Spot gps

[Jeremy]

Anyone ever thought "how am I going to get help in the back county if something happens?" I have thought that on more than a few occasions.

http://www.findmespot.ca/en/index.php?cid=1300

This looks like a great device for everything from a day hike to a 1 month Overland adventure in Canada or anywhere else for that matter.

Jeremy

[TheOtherSide]

I've always thought of something like that... was thinking of buying a Satellite phone and splitting it with 4 guys or something... they're pretty expensive and the usage is pricey too.

The Spot gps looks a lot cheaper...

[Jeremy]

Yes I have thought the same thing, the cost of a sat phone always scared me away. This SPOT GPS looks like a good alternative, not shure how much the unit its self is but the service is not bad at all. I figure about $160 a year for all there options. Well worth it if and when there is a problem.

Jeremy

[BigWhiteFord]

It's pretty hard to put a price on the ability to call for help. This is certainly more affordable than a sat phone, and no doubt more portable.

Might be something to ask Santa for this year...? lol

[Sero]

Spot gps looks good, nice price. I wonder how it works, I always thought it was one way communication.

[BigWhiteFord]

Essentially, it is one way communication. It will relay a preprogrammed message from your unit to designated contacts (the "I'm okay", "follow my progress" and "come help me" features. The " 911 Emergency" sends a signal to the rescue center, and to your designated contacts.

As it doesn't have a screen or anything, it won't give you waypoints like a GPS unit. It simply will tell others where you are, and whether you're ok or needing help.

It would be nice to see this feature built into a Garmin or Magellan GPS unit, to have the best of both in one device.


Mike

[Jeremy]

Great real life review of the SPOT in action.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22302

[TheOtherSide]

Cool.... nice to hear it worked... I'm even more interested now!

[Jeremy]

When looking for a GPS for my cars I cam across this......

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444330 7107&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672342&bmUID=1233092185755

Cheap insurance I say!

Jeremy

[rothelb]

they work awsome when my bbrother and the other guys that got killed in the avy in dec it worked within minutes and the help button was on the money..

[Jeremy]

they work awsome when my bbrother and the other guys that got killed in the avy in dec it worked within minutes and the help button was on the money..

I'm glad the hear they work so well but more sorry to hear about your loss.

[TheOtherSide]

they work awsome when my bbrother and the other guys that got killed in the avy in dec it worked within minutes and the help button was on the money..

Your brother was in that group? Sorry for your loss.... that was horrible.

[rothelb]

yes he was and 7 of my good friends my brother in law was one of the survivors. i was supposed to be there but i was sick and said no go. was a ****ty Christmas and new year thats for sure.

[TheOtherSide]

I can't even imagine....

[ruff19]

i have one and its such a great tool to add to your off road gear, i also subsribe to spottracking too , so i can track where i gon on goolge earth

mine cost $150 (unit) $100 per year to use and$50 to have spotcasting

[Lone Ranger]

I carry one in my Ranger, cheap $100/yr insurance. I didn't bother with the tracking BS. I paid $135 a couple of years ago for it. LR

[ruff19]

I carry one in my Ranger, cheap $100/yr insurance. I didn't bother with the tracking BS. I paid $135 a couple of years ago for it. LR

great insurance i think
:headspin:

[Lone Ranger]

It gets renewed every year, but I cancelled the tracking feature pretty quick because I personally found it to be unnecessary. I actually carry it more for use on my quad than 4x4ing cause I ride alone a lot. LR

[Jeremy]

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=116

Well glad I held out, Looks like this will be the hot ticket when they release the iOS app for the iPhone.

[Zero]

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=116

Well glad I held out, Looks like this will be the hot ticket when they release the iOS app for the iPhone.

Very cool idea. And I like being able to send out a text.

But an emergency beacon I would prefer a stand alone unit, less to go wrong ei dead phone, bluetooth doesn't link etc.

Yet another way that iPhones are multi faceted

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, the Spot Connect looks interesting. I bought a Spot 2 last year and really like it. Well, the wife likes it more than me. She can see where I am, gives her great piece of mind. One thing about the tracking that is worth the $50 to me, especially since I use it on a Motorcycle, if something happens suddenly and you can't activate a message, say you go down hard on the bike, at least your family will have your last coordinates within 15 minutes. Say I crash, break the unit, or break myself, my wife would notice I stopped moving. After a period of time, she could decide to contact the authorities.

I assume the Spot Connect can be used to send out emergency messages without the Smartphone, but I don't know for sure.

[Cody1771]

has anyone looked at this? cool little toy... has spot built in to it

http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/delorme/earthmate-pn60w-spot-satellite-messenger.html
http://www.gpscentral.ca/graphics/delorme/pn-60w-canada200.jpg

i wonder if the spot connect will work with iphone? they dont play nice with bluetooth accessories,,,

edit: found the app on the app store so it does work... hmmm....

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, I'm aware of it, looks kinda neat. But it means you need to buy a Delorme GPS, which I don't want. ;)

The one that pairs to a smart phone... I'd need to get a smart phone first. ;)

I love my SPOT, actually my wife loves it more than me, but I'm not planning on upgrading to the new systems yet. I'm gonna see what shakes out in that market. If they got SPOT integrated into a Garmin GPS with 2-way texting, I'd be all over that!

[Jeremy]

http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/spot-connect.html

That is what I plan on getting and I will pair it with my iPhone. I have a Garmin GPS already and do not want to have to get another one.

I cant see spot partnering with Garmin since I believe spot and Delorn are and have been in partner ship for a few years.

[Landy_Andy]

The Spot Connect is on our shopping list, they have an offer on at present where you get a yrs worth of texts included :D

[Jeremy]

The Spot Connect is on our shopping list, they have an offer on at present where you get a yrs worth of texts included :D

After this last weekend its on our short list of equipment to get as well. We found that with Rodger/Fido we have no cell coverage from Hope north. If Robin and I are going to be doing more solo exploring we need to have something.

[Landy_Andy]

After this last weekend its on our short list of equipment to get as well. We found that with Rodger/Fido we have no cell coverage from Hope north. If Robin and I are going to be doing more solo exploring we need to have something.

When we head out of town were out of cell within 10km in all directions.... that includes the TCH. Next cell coverage is either Sicamous or Golden, Telus are adding more towers to cover the blackout spots but that won't happen this year :(

The Spot is high on the shopping list.... well, as soon as we've paid off the last batch of building materials for the house... and over winter I'm going to do my ham licence for 2m.

[Jeremy]

When we head out of town were out of cell within 10km in all directions.... that includes the TCH. Next cell coverage is either Sicamous or Golden, Telus are adding more towers to cover the blackout spots but that won't happen this year :(

The Spot is high on the shopping list.... well, as soon as we've paid off the last batch of building materials for the house... and over winter I'm going to do my ham licence for 2m.

Yeah If I was in your area I would have a Spot or VHF for sure. The cost of the Spot is a lot less than the VHF and classes to get your ticket but that would get eaten up in the yearly subscription with the Spot fairly fast.

I really like that with the spot other people can follow your progress and you can use it sort of as a trip viewer for friends and family.

[Landy_Andy]

Yeah If I was in your area I would have a Spot or VHF for sure. The cost of the Spot is a lot less than the VHF and classes to get your ticket but that would get eaten up in the yearly subscription with the Spot fairly fast.

I really like that with the spot other people can follow your progress and you can use it sort of as a trip viewer for friends and family.

Already have the business band VHF that's front panel programmable but it's a bit of a PITA to set each time. Have all the local freq's in it, so swapping out to a tweeked 2m rig is not that high on the list..... and I'm going to have to brush up on my theory too... now what's a Mho = :confused:

[Cody1771]

yeah teh connect is really cool. the iphone app looks pretty easy to use as well. officially on my shopping list

[R_Lefebvre]

I really like that with the spot other people can follow your progress and you can use it sort of as a trip viewer for friends and family.


That's the best part, IMO. My mother can figure out how to follow it and see where I am. She worries, so it makes her more comfortable.

[rgallant]

Just to add to this post I dropped my spot plan, when it worked it was great but down here on the Wet Coast it failed to connect more often than not. For example took a run up East Harrison for about 70 ks. It reported exactly 4 times, for the day.

I did have the unit replaced once but not much better. In fairness it was the 1st Gen model and I tried everything except putting out side on the roof. It was simple too random to rely on.

I would be interested in the experiences of those with the 2nd Gen model, my wife would prefer that I have something similar but only if it works reliably.

[Lone Ranger]

Mine sits faithfully in my glovebox. I have honestly never used it, its a backup tool. If I want to track my location then I use my GPS, I've never used the SPOT for that. Its 100% purely as a backup for when things go sideways.

I can't remember whether they did or not (I haven't looked into the new units yet), but it'd be nice if SPOT installed a G-force metre of some sort so when it senses that you've been in any sort of an accident it automatically sends a distress signal out. Maybe a 30 sec delay or the sort to be able to cancel a false reading, but something along that line could be handy. LR

[Jeremy]

Just to add to this post I dropped my spot plan, when it worked it was great but down here on the Wet Coast it failed to connect more often than not. For example took a run up East Harrison for about 70 ks. It reported exactly 4 times, for the day.

I did have the unit replaced once but not much better. In fairness it was the 1st Gen model and I tried everything except putting out side on the roof. It was simple too random to rely on.

I would be interested in the experiences of those with the 2nd Gen model, my wife would prefer that I have something similar but only if it works reliably.

I had herd that the 2nd gen was quite bad, lots of talk of recalls and so on. I would not expect it to work any better than my Garmin Map60c in the bush its spotty some times at best. GPS always has its limitations with terrain and ground cover.

I simply want it as a second line of communications if things go sideways. I would be worried if I was using it to plot my track all the way but as long as it works when I hit that 911 button it paying for its self.

How many times did you hit the "here" button on that east Harrison trip?

[Lone Ranger]

I simply want it as a second line of communications if things go sideways. I would be worried if I was using it to plot my track all the way but as long as it works when I hit that 911 button it paying for its self.

Exactly. I tried using the tracking feature on mine when I first got it 4 years ago and it was less than stellar. It has always pinged properly when I hit the check-in button though. I no longer have the tracking feature activated, just the basic and $7 insurance add-on. I just want it to work when I hit 911 and need assistance, thats it. LR

[R_Lefebvre]

I get a newsletter from Spot periodically, and they usually contain rescue stories. This one caught my eye...

http://www.findmespot.ca/en/spotemergency/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=129:stranded-state-trooper-located-after-alerting-authorities-with-spot-from-remote-cascades&catid=55:spot-saves&Itemid=31

Anybody else think this guy did a lot of things wrong here? Overconfidence? First, going out alone in those conditions... a bit risky right from the start. Then falling and... not noticing you lost your tent? Ok, fine. Then pushing the SOS button, waiting less than 24hrs, and then starting to move again. What's that they say? If you're lost, stay in one place. Looks like he might have been rescued within 24hrs, except since he moved, the searchers couldn't find him anymore. He extended it an extra 2 days because he kept moving?

And why couldn't they track him? Did he not turn tracking on after pressing SOS?

[R_Lefebvre]

I would be interested in the experiences of those with the 2nd Gen model, my wife would prefer that I have something similar but only if it works reliably.

My second gen works flawlessly. I've posted a few of my tracks. It NEVER fails to pick up a signal. If it missed a tracking point... it's too rare for me to be able to see it in my tracklog. If you look closely at them, they're very consistent.

Now, I don't live in the mountains like out west. We just have "hills" out here, but plenty of dense tree cover. Never fails to work as long as I'm not inside a building. It even works sometimes when it IS inside a building.

I never had a Spot 1 to compare, but the Spot 2 works perfectly for me.

When you use the tracking feature, where do you store the device? If you hit track, then stick it in a pocket, or glovebox, it's not surprising it doesn't work. I have mine in a place with a great view of the sky. Either on my handlebars, or on the dashboard. You can see it's working by the lights.

The recall on the 2 was because of battery life, not reception. I never used my 2 before the recall. I sent it back before I used it, and then they returned it to me. I must have 100-200 hours of continuous tracking on the first set of batteries. No problem with that!

[R_Lefebvre]

Finally had my first "failure" of the system. But it really wasn't. The first set of batteries finally ran down. The "power" light on the unit was flashing red instead of green. But the GPS, Message and Tracking lights were all still flashing green. So I figured that the batteries were low, but it was still functioning. Well, it wasn't. The trackpoints stopped half-way through the trip. I did have spares with me, but I just assumed it was still working.

I'm sure if I'd RTFM, it wouldn't have been an issue.

I turned the unit off when I got home. Then went back out an hour later, turned it on, and sent an OK. That message worked. So it would seem to indicate that even if the batteries are on their last legs, if you let them "rest" for a bit, you can still get an emergency call out.

[Jeremy]

Best buy has the Spot 2 on for $129 with a $50 MIR today only.

Thinking about heading down and getting one.

[R_Lefebvre]

Just another update. It looks like my SPOT 2 missed a couple tracking points on my trip last week. I can just tell by the gaps in the log. I'm a little surprised as I was mostly on wide dirt roads without tree cover and certainly no real mountains.

But, it was on my dashboard, partially covered by the roof, and I have a heated windscreen full of tiny wires that I'm sure hurt the reception. When I stopped at camp for the night, I always took it out of the truck and put it on the hood to send my OK message and make sure the wife got it.

Strangely, there was one glitch, where she said suddenly a track point appeared 100's of km away, at our cottage. A place I've been and sent many messages from in the past. Then it disappeared. Some kind of digital gremlin I guess.

[rgallant]

Your GPS will do that too, they sometimes lose sight to the satellites for up to a 1 to 2 minutes. I track my progress with an old etrex and every now then it gets confused.

[R_Lefebvre]

No, my GPS does not do that.