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Spot Locator

GYPSY

Registered User
WYOMING
Any real world experience out there with the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker? I have read great claims for it but have also read that it won't work in even slight tree coverage, small clearings, or inside of a pocket. I have also read of some issues with SPOT personnel responses. I am considering one for non-aerial back country work without cell phone coverage.
Thanks for any and all input.
 
Spot works in deep (6000 feet deep) mountain valleys with greater than 60 degree side slopes, at high latitudes. Couldn't believe it myself, until later. If your GPS works there, it seems, your Spot will too.

Have over 100 "OK" messages sent out from it, and every one went, accurately.

You can program it to send those "OK's" to your computer or your wife's Blackberry.

I always leave it totally unobstructed on a rock or on the top of the nose bowl, where I am sure to see it, and I let it do it's thing for 10 minutes or more.

I can't comment on the emergency response of those SPOT would call to your aid.

Bob Breeden


www.AlaskaAirpark.com
 
SPOT GPS Messenger

I've been using a SPOT for nearly a year now and am very impressed with the plots it will chart and the fact that some of my family have access to this info. Particularly when I'm on a long flight. Haven't had any problems in the plane or boat but missed a few plots in the car, where trees overhung the road for long stretches. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much info about the companies ability to get help to you in real emergencies. At least not that I've come across. (Would be glad to hear from others.) My feeling is that the PLBs are more versatile than a fixed ELT and more likely to get you found. Unfortunately the FAA and the CDN TA doesn't agree and they place more emphasis on finding the plane. Even when its upsidedown in a lake with the ELT antenna sticking in the mud..
 
I finally got mine registered, tried it yesterday. We have no cell phone coverage out here so I can just give it eddresses. First try, no mess's. UGH. Read the manual again (sometimes I do that).

Manual said to leave it on with the appropriate buttons pushed (both lights flashing) for 20 mins! OK, did that & it sent both the "I'm OK' & the "send help" mess's to both eddresses. Email gives your (preprogrammed) mess, and the GPS co-ords, and a link to GoogleMaps. The little flag location on the Google map was very accurate & would be useful to the search plane if there was some landmark nearby.

So I'm happy. It was sitting on the porch railing with view of the south sky only. We're not too far north, just 52* so may degrade farther north. I see it as just another level of "insurance". Next snowmobile trip I'll leave it running all day in "tracking" mode.
 
SPOT

As Cafi noted there have been several posts on this topic, but it might be worth repeating that SPOT is supported by a private company, whose ability to perform the S&R functions of an ELT are somewhat unproven. In my opinion SPOT is most useful as a tracking device that will also send brief messages to friends and family (like 'I'm OK) and produce interesting looking plots on a Google map. (On a computer.) Whereas most other PLBs have only one trick - to function as an ELT. However one of the programed contacts on your SPOT in the HELP mode could be the S&R folks in the area where you are operating. But you would have to contact them before hand to let them know what kind of service you are looking for - from I might need help to come and find me. If it is a serious emergency then hit the HELP button and let the people at SPOT do their job. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if your canned messages are being received until the helicopter arrives. But for what it does, I think it is a useful compliment to the fixed ELTs we have to install in our a/c. When it's not in the car, I carry mine attached to an inflatable PFD.
 
Spot

We live in Ft St John BC(northern BC). We use my spot and and it works well as I do lots of remote flying. Right now I am using it on a driving trip on a winter road to Trout Lake NWT, (this is by Fort Simpson) we traveled by Ft Nelson, FT Liard etc and my wife followed the whole trip yesterday via spot. This was over 12 hrs. of driving on a winter road in complete wilderness.
 
I think I paid $149.95 for a 1 year all options subscription.
Cheapest Ins. I have at this time.
Works just fine and no complaints.

Brad
 
spot

Mine works fine, although it can delay a bit here and there. the best thing is letting your family know where you are because they actually care, and can holler for help.
 
I thought some of ya's who don't (yet) have a Spot would be interested in the info that gets sent to (your chosen) recipients.

This is the email we get (no cell phonies out here).

Logan checking in with my Spot Messenger. I'm OK.
ESN:0-7436508
Latitude:52.371
Longitude:-125.236
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:03/13/2009 02:37:42 (GMT)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=52.371,-125.236&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
 
Now what's the deal. You said you had that thing flying. Looks to me like it is still in the hangar.
 
The spot works well, and RAM now makes a mount for the Spot. No more having Spot float around on top of the glare shield.

Mike
 
Gerald,
Yeah it's flying just fine but we've had so much gusty wind lately it's hard to work up the b____ to take off.
I sent my help mess from the front deck. :)

Thanks Mike, I'll get one!

BC Floatplane Ass. N-letter done soon. Will post a link.
 
Thanks to the feed back on this site and the free offer, I ordered a SPOT today.
Thanks to all who posted a response.
Gypsy
 
SPOT

SPOT uses the same satellites as the Globalstar 'phone system. Globalstar does not work very well north of the arctic circle. At those latitudes you need Iridium, which works great.

I could be wrong but I'm guessing that Globalstar and SPOT would quit working at about the same latitude. They use geostationary satellites. Iridium and GPS uses polar orbiters, as does the SARSAT system.

I'm not sure I'd want to bet my life on SPOT until it is actually proven to work above 68N. For now at least, I'll stick with Iridium and a GPS-enabled 406 mHz ELT or PLB.

SPOT is a great concept though, and I especially like the tracking feature.

Larry
 
I carry the SPOT AND a 406 PLB both. The SPOT is a handy tool to let the better half know I'm parked somewhere without cellular service, and okay. She has firm instructions, however, not to panic if she DOESN'T receive such a message. Sometimes the SPOT takes a few tries to get a message through.

Also, I like the tracking feature of the SPOT. In the event that something really bad happens, and I just flat disappear, my wife has access to the SPOT tracking page, so she can see where I was moseying, and hopefully let S & R know where to look for my carcass.

There may also be a situation where I need assistance, but I'm not really in a life threatening emergency. I can use the SPOT to send a "distress" signal (NOT the 911 feature), again to my wife, who hopefully will send friends to assist.

On the other hand, if something really bad happens, and I have an emergency, I'm going to punch the button on the Micro Fix PLB, and alert the cavalry to come get me. Those are the guys (RCC) with ALL the tools to rescue me, and I want them involved, rather than take my chances on the SPOT folks to connect with the right resources.

So, in my opinion, you really should carry both. I sure wouldn't bet my life on the SPOT system. One of these days, we're going to hear of a story where someone pushed that 911 button, and the SPOT folks weren't able to get the message to the right people. I think it's bound to happen, and if I was the pusher of the button, it'd probably happen on my watch.

On the other hand, SPOT has a lot of really nice features, and for the price its well worth carrying.

Just don't forget your PLB.

MTV
 
SPOT mount

Do you any of you have pix of mounting? Can SPOT see through fabric and around tubing (as in mounting on the shelf behind the rear seat)? How about a skylight mount?
 
Sot

Skylight mount should be a good location, but I would make it temporary until you can check the tracking function on your computer. And you need to get to the buttons.
 
Clouds, like Rob said (thanks again Rob) :) you need to manually operate your Spot, so back there would be OK if you are in tracking mode, but if you wanna send a Help or I'm OK mess, you'll need to crawl back there.

Just imagine a giant ladybug on your dash.
 
I ordered a SPOT on line one week ago and received an order number. I have not received a conformation email yet. When I called to inquire they had my order number on file but had not sent the confirmation email because they are "swamped" with orders. Any one else not getting a confirmation email after ordering online and getting an order number at that time? What has been the time lag between ordering and receiving?
 
GYPSY, exact same thing happened to me. The customer services was - well it was exactly what I would expect from Globalstar. Never got a confirmation email. I called, they said it was shipped and delivered (which it wasnt), then gave me a bogus UPS tracking #, and finally said it was still in transit. Then, 10 days after I ordered, walla, I get not one, but two SPOT's delivered. So now I will have to see if they billed me twice. I fully expect the billing to my credit card to be all screwed up, as it usually was with Globalstar. I would in no way want to depend on these people to save my life, when they can't even figure out if they have sent you a one pound box. SPOT to me is a supplemental safety device. The PLB being the primary one.
 
My take on two

I also received two SPOTS after ordering one, and they came in three working days. Fortunately I made the order under the free deal. My take is that they sent two on purpose, knowing I would give one away, thus gaining another customer's service fees.

SPOT has been working as advertised . . . when it can see the sky. So it works well in flight, good in a car, but not at all on a couple hour hike. The lights blink alternately to let you know it doesn't have adequate signals, so I suppose its best use when on foot is to stop in a clearing, wait for the lights to synchronize, and then send a "check-in" message.
 
Superchamp - They are blaming the lack of response due to a "glitch" that sent out multiple units on one order. They are in the process of "fixing" this problem and currently have no time frame in mind for shipping any more. I did not receive the conformation email because they had the wrong email address and are to resend it. My intended use for the SPOT was, like for most, not a substitute for a PLB but a way to "check in" when out of cell phone service. I am already beginning to think that the "free" offer was to good to be true.
 
Ordered, then received the SPOT in 3 days. Now it either isn't tracking....or I can't figure out how to see the tracks on line. R
 
Clouds, your on the ground experience is what I expect, "Spotty" at best. Most report that in the airplane, which is out in the open, they work OK. I really only wanted it for the tracking ability, so this will be fine for now. I don't expect it to work much at all in the woods, much the same as a Globalstar phone will only get good signal when you have a clear view to the south. Like I said, I wouldn't carry it as a safety device, unless the only place you might need it has a clear view. Don't break your leg or become injured unless you can see the southern sky clearly. When winter finally ends here, I'm going to take my SPOT, my Iridium phone, and my Garmin III pilot GPS for a walk in the woods, and test all 3 at the some random locations. I'll report back on the test. If I read the SPOT book right, the tracking feature only sends out signals every 10 minutes? If thats right, and cruising at 120mph, I could be 20 miles in any direction from the last signal. This means that worse case scenario, they could pinpoint location only to within 1,256 square miles based on the last hit. Maybe free is all its worth for tracking too?
 
Just received this email from SPOT - maybe they monitor this site? Seems like an awfully strange coincidence, post it here, 5 minutes later email from SPOT? They want me to call the courier? I think if they want the extra SPOT I didn't request, they can call.

Good day,

We are currently in the process of rectifying an error during shipment that had occurred. Some customers received a second SPOT messenger in error.



SPOT USA will be sending return shipment labels via US postal services to all affected customers in the next few days. Once you receive the return shipment label, kindly place it on the duplicate hardware packaging and contact the courier company for a pick up. They will take care of shipment back to our organization.



We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. Please reply to this email should you have additional questions.

Best Regards,


SPOT Customer Service
866-OK1-SPOT
www.findmespot.com
 
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