Field guide

The satellite message cheat sheet

Satellite messages cost money and thumbs-on-tiny-keyboard time. This is how to phrase questions to 86-GETRELAY (+1 (864) 387-3529) so the first reply is the one you need.

Location: say it once, it sticks

Relay resolves your location from four sources, in order: coordinates you type, the GPS position your device attaches (inReach does this automatically on most models), your linked Garmin MapShare feed, and your last known location from earlier messages.

→ Forecast tonight? @37.86,-119.54

← Tn: clear, 48F, wind SW 8mph. Wed: sunny 72F. src: NWS

Named places work too — Relay geocodes them before answering, and remembers the resolved spot for your next question:

→ Weather at Kearsarge Pass tomorrow?

← Tmrw: sunny 61F, wind W 10-15mph, no precip. src: NWS

→ and Thursday?

← Thu: mostly sunny, high 58F, gusts to 20mph afternoon. src: NWS

The follow-up needed no location at all. That works for hours — satellite delivery lag is expected.

Abbreviate freely

Relay decodes satellite-keyboard shorthand: wthr tmrw, nrst water src, fcst tn all route correctly. Don't spend characters on politeness or full sentences — spend them on specifics (place, day, what-exactly).

What the reply markers mean

Every reply tells you where it came from. src: NWS (or NOAA, OSM, SNOTEL, NDBC, avalanche.org…) means Relay called that live source for this answer — it physically can't cite a source it didn't query. A ~ prefix means reliable general knowledge, no live lookup needed. No marker means Relay needs something from you — usually a location.

One question per message (usually)

Two related asks compress fine into one reply — Relay runs both and merges them:

→ Forecast tonight and nearest water source? @37.86,-119.54

← Tn: Partly cloudy, 47F. Drinking water point 4.6km away. src: NWS / OSM

But three-part questions force brutal compression into 160 characters. Split them.

Things people don't realize they can ask

→ Snow depth at Mammoth Pass?

← Mammoth Pass SNOTEL: 0 in on the ground. src: SNOTEL

→ Is it smoky at Yosemite Valley today?

← AQI 31 (Good) now, max 58 (Moderate) next 24h. src: Open-Meteo

→ How much ibuprofen for a sprained ankle?

← 1-2x 200mg every 4-6h w/ food. Max 1200mg/24h. Stop & seek care if black stools. src: Relay-FA

→ Whats the declination here @37.86,-119.54

← Declination 12.3 deg E. src: NOAA

Plus: tides, buoy observations, avalanche danger, fire restrictions, trail closures, sunrise/sunset, first aid, unit conversions, live scores — anything you'd Google.

Before you leave the trailhead

Save +1 (864) 387-3529 as a contact and sync your device.
Send one test question from your driveway — confirm the round trip works.
Garmin users: link your MapShare in Relay settings so “forecast tonight?” works with zero typing.
Emergencies: your device's SOS button first, always. Relay is not a rescue service.