SPOT DEAL

Costco has the "SPOT" for $199 with $50 Rebate and free activation and free years service

and 100% customer satisfaction to boot!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL !

Thanks, I just order one from Cabela's and it is back ordered

Couldn't find it at Costco.com - -

If you guys do get one, (IMHO) it's worth the money to get the tracking feature, SPOT sends an automatic hit every ten minutes and lets you off the hook to enjoy your flight without having to remember to hit the ok button every _____ , my boss insists its on the half hour, I'm going to fix him as soon as I find a teenager that knows about such things I'm going to have text messages sent to his cell phone. Seriously the tracking feature, when you get back from a junket or adventure as we living here on "planet utar" like to call them, its really fun to fire up the old computer and see the days flight on Google Earth. Even more fun when you take a ten thousand mile journey. They should be paying me I'm one of their biggest fans.
db

I just heard about that Costco deal the other day, but was not sure it is still on. I think it is only in the stores.

spot the spot ?

Costco in Anchorage yesterday....had huge stack of them as in 5 feet tall?

of course center was just card board boxes? But there was a bunch, I would have thought every Costco would have them... Call them up and
have you say, they listen. I picked couple up one for gift. The rebate can be all done on line, no stamp nothing which is nice.

Call your local store?


p

Skygeek had them at $149 with a $50 rebate as this weeks special.

Here is their blurb Skygeek@skygeek.com
It was a fun game to play as a kid. The excitement, the curiosity, the grass stains, the peeking (don’t deny it, we all peeked once in a while), it was all fun stuff. The only concern you had was not having your “go to” hiding spot revealed. Now that you’re older, just the opposite is true. Lost innocence and a better understanding of the world have served to replace feelings of excitement with feelings of concern when you don’t know where a loved one is and how they’re doing.

Oh my how things change. You go from worrying about somebody stepping on your macaroni & glue collage, to worrying about the safety and well being of your family. It is what it is, and nothing’s ever going to change that. But with advancements in technology, we can easily alleviate some of the concern associated with not knowing where your loved ones are, and the anxiety of not knowing if they’re alright.

The latest, and in my opinion the best, bit of technology used to keep you in touch with your family and friends is the Spot™ Satellite Personal Messenger. Unlike a traditional GPS device which only receives a satellite signal, SPOT utilizes dual satellite networks to receive your location as well as transmit it along with pre-programmed messages to the recipients of your choice.




In other words, friends and family will know where you are, and they’ll get a pre-programmed message telling them that you’re alright. It can also be programmed to alert emergency responders in case of emergency. It works anywhere in the world and has a 99.4% reliability rate.



The thing’s only $149.95, and there’s also a $50 rebate that comes along with it. So for right around $100 you can’t really beat it. I’m not going blabber on and say something cliché like “you can’t put a price on peace of mind”, but I will say, plain and simple, that if you want to stay in touch with your Pilot, or if you’re a Pilot and you want to stay in touch with your family and have access to emergency responders, the Spot messenger is an outstanding deal. I’m somewhat of a technophobe, so the fact that I give this my full endorsement says a lot. This is coming from a guy who watched Terminator 2 and never looked at a toaster the same way again.
I have had good luck with these guys in the past.
John

Haven't used mine in the air yet.
But tried it a couple of times traveling in my pickup.
Sent a text and email to who I wanted when checking in,
with a link to click on to see exactly where I was on google maps.
Pretty cool little gadget.

Brad

Hi guys. I bought one a couple of weeks ago and have tested it and found that it works as advertised. With the kind of flying I do (and being an old man who's becoming more aware of it all the time), I welcome it as an addition to my safety equipment. Merry Christmas all.

EBAY $119 buy it now

Rebate only works if you pay $149

Hey all:

Merry Christmas and all that.....I sent my rebate in a couple weeks ago, still waiting the check...... :roll:

Anywhoo, the paperwork couldn't be more clear, it's either $149.99 (i.e. full price) or the Costco deal to get the rebate. Saw something on BCP.org that one of the sponsors is offering free shipping in lieu of customary discount to assure $50 rebate stays in place.

BTW, for the CA flying I do it has been flawless, and the family (and I) really dig the auto tracking. Well worth the extra $$$$.

Now if I can just get my check......I might be able to pay the Christmas Visa bill (or at least make a small dent).

Flynengr

I think I'm gonna wait for Sun N Fun and see if they run a really good deal again...only four months....

I'm sure there is one in my stocking somewhere... I just have not gotten to the bottom of it yet.

sj

Steve. You know, After entering the spot contest 8 times I would for sure thought I would of WON a spot!!!!!!!!!

HA! Dean, it did not disqualify you, but I did shrink your entry down to just one...

sj

sodak said:

Steve. You know, After entering the spot contest 8 times I would for sure thought I would of WON a spot!!!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Heck Dean, How many times do you figure SJ entered his name? :lol:

Question??????
Why in hell would I want anybody/everybody (including my lovely wife) to know where I'm at every moment I'm flying? It ain't any of their damn business.
Lets see now, I'm required to have a brand new 406 ELT ($1000), a sat phone, (cause a regular cell phone doesn't work in Alaska), a GPS cause I don't look outside the cockpit and I don't have a chart, so I have no idea where I'm at without the little colored map thingee on the screen, now this new spot thingee that broadcast to anyone in the world, (if they have the proper frequency,) my exact position, name, "N" number, phone number, etc, etc.
Now I enjoy fooling around with all the new electronic crap as much as anybody but..... I would never depend on it. NEVER
Here's how I do it.
I tell my lovely Bride,,,,,, Me and Old Duke are going across the Inlet for a few days. We will probably be home by Saturday. If I ding my plane I may be a day or two late.
I throw a case of dog food, some Top Ramen, a case of Hormels chile and a few cases of COORS Lite in the old Cub. I light her off, and we're gone. I go around the Kenai zone so I don't have to talk to them.
At this point I know I'm on my own. If I screw up, I gotta fix it.
And as a matter of fact, I have screwed up, more than once. I fixed the screw up, and got home.
If there is any "Point" to the above ramble, it is, Don't totally depend on all this electronic stuff. Batteries will fail, then your on your own!

T.J. said:

Question??????
I I throw a case of dog food, some Top Ramen, a case of Hormels chile and a few cases of COORS Lite in the old Cub.

Click to expand...

That just triggered my subconsiousness that I dreamed I drank a Coors Light last night. Now I know why I woke up with a headache this morning.

T.J. said:

Question??????
Why in hell would I want anybody/everybody (including my lovely wife) to know where I'm at every moment I'm flying? It ain't any of their damn business.

Click to expand...

I kind of agree with you T.J. And, I'm a little surprised I do too, no not surprised I agree with you but surprised I haven't gotten excited about the Spot system. Afterall I've got a 406 ELT and sat phone and a 396 GPS. And I've flown on SAR. Wouldn't it be nice to know almost exactly where the missing plane was a few minutes before it went 'missing'?

The difference is those tools are at my disposal for use when I choose. The Spot is more like an electronic leash.

One of my sons is about to get his Private. Maybe I'll look at it differently when he's out by himself?

TJ,

Your point is well taken! And often I think that your solution is great.

One item on these that is also on Cell phones that people forget is the O-F-F button :lol: :lol:

Consider these scenarios though:

Out flying on an FAA flight plan. land, get stuck in the snow. Instead of getting back at 1:30, your new eta, (hope ) is 5:00. With the SPOT, if the batteries are good etc I can send a message to town that all is ok. Yes, I would have to have it arranged that if I send ok message to call off the search for a while! But even if they send a look out, they CAP will have a place to start looking... but maybe the SAR does not get called. Spot is a good thing here...

Number two: Flying an 8 hour survey around Baranof Island. As usual the RCO's have been out for 12 months, and I have a four hour window with no contact. My flight plan is for 8 hours including lunch break. We take a first break after 2.5 hours and relax. As I am getting out of the plane I see fuel dripping. I look under the cowl and discover that the fuel line is kaput.

Do I try and fix it, with potential fire hazard on a commercial flight? Wait for 4.5 hours before flight plan is up? Hit ELT? Maybe the Spot message goes out, (batteries good we hope) and we get word to the office that I need help, even if they do not know what, they know where and send a plane to check. We have not gotten SAR involved, and gotten help hours before any other method.

When only your life is on the line, your method is great. With a paying state official behind me it becomes a safety issue having this tracking device.j

Also, you can have it and not turn on the tracking, then send a message if you want later.

I take it Duke doesn't drink coors light from the ammount you take

B.S. TJ
You personally told me to buy one of those S.O.B. SPOT "thingies"
You said they might be worth a try. No... in all honesty...Technology has failures...sometimes does not come through...but hopefully it does when you need it...all you can do is try to be prepared....
I have been meaning to by one of the damn things...but av-gas keeps taking priority.