SPOT satallite tracker

[Caper11]

I ride with a guy who has one of these I think is a very indispenable product, does anyone on here have one and if so did they ever have to use it.
I really want one, what do you guys and gals think?
Here is a link to the website.

 

[Ancient Sledder]

I bought on from Glentel in Edmonton and have tested it in the mountains. It works very well. I did not go with the tracking plan that they offer. That allows you to download where you have been on Google Earth, I believe, so you can show your friends where you've been. Well worth it, IMHO.

 

[fnDan]

I have one. I like to be able to let people know that everythings OK when we run a little late. I hope I never need the 911 feature but it's there just in case. I didn't pay for the tracking either. I carry a GPS and download my tracks to Google Earth when I get home. I let my wife know where I'm staging and the area we're riding as well as my plate number on the truck. If you do use the 911 feature they will call your primary number first to make sure it's not in error and to get background info on your riding group and then dispatch SAR.

 

[Ancient Sledder]

I never thought about the plate number. That is a very good idea.

 

[fnDan]

My brother-inlaw and I had a bit of a problem in Rolling Hills 2 years ago. We were running way behind trying to get out and the wives called the RCMP. They need to know where you're staging at, what vehicle your driving, and the plate number so they know where to start. If you're truck is there then I suppose they take it to the next level with SAR. Without this info it would be pretty hard to figure out where to start looking.
With my SPOT satellite tracker I send an OK message from the staging area and they know exactly where the truck is and when we got there. I also send an OK when we get back to the truck. My wife threatened to "disable" my sled twice now.

 

[teeroy]

just ordered one of these the other day, through the thumpertalk.com site. $149 and free tracking for one year, a $49 freebie for tt members.

GPS central has them for $169, with 6 months free tracking right now. they have made a few changes in the messaging service, more contacts and added info to your emergency notification service.

 

[catmando]

We had a thread on here last year about these and they are very affordable peace of mind.Definatly on my x-mas list!
catmando!

 

[Throttle-Junkie]

I love this site hahaha, but you are all going to make me BROKE!!!!! On the list for must have before the snow flys, i think i know what iam buying everyone for xmas gifts!!! Thanks everyone!!

 

[neddacsac]

A must have for any backcountry rider!

 

[SLEDBUNNYRACING]

Does anyone on the site own one and have they used the service, in other words, is it as god as they say?

 

[teeroy]

We had a thread on here last year about these and they are very affordable peace of mind.Definatly on my x-mas list!
catmando!

I did a search before i bumped this one, 2 topics showed up, the other was in "introduce yourself". I remember the thread about them, neither I found were the discussions I recalled. seems like a worthy topic, we'll start over....:d

Does anyone on the site own one and have they used the service, in other words, is it as god as they say?

a couple guys on thumpertalk have had them for a year, the biggest gripe was they didn't always transmit a position in tracking mode when in cover such as thick trees or in a deep forested valley. seemed the consensus was as long as you could see sky, it worked well. no 911 stories tho, other than a video on the spot website, and it was a sledding story about guys getting buried in an avy.

 

[SLEDBUNNYRACING]

Thanks for the info teeroy, sounds like there simular to a Sat phone....no clear view of the sky, no worky?

 

[teeroy]

Thanks for the info teeroy, sounds like there simular to a Sat phone....no clear view of the sky, no worky?

I think so SBR, while reading some online reviews by testers that were given a spot to try out, there was some interesting reading about Globalstar's satellites and the degradation of the sat phone service. the sat phones work on an "S" band for 2 way communication, where the spot uses the "L" band. apparently whatever equipment G-star used for the "S" band has some sort of problem in space with cosmic radiation, and the transmitting equipment is wearing out a lot faster than they anticipated. I rented a sat phone last year, couldn't get it to work once over the 5 days I had it in the mountains.

here is the review I read, pretty interesting info on the satellite phone problem left in the comments section under the review.
Review — Spot Satellite Messenger for Emergency Comm and More :- Lou Dawson's Backcountry Skiing Blog

another review...

 

[SLEDBUNNYRACING]

We borrow a sat phone and last year we had two....one would get a signal and the other wouldn't...funny how that works.
Thanks for the links to the reviews...interesting reading...

 

[fnDan]

They say the Spot should not experience the same connection problems as Sat phones because it does not require the same 2-way communication connection that a Sat phone does. This is what I read.

 

[teeroy]

yeah, that's pretty much what they say in the reviews. I didn't know about the sat phone deal, explains why the one I rented didn't work. when i took it back I told the guy I wasn't paying for something that didn't work, he said no problem and didn't charge me. we were camping in the parking lot up in Hasler for 5 days with no cell communication, and planned to use the phone to check in with the wives every night. we ended up getting some other sledders that were heading out to call my wife to let her know we were okay on the 3rd day. at least with the spot, we can send an "okay" message whenever we want. should alleviate any worry in the future on a trip like that.

 

[Depsnolvr]

Our globalstar sat phones are junk and that is the system the SPOT service uses I believe. Great in the lower states, but absolutely terrible in the mountains. I will not get one until Globalstar gets better service. Now we are stuck with 2000 dollars worth of Sat phones that dont work ! I have heard that Irridium has a similar product and those are the phones that VARDA will be running this season.
c

 

[northstar23]

yeah, that's pretty much what they say in the reviews. I didn't know about the sat phone deal, explains why the one I rented didn't work. when i took it back I told the guy I wasn't paying for something that didn't work, he said no problem and didn't charge me. we were camping in the parking lot up in Hasler for 5 days with no cell communication, and planned to use the phone to check in with the wives every night. we ended up getting some other sledders that were heading out to call my wife to let her know we were okay on the 3rd day. at least with the spot, we can send an "okay" message whenever we want. should alleviate any worry in the future on a trip like that.

Where does the ok message go to ? web site ? telephone?

 

[teeroy]

Our globalstar sat phones are junk and that is the system the SPOT service uses I believe. Great in the lower states, but absolutely terrible in the mountains. I will not get one until Globalstar gets better service. Now we are stuck with 2000 dollars worth of Sat phones that dont work ! I have heard that Irridium has a similar product and those are the phones that VARDA will be running this season.
c

it does use the globalstar system, but not the 2 way system that the phones use. it is a simplex system, on a different band than the phones and unaffected by the problems seen by the g-star sat phones. there is a thread on the ADV rider site that I'm reading right now, it's over 50 pages long, a guy that works for the company that designed and built the spot is posting answers to questions and concerns much like the one you have regarding reception of the g-star phones. if you have time, and don't mind a lot of reading, it is well worth checking out.....I'm only on page 27 so far.
Has anyone seen or bought a Spot Satellite Messenger yet? - ADVrider

 

[teeroy]

Where does the ok message go to ? web site ? telephone?

your choice of sms text message, or an email address. you can have up to 10 contacts that you program into your account settings. the email notification also provides a google maps link to show your exact location to your contacts.