Garmin Inreach 66i
 

Hi I’m looking at getting a gps unit for Southern Africa travels, and I need a sat phone, anyone using the inreach 66i? It’s a lot of money but does seem to tick lots of boxes! Or is there a better alternative out there that iv not come across?
Cheers

We tested one in the Western Sahara last month, general verdict was that as a jack of all trades its good, but I wouldn't replace my Garmin Montana and separate inReach with one

At the risk
 

of throwing a pigeon or three in... I cannot agree with the above post.
(Isn't diversity and independent thought grand?) :smiliex:
I use the 66i and it is an excellent device, a leap forward from my last 64ST which I still have. Combine it with the new Tri-band Montana700 ,and you have a very effective combination giving you InReach facility with a non-touch screen along with a touch screen Montana 700. heartily recommended
Then you can always throw the 276cX into the mix and well... you're addicted!:rofl:
MY 2pence :Beach:

Its a moot point now the new Garmin Montana is out with built in inReach functions.

At the time the 66i was the only combined unit but has now been superseded with better option for the traveller. (although the new Montana will be not so useful if Garmin have blocked using OSM on it)

This is true but only the 700 has the Tri-band option hence is the one I chose. My personal preference is to have the 66i in my pocket and other sat navs on the dash basically in case of damage/theft/confiscation.

If you chose the 700i or 750i you will not have the opportunity to use GLONASS but you will gain the SOS option. It really depends what individuals' needs are.

To what 'better option' for the traveller do you refer to? you don't appear to own either one so I am a little confused on how you could have tested them both!

On a happier note, I am sure you'll be glad to hear that the new Montana 700 functions fine with OSM :thumbup1: and other non-Garmin maps topographic or otherwise.:smiliex:

We tested the 66i September 2019 alongside 3 other units in the group, 2 Montana's and a Tomtom as dedicated GPS Units. We also had iPhone running GAIA GPS and and an Android phone running Locus Maps. The Montana's were an ancient battered 600 and a brand new 680. No real aim to the test but one of the group is a gadget freak and had recently purchased both the 66i and the 680.

After 4 weeks we concurred that although the 66i was a decent unit, if you already owned both a Montana and an inReach device there was no real benefit to buying it, as I stated my post of October last year. The small screen meant it wasn't so useful for vehicle dependent travel.

Since then Garmin has both the Overlander and the 700 Montana that provide more benefit to vehicle based use than the 66i. The 66i retails at £550 and the 700i at only £50 more with its more useful screen size. If you're looking at making a purchase the 700 series is a much better option than the 66i.

If size matters, then I agree with you; the 700 series (or the 276cX) are excellent choices for 4 wheels- I use both in my 4x4. When it comes to real life usage, the 66i out performs my 64st, MonTerra and 680 Montana; it is pretty much on par with the 700 and shares much of its interface with it.
As far as specs and performance are concerned, the differences are very obvious and I do not use the selling price as a yard stick.

I did look at the Garmin Overlander but its IPX5 and only 3 hr battery life were some of the features which put me off. Though the ‘pitch and roll gauges' would have been a useful feature in the 276cX but that unit makes up for it with other features which I prefer and which are more important to my navigation needs.
As I've said before, the 66i's small size is perfect when out/off the vehicle and is very discreetly tracking when visiting unfamiliar places. It also gives you both the SOS option and the navigator in one package.
Horses for courses! And I would encourage any prospective buyer to do their own research and comparisons. These are just my opinions and choices and they all work for me

A little humour
 

to make you smile on this lock down foggy day:Beach:

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JOvi3Segg...vs-inreach.jpg

I did use an Delorme Inreach Satellite Messenger to my trips who was a bit more abroad (transafrica, south america). Now Delorme was buyed from Garmin - newer devices are sold as Garmin.

How did it work?

- Lifetracking for family did work well
- I was able to Update my Blog over Satellite in 180signs Messenges.
- I was able to communicate with friends/family in SMS Style over Satellite

You dont have to use one with a built-in Display, you can too pair the Messenger with your Smartphone / Tablet and use those for Navigation or Messenging....

Here I did compare Spot vs Garmin at 2020:
https://www.4x4tripping.com/2020/09/...atelliten.html

Surfy