Chris and Ben, who paddle for the Eddie Bauer/First Ascent team, are challenging the Zambezi, Kufue, Cunene and Kwanza rivers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Angola in December and January; they’lll take on the Lukuga River in Congo during  late January and February . During the latter they’ll also be involved in community aid and a National Geographic project.

Chris contacted DeLorme upon hearing about inReach, and we are delighted to be supporting him and Ben with reliable 2-way satellite messaging, message delivery confirmation, remote tracking, SOS, and GPS navigation (the latter via Earthmate PN-60w which we’ve also provided for each paddler).

As of today, Chris and Ben are en route by vehicle to their starting point.  You can follow their journey at their inReach MapShare page. Bookmark it and check back to follow their progress. You can click on any of the message and tracking icons to read more details, and you can also send messages to them (just click the blue Message icon near the top of the page). In addition, you can follow Chris on Twitter @ckorbulic. In any of his tweets that contain a URL beginning “dlor.me” you can click on that link to see their location as of time the tweet was posted.

You can also find information at First Ascent

All photos courtesy of Chris Korbulic.

Charlie Conley
Marketing Manager

I’m sharing a few screenshots that illustrate the feature. While I was hunting this weekend I received a message from my dad showing where he was sitting. I was able to select the message from the conversation thread and press Enter to view the details of his message.

The details page included his speed, heading, elevation, and the time he sent the message. It also gave me options to view my dad’s location on the map or create a route to that location. I could have chosen to create a waypoint at his location too since it’s one of his favorite hunting spots!

After I chose to create a route to his location the map displayed an orange route highlight from my GPS location to the location where he sent his message. You can see the red route finish icon on top of his green message icon. The blue message icons show locations where I sent a message. If you look south of my GPS location you’ll see a second green message icon where my brother-in-law sent me a message too.

That’s the short version of how to use the location of someone who has sent you an inReach message. You can create a waypoint at their location, see them on the map, or create a route to where they are. The final screen shows all of the tracking and message information that was shared between the three of us that were out hunting. The view is from my MapShare and shows locations overlaid on aerial imagery

Feel free to post any questions you might have about the DeLorme PN-60w and inReach, and don’t forget about the blog challenge to share a picture of your camp! There’s still time left to enter and we want as many as possible to have a chance to win the Earthmate PN-60w that we are giving away!

Thank you,

Chip Noble
DeLorme

I wanted to take a moment to share some of that hunting camp tradition with you and then show some videos of DeLorme’s new Earthmate PN-60w and inReach in action. While most things at hunting camp have a nostalgic feel, the technology being used is cutting edge and will keep you connected—no matter where you’ve gotten to during the hunt!

For those who’ve never been, going to a hunting camp is like taking a step back in time to an era before cell phones, cable television, and even electricity. I’m sure other hunting enthusiasts around the country will have pictures like these from their own camps; places with names like Bon Ami, Number Six, The Old Warden, and Stag-er-Inn.

At hunting camp you get your water from the cast-iron pump next to the sink and it’s as cold as the ice in the brook until the pump’s drained for fear of freezing the pipe in December.

Gas lights throughout the camp let you read big buck stories in Field & Stream while the loyal bird dog curls up on the couch she’s not allowed to sleep on at home. The magazine articles always make it sound so easy but I can assure you it’s not.

Red wool jackets and blaze orange hats hang on hooks and the backs of chairs while boots are arranged near the wood stove to dry. Camp slippers on the board above the stove are welcome should you need to make a trip to The Necessary in the night. Trinkets and trophies decorate the walls telling their own stories of camp and family and Maine.

Playing cribbage is a favorite pastime when the table isn’t serving up good food prepared for hungry hunters in from the woods. You’d be surprised by the appetite you can work up napping in the woods on a crisp fall day.

Of all these things though, it is the family and the stories that I value most. It’s staying in touch and sharing the excitement of being together at camp and being in the wilderness. That’s why I really am excited about DeLorme’s new inReach. It gives me the ability to send a message back to my mom, letting her know where I am on the ridge. I can tell my dad I flushed a bird or maybe even saw a deer! Who knows, maybe I’ll finally sit quietly, long enough to get that big buck and send a message for some help… not likely, but at least I’ll be ready!

Watch the video to see some of the exciting new ways we’ll be staying in touch at hunting camp. Granted, most of the excitement was around breakfast and cinnamon buns but the value of the PN-60w and inReach for sending two-way messages powered by the Iridium satellite network is clear.

Imagine how you might use a system like this at your own hunting camp. The satellite network powered by Iridium is global, pole-to-pole. You can exchange messages with friends and family regardless of how far from camp they are. For that matter, you can send messages to me in Weld, Maine, the next time we’re both out in the woods!

I hope you enjoyed your brief tour of our hunting camp here in the wilds of Maine. As a “thank you” for visiting I encourage you to go to our DeLorme Facebook page and post a picture of your own camp, hunting or not; you’ll be entered to win a PN-60w! From there the winner will just need the inReach to stay connected wherever they go!

Don’t forget to sign the camp log before you leave, my mother will be checking it to see if you enjoyed your visit. Good luck to all of you this season, enjoy your time in the woods and at camp!

Be safe out there,

Chip Noble
DeLorme

Here’s a map of tomorrow’s ride, I’ll be watching the profile on my PN-60w and waiting for the end as I climb the monster hill at the half-way point. Pay no attention to any slow speeds that might be reported on the MapShare page, it probably was caused by one of those last minute issues that the project team will get taken care of once the ride finishes.

And for all those Grey’s Anatomy fans out there, I did get to meet McDreamy at the sponsor ride today!

It was very impressive to see the effort that Patrick and all of the other coordinators put into this event. If you are a walker, runner, or cyclist in the New England area I’d strongly encourage you to check it out.

Now I’ve got to get to bed! The ride starts at 7:30 and the other members of Team DeLorme are going to be hammering for a chance to ride with Levi Leipheimer, Tom Danielson, and all of the other amazing professional cyclists that have come out to support the Dempsey Challenge!

Ride safe,
Chip Noble
Team DeLorme

UPDATE:

The 2011 Dempsey Challenge was a wonderful event. The weather was perfect and the route was challenging, leaving all riders with a sense of accomplishment. Congratulations to all of the participants and a job well done to all of the coordinators and to Patrick Dempsey for once again making the Dempsey Challenge a memorable event for all involved! They announced that the event raised over one million dollars for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, a very impressive effort by everyone that participated.

I tracked our progress with the PN-60w and DeLorme inReach, I hope those interested had a chance to see the track on our MapShare page…

Here are a couple of pictures of a fellow Team DeLorme rider and me approaching the finish line and then celebrating the end of the 100 mile ride. I only wish someone had told me about the crazy spiked hair!

Keep an eye out for the 2012 Dempsey Challenge and let me know if you want to ride with Team DeLorme!

Take care,
Chip

I was very excited to see all the activity on the blog when I got back. I understand that there’s been a lot of comparing and contrasting between the subscription plan information that we posted last week and other systems that are out there. I wanted to take a few minutes and actually post the wrap-up e-mail I sent to our management team while I was flying back to Maine late Thursday evening. Returning from my first multiple-day backpacking trip with the inReach really gave me a chance to appreciate how the game has changed since the last time I made a blog post about sending messages from the top of a mountain….

I wanted to send an e-mail to thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to represent DeLorme and participate in the Big City Mountaineers Outdoor Industry Leadership Climb of the Grand Teton. It was an amazing opportunity to showcase all of the hard work that has gone into the DeLorme inReach and Earthmate PN-60w, as well as a once in a lifetime opportunity for me personally.

The inReach was well received by industry leaders on the climb; several used the device to send messages to family, friends, and colleagues. Some that were part of the first climbing group exchanged messages with the second group while they watched our progress on summit day. All climbers joined in on a spontaneous DeLorme Twitter challenge the morning of day 2 and pooled quite a collection of prizes for the first Twitter follower to bring bacon, a birthday cake, and other supplies to base camp. Unfortunately none of the people that responded to the inReach message were able to make the climb to cash in but it was nice to see how the group embraced the messaging beyond cell phone capabilities (thanks to Iridium) of our new product.

We released my blog post about the climb on Monday morning inviting people to follow the trip on my Grand Teton Climb MapShare page. I sent 189 tracking messages during the trip representing over 30 hours of activity including a full summit day that started at 5:30 am and finished at 5:30 pm. I sent 140 messages over the trip including messages to Twitter, Facebook, friends, family, and co-workers. I was able to say goodnight to my wife and daughter from 11,000 feet and reassure my mother that I was paying close attention to the guides and wouldn’t be doing anything dangerous. She will not be viewing some of the climbing pictures!

I received messages from over 40 different people; many co-workers, lots of friends and family, and a large number of people that read the blog and wanted to offer encouragement. Some of my favorite messages came at times when I was huddled in the tent with the wind thrashing or standing in the dark waiting to rope in to start the climb. All were amazing to receive so far away from home and reinforced the significance of what we’re doing every time the PN chimed to let me know someone was watching.

“Good luck! I’m on the other side in Idaho.” –Twitter follower

“Dear Chip, we’re following you from Italy, Abruzzi mountains! Wishing you all the best for a nice climb! –Klaus” –Twitter follower

“Watched your progress and can’t wait to get the inReach. Congratulations on a great hike!” –Twitter follower

“Abby is having lunch with us. She says you are a good climber. We love you.” –My mom

“When you reach the ridge line between Grand and Middle, look west. We might be able to capture you on the TetonCam web cam.” –Co-worker

“Everyone in my training class wants to say hello.” –DeLorme training coordinator

“Sweeeeettt! What a great climb. Far different than the one in California. You are now a true mountaineer!” –Member of Climb 1

“Get your tail moving!” –My supervisor

“Stay close to the experts.” –My mom

“Awesome, so what route are you using for the climb?” –Co-worker

“Doing good so far. I would love to meet you at the top with bacon and whiskey, but alas I have to be at work. How about a box of cookies when you get back?” –Twitter Challenge responder

“Really cool to be able to show the girls where you are, which rock are you hiding behind? Get good rest for tomorrow.” –My sister

“Shouldn’t you be holding onto the rope not texting?” –My dad

“I just zoomed in to where you are with the aerial imagery. Yikes!” –Co-worker

“Wishing you tight ropes, solid footing and clear skies.” –Co-worker

“Great! I hope you had a good time, and I’m glad you’re on your way towards home because we miss you!” –My wife

My only disappointment from the trip was minor, the message that I sent from the summit did not actually transmit. I was concerned about temperatures so I created a predefined message forgetting that the feature wasn’t fully implemented. The feature has since been completed but for this trip the track log and following picture from the summit will have to prove that I did stand on top of the Mountain… here is the text that I meant to send to all of you before coming back down:

“Standing on the summit of the Grand Teton, breathtaking! Thanks to Big City Mountaineers, Backpacker Magazine, and DeLorme for this amazing opportunity!”

It truly was a breathtaking view and an amazing opportunity and I thank you all for letting me represent DeLorme and participate in this grand adventure!

Chip Noble
Team DeLorme

I hope that sharing this report to our management team helps explain why I’m confident that the two-way messaging capabilities of the DeLorme inReach are going to change the way we stay in touch on the trail and in the back country. It’s not just about sending messages anymore!

Chip Noble
Team DeLorme

I’ve been getting ready to climb the Grand Teton in Wyoming with Big City Mountaineers and Backpacker Magazine. You might recall my posts from last year when I had an amazing opportunity to participate in one of their Summit For Someone climbs going up Mount Langley in California. As luck would have it, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive another invitation to participate in one of their climbs, this time tackling the tallest peak in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. We’ll begin our climb on Monday and summit on Wednesday with plenty of time for adventure in between.

The most exciting part of the Grand Teton climb is that I’ll be using the DeLorme inReach and Earthmate PN-60w to track my location during the hike and to check in with friends and family as well as any blog followers that want to see how things are going. You’ll be able to follow along on my MapShare Page to watch our progress on the climb. There’s a top secret password, the name of my wonder dog… “Beezy.”

MapShare Page: Grand Teton Climb
Password: Beezy

I’m going to be doing some pretty challenging climbing at times so please don’t be offended if you don’t hear back from me until I take a break or return to base camp. As those of you who sent me messages during my training climbs know, I try hard to reply to everyone so they can get a sense for how the messaging is going to work. I hope to hear from some of you while I’m on the climb!

Okay, now for the details I promised in the title…

The pricing has been finalized so I can share  that information here now. There will be three pricing plans for the DeLorme inReach, giving you options to accommodate all of the various uses we’ve heard people describing. If you’re just looking for an emergency notification system, sign up for the Safety Plan. If you’re out and about all the time, outside of cell phone range, and looking for the top tier messaging system look at the Expedition Plan.

Here are some additional points about the messaging plans…

• SOS is included in all three plans and will be provided by GEOS Search and Rescue
• Tracking is included in the Recreation and Expedition Plans and is Unlimited!
• Note that the shortest tracking interval will be 10 minutes
• There will be a one-time charge of $11.95 when you set up your device to cover activation
• Users will be able to move up and down between the plans based on their seasonal activity
• Note that moving up to a higher plan is free and there is a $24.95 charge for moving down
• Overage refers to a per message charge for messages that go over the monthly allotment
• Messages include both sent and received messages

As always, feel free to post any questions you might have about the pricing plans here and I’ll get back to you as soon as I return from my adventure on the Grand Teton. I am sure that those interested in using the DeLorme inReach two-way satellite communicator for their own adventures will be able to find a combination of plans that meet their needs. I know it won’t be long before people are sharing their own Grand Teton adventures with us… count on reading about some of those trips here!

Take care,

Chip Noble
Team DeLorme

Last Saturday I went for a hike in the White Mountains with one of our lead engineers. We hit the road at 4:00 AM and were on the trail with my Earthmate PN-60w & DeLorme inReach at 6:00 AM ready to cover 11 miles of hiking with 2,800 feet of climbing including two 4,000 footers with Mt. Tripyramid’s North and Middle peaks. The trail was challenging and the views of the surrounding mountain range were quite impressive!

I think this example is probably better than me trying to explain all the features and benefits of two-way satellite communication from beyond cell phone range with the new DeLorme inReach. Christian, our Director of Technology, was up early and sent us some messages while we were on the hike. We were an hour’s drive from the nearest cell phone reception and we were able to check in with him during the hike. You all know that I’m easily excited by the projects I get to work on here at DeLorme but the ability to see confirmation that our messages were being delivered and the ability to get a reply really is a big deal… I’d go so far as to call it a game changer for those of us that spend a fair bit of time in the wilderness!

One last image… here’s the map of our hike on the soon to be launched Explore.DeLorme.com site. Notice that there are no gaps from dropped messages, the Iridium reception is very impressive and should a message not get out, it is queued and delivered as soon as a satellite comes into view. It ensures that the messages you send really make it through to your friends and family.

Okay, remember how I said you could check things out back at the start of this post? Well, here’s a link to my “Where’s Chip???” MapShare, you can view a map that shows my location and even send me a message when I’m out on an adventure.

Where’s Chip???

As a little precaution I did put a password on the site… it’s the top secret name of my dog, Beezy. She’s very excited to be going on a hike with me in just a few minutes! I’m writing this post in Weld, ME and am about to go hike Tumbledown Mountain, one of my favorite climbs. Follow the link above and use “Beezy” as your password. Click on my name and then use the envelope to send me a message. I’ll get back to you when I take a break on the trail. I suppose I should give a time frame too… I have to put my boots on and get my pack ready. I should be at the trail by the time this gets posted and I’ll update here when I’m done…

Talk with you soon!

Chip Noble
Team DeLorme

UPDATE

I wanted to thank everyone that sent me messages while I was out on my hike, climbing Tumbledown Mountain. It was exciting to chat with blog readers while I was in the middle of a test of our new system! I sent updates and replies and best of all we learned of a problem that our project team is working on as we speak! It’s always fun for me to get the public involved with our design and testing process… makes the final product better every time! I’ve removed the ability to reply to my MapShare until the next outing… I don’t want anyone to worry if they don’t hear from me. One more hike tomorrow and then some travel for work. I’ll be climbing Mount Washington with some co-workers next weekend so you can check back then. After that, keep an eye on the DeLorme Blog for information about my upcoming Grand Teton climb in Wyoming with Backpacker Magazine! This is all really just a test run for that much larger event. Things are looking good so far!

1. See the new DeLorme inReach Two-Way GPS Communicator in person!
Chip will be at the classrooms with an inReach and his Android phone doing a live demo at 3:00 PM. This is our first public demo (really) and we’re very excited (nervous). Stop by, check it out, and ask a lot of questions. We’re @DeLormeGPS on Twitter if you want to post your feedback to the world immediately!

2. Get your geocoin in the Team DeLorme Coin Vault cache
The Coin Vault cache is in our lobby in the shadow of Eartha, the world’s largest globe. It’s a beautiful wood and glass display case containing coins we’ve collected over the years. We’ll have a supply of our 2-D Eartha coins to trade for your coin, which will go on display in the Vault (you can retain ownership of your coin) where visitors can enjoy and log the discovery.

3. Meet Team DeLorme and chat Geocaching, GPS technology—or anything else
We’ll be at the Meet and Greet event on Friday night and then at our tent on Saturday. Stop by and see us!

-Team DeLorme

Note: We’ve got a special promotional offer in your registration bag and we’ll have a few of our GPS devices for sale (at special event prices) at our tent. No purchase necessary for the awesomeness listed above though!

Sales related information…

• The inReach is scheduled for release to retail in October, selling for around $250.
• There will be three tracking and messaging plans starting with the Safety Plan for $9.95 per month. Additional Recreation and Pro plans increase in price and deliver larger volumes of tracking and messaging units.
• All plans require a one year contract. Users will be able to move between the plans to accommodate changes in use. Recreation Plan users in the summer could drop back to the Safety Plan in the winter to reduce their monthly subscription fee.
• “Pay as you go” options are available for users that prefer the low monthly cost of the Safety Plan and the ability to pay for any tracking or messaging units that go over the monthly allocation for the Safety Plan.
• I will not be able to share more details on plan pricing or tracking and messaging units until all of the billing details have been finalized. As soon as they are square I’ll share them here.

Physical attributes of the device…

• Device dimensions are as follows: height: 3.36 inches not including antenna, 4.78 inches including antenna, width: 2.85 inches, depth: 1.73 inches.
• The device meets IPX7 waterproofing standards and it floats. It will have a lanyard attachment point just in case you try to drop it overboard.
• The SOS locking mechanism was designed to comply with the RTCM SC-128 standard for SENDs supporting one handed, gloved operation.
• We are supporting alkaline, lithium, and NiMH AA batteries although we recommend the Energizer eLithium batteries for longest performance.
• Additional battery testing is underway but early results have shown the ability to send messages for up to seven days, very good results for search and rescue.
• The inReach has been designed for optional battery pack and external power configurations should the market show interest in that kind of accessory.

Device interaction…

• The inReach will report speed, heading, and elevation with each track or message that it transmits allowing message recipients and website viewers to learn more about users’ movements then just what is described in the message text.
• inReach users will be able to send/receive messages to/from other inReach users anywhere in the world. Send a message telling your hunting partner that it’s time to head home even when you are many miles away from each other.
• Tracking intervals can go as high as a message every 2 minutes and as low as a message every 4 hours.

Operating system support…

• Initial hardware and software development has been for the PN-60w and Android operating systems however we are very interested in other platforms like iOS, Windows Phone 7, and Blackberry.
• DeLorme has not taken an anti-Apple position, being a smaller company we’ve needed to focus our development efforts on a single platform for our initial release.
• We are capturing all of the feedback from users commenting on this blog and in our forums to build the business cases for where we will go from here.

Android application details…

• The Android application will be available for free through the Google Marketplace.
• Users who purchase the inReach device will receive the current DeLorme Topographic maps for free.
• Android application downloaders will be able to purchase the DeLorme Topographic download by region at a low cost and get the same high detail data used on the DeLorme Earthmate PN-series devices.
• We are working to bring the same additional map types found in our DeLorme Map Library to the Android application, stay tuned for more details as that effort progresses.
• We also hope to bring the DeLorme world map and world aerial imagery to the Android application as they are currently available on the PN-series devices.

PN-60w details…

• The Earthmate PN-60w will support the inReach device allowing two-way communications in addition to all the standard PN-series features.

• A firmware update supporting the new inReach functionality will be made available at the time of the inReach launch.

DeLorme inReach news and other announcements…

• Updates about the inReach product will appear on the DeLorme Blog as we move through the development cycle and approach our release date.
• Subscribe to the DeLorme Blog or DeLorme Twitter feed to get notifications when new information is made available.

Again, thank you all for your great feedback on the new DeLorme inReach. We’ll be processing all the comments and incorporating your ideas into the final product as we work our way through the development process. Stay tuned for more details as the project unfolds!

Chip Noble
UI Design
DeLorme

After a long winter of forced silence I’ve finally been given the nod to share a sneak peek at our latest development efforts here at DeLorme. We’re very excited about our new partnership with Iridium and we’re even more excited to announce the DeLorme® inReach™! We’ll be bringing this unique two-way satellite GPS communicator to market later this year.

The DeLorme inReach continues our effort to keep people connected when they travel outside of cell phone range. With the inReach, you can send AND RECEIVE text messages with true pole-to-pole global coverage. The inReach can be used by itself, with the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w GPS, or with smartphones running the Android OS!

One of the invaluable features of the DeLorme inReach is the ability to receive emergency SOS and message delivery confirmation while on your adventure. This removes the need to send the same message multiple times and gives immediate feedback that your communication made it through. Emergency response services will even be able to notify you that help is on the way.

When using the device as a standalone, you will be able to send tracking locations as well as three different messages you’ve created ahead of time. SOS messages can be sent to search and rescue and they’ll be able to respond by triggering a change in the SOS LED on the inReach device to let you know that they heard you and are taking action.

Pairing the DeLorme inReach with either a PN-60w or an Android device allows you to type up to 160 characters and send your message to friends and family using either e-mail or SMS text message addresses. Don’t worry about building your contact list ahead of time anymore, you can send messages to new addresses right in the field. Communicate important information, change your plans, or just check in to let everyone know that you are okay. Send your message to Twitter and Facebook or a shared map to let them watch your progress and send you a message.

The DeLorme inReach has a customizable tracking interval that can be set before you leave if you’re using the device as a standalone or set with the PN-60w or Android application while you are in the field. Set the interval to report every two minutes if you want to share more detail or reduce it to update once an hour if you’re sharing less detail.

Along with the satellite messaging capabilities, both the PN-60w and the inReach Android app will continue to deliver the same top-quality DeLorme Topographic mapping data with roads and trails, detailed contour and land cover information, points of interest and the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer descriptions. We are also working to make the DeLorme Map Library available through the Android application allowing users to view aerial imagery, USGS quad sheets, Canadian topographic maps, and NOAA nautical charts, all available when beyond cell phone coverage.

The DeLorme inReach will require a subscription to access the tracking, messaging, and SOS features. Current plans are to offer three levels: Safety, Recreation, and Pro, with prices starting at $9.95 per month for the safety plan and increasing to offer more in-plan message and tracking units. Plan options will include the ability to move between plan level, if, for example, you find yourself very active in the summer months but only needing safety features during the winter months.

A quick recap in case you only looked at the pictures:

• inReach – A new two-way communicator that works with the PN-60w or an Android OS device.
• Send and receive text messages outside of cell phone range with friends, family, Facebook/Twitter, or emergency services.
• Tracking lets friends and family watch you in real time on a map back home.
• The DeLorme Map Library with topographic, aerial, nautical, and more – all can be downloaded (from within data range) for use outside of cell phone data coverage.
• The messaging plans start at $9.95/month and can be adjusted between levels.

I was able to send my first messages this week so be sure to keep an eye on the DeLorme blog for more details as we move through the development process. There will be opportunities to see the device in action at trade shows and events this summer so stay tuned for those announcements as well. In the meantime, feel free to post questions here, I’ll be updating with new information and would love to hear your thoughts on this exciting new DeLorme product!

Chip Noble
UI Design