Your inReach sends and receives satellite text anywhere on Earth, but on its own it can’t fetch a GRIB forecast. Beamback fixes that: text an area and get a real GRIB chart back (wind, pressure, rain, waves) or ask the AI a question. No phone signal, no new hardware.
On a ZOLEO instead? See the ZOLEO weather page →
GRIB weather + waves + AI · GFS · ECMWF · satellite text · Garmin plan messages separate
Text a short code from the device, that’s the whole pairing. No address to look up, no cables, no app on the inReach.
From anywhere at sea, text a forecast area and time range, or ask a question in plain English, just like any other inReach message.
A compact GRIB forecast or a straight AI answer lands on your inReach. Open it in the free Beamback viewer as a real weather chart.
On its own, no. That is why you’ll read that it can’t be done. An inReach sends and receives text, not file attachments. Beamback works around that: the GRIB forecast is compressed and sent as ordinary satellite text messages your inReach receives natively, and the free Beamback viewer reassembles them into a real GRIB file on your phone. No device modification, no extra hardware.
Pair your inReach with Beamback once by texting a short code from the device, then text a forecast request: an area and a time range. Beamback fetches the latest GFS or ECMWF model run and beams the forecast back as satellite messages. No phone signal, no app running on the inReach.
The Beamback relay is €6 per month, cancel anytime, with unlimited forecast and AI requests under fair use. During the current beta, access is invite-gated and free. The replies themselves arrive as messages on your own Garmin plan and count against its allowance, so the app shows the expected message count before you send a request.
Yes. Alongside weather, you can text a question in plain English (interpret a forecast, first aid, a repair, the nearest safe harbour) and Beamback beams an AI answer back to your inReach over the same satellite link. No phone signal needed.
Beamback is invite-gated and free during beta. Request access and we’ll email you an invite as slots open.