do have 3-4 levels of comms during the usual trip:
1. Basic Cell phone use and cover (family, riding group, and "outside world" comms)
2. Two-way radios with hand microphones on our shoulders (riding group, camera team, and backup team comms)
3. a gaggle of Cardo Pactalk Bold's (riders comms)
4. ... and when we are way off the beaten track, a Garmin Inreach device (solely for keeping family up to date about our position)

When it comes to emergencies, a combination of the above, and the use of unexpected, and kind-hearted local assistance is the answer. Think laterally and use everything you have at your disposal. NEVER trust a SINGLE SOURCE for Emergency assistance.

AdvGramps said:

Thank you for sharing the details @WildWood if I may ask, did the InReach facilitate the communication to ultimately get the Lesotho defence force to assist with the rescue ord did the InReach not add any value to the ultimate rescue?

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Nope. No help from Garmin.

Here we go! Our final episode in the series.

We ride as many gravel passes as possible on the Drakensberg escarpment. Let's see how many we can do in only three days...

Befonk mooi en lekker, dankie vir die deel. So wors braai langs die pad maak 'n lekker trip nog lekkerder. Arme ou Fanie, jammer hy kon die trip nie saam met julle klaar maak nie, ten minste het julle dit vir hom gedoen, mooi man.

Ek gaan skaamteloos dele van julle roete steel vir 'n opkomende trip wat ek en die ou antie beplan.

Ons wag in spanning vir jul volgende ervaringe.

Vis Arend said:

Befonk mooi en lekker, dankie vir die deel. So wors braai langs die pad maak 'n lekker trip nog lekkerder. Arme ou Fanie, jammer hy kon die trip nie saam met julle klaar maak nie, ten minste het julle dit vir hom gedoen, mooi man.

Ek gaan skaamteloos dele van julle roete steel vir 'n opkomende trip wat ek en die ou antie beplan.

Ons wag in spanning vir jul volgende ervaringe.

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"ou antie"

Dalk gaan jy alleen.

Hollywood said:

Here we go! Our final episode in the series.

We ride as many gravel passes as possible on the Drakensberg escarpment. Let's see how many we can do in only three days...

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Het al die episodes van die passe ry gekyk - was great. Kon net nie die roetes so mooi volg nie want baie kere as ek n pas se naam in Google mas soek kry ek niks nie.....en my spelling is hopelik nie die rede nie

Neo_za said:

Het al die episodes van die passe ry gekyk - was great. Kon net nie die roetes so mooi volg nie want baie kere as ek n pas se naam in Google mas soek kry ek niks nie.....en my spelling is hopelik nie die rede nie

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Ja, van hulle word nie op Google genoem nie, maar is wel op Trax4Africa en op Basecamp.

Vis Arend said:

Befonk mooi en lekker, dankie vir die deel. So wors braai langs die pad maak 'n lekker trip nog lekkerder. Arme ou Fanie, jammer hy kon die trip nie saam met julle klaar maak nie, ten minste het julle dit vir hom gedoen, mooi man.

Ek gaan skaamteloos dele van julle roete steel vir 'n opkomende trip wat ek en die ou antie beplan.

Ons wag in spanning vir jul volgende ervaringe.

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Jys welkom! Laat weet my as jy sukkel, dan stuur ek die GPX files vir jou

jy gaan oorval word vir gpx tracks, daai was n great trip. ons dit klompie jare terug gedoen, brand nou om dit weer te doen.
Great video, hou so voort. ek stuur ook jul vids aan vir die manne wat wik en weeg oor adventure biking en dit werk mooi om daai ekstra laaste motivering te doen...

Die berpasse episodes was vir seker my gunstelinge. Dankie vir die deel bra.

Ek sal weer moet gaan kyk... maar ek dink dit is die kortste pas in die land, naby die plaas waar ek kleilat gegooi het met die pikkies.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4TnzHc6anQdrU4Ee6