I've got a Spot Messenger and had the Spot 1 for a long time before. For such cool devices the interface and feedback is horrible.
The Messenger requires your smart phone for anything but 911. That might not sound like an issue initially, but having to have another device that you connect to it and then go through the process to send an ok takes more time. The type and send is cool, but I have found that I can build a pretty good library of preformatted messages that covers pretty much everything.
You can't open the iPhone app and do anything without it being connected to the messenger... total pain in the azz. If you update your contacts or messages and want to sync them to your app you have to connect it to the Messenger and then launch it... again, pain in the butt.
The latest firmware of the messenger has some bugs in the tracking module for multiple days. I used mine recently on a 5 day elk hunt and tracking runs for 24 hours then turns itself off. I found that I had to shut the Messenger off at the end of that 24 hours for as much as 30 minutes before I could get it to go back in to tracking mode.
I think the Messenger would be a hit if it had the features it has but also had a track mode and "ok" button on the unit so you didn't have to tether to do those functions in a basic way. If you wanted to send specific messages with the Ok then tether.
I have not noticed any appreciable difference in how it hooks up to satellites or the likes. I found with the original spot it had to be oriented a certain way to work consistantly and I have carried that over to the Messenger and it works fine. Same sort of lag and such. When I send Oks I just set it out in the open for 5-10 minutes so it can do its thing.
One big disappointment with the Messenger is battery life. It is DRAMATICALLY less than the original Spot. I used the original Spot all the time... 4-6 days a month, all day long in tracking mode, send OK message a couple of times a day. I would replace the batteries once a year.
The Messenger, with similar usage, requires new batteries every couple of months. That is my biggest complaint actually. I now just have an extra set of batteries with me all the time for it... not a bad plan anyway.
sled_guy
