Getting a Satellite Communicator

It was on my first remote  fly in that I had my first experience with having no communication with the outside world. It was bliss to unplug, no electricity, no music, no internet, no email! It sounded amazing, and it was…so long as nothing went wrong. When you are away in the remote north, you are able to immerse yourself in nature, and unplug from society, but that doesn’t mean that people can’t get sick or injured, or that the unexpected won’t happen. So when I was asked if we wanted to rent a satellite phone, I said yes. Now the cost at the time (4 years ago) was about $150 to rent, with per minute costs if you actually used it. It came with a list of times that would be ideal for the phone to connect to the network. That trip, the phone never left the box.

I’ve been on a few other trips since, and each time we have rented the phone so that in the event we had an emergency we had a way of seeking help. During the years though I was really shocked to see how many times I was out camping, or fishing, or just driving in the boat with the family on lakes not far away (and with cottages in sight), that I had no cell phone signal. In fact just last year I towed a fellow boater into the docks who was out on a lake in late fall, (with cottages in site but no cottagers still up) whose engine had failed and the battery had run out on the electric. He was being buffeted against the shore on a windy day, thankful that I came around.
So I decided that there were enough times when a satellite device could come in handy, that I decided to get one. I wanted one that met a few criteria:

1. It had to offer solid coverage, meaning I didn’t want to have to hope that I needed help at a time the satellites were in range.
2. I was looking for two way communication, so that I could have back and forth conversation and not just hope people were hearing me.
3. Integration with a smart phone app was a plus.
4. For the purpose of sharing information on some of my fishing adventures, social media integration was an extra bonus!

And so I purchased the only device that hit all criteria with flying colours, the Delorme InReach SE.

As I type this, I’m less than a week away from my first Remote Fly In Fishing Adventure of 2016, where I plan to not only use the unit, but report on all of its functionality. To get things started, here is an unboxing video to get things started. In the coming months I will do full reviews, as well as feature breakdowns, giving honest feedback on how the unit performs, and how well it meets my needs. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Enjoy 15% off your monthly subscription by using this link:https://roadpost.wufoo.com/forms/member-affinity-discount-program/ and select “Amateur Angler”.