Access live expertise for
conditions.first aid.
No signal required.
Text any question from anywhere on land or sea. Relay answers via satellite with real-time data for any query.
Delivered via satellite — no cell or Wi-Fi needed
Simple as sending a text.
Text your question
From any satellite-capable device — Garmin inReach, Zoleo, SPOT, iPhone, or Android satellite messaging. No internet required on your end.
Relay processes it
Your message routes to live data feeds — NWS forecasts, NOAA tides, avalanche centers, USGS streamflow — or to research-backed knowledge for open questions.
Answer arrives via satellite
A compressed, information-dense reply lands on your device in under a minute — no cell towers, no Wi-Fi, anywhere on the planet.
Sign up free, add your phone number, then save this in your satellite device before you head out. Two minutes, once.
What can you ask?
Anything you'd Google — but from a ridgeline, an ocean passage, or a slot canyon.
Real reply format: one SMS, max 160 characters. src: = live data this turn. ~ = general knowledge.
Mountain weather
Summit day in the Cascades
Ocean passage
Offshore sailing, no cell coverage
General knowledge
40 miles off the coast of Maine
Medical & first aid
Day 3 of a 7-day backpack
Gear failure
Stove dies 30 miles from trailhead
Flash flood & storm
Canyoneering in slot canyon
Two minutes now. Answers anywhere, forever.
Sign up free, add your number, and save 86-GETRELAY in your device before your next trip.
Get started freeFree during beta · 100 messages/day · no app required
No laptop handy? Text SIGNUP to 86-GETRELAY — the whole account is created over SMS.
Works with Garmin inReach, Zoleo,
SPOT X, and iPhone satellite.
No app to download. No special hardware. If it sends an SMS, Relay works.
Garmin inReach
Most popularMini 2, Explorer+, SE+, or any inReach model. Two-way satellite messaging via Iridium.
Setup guide →Zoleo
Global satellite communicator. Works via the Zoleo app or as a standalone device.
Setup guide →SPOT X
Globalstar-based two-way messaging. Point-to-point SMS via satellite.
Setup guide →iPhone Satellite
iOS 16+Emergency SOS and Messages via satellite on iPhone 14+. Works with Relay's number.
Setup guide →T-Mobile Satellite
Most phonesPowered by Starlink. Standard SMS via satellite in areas with no cell coverage.
Setup guide →Any SMS device
UniversalIf it can send a standard SMS to a US number, Relay can receive and reply.
Common questions.
Can I get weather forecasts on my Garmin inReach?
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Yes. Text a question like "forecast tomorrow" to +1 (864) 387-3529 (86-GETRELAY) from your inReach and Relay replies with a live NWS or Open-Meteo forecast in one SMS. Include a place name or @lat,lon, or let your MapShare position fill in your location automatically.
How do I ask an AI a question over satellite with no cell service?
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Save Relay's number, +1 (864) 387-3529, as a contact in any satellite messenger that sends real two-way SMS (Garmin inReach, Zoleo, SPOT X, iPhone 14+ satellite messaging). Text your question the way you'd text a friend; the answer comes back over the same channel.
What kinds of questions can Relay answer?
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Anything you'd Google: weather, marine forecasts, tides, sunrise, trail and resupply info, nearest fuel or ranger station, first aid, fire restrictions and closures, news and scores, unit conversions, gear fixes. Every factual answer is pulled from live data sources and tagged with where it came from.
Does Relay work with tides and marine forecasts for sailors?
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Yes. Relay pulls NOAA tide predictions for the nearest station and open-water wave, swell, and wind conditions worldwide - ask "tides tomorrow" or "swell off Half Moon Bay".
How much does Relay cost?
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Relay is free while in beta - up to 100 messages per day per account. Your satellite provider's normal per-message rates still apply on your side, which is why replies are compressed into a single SMS.
How does Relay know where I am?
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Four ways, in order: coordinates you type (@44.27,-71.30), the GPS position your device attaches, your Garmin MapShare feed if you link it, or your last known location. If none exist, Relay asks instead of guessing.
Can I sign up without internet access?
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Yes - the whole account can be created over SMS. Text SIGNUP to +1 (864) 387-3529 from any phone or satellite messenger and you're in, no website needed. Useful when you're already at the trailhead.
Can I see my account and messages on the web?
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Yes. If you signed up by text, send EMAIL you@example.com to Relay and we'll email you a login link - that address becomes your web login after you click it. Your history and settings live at northstarrelay.com/dashboard.
Can I trust the answers?
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Every reply is marked. "src: NWS" means the fact came from a live tool call to that source this turn - the system physically can't cite a source it didn't call. A "~" prefix means general knowledge. When Relay can't verify something, it says so instead of guessing.
Built to admit what we don't know.
Every reply is grounded in live data, sourced, and structurally unable to cite a feed it didn't call.
Live data, real sources
NWS, NOAA tides, Open-Meteo, NIFC wildfires, avalanche.org, SNOTEL, NDBC buoys, USGS, OpenStreetMap. Public federal and open feeds, fetched at ask time.
Every reply is signed
Look for the src: tag at the end of every reply — it tells you which feed answered. General knowledge gets a ~ marker. If we don't know, we say so.
Multiple checks before send
Guards run after the reply is drafted. They look for fabricated distances, unverified place names, citations without sources — and intercept them.