Garmin handheld plotters & Inreach sat comms

Fenlander · 21 February 2021, 14:28

As part of my move to lose weight and complication from my sibbing giving up the seat mounted 4.5" Garmin with 7ah battery and wired transducer. So wondering about which Garmin handheld. I've had a little Etrex with UK Bluechart for ten years and that is brilliant for a small pocket device but the 2" screen is a little small and maps now years out of date.

The 4" & 5" handhelds are all touchscreen (prefer buttons) and quite expensive but I'm drawn to a middle ground model the 3" screen GPSMap 86s... or the 86i with Inreach sat messaging & emergency button.

Anyone using that 86 model or have any opinions on the Inreach sat system?

Salty Pete · 22 February 2021, 02:29

I have the Etrex 10 and as you said excellent for its size.
I also have a GPSmap 78sc also an excellent unit, and you can get a mount for it.

Unfortunately I went for a Lowrance 7" for my rib, big mistake in my opinion. Please stick with the Garmin.

Fenlander · 22 February 2021, 10:07

I've only owned Garmin so far but my two units have been faultless in operation and reliability. Anyway they have pretty well all the handheld market to themselves.

Perhaps not too much experience of Inreach and/or higher end handheld units here but my own research has formed some ideas re spending more having a handheld plotter that adds sat messaging and an emergency button to get the response in same way as a PLB.

The Inreach system does require a subscription of £15/mth continuously or £35/yr then chose your months for £15/mth. For me that's worthwhile to be able to send a text for either routine or emergency purposes... such as "I'm being drawn into the Corryvreckan at full flow, if you don't hear again in 10mins alert the coastguard".... or less urgently "made it to the pontoon, home in 30mins". It allows the recipient to reply inc the emergency services who can confirm on their way and perhaps an eta. To me this seems more reassuring than a PLB... where as far as I know you activate... and hope it worked.

Biggest downside and what will stop me getting a handheld Garmin with mapping and Inreach is the fact they have integral non-replaceable batteries. So on a long day out you may have mostly depleted your battery using mapping leaving little if an emergency happened at the end of the day... which means carrying a means to recharge is essential and that goes against my decluttering need.

Also after some years if the battery capacity gradually reduces (or it suffers a total failure) you are looking at spending £500 on another complete unit... and annoyingly replacing the charts with new as they won't transfer to a second device.

So I'm going to buy one of the Garmin units that take AAs for GPS/mapping and get a separate PLB or Garmin Mini Inreach unit for the emergency cover.

Pikey Dave · 22 February 2021, 12:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenlander

I've only owned Garmin so far but my two units have been faultless in operation and reliability. Anyway they have pretty well all the handheld market to themselves.

Perhaps not too much experience of Inreach and/or higher end handheld units here but my own research has formed some ideas re spending more having a handheld plotter that adds sat messaging and an emergency button to get the response in same way as a PLB.

The Inreach system does require a subscription of £15/mth continuously or £35/yr then chose your months for £15/mth. For me that's worthwhile to be able to send a text for either routine or emergency purposes... such as "I'm being drawn into the Corryvreckan at full flow, if you don't hear again in 10mins alert the coastguard".... or less urgently "made it to the pontoon, home in 30mins". It allows the recipient to reply inc the emergency services who can confirm on their way and perhaps an eta. To me this seems more reassuring than a PLB... where as far as I know you activate... and hope it worked.

Biggest downside and what will stop me getting a handheld Garmin with mapping and Inreach is the fact they have integral non-replaceable batteries. So on a long day out you may have mostly depleted your battery using mapping leaving little if an emergency happened at the end of the day... which means carrying a means to recharge is essential and that goes against my decluttering need.

Also after some years if the battery capacity gradually reduces (or it suffers a total failure) you are looking at spending £500 on another complete unit... and annoyingly replacing the charts with new as they won't transfer to a second device.

So I'm going to buy one of the Garmin units that take AAs for GPS/mapping and get a separate PLB or Garmin Mini Inreach unit for the emergency cover.

I have a Garmin Montana handheld that I use as a backup. It has G2 Bluechart, rechargeable/replaceable lithium battery that can be swapped out for 3AA batteries if needed. USB charging. It’s full touch screen which works ok even in the wet with gloves on. It isn’t the best display but it’s fine for a get me home in the event of a main plotter failure. We use it mostly for hiking & hillwalking as it also has OS maps, it will also do Satnav routing in the car. So it’s a great little allrounder, but I prefer the fixed Lowrance Hook5 for day to day nav.

Fenlander · 22 February 2021, 12:34

Ahh that's interesting thanks. Is that a 5" screen 700 series or 4" screen 600 series? The ability to carry AAs as a backup is ideal.

Re the touchscreen I have no experience but just wondered how easy to get your fingers in the right place on a wet and bumpy sibbing outing.

Of course the chart costs are a pain... Garmin seem no longer to do any charts included with device bundles for the UK. But I'm lucky I only need the English Channel one to cover our "local" area and Devon/Cornwall holidays... and then the Scottish west coat when we Jimmy welcomes (ha ha) us back up there.

Pikey Dave · 22 February 2021, 13:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Ahh that's interesting thanks. Is that a 5" screen 700 series or 4" screen 600 series? The ability to carry AAs as a backup is ideal.

Re the touchscreen I have no experience but just wondered how easy to get your fingers in the right place on a wet and bumpy sibbing outing.

Of course the chart costs are a pain... Garmin seem no longer to do any charts included with device bundles for the UK. But I'm lucky I only need the English Channel one to cover our "local" area and Devon/Cornwall holidays... and then the Scottish west coat when we Jimmy welcomes (ha ha) us back up there.

The touch screen is “glove friendly” it’s not as accurate as say an IPad, but I think they have sacrificed accuracy for sausage finger friendliness.
Mine’s a Montana 650 which is a 4” screen (diagonal) iirc.
If I was boating regularly in the same place & using it as my main navaid, I’d have a list of safe waypoints & rather than try & use the chart, I’d use the compass/steer arrow to hop from point to point if it was rough. You can store routes/tracks/waypoints (10k iirc)
The rechargeable battery will easily last 12hours/charge. You can buy spares. I have 2.

Fenlander · 22 February 2021, 14:00

That's useful thanks. The Garmin refurb shop Have a Montana 650 at £309 with two year warranty and a 600 at £265 same warranty. Just going to check out the differences with those two models and may well give one or other a go.

Pikey Dave · 22 February 2021, 15:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenlander

That's useful thanks. The Garmin refurb shop Have a Montana 650 at £309 with two year warranty and a 600 at £265 same warranty. Just going to check out the differences with those two models and may well give one or other a go.

I think one has a camera & the other doesn’t. Mine has the camera & we hardly ever use it & it isn’t very good when we do.

jeffstevens763@g · 22 February 2021, 15:29

i have the Garmin Oregon 650 not a bad little bit of kit as backup

Fenlander · 22 February 2021, 16:51

Any opinion on any advantage from models that add GLONASS sat reception into the mix??

Yes indeed it seems the camera is the main uplift between models and like you it wouldn't be a feature I'd really seek.

jonp · 26 February 2021, 04:52

Ive got an old handheld 64s which I downloaded all my fishing spots from my Garmin 8410 onto for when I hop on other boats. I also have blue chart g3 vision charts I can drop into it as well as topo maps for exporting wilderness areas over here in Oz.

I also carry a Garmin in reach mini, mostly because we have such limited phone coverage in many areas over here. The in reach is a bit of a slug at gaining reception at times but it has always gotten a message out even in dence valleys.

I use the inreach free messages very regularly, which are sent to my phone and my wife and sons. Sending to my own simply confirms its all working fine before I head off to remote locations, also I head offshore out of phone and radio range quite regularly. The free messages I have setup simply state Just checking in all good, arrived all good, all good but going to be late. Those can be sent as many times as I want and don't add to my monthly subscription $20 (ten quid). I have other preset messages that are charged at around 30p on the low plan I have. Every message has information such as gps coordinate what speed and direction Im heading in etc, these have a link to the earth mate app that show my position on maps or charts.

Given the fact my kids also head into wilderness areas and offshore these in reach products are cheap insurance really. The fact you can hit the sos button as well as have two way communication can determine what kind of rescue that may be required. One rescue my youngest daughter was involved with when one of the research group studying rare snakes fell off the cliff and needed a helicopter and ground paramedics. I also carry a small KTI plb but the trouble with these is they have just one use and the nature of a problem isn't known, could simply be a breakdown, so no need for lifeboats, helicopters and full cavalry.

By the way the Garmin 64s also does both 4x4 trail and road routing and has plenty of useful features.

Fenlander · 26 February 2021, 10:34

Jon that's a great review and valuable being actual experience. The Inreach benefits you mention are those that attract me. As Pikey Dave said elsewhere there is a case to carry one for more routine comms as well as a PLB.

You might have read in another thread I decided the PLB was the no.1 for me and a McMurdo 220 arrives today.... mustn't fiddle with "that" button.

jonp · 01 March 2021, 21:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Jon that's a great review and valuable being actual experience. The Inreach benefits you mention are those that attract me. As Pikey Dave said elsewhere there is a case to carry one for more routine comms as well as a PLB.

You might have read in another thread I decided the PLB was the no.1 for me and a McMurdo 220 arrives today.... mustn't fiddle with "that" button.

The PLB I use has a 20yr battery which is guaranteed for 10yr and a 66 channel receiver, so plenty of satellites to get a fix from.

Over here we have to legally carry an EPIRB on any vessel more than 2nm offshore, where PLB's aren't legal as they don't meet the boating regulations.

It sounds like a lot having an Epirb, Plb and Garmin in reach but the fact our family all head off in different directions on any given day means at least someone has something!!!!...my daughters boat also has its own set of safety gear, including another epirb!!!!

Fenlander · 02 March 2021, 23:57

Thanks again Jon... that Inreach Mini has a real gadget boy appeal!

In the end I went for the Garmin Montana 610 4" screen handheld for my GPS and mapping... sourced from a low cost Garmin refurb supplier mentioned in the associated FactoryOutletStore thread.

I've now tested all menus and functions as Ok inc a run out in the car to make sure mapping locates correctly and speeds/distances are correctly recorded. The unit is exactly what I want in a self-contained device with no external battery or cabling needs. As PD mentioned the screen is not the best if you are used to something like my iPhone 12 with regard to sensitivity, speed and clarity but totally acceptable. It is just 0.5" smaller on the diagonal than the excellent fixed 45DV I've used for some years and as the images below shows a whole lot larger than the faithful small Etrex I've had for even more years.

A huge plus for me with the Montana is that it runs its own battery with a fair duration plus has the ability to swap in 3 AAs if needed. I've already ordered a RAM mount as in the image below which should go neatly on the starboard side of Mrs F's seat and should suit for viewing/reaching distance.

Another small step in my quest to add lightness to the new setup. Appreciate PD giving me the heads up on the 600 series.

Fenlander · 03 March 2021, 15:42

I swerved the Inreach for now and just went for the basic PLB... a McMurdo FastFind 220. From Marine Superstore £209 and delivered next day.

Pictured below it its floating pouch and with the yellow storage pouch that's included as well as a replacement activation cover. Neat sized unit as shown in comparison to my glasses.

Fenlander · 04 March 2021, 15:21

Thought it worth putting up a couple of better RAM mount pics now it's arrived. Silly price but very well made and thought out for a variety of flexible positions. For example the balls are large and rubber coated so it grips in position very well and should withstand a SIB pounding. Moves a few inches fore and aft or offsets a bit to either side. Allows any tilt angle of the Garmin inc fully horizontal if that was the preferred screen view (the Montana has auto-rotate).

jeffstevens763@g · 04 March 2021, 18:44

Just the job for a lightweight system David spot on

Fenlander · 04 March 2021, 23:10

Yes the more I look at it the more that RAM mount impresses. For example just a few turns of the mount wing knob and the Garmin with mount will come off just leaving the bottom ball unobtrusively screwed to the seat when packing away.

Pikey Dave · 05 March 2021, 10:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Yes the more I look at it the more that RAM mount impresses. For example just a few turns of the mount wing knob and the Garmin with mount will come off just leaving the bottom ball unobtrusively screwed to the seat when packing away.

I've got a couple of RAM mounts for various bits, they are eye wateringly expensive, but good kit.

Fenlander · 13 March 2021, 11:48

Well I've got myself in a right corner with this Montana 610. Bought as a newly purchased unit which was an official Garmin refurb and in the sellers website its marine use with Bluecharts was promoted.

But when going to look for a chart I found (and Garmin tech confirmed) it will not run any of the new G3 charts neither will it run the G2 Vision... and no-one sells the basic G2 chart for it anymore.

So basically it can't be used for the purpose advertised.

The only way to use it is with a Garmin G2 non-Vision microSD which has never been used/locked to another device. I have scoured Ebay and Google to find such a card and there was only one used that I found which is on its way to me and may or may not work as I can only prove that by trying it.

If it doesn't I will just buy a new Montana 700 series which will run all the latest and Vision charts.

The Montana seller has sent me a return code for a full refund which I'll take up if this card doesn't work.

Thanks to Pikey Dave for his advice by PM while I was trying to sort this.