Personal Locator Beacons: Options besides SPOT?

[climberevan]

Yes, but I would like to use it with OSMand. Basically can it be setup to tether the GPS data through bt?

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What would be the benefit of this?

I use my phone extensively to navigate way outside of cell range with downloaded maps (Locus). It will last 3 days on airplane mode with gps on and using the camera a decent amount.

[Cocximus]

Phone has a-gps and network triangulation. That will get a very quick lock. Garmin has to download all the GPS data, which can take a bit of time. Phones have gotten very good at getting a GPS lock without a-gps. Can't speak for the Garmin inreach mini, I just got it.

I am a big fan of using a phone for navigation. I had my Garmin 62s in my backpack for five years as backup for my phone. Phone never failed me, so this year I sold my 62sc.

The phone falls short at vertical tracking. Without barometer the GPS altitude data is all over the place. I am a beast but I don't do 10 000 meters in a day.

I was hoping the inreach has better and more stable altitude tracking.

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[uglymoney]

It moves around some. No idea how it compares to phone gps altitude but I find it pretty useful on slow hikes. Nothing stopping you from running earthmate and your own app on your phone.

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[climberevan]

My phone finds GPS way faster than the inreach even far outside of cell service with the radio off, so it's not just towers.

Inreach doesn't have a barometer either, so altitude measurement is going to be crap. GPS is just not good for that. I use a Garmin watch to track vert.

[Cocximus]

My phone finds GPS way faster than the inreach even far outside of cell service with the radio off, so it's not just towers.

Inreach doesn't have a barometer either, so altitude measurement is going to be crap. GPS is just not good for that. I use a Garmin watch to track vert.

Right so it isn't any better. NM then.

[MiddleOfNight]

My phone finds GPS way faster than the inreach even far outside of cell service with the radio off, so it's not just towers.

Inreach doesn't have a barometer either, so altitude measurement is going to be crap. GPS is just not good for that. I use a Garmin watch to track vert.

Interesting. Sometimes depending on the topography it can take a minute to find satellites like in a canyon or chute or something. And I think the more satellites the more accurate the data.
I usually also run gaia off the phone's gps, which has great mapping.

I just went to my garmin login, and checked some altitude points: seem spot on?
If the device knows my lat long, does it get the altitude from the topo information for those coordinates? I don't know the answer, just thinking. Otherwise I would be floating or sub terrain. Anyone used an inreach in an airplane?

I can see your point that if tracking vert is important, inreach might not be the best tool - fair enough, that's not why I use the inreach.

I had a watch with barometer gps once, varied a lot based on the weather, finicky to calibrate, and I just didn't have good luck. That was a long time ago though, I'm sure they've improved. and I just don't care for wearing a watch.

[BCMtnHound]

Using recreational GPS for altitude rarely get accuracy better than 10m, even if you are approaching <3m horizontal accuracy. Think of an inverted pyramid with you at the apex. 3 satelites for horizontal positioning and 4 for vertical minimum. The greater the distance between the satelites at the base of the pyramid, the more accurate the position. Most of the time, 10m vertical accuracy is fine as most 1:20000 topo maps have contour intervals of 20m. Need anything finer in the field (i.e running deflection lines for cable harvesting systems), we would combine tape and clino with a properly calibrated barometric altimeter. And these days, LiDAR is getting more and more available and resolution is down to better than 1m accuracy. You can pick out game trails and 1st nations historical pit caches with the digital elevation models, resource roads are more and more being laid out in the office with LiDAR producing full plans and profiles, and then truthed/ribbon hung in the field afterwards. Very cool tech.

[MiddleOfNight]

Thx BC that makes sense.
When we get SOS or needs for help we don't look at altitude from the device, we plot lat long on better mapping software and get our altitude there. sartopo usually.
Similarly, when I'm out and about I look at the lat/long on earthmate and correspond the contours (rarely need to).

But for the 'how many vert' conversation like strava-ing or something, maybe gps platform would't be best. Still works well enough for me though.

[rideit]

Dudes and dudettes, do any of you have an Inreach mini 2 or a messenger?
Curious if it is easy/seamless to upload GPX tracks to STRAAAAVA the way it is with the watches.
Anyone?