Hey , all this is Keith and welcome back to the Common Sense Practical Prepper podcast , september 4th 2025 . Again coming to you from our affiliate office in Berlin , germany . So I want to talk about communications and specifically satellite communications . When we're in the middle of a critical SHTF situation , cell towers are down , your phone is basically a paperweight , a hurricane , emp , grid down , chaos , whatever it happens to be , and you need to stay in contact with your family or you need to call for help . We're going to talk about the Garmin inReach Mini 2 , a device that I've had for a little over a year . I've tested it on the trail , I have tested it here in Berlin and I believe , at least for me and my needs , it's the device that satisfies my current requirements . My family members also have this same device . All right , here's this scenario Major storm wipes out power , cell service is down across the region , phone's not working , no cell service and you're 50 miles from home . You need to be able to contact your family and hopefully tell them you're safe and
provide them guidance . Okay , I'm safe . Starting home should be there by noon , or are you safe ? Whatever the message happens to be and we'll get into the messages here in a second . So it basically works off the Iridium satellite network . It's a global network , so there are no blind spots , there are no dead areas . Now you might ask about GMRS radios , handheld ham radios . Those types of radios certainly have a role , but for this situation you're going to be too far for line of sight . Powers out repeaters are down , so handheld ham radios are not going to be too far for line of sight . Powers out . Repeaters are down , so handheld ham radios are not going to work .
Speaker 1So a satellite communications like the inReach Mini 2 , it's a tiny device , about three and a half ounces fits in your pocket . Again , it's on the Iridium satellite network . You can share your location , text messages or trigger an SOS anywhere in the world . It's pretty rugged , it's water resistant , not waterproof , and it's got like the case around it . It's kind of like a hard rubber case and the buttons are protected underneath this rubber case and it's not that difficult to use . However , being so small and compact , that's fantastic . But the downside to that is if you have fat fingers like me , it can be a little difficult to navigate the menu and get some of your text messages in . So when you get your device set the whole thing up beforehand
.
Speaker 1Okay , there are different types of monthly subscriptions . The monthly subscription I have is approximately I think it's $12 a month and that gives you 50 text messages through the device and those can be shared through text messages , email . There's several different ways that you can share the message that you need to provide , and another cool thing about it is With the other family members that have that if they have the same plan , they have 50 text messages . There's a cool thing about the Messenger app . So , again , if you have fat fingers , like me , using the app on the phone , like a lot of other devices , it's much easier to program through your phone than it is to try to look at the little screen on the device . Again , it's small , so it's meant to be compact . It is very versatile , but that is one of the downsides to it . There are other subscriptions , different tiers . I'm sure you know there's more expensive tiers that provide additional text messages , but I just have just the basic $12 a month 50 text messages , have just the basic $12 a month 50 text messages .
Speaker 1There's a map share feature . So basically what it does is you can have it send your location every 10 minutes , every 30 minutes , every hour , every two hours . So there's several different options . It has a great battery life , but the more times per hour that you send an interval , it's going to use more battery , however , so just like sitting there by itself , it's going to last about 14 days . It'll last about five days if it's on the entire time and you're sending your location out every 10 minutes .
Speaker 1Now I used it . I've used it on the trail when I've been hiking the Appalachian trail . I've used it here in Berlin a couple of times just to kind of put it through its paces , and when I was done hiking and I was done walking around here in Berlin , I go ahead and stop it on the phone , stop the tracking , and then I can actually pull up a map and have it load the waypoints and actually load the path that I've been either hiking or , in this instance this week , walking , and on the phone app you just kind of zoom in and the more you zoom in it ends up kind of like a Google Earth type of overlay and you can actually see the streets and it is very accurate . Now , obviously , you go inside a building for a significant amount of time . It's not going to be able to ping the satellites , but as long as there's clear view to the sky . If it gets a little cloudy it might affect it some , but you know , here in Berlin I'm between a lot of tall buildings , you know , as I'm walking , so it could affect it a little bit , but if you're out in the open you're going to be in good shape and it's going to be very , very accurate . Like I said , the battery is fantastic .
Speaker 1And let's talk about the SOS feature
. The great thing about the SOS feature is if you are in a really bad situation and you need to activate SOS , you need to call for assistance . You activate the SOS . It connects you with Garmin's like 24-7 emergency response team , or whatever they call it , and they will coordinate with local search and rescue law enforcement and they will come get you . If you're hiking and you've broken a leg , you've broken an arm and you can't continue , they'll have your exact location and they're going to come get you . They'll airlift you out . Whatever the situation is , they're going to come and get you .
Speaker 1So there's a bunch of preset messages and again , when you set it up , set up the preset messages before an SHTF situation and you can set them up like if I was hiking and I got to my camp , I would send the preset message to whoever in my contacts I need to send it to safe at camp . And let's say I had a preset message the next morning leaving camp . Those can be very , very simple . Now , if you didn't want to activate an SOS , you could put in a preset message need help at the cabin ? Need help behind the shopping center ? Okay , power out , meet at cabin . So you can have several of those and those can be changed all the time , depending on the situation . If you don't have a cabin , you can change it to something different . If , for some reason , your situation changes and some of the preset messages don't quite make sense , you just go into the app , which is much easier to program to the app , and you just go ahead and change them that way .
Speaker 1So basically , you can also share all of that . You share the map . You can also backtrack with the map . So if you're hiking and you're going along and , let's say , you get lost , you're not paying attention and you've realized that you're off the trail , then you have a situation of basically looking at the map and then just walking it backwards . Just turn around , zoom in and it's going to walk you back . You can . Let's say I was here in Berlin and I went too many blocks . I went like six blocks too far and I took a left and I finally realized it . I could pull up the map and basically I just turned around and I followed a little blue line backwards the way I came and it's going to go ahead and get me back to where I need to be Now .
Speaker 1With any technology , garmin probably has already come out with something that's bigger and better and probably more expensive than the inReach Mini 2 . I happen to be attending a tech conference tomorrow here in Berlin . It's IFA Innovation for All . Garmin's going to be there , and I did read that they now have a smartwatch that does all of the things that the Garmin Messenger devices the inReach , the mini inReach , the mini inReach 2 , they all do that and it's going to be compact into a smartwatch and I'm going to assume that the app is compatible as well
. I also heard it was about $2,000 , which leaves that way , way , way out of my price range . The inReach Mini 2 , amazon , rei , any other outdoor website . When I purchased mine I believe it was about $350 . But as new versions of these devices come out , the price of the older versions will eventually drop down . So again , this is something that suits my current needs .
Speaker 1May not be for everybody , current needs may not be for everybody , but I think it's important to have something , because if you're 20 miles away , five miles away , and you're not able to make it home because of an SHTF situation and the cell service is down , you don't know if your family is safe . They don't know if you're safe . If you have no way of getting reliable communication set up and providing them current information on where you are and what you need to do , that could be a problem . You're not going to be able to say , hey , meet at the cabin or get the bug out bags , I'll be home in 30 minutes . You're not going to be able to provide that . Now . It might seem like a little overkill , but remember , a lot of what I do prepping-wise is peace of mind .
Speaker 1Now , this device has been sitting near my bug-out bag for probably 320 of the last 365 days , but I know I've got it and $12 a month may be a lot of money for some folks . So it's a what ? Maybe a Starbucks and a half ? I don't drink Starbucks . I'm not sure how much a Starbucks is , but to me peace of mind . You really can't put a price on it . So $12 a month to me , given my situation and how I prep , is money well spent . All right , folks , thanks for listening . If you need to get ahold of me practicalpreppodcast at gmailcom , go into the cool tech show . Maybe I'll take some photos of that new Garmin device and try to get some information on it . Don't forget , I'll be going to Prepper Camp 26th , 7th and 8th , I believe , of September . And again , thanks so much , folks , and , as always , be safe out there , take care of one another and until next time .