Good News on Delorme InReach (2 min tracking and altitude vs. Spot w/10 min tracking and no altitude)

Hi Andy,

I just noticed what you pointed out about the overage costs for Aviation
plan 4.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/delor...scriptions.pdf

I suspect that the overage cost of $1.60/kb is a typo. $2.60/kb would fall
nicely between the Aviation 3 and 5 plans. I'll ask them for clarification.
Their aviation plan brochure has not been released on their web site and is
a bit of a work in process.

Thank you for the inReach order.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
__________________________

Thanks Sean - I'm sold.

I did some analysis of what plan to get - including the $30 change plans
fee. Assuming I read the rate card and overage charges correctly - and
assuming 6 months of flying versus 6 months of off-season - the most
economical approach is as follows:

At a 2 min tracking interval the break-even number of tracking hours per
month above which it is cheaper to bump up to Aviation 4 during the flying
season versus just sticking to Aviation 1 all year is 15.1 hours per month.
Total subscription bill for the year: $310.50

At a 5 minute tracking break-even is 37.8 hours per month. Less than that
and you save money by sticking to Aviation 1. Total subscription bill for
the year: $310.50 - again.

If you burn it up with a 1 minute interval the break-even is 7.5 hours per
month. Total subscription bill: $310.50.

I picked Aviation 4 because it has an overage rate that is less than any
other rate - base or overage. That's a strange discontinuity in the
pricing - it appears they really want to encourage Aviation 4 for some
reason. I assumed an identical number of flight hours per month so if your
flying has some heavy and light months it'll be slightly different. I also
didn't account for the possibility that you might dial back the tracking
interval on heavy flight months. If you did that it would make staying on
the Aviation 1 plan even more attractive.

Unless you fly a lot at a high tracking rate it seems to make the most sense
to go with the minimum plan and just pay the overages on the months when you
fly more. Just make sure to watch your data usage or you will get a nasty
surprise.

9B

Hi Ramy,

Your note below is correct.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
_______________________________________

So in sake of deciding how much switching to InReach will actually cost in
annual fee (ignoring the initial cost of the unit which diminishes overtime
comparing to the total cost of few year of subscription) it seems that for
the same annual fee as the Spot service ($150) I can get the aviation
subscription and set it to the same interval as spot (10 min) which will
provide nearly 20 hours per month of tracking, which should be sufficient
for most pilots. Those who fly less may even switch it to higher tracking
rate. And if I understand correct, anyone viewing my shared page can ping me
anytime for real time position. In addition it will provide altitude (very
useful), much better UI and smarphone integration for two way text
messaging, all for the same annual cost as Spot! Did I understand this
correctly? If so, it is almost a no brainer better deal.

Ramy

On Friday, February 22, 2013 2:17:56 PM UTC-8, Paul Remde wrote:
Hi Ramy,



Your note below is correct.



Best Regards,



Paul Remde

Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

_______________________________________



So in sake of deciding how much switching to InReach will actually cost in

annual fee (ignoring the initial cost of the unit which diminishes overtime

comparing to the total cost of few year of subscription) it seems that for

the same annual fee as the Spot service ($150) I can get the aviation

subscription and set it to the same interval as spot (10 min) which will

provide nearly 20 hours per month of tracking, which should be sufficient

for most pilots. Those who fly less may even switch it to higher tracking

rate. And if I understand correct, anyone viewing my shared page can ping me

anytime for real time position. In addition it will provide altitude (very

useful), much better UI and smarphone integration for two way text

messaging, all for the same annual cost as Spot! Did I understand this

correctly? If so, it is almost a no brainer better deal.



Ramy

Hi Paul,

For me, one of the most important features is to be able to be pinged anytime for my exact location at that moment. This will allow me to keep my tracking interval at 10 minutes yet to be able to be tracked instantaneously. As such, I would like to confirm if this is indeed how it works, or, as you suggested, it may only repeat the last track position, in which case it is no difference than the auto tracking feature. Can someone confirm this please?
Also, if I get pinged for my location often, does it eat into my monthly allowance, and if so, how much every ping may cost?
Would be nice if they had a simple low cost fixed plan like Spot, but I guess it is too much to ask...

Ramy

Hi Ramy,

The ping update is the same as the customer set tracking interval. It does
not just send the last track point. It just doesn't send the ping reply
until the next tracking interval comes up.

If you are signed-up for the aviation byte-based plans - every bit of data
sent comes out of your monthly allotment. Each track point and ping is 13
bytes. The 3 pre-defined "inReach" messages are also 13 bytes. Text
messages can be up to 160 bytes - depending on message length.

DeLorme does offer fixed cost plans. They are shown on my web site. If you
want track updates every 10 minutes or more, then the consumer plans make
sense. They include unlimited track points, but limited text messaging.
The recreation plan makes the most sense out of their consumer plans.
http://www.delorme.com/library/hardw...bscription.pdf

I signed-up for their aviation plan. I have it set to the highest plan for
now and will bump it down (using their web site) to the lowest plan during
the off season.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.




Ramy

Hi Paul,

For me, one of the most important features is to be able to be pinged
anytime for my exact location at that moment. This will allow me to keep my
tracking interval at 10 minutes yet to be able to be tracked
instantaneously. As such, I would like to confirm if this is indeed how it
works, or, as you suggested, it may only repeat the last track position, in
which case it is no difference than the auto tracking feature. Can someone
confirm this please?
Also, if I get pinged for my location often, does it eat into my monthly
allowance, and if so, how much every ping may cost?
Would be nice if they had a simple low cost fixed plan like Spot, but I
guess it is too much to ask...

Ramy

On 2/21/2013 7:46 AM, Sean F (F2) wrote:
I have been battling with the Delorme folks a bit and have won a big,
big argument with them that I think will benefit some of you.

It's heart-warming to see Sean use his "argumentative tenacity" for
"good" instead of for "evil" :^)

Thanks to Sean for pressing hard on the clueless, and thanks to Delorme
for listening. It was a nutty marketing strategy, when everyone knows
you give the razor away and sell the blades!

I'm currently considering not renewing my Spot subscription, and
switching to the InReach.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

On Thursday, February 21, 2013 12:49:46 PM UTC-5, Eric Greenwell wrote:

I'm currently considering not renewing my Spot subscription, and
switching to the InReach.

Are Spot subscription contracts transferable to buyers of used SPOTs and if so, what is the market price? Weren't they were giving away SPOT hardware last fall?

Yep. I'm cheap. Gotta pay for tows.

On Thursday, February 21, 2013 12:01:17 PM UTC-6, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Thursday, February 21, 2013 12:49:46 PM UTC-5, Eric Greenwell wrote:



I'm currently considering not renewing my Spot subscription, and

switching to the InReach.



Are Spot subscription contracts transferable to buyers of used SPOTs and if so, what is the market price? Weren't they were giving away SPOT hardware last fall?



Yep. I'm cheap. Gotta pay for tows.

SPOT often gives the hardware away. especially for events like christmas and Oshkosh.

On Thursday, February 21, 2013 1:01:17 PM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Thursday, February 21, 2013 12:49:46 PM UTC-5, Eric Greenwell wrote:



I'm currently considering not renewing my Spot subscription, and

switching to the InReach.



Are Spot subscription contracts transferable to buyers of used SPOTs and if so, what is the market price? Weren't they were giving away SPOT hardware last fall?



Yep. I'm cheap. Gotta pay for tows.

Yes, they do transfer. When I bought one a few years ago the remaining year
on the contract came with it. The pricing seemed to reflect the cost of
the contract.

Matt

OK if I buy one from Cumulus Soaring, Inc. will it work in the French Alps
or is there a European agent?

Hi Pam,

Yes. Thank you for asking. The units and plans sold in the USA are good for
the USA and Europe. As stated on my DeLorme web page, customers in Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia need to buy their plans from the sites
listed. I believe they can still buy the unit from me.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
__________________________

"Pam Howarth" wrote in message
...

OK if I buy one from Cumulus Soaring, Inc. will it work in the French Alps
or is there a European agent?