Just got my new SPOT!! (satellite locator)

[08rmk]

Well, because we ride all backwoods with no cell service and I had a buddy that didn't make it off the mountain last year, I bought one of these new Satellite Personal Trackers that just came out for $149! Their is a $99 annual fee that goes along with it. Basically it has 4 buttons 1. Power on/off, 2. I'm OK, 3. Help and 4. 911! You can send messages to family and friends via email or text-messaging saying you are ok or you can send messages telling them you need non-emergency help ASAP. If you hit the 911 button it sends your signal to Houston, Tx. and they send Search and Rescue out from your area. Well worth the peace-of-mind! if anyone is interested the website is:

www.findmespot.com

Check it out.

ill have to go check these out. ive been to close a few times to not making it out.

 

[John]

I got one for Christmas myself and am wondering if the $50.00 for the tracking feature is really worth it. I guess my question is if you hit 911 do you need to hunker down in your current location to wait for help or will it track your progress if you decide to keep moving?

 

[AaronBND]

It resends the signal every few minutes, so they can track you, but I personally would stay put if S&R is looking for me!

Aaron

 

[John]

Ya, I would not be pushing that one unless I was not still able to move. You never know though. Did you happen to see this?
"PLEASE NOTE This benefit does not apply if:-
a) your situation is caused by circumstances such as a forecast change of weather conditions, which could reasonably have been anticipated at the date you started your trip
b) you have NOT made adequate provision of resources or training or competence needed to complete your planned trip.


Don't know if I'll sign up for that either unless it covers sled extraction. Somhow I doubt it does...

 

[AaronBND]

Well.....thats just the extra $100,000 insurance you get through "Lords of London" if you so choose for $7.95/yr.. I actually did that too. What the heck...$8 bucks! Don't get guys confused on here thinking this is the actual unit policy! If you hit 911, S&R will come for you!

Aaron

 

[Wade]

What I'm looking for, is a way to script into the tracking message page at findmespot.com and parse out the Lat/Long data for display on a website. Maybe the spotmaker dude will show up here and answer a few questions for us.

Seems spot plans on making a guest login, where you can view a person's position data. Any idea's?

Wade

 

[mac900rmk]

Maybe SPOT users should send an email and recommend a selectable feature that would let the user allow others (public) to view their location (if they have the tracking subscription). Users could have the option to turn this off or on through a Google Earth community specifically for SPOTS.

 

[sledn]

The adds clearly show thems peoples saving us sledders.(Just say someone appears to be very injured)!

 

[wweverett]

Just ordered one I hope it works!

 

[irydcat]

sounds like it works going to have to buy one

 

[akeddie]

today, manually sent 6 messages and ALL were recieved!!!!

proof is in the puddling........here's a pic of the ledge we had lunch on........

[/IMG]

here's the SPOT notification sent to my wife.....
SPOT Check OK--All GOOD testing SAT beacon-
970433**** (Raymond Orr_ ignore message NO-HELP-NEEDED.MesaCtySAR# 73
Unit Number: 0-7357942

Latitude: 39.1825
Longitude: -107.5425

Nearest Town from unit Location: Patterson Place, United States

Distance to the nearest town: 13 km(s)
Time in GMT the message was sent: 12/16/2007 20:13:56
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=39.1825,-107.5425&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1


make sure you hit the terrain button and zoom......everything seems to match....

coolest thing i seen since,,,........mmm..cant remember......feel like a kid on xmas.........

ray


pp

holy bugger snot batman checked out the spot on google earth and you could see the sno-go tracks in the snow that friggen rocks tilted the picture to match it up to the one in the picture thats awsome i am also hoping this unit will work for me here in the ak , another cool toy!

 

[AaronBND]

Thats cool..........

Aaron

 

[ReTodd]

We are in the process of getting our first order as a dealer in Washington and will have about 15 available at a good price. PM me if you are interested.


Rt

www.mbhc.net

 

[powderidahoan]

Just got my new toy for Christmas. I will have to figure it out this weekend. Looks cool though.

My friends wife needs one. Just to track her lying husband everyday. She could push the track button and set it in his car. BIG BROTHER. He would be screwed.

 

[trlkidd]

Just got my new toy for Christmas. I will have to figure it out this weekend. Looks cool though.

My friends wife needs one. Just to track her lying husband everyday. She could push the track button and set it in his car. BIG BROTHER. He would be screwed.

Good Lord! Somebody delete this!!

 

[BroT]

Picked mine up yesterday. My brother and I had a late arrival last weekend to two crying spouses worried sick because we are never late (had a little issue climbing back out of a hole). My wife is stoked about SPOT because she will at least know something, even if the message isn't very long or explanatory...she knows we are OK.

Spent 10 minutes setting up my account on findmespot.com, including the messages and send to addresses. Tried out the OK check message and all 4 addresses received the message within one minute.

The really cool thing was that I sent the message from inside my house!

Additionally, we searched the lat/long. coordinates in Google Earth and it dropped us right onto my house!

Please keep this in mind...if you don't have the track subscription, this is not a beacon. You have to manually send a message for someone to get your coordinates.

Stay safe out there.

Sorry RT and AJ...didn't know you were selling them or I would have looked you up!

BroT

 

[TheCirque]

Local Guy Tracks 4Wheeler Thief..

Local news here in Utah ran a story yesterday about some guy who got a new Polaris 700 4 Wheeler for Christmas. He accidentally left his garage open that night and thieves stole it from him.

He had a similar satellite tracker that he had left in the "glove box" on the machine. 3 hours, via satellite, he tracked and recovered the machine that had been ditched a couple miles away until the "dust settled" and could be picked up.

I thought that was a cool story.

At least that one had a happy ending.

 

[tivoklr]

So.....

So besides cost, what is the real verdict here between the SPOT and the ACR PLB beacons?

I am going to be buying one of them, the area I ride in actually has good cell coverage mostly so I'm not too far from help but I like the transmitted coordinates as it can get hard to tell where you are in a storm...

Any thoughts on if the SPOT is reliable enough or should I go all out military/gov't style with the ACR PLB.

Thanks!

 

[drscotch]

So besides cost, what is the real verdict here between the SPOT and the ACR PLB beacons?

I am going to be buying one of them, the area I ride in actually has good cell coverage mostly so I'm not too far from help but I like the transmitted coordinates as it can get hard to tell where you are in a storm...

Any thoughts on if the SPOT is reliable enough or should I go all out military/gov't style with the ACR PLB.

Thanks!

Basically the PLB is proven technology using a dedicated satellite network. They're used on planes, boats, etc. as the 'locator beacon'. The down side is a good GPS ready (they transmit coordinates along with the distress signal) PLB is around $700 - but no other ongoing fees. This is a no BS SAR scenerio which is why you have to register them with your government. In other words when a commercial airliner goes down this is the system that's used to locate it. When you set it off, they come, period. Here's a link to a PLB manufacturer with good info:http://www.acrelectronics.com/

SPOT is new technology, inexpensive and built on the Globalstar commercial satellite network (satphone, pager, etc.). It does not suffer from the same issues as Globalstar phones as it is using low bandwith channels (as mentioned above). However, some have the opinion that given their grief with sat phones, Globalstar might not survive (just an opinon I've read).

Here's a good site for reviews of PLBs and SPOT http://www.equipped.org/

Bottom line for me is the PLB network was designed for SAR emergencies, Globalstar's was designed for commercial communications. Just my $0.25. Play safe.