SPOT Options

Summit X

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I am currently registering my SPOT and wondered....

What options have you signed up for on your SPOT, and why??
 

ferniesnow

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I am currently registering my SPOT and wondered....

What options have you signed up for on your SPOT, and why??

I just doo the registration part and that is all. The tracking is useless in my opinion (everytime you check in, your contacts know where you are enyways and doo you really want to see how many times you went up the hill above Mear Lake?), and the insurance thing isn't necessary in Canada (at least so far).

Mine is mostly to keep the better half happy if i'm late or whatever. The SPOT2 is great because of the extra programmable button "We are Okay but will be delayed" is the message that I use for that button.

Good luck with your decision, fs
 

Indy245

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I paid 1000/hour for a timely rescue (X3 hours). I recommend the insurance, it is cheap to add.
 

BC Sno-Ghost

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I've got the basic messaging functions that come with registration. When I purchased the unit last year I got one year of free tracking. I really like having it. It is surprising how close you can be to meadow or open area you never knew existed until you look at your track on Google Earth. Also my 19 year old son drove to Edmonton by himself a couple of weeks ago and I was able to track his position as he travelled without him having to continually send an Okay message. Should he have gone off the road and become unconscious or unable to send a message, we would have known his exact location. Ferniesnow is right though. If you're always riding in the same area all day and not interested in your surroundings or scoping out new areas...yeah, it's useless. I didn't bother with the insurance either. Probably should have it but I figure they are constantly rescuing those lost Jackasses off the ski hills in the out of bounds areas for free, so why should I get charged. I hope I don't have to find out the hard way that I needed it.
 

powderhoundbrr

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I am currently registering my SPOT and wondered....

What options have you signed up for on your SPOT, and why??

I just got the basic registration and I also got the tracking. It is just kind of fun to see where you were or have people see where you currently are. I use mine in the summer for adventuring as well so I kind of like that. The "we are going to be delayed non-emergency" function is my favorite.

My lovely wife usually gets that one at around 5pm, unfortunately the position is usually in front of the local pub.
 

fnDan

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I just cancelled the tracking feature. It was nice to have on the bike so my wife could see where I was but on the sled I'll push the OK button more than on the bike. I had to send Spot an email to cancel. They don't have anything on their site to do this.
 

allrevsrule

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Is there different models of the Spot, on Ebay there seems to be. If so which is the best model for sledding Revy/Valemount area ??
 

ferniesnow

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Sorry to under cut shoppingcart111, but I have a SPOT 1 for sale for $50. It is gently used and works well. The SPOT people have said there is no problem re-registering them to a new person. I will even throw in some batteries.....now that's a deal:d:d:d
 

arff

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I have the basic spot service as well as tracking.

My brother logs on to see the places we have been.
Wife likes the safety aspect of the spot.
 

BC Sno-Ghost

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Is there different models of the Spot, on Ebay there seems to be. If so which is the best model for sledding Revy/Valemount area ??

The original SPOT and the latest SPOT 2 which came out last year. I've heard that the newer model has better coverage, and the newer one also is capable of sending a third special message. New SPOT also has safety covers for the 911 button and need assistance button to deter accidental activations. A lot of guys say the first model works just as well but I can't compare because I've only owned the SPOT 2. I think either one will work well in Revy, Valemount or anywhere else.:beer:
 

ferniesnow

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I'm interested. Why are you selling?

Because I bought a SPOT2. There is nothing wrong with the original SPOT but my wife gets a little nervous when I'm not home by dark and sometimes that is impossible. Soooo the extra button....."I'm Okay, but we will be delayed." .....was a great answer for her peace of mind.
 

Summit X

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Thank everybody for the tips.

i ended up going with just the basics as well on my SPOT 2. i used it yesterday up by wranglers cabin and the fiance really liked that piece of mind during the day that we were ok.

i set my button like FS's, i'm ok but delayed, and surprisingly i didn't even have to use it yesterday! i'm sure i will next time, just to see if it works of course...
 

BC Sno-Ghost

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When you first get out with it do some testing. I found with the cell phone #s of people I designated as text message recipients, they received a message saying, "you have received a message but are not subscribed to this service. Reply with the word "reply" to subscribe". I wondered if this was now going to be an extra charge on my cell service to subscribe so I contacted SPOT support before I replied and they said there is no charge to subscribe. Once you reply with the word "Reply" you get another message saying "To read message, reply with the word "Read" to read message". Once you do this the message is displayed. I sent a message to all my recipients explaining this process. Does everyone have to go through this procedure with their messaging?
 

Catchme

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Yes there is. SPOT runs off of Globalstar's sats. When you send out a message though it will keep sending it out until a satellite comes into range. It's a hit and miss for instant response though.
 

ferniesnow

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Are there times where the service does not work, like sat phones?

I have found that in an east/west valley (like Crossing Creek in Elkford) it is sometimes a long time for the message to get out depending on your location (ie on the north side of a large mountain or in the bottom of an east/seat ravine with large mountains on the south side).

Just work with it, sort of like a beacon and you will become quite adept at it. They are great for peace of mind at home.....:d:d:d
 

MrMorgan

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Sounds like a good stocking stuffer to have. I like the idea of using to "lojack" the kid, but I guess that won't work unless he pushes the button. If the warden would cut out a latte or two each week, it would pay for the service too. Good luck with that, though. That's like asking her not to breathe.
 
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