Spot GPS Messenger

[Jamie]

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=102

I just got one of these, and will be taking it with me camping this weekend. I set it up, did a test run, and am already impressed.

It cost me $80 on eBay, and there's a $99 annual subscription to the service. It took me about 10 minutes from opening the box to testing the device, using the website to set up my account and program my personal messages.

The device communicates with GPS satellites to pinpoint my location; it took about 30 seconds to locate the satellites. Once it has a position lock, you can use the device to send a variety of messages...

In an emergency, hit the SOS button and the device alerts local rescue services that you have an emergency and gives them your exact coordinates...

There are 3 other message buttons available that can be personalized: OK, HELP, and custom...my ok message says that I'm ok and having fun, my help message says that I'm having some trouble (not an emergency) but am going to be delayed, my custom message instructs the person contacted to send bourbon and bacon to the indicated GPS coords.

I set up my account so that my non-SOS messages go to my wife's email...you can also send texts to cell phones, and send them to as many as 10 different email/SMS addresses...

I sent tests from my deck and then from the woods behind my house, and they arrived very quickly...including my messages and the GPS coords and a link to a googlemap showing my location.

Overall, I think that this is a kickass piece of tech, and it will make my wife a bit happier about the stupid places I go, and trips I take...

Jamie


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[hatchtrikk]

Looking forward to your review on this!


My wife and I saw this a year or so ago and have been kicking around the idea of purchasing one for our road trips.

[TacAir]

Most outfitters in Alaska rent these out as well. Very well received by 'customers'.

[Jamie]

Most outfitters in Alaska rent these out as well. Very well received by 'customers'.

It is useful in placating my wife when I describe some of the trips that I want to do this summer...she foolishly doesn't see my living without interruption through today as proof of my immortality, and worries about my dying on one of these trips for want of medical assistance...

Jamie

[ProstheticWeasel]

They are pretty slick devices. I have the previous gen one. We used it on our boat so we and our friends/family could watch our progress. And also as a backup in case something disastrous happened and our radios quit working.

We put it in the car on some trips but the tracks would only be very sporadic so it was hard to see where you had been. You could tell where you stopped but the road route had very few points.

For the price it is pretty hard to beat for a bit of peace of mind. I always think of the stories of people who get a hand or an arm pinned under a rock and after a few days being stuck there end up cutting the appendage off. If they had one of these they could have gotten help.

[grennels]

For the price it is pretty hard to beat for a bit of peace of mind. I always think of the stories of people who get a hand or an arm pinned under a rock and after a few days being stuck there end up cutting the appendage off. If they had one of these they could have gotten help.

At the bottom of a slot canyon?

[Jamie]

At the bottom of a slot canyon?

If I pulled that action, I might activate the SPOT, push the SOS button, and throw it up to the top and hope for the best...

Jamie

[midwestgirls4]

I rented one of these from http://www.satellitephonesolutions.com and was really happy with the rates $15.00 a week but
have a battery question. Because I travel with three little girls who enjoy all of the features we go through batteries
pretty fast. Does anyone know if you can use rechargeable batteries in them? I am thinking about purchasing the Spot I
rented but want to be green.
Thanks!

[Jamie]

I used it last weekend while camping with great success!

I have the "ok" button set to send my wife an email with my coords and the message "I'm ok, this is where we'll be camping...miss/love you! - Jamie"

I have the "help" button set to send my wife an email with my coords and the message "I'm fine but we're delayed for some reason, I'll send "ok" when we are, but we may be late - Jamie"

I have the "custom" button set to send my son an email with my coords and the message "Ben, I'm having a great time camping but miss you, see you soon, love you! - Daddy"

The "SOS" button is beyond my control, and just serves to alert the authorities that I'm in trouble and where I am.

I sent the three non-emergency messages without incident from deep in the woods as part of an agreed upon daily check-in and the SPOT functioned exactly as expected...it acquired GPS sats quickly, and sent my messages perfectly and quickly...

Jamie


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[TacAir]

For the price it is pretty hard to beat for a bit of peace of mind. I always think of the stories of people who get a hand or an arm pinned under a rock and after a few days being stuck there end up cutting the appendage off. If they had one of these they could have gotten help.

At the bottom of a slot canyon?

The SHOUT nano allows periodic reporting to monitor personnel globally through the Iridium network. This can be used to show where a user has been, or in the case of a duress alert, the users exact location.. Since the Iridium uses LEO birds, at some point you will have one 'overhead' - OTOH, you could skip the whole hiking solo thing.

[Tater Raider]

Adding this to my BOB.

I live alone and do things that I enjoy. Some of the things I plan to do are just downright silly to do by yourself if trouble comes up (solo camping in a wilderness area comes to mind). This allows for me to go ahead and do those things and, if nothing else, allow my body to get discovered should I go quietly in my sleep whilst out alone.

I have health issues I'm attempting to resolve but at the same time I'm not giving up on these goals so I'm getting the medical stuff taken care of and getting on with living and not waiting to die. This also enables that.

That's peace of mind for my kids. That makes it worth doing.

[Polie]

Wasnt sure if I should post a new thread, but if I am getting this correct.THISphone is $499 and the monthlyPLAN is $40 with unlimited minutes. The COVERAGE seems great. Soooo what am I missing here??? I spent $500 for my last phone and my service is $95 a month with t-mobile, why wouldn't everybody go this route??

[Tater Raider]

Cell phone coverage can be spotty in some wilderness areas.

[CoffeeGuy]

That was a sat phone (not a cell phone). Still have a few areas (dense trees, deep canyons) that do not get coverage. I love the idea of renting one for some longer outings.

[TacAir]

Wasnt sure if I should post a new thread, but if I am getting this correct.THISphone is $499 and the monthlyPLAN is $40 with unlimited minutes. The COVERAGE seems great. Soooo what am I missing here??? I spent $500 for my last phone and my service is $95 a month with t-mobile, why wouldn't everybody go this route??

Wow - 40 USD / month for unlimited minutes. Rates have changed.

Let us know if it works for you.

[Polie]

Wasnt sure if I should post a new thread, but if I am getting this correct.THISphone is $499 and the monthlyPLAN is $40 with unlimited minutes. The COVERAGE seems great. Soooo what am I missing here??? I spent $500 for my last phone and my service is $95 a month with t-mobile, why wouldn't everybody go this route??

Wow - 40 USD / month for unlimited minutes. Rates have changed.

Let us know if it works for you.

still got another year on t-mobile. Hopefully by then coverage will be better

[Ech0Sierra]

After reading too many horror stories about SPOTs failing and the 160 milliwatt TX power not being enough to hit the satellite, I'm now a fan of the ACR Resqlink and Resqlink+ PLBs.

http://www.acrelectronics.com/products/ ... k-406-gps/
- $270

http://www.acrelectronics.com/products/ ... qlinkplus/
- $280-$290

Both blast a 5W encoded GPS distress signal to the COSPAS-SARSAT (Joint Soviet-American-Canadian-French Search and Rescue) satellite network along with a 50 mW 121.5 aviation distress homing signal. If GPS data isn't available, the USAF rescue center (If the beacon's activated in the United States) tracks doppler shift on the satellite in order to narrow down the search area and then rescue craft radio-direction-find the 121.5 homing signal. Only disadvantage is that the batteries have to be replaced by the factory every 5 years for $150. This plus no monthly/yearly service charge (It's a beacon registered and serviced by world governments/search and rescue agencies) means that you effectively only have to pay $2.50 a month. You also get 12 free-of-charge GPS test activations with associated email every battery replacement that you can use to tell family you're okay in the absence of other communications methods.

SPOT can go out of business and lose/end monitoring capability. 406 MHz SAR beacons are monitored by the USAF and 36 other worldwide search and rescue agencies. Get one if you're serious about not getting cut off anywhere.

[Jamie]

I agree with much of what you say about the above device, but COSPAS-SARSAT PLBs are in danger of being superseded by the new SEND standard. If this occurs, it’s unclear how long PLBs using COSPAS-SARSAT will be supported by Search and Rescue operations.

That, in combination with the messaging capability that the SPOT offers made my decision for me...while SPOT may not be the optimal choice for everyone, it was the right one for me.

Jamie

[raptor]

Considering every single commercial vessel and aircraft are required to have a 406 mhzCOPAS SARSAT unit. I think it is a safe bet that they will be around a while.

[Jamie]

Considering every single commercial vessel and aircraft are required to have a 406 mhzCOPAS SARSAT unit. I think it is a safe bet that they will be around a while.

True, the check-in capability (and multiple messages available) is the main thing that sold me on the SPOT...

I need, "I'm ok, and this is where I'm camping" and "I'm delayed but still all right, and this is where we are" and "Hi Ben, I'm having a great time camping at these coords but miss you" more than I need emergency notification (which is the only thing those other beacons provide)...

The SPOT additionally has the emergency notification of SAR-types, that has been tested and found effective all over the world as well as by me personally in deep woods during snow and rain (which conditions can help in blocking GPS signals).

Again, the SPOT might not be for everyone, but it meets my needs very nicely...


Jamie

[Andy in NH]

Jamie,

The manufacturer's information says that the SPOT uses 3 AAA Energizer™ Lithium Ultimate 8X batteries.

I know you have only had the unit for a short time, but can you comment on battery usage and duration?

[Jamie]

Jamie,

The manufacturer's information says that the SPOT uses 3 AAA Energizer™ Lithium Ultimate 8X batteries.

I know you have only had the unit for a short time, but can you comment on battery usage and duration?

While I was out with it, I only activated it for long enough each day to acquire GPS signal and then send the various messages I sent to my family; only a few minutes per day. At this level of usage, I will likely replace the batteries based on time rather than usage...I'll test them every month or 2 and switch them out when they get low...

Jamie

[DrGonzo]

Wasnt sure if I should post a new thread, but if I am getting this correct.THISphone is $499 and the monthlyPLAN is $40 with unlimited minutes. The COVERAGE seems great. Soooo what am I missing here??? I spent $500 for my last phone and my service is $95 a month with t-mobile, why wouldn't everybody go this route??

Because Globalstar's service has been terrible for the past few years. They've had some technical issues with their satellites, and while they've been finding solutions for them, as it stands you have to consult a chart that tells you when you can make a call in your particular region. That's a no-go for me, especially in an emergency. The coverage map you posted is for the ISatPhone Pro by Inmarsat. The ISatPhone Po is Inmarsat's first worldwide handset, and it's been pretty popular since its launch a couple years back. It's a better solution than Globalstar in my opinion. It's cheaper than Iridium, though you don't get polar coverage (not an issue for most) and the handsets aren't quite as rugged.

[raptor]

Considering every single commercial vessel and aircraft are required to have a 406 mhzCOPAS SARSAT unit. I think it is a safe bet that they will be around a while.

True, the check-in capability (and multiple messages available) is the main thing that sold me on the SPOT...

I need, "I'm ok, and this is where I'm camping" and "I'm delayed but still all right, and this is where we are" and "Hi Ben, I'm having a great time camping at these coords but miss you" more than I need emergency notification (which is the only thing those other beacons provide)...

The SPOT additionally has the emergency notification of SAR-types, that has been tested and found effective all over the world as well as by me personally in deep woods during snow and rain (which conditions can help in blocking GPS signals).

Again, the SPOT might not be for everyone, but it meets my needs very nicely...


Jamie

Agreed they are for very different uses. A commercial EPIRB/ELT is only for emergency use and they are designed to sit in the their enclosure and activate automatically when needed. You simply change the battery as scheduled and leave them alone other wise. But it is this simplicity and durability that means they will be around a very long time.