About six months ago, T-Mobile & SpaceX also announced a partnership to provide this service in the near future. The competition for this communications market sector promises to bring some great tech to the outdoors for those who can't bring themselves to completely cut the internet cord when going off-grid.
Mike, the reviews I've read so far say that the connectivity (to satellites) is much poorer than Spot or InReach, and not something to bet your life on. I think the new SOS/phone function is a wonderful idea, but until it gets LOTS more reliable, I'm hanging on to my InReach.
PLB are another option, personal locator beacons, $2-300, basically single use, activate and wait for help to arrive. 5+ year shelf life, and I think you can send them back for a new battery to extend that life. You do need to register them before use.
This looks like an interesting new bit of technology, though restricted to those with the latest iPhone. While it may be great for those who occasionally venture out into the great beyond and have the required phone, for those who regularly go “out there” I really feel that a dedicated device, such as a Garmin inReach or Spot Messenger, are better. Yes, these devices do have an initial cost and, yes, they do require a subscription fee (variable depending upon the plan you choose), but they are tried, tested and proven. We have both, and always carry them whether on our boat or in the camper or ATV, or just out hiking. I prefer the inReach, as you can suspend the service for a small monthly fee if you are not using it.
I've never heard of this service. I went to their website and signed up to get more info. Like Thomas, my wife and I are both amateur radio license holders but rarely if ever bring our bulky hand helds with us when out on our rzr in NV.
About six months ago, T-Mobile & SpaceX also announced a partnership to provide this service in the near future. The competition for this communications market sector promises to bring some great tech to the outdoors for those who can't bring themselves to completely cut the internet cord when going off-grid.
Mike, the reviews I've read so far say that the connectivity (to satellites) is much poorer than Spot or InReach, and not something to bet your life on. I think the new SOS/phone function is a wonderful idea, but until it gets LOTS more reliable, I'm hanging on to my InReach.
PLB are another option, personal locator beacons, $2-300, basically single use, activate and wait for help to arrive. 5+ year shelf life, and I think you can send them back for a new battery to extend that life. You do need to register them before use.
This looks like an interesting new bit of technology, though restricted to those with the latest iPhone. While it may be great for those who occasionally venture out into the great beyond and have the required phone, for those who regularly go “out there” I really feel that a dedicated device, such as a Garmin inReach or Spot Messenger, are better. Yes, these devices do have an initial cost and, yes, they do require a subscription fee (variable depending upon the plan you choose), but they are tried, tested and proven. We have both, and always carry them whether on our boat or in the camper or ATV, or just out hiking. I prefer the inReach, as you can suspend the service for a small monthly fee if you are not using it.
I've never heard of this service. I went to their website and signed up to get more info. Like Thomas, my wife and I are both amateur radio license holders but rarely if ever bring our bulky hand helds with us when out on our rzr in NV.
Having a amateur radio bent, with HF and VHF in the RV does just nicely.
Depends where you go, during the 2017 eclipse, on top of a hill in central Oregon, the HAM I was with couldn't pick up anything.