Creating a SPOT location thread for Colorado

[PJ-Hunter]

I got an idea from Dragon12 and everybody thinks that it is a great idea. He suggested that we be able to create a thread that whenever somebody hits the SPOT button a location, help or distress signal with coordinates will be posted in that thread. This will allow Colorado peeps to jump at the opportunity to help one of their own in any area of the state.

For example, Bushy is always camping at RE and he has an internet connection so he would be able to alert any of us and we would be able to form a VERY RELIABLE rescue effort to help. The group would have a concern more than S&R and more often than not be able to respond quicker since they are already on location.

So, I tossed Dragon12's to Admin and things are now in the works to make it work. This is a awesome idea and he deserves HUGE kudos!

 

[mtncat800]

I brought it up last year to coordinate a list of numbers for local sheriff office, search and rescue, and local riders with extensive knowledge of different areas. Might be a potential add on to a great idea.

Ralph, I think I am going to add you on mine for this comming year, if that's o.k.

 

[black swan]

then we will need a emailaddy@snowest.com for starters, then the admin will need to auto-links those messages directly to the official thead.

I bet Mule knows how to do this..........i'll volunteer a spot for testing, if needed..

awesome idea, we should be able to have riders enroute w/ in minutes...way cool.....

 

[dragon12]

I got an idea from Dragon12 and everybody thinks that it is a great idea. He suggested that we be able to create a thread that whenever somebody hits the SPOT button a location, help or distress signal with coordinates will be posted in that thread. This will allow Colorado peeps to jump at the opportunity to help one of their own in any area of the state.

For example, Bushy is always camping at RE and he has an internet connection so he would be able to alert any of us and we would be able to form a VERY RELIABLE rescue effort to help. The group would have a concern more than S&R and more often than not be able to respond quicker since they are already on location.

So, I tossed Dragon12's to Admin and things are now in the works to make it work. This is a awesome idea and he deserves HUGE kudos!

Thanks PJ. While I would like to take credit for the idea, I didn't come up with it myself. I borrowed the idea from another colorado snowmobile message board. They should get the credit for that.

If I am lost/brokedown in the back country and need help I would want everyone possible looking for me. I know this is what S&R is for, and they do a fine job, but the more the merrier in my book. I would think we could get a group together pretty quickly to respond to a distress call as most of us put the sleds away in the evening and then hit the puter to post up pictures and tell lies about the powder we just found.

I would think we would need to put some ideas together as to how best respond to something like this so we don't have a bunch of small groups out looking around for a group that may have already been rescued. Maybe a post leaving a phone number to call to check in or something.

Another thought I have on this is; we as snowmobilers can take care of ourselves. How many times do you look at the comment section after reading about a lost or broken down snowmobiler on 9news.com and see some jackhole make a comment about wasting S&R resources and money looking for those snowmobilers. This would be a way for us to help keep our names out of the news. And by no means is this meant to circumvent the S&R process.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

I brought it up last year to coordinate a list of numbers for local sheriff office, search and rescue, and local riders with extensive knowledge of different areas. Might be a potential add on to a great idea.

Ralph, I think I am going to add you on mine for this comming year, if that's o.k.

That is fine.

then we will need a emailaddy@snowest.com for starters, then the admin will need to auto-links those messages directly to the official thead.

I bet Mule knows how to do this..........i'll volunteer a spot for testing, if needed..

awesome idea, we should be able to have riders enroute w/ in minutes...way cool.....

Neatbrian is working on it as we speak.

 

[corpeleven]

I'm all for it. This is a great idea.

 

[tudizzle]

It is a great idea but I would not rely on it instead of the 911 feature for rescue.

If there was a way to get a signal back so you know if someone here had even received it, it would be better. But the Snowest site could be down or if you were out riding it would be a time when other people were probably out too.

Would be a cool way to share way points so people could find all your best spots.............hey wait a minute.

 

[BOHICA]

Great idea. Could save someones life.
Mark

 

[bushy]

Good point dizz! I'd just as soon not have it email in my "OK" position coordinates either. Can you work it so those coordinates are kept private? Would be handy if the "Help" and "911" button transmissions got sent here though.

If your really in trouble you should hit the 911 button! Going out on a starry night to help a fellow sledder is fine with me, but when a blizzard is whipping up it's a little different story. Trying to follow a GPS to a set of coords in those conditions is very difficult if your not in the cab of a snowcat.

Couple years ago I was alerted via a PM on SW that a couple guys were stranded down by Walton peak in a creek. This was about 9:30 pm. Went and discussed it with several others that were camped in the lot. Most were willing if it came to that, but none were particularily thrilled. Moqui had his gear on in five minutes though! They had cell service but they didn't know where they were at. It was a full on blizzard with zero visibility and I knew it was a fools errand to drive off into that with no better info than "Walton Peak" Had we some coordinates we would have known they were close to the trail and maybe inched our way out there in hopes they'd hear us or see the lights. Meanwhile, S&R is on the case, though I was told by the Sheriff office that they were probably not going out that night. I jump on the sled and drive out into the meadow to see if it's even possible. I decided right there that those guys were going to have to spend the night out if it's up to me. Call the Sheriff about 11 pm and they have news the guys were picked up by the S&R snow-cat about 10 pm. Glad we didn't go off half-cocked!

Say what you want about S&R, but those guys deserve respect. They have the logistical capacity to handle situations much better than a group of riders with two ways and garmins. Not saying we can't handle many of our own situations, but when your in a serious trouble don't hesitate to call S&R. It's free after all!

 

[shortstop20]

Good point dizz! I'd just as soon not have it email in my "OK" position coordinates either. Can you work it so those coordinates are kept private? Would be handy if the "Help" and "911" button transmissions got sent here though.

In order to do that you would have to setup your SPOT account so that it sends e-mails to the SW account only for help and 911 messages.

Something like this would be good to have for all the different states.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

I think that those are all options that they are trying to work out.

 

[jp@weknowsnow]

You'd have to have a PHP programmer integrate something with the forum software or create a new module for the forum software. Before all of that you need a unix server, write a perl script to receive and parse the SPOT emails and post the data to a database. From there you can display that info in the forum or on google maps like this:

http://weknowsnow.com/spot/1

sledmods.com used to have something like this, i set it up for them.

 

[trackvs2wheels]

^^^^^^^^Ya, that was exactly the route I was thinking it had to be done inhehehehe

 

[sledskiing]

http://weknowsnow.com/spot/1

sledmods.com used to have something like this, i set it up for them.

Thanks JP

It's back on SledMod.com

 

[backcountryislife]

Thanks JP

It's back on SledMods.com

I Like the couple recent changes, well done.

 

[dragon12]

Thanks JP

It's back on SledMod.com

And these are the guys who deserve the credit for the idea in the first place.

Might not be a good tool for 911 feature, but it might be a great tool for the help feature.

I think the I'm ok posts need to go elsewhere or the thread we get all cluttered up with junk messages. Maybe into its own thread???

 

[black swan]

if the tool, is already working on weknowsnow let's get permission to use it!
Their website ROCKS and they could use the hits...google ads....

...besides the laaaaggggg on this site is ridiculous.....it could be days before the message is postedd......llllaaaaaggggg....meanwhile someone's waiting for help........

I vote for weknowsnow, and would make a $$ donation to use it.

Ray

 

[mtncat800]

And these are the guys who deserve the credit for the idea in the first place.

Might not be a good tool for 911 feature, but it might be a great tool for the help feature.

I think the I'm ok posts need to go elsewhere or the thread we get all cluttered up with junk messages. Maybe into its own thread???

Do the O.K. messages need to go anywhere other than family anyway. I agree if you are truley in trouble you need not be modest and just go for the 911 alert. I would look at it more for the occasional, we need some additional help up here. Be it possibly a lost group, broken sled, out of fuel, broken vehicle in the parking lot, etc. When it comes to an injury, anything short of a broken finger or a hang nail has the potential to go bad.

 

[black swan]

I would look at it more for the occasional, we need some additional help up here. Be it possibly a lost group, broken sled, out of fuel, broken vehicle in the parking lot, etc. When it comes to an injury, anything short of a broken finger or a hang nail has the potential to go bad.

Expect lottsa 'help' messages from Bushy, he's alway broke, stuck, broke, seized, lost, out of cigarettes, lost, looking for PJ, or just broke..

Maybe a buffer algorithm for Bushy's unit.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Expect lottsa 'help' messages from Bushy, he's alway broke, stuck, broke, seized, lost, out of cigarettes, lost, looking for PJ, or just broke..

Maybe a buffer algorithm for Bushy's unit.

Now that there is funny. I have never gotten lost, knock on wood. I wonder what it feels like to be looked for? I have done a few searches but never been the searchee. Hope it stays that way too.

I think that is what neatbrian is trying to write code for, just posting the help messages. My friends and family will have my OK emails and that is it.