Enthusiast I
ZOLEO satellite communicator
- Thread starter Bud Anderson
- Start date
Member III
Member III
Advocate I
How much is the subscription fee? I bought a Terrafix 406 some 10 years ago from ACR ARTEX: Emergency Beacons & Supplies - The Science of Survival with no subscription fee, just free re-registration with NOAA every 2 years. Never used it, but always take it. While for some it might be necessary to "be in touch" while camping, I think not. I mean how much of where you go doesn't have cell coverage that you go through every couple of days? I do most of my camping in the outback of Nevada.
Member III
I bought the zoleo to take with me when I camp solo. Being disabled and alone it would be a life line if something happened and there was no cell coverage where I was camping.
I seriously have not even opened the package yet, as I won’t be doing any trips until at least March, so when I get closer to the time I will go out, I will get on a plan.
Maybe @Michael can shed some light on the subscription fees etc
I seriously have not even opened the package yet, as I won’t be doing any trips until at least March, so when I get closer to the time I will go out, I will get on a plan.
Maybe @Michael can shed some light on the subscription fees etc
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Advocate I
The purchase price of the Zoleo unit is substantially less and it has a greater battery life. Depending on how and how much you use it the Zoleo plan costs may be lower than Garmin.
Explorer I
I would highly recommend verifying your plan and safety features from the safety of home. A simple problem that could be solved from the comfort of home could become a real issue when you are remote and need it to work. I always give my satcom gear a whirl from home before every trip and have found and been able to fix issues before I really needed it to perform.
Explorer I
I’m right there with you! I go to the woods/desert/etc to get away from being constantly connected. My regular group decided years ago that nobody wants to see anyone buried in the phone around the campfire - totally opposite of why we do what we do.
Spent a week last Sept in the hills near Midas NV and have enjoyed the area around Kingston NV a few times. Quite a haul for me (Seattle area) but have really enjoyed our times there. Had beans on my salad this evening - just like the Basque do. Yum!
Member III
I fully intend to activate/test the zoleo before I leave on an adventure where i will be out alone.
Off-Road Ranger III
- 13,288
- First Name
- Bjoern
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- Eldracher
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20111
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- DO3BE
This is a very interesting topic. Communication is an important issue when traveling. Whether it's letting family or friends know you're okay or having the ability to call rescue in a real emergency. Almost all of us have a cell phone or radio in your vehicle. But coverage of these is limited.
When SPOT released their emergency messenger years ago, I made my first experiences with such a GPS messenger, the SPOT of the first generation. Purchased for a trans-Asia trip, which at that time was a bit more adventurous than it is today. That device was already very robust, easy to use and only slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes. Since then, a lot has changed technologically. Now we have a hughe selection of these small and useful devices. The range of functions has also increased significantly.
The basic functions aremostly the same for many of these messengers:
So it really depends on what you are looking for. The market today offers a wide range of different devices. I have recently created and published a comprehensive market overview for a magazine, this is in german and focuses on the market here (not all devices are available everywhere or are part of the official rescue chain), but maybe it will interest one or the other here and maybe a translation program will help. Please let me know. Happy to help.
And I am very interested in practical experiences with the Zoleo. I am happy if someone can contribute something in detail. Thank you.
Safe travels,
Björn
When SPOT released their emergency messenger years ago, I made my first experiences with such a GPS messenger, the SPOT of the first generation. Purchased for a trans-Asia trip, which at that time was a bit more adventurous than it is today. That device was already very robust, easy to use and only slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes. Since then, a lot has changed technologically. Now we have a hughe selection of these small and useful devices. The range of functions has also increased significantly.
The basic functions aremostly the same for many of these messengers:
- Tracking Functions
- Transmit the respective location (or example to stored email addresses or via text message to cell phones. Often a predefinable message.)
- Help message (to ask a trusted person for help, for example)
- SOS - notification of search and rescue forces in an emergency
So it really depends on what you are looking for. The market today offers a wide range of different devices. I have recently created and published a comprehensive market overview for a magazine, this is in german and focuses on the market here (not all devices are available everywhere or are part of the official rescue chain), but maybe it will interest one or the other here and maybe a translation program will help. Please let me know. Happy to help.
And I am very interested in practical experiences with the Zoleo. I am happy if someone can contribute something in detail. Thank you.
Safe travels,
Björn
Explorer I
Well said @El-Dracho; I would add another difference being "does the device serve multiple purposes?" The Garmin InReach also shares its GPS via BlueTooth allowing it to act as an external GPS for tablet devices, etc.
Would love to read your article in English - my college German has more than faded. But understand that using a translator might provide you many headaches. If you have the time would like it if you could link me/us to your article and I'll translate it for myself (via electronic means).
Had a first gen spot and it sits in a drawer somewhere - at the time spot did not offer good customer support and that left a bad taste after running into issues in the wild places.
Would love to read your article in English - my college German has more than faded. But understand that using a translator might provide you many headaches. If you have the time would like it if you could link me/us to your article and I'll translate it for myself (via electronic means).
Had a first gen spot and it sits in a drawer somewhere - at the time spot did not offer good customer support and that left a bad taste after running into issues in the wild places.
madcratebuilder
Rank V
Pathfinder I
Contributor I
So the in reach can essentially connect to an iPad via Bluetooth and show the GPS mapping function on the iPad?
Explorer I
That is my understanding based upon the reading that I have done and is confirmed by users here (search "inreach gps bluetooth ipad"). IMO the better solution is to get an ipad with cellular capability because that does have a built in GPS unlike the WiFi only model. You don't need to pay for a cellular service plan, just get the ipad that is cellular capable and bam! I purposefully got a cell capable ipad last time I refreshed, don't have a service plan, and it works great without any external GPS. All of that said I will likely get an InReach for satcom when my current solution gives up the ghost.
