hidesertwheelin
Explorer
I saw this was posted before, but it was almost a year ago. So SPOT owners, what is your opinion on them? Are they worth it? Do they function good? Also can I pay month to month or do I have to sign up for a year? Thanks.
Opinions on SPOT
- Thread starter hidesertwheelin
- Start date
adventureduo
Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
We've been using ours nonstop since they first came out. Probably 30+ trips on it. Not one problem to speak of so far. It's worked flawless. Now that i've said this it will probably fail on me 
We're very happy with it. It does what we need it to do and lets our friends/family track us while out. We use it to send a "ok" message every night at camp. It's never let us down and it's still on the same batteries from 2007. The unit is good extra insurance for us in case something crazy happens.
Some people have had problems sending, but i think they're the minority. Everyone that i know that has one has no complaints.
Side note: Never had to use the 911 feature or help so i can't speak on those.. just hope they work when i need them.
I think you have to sign up for a year.. or at least when i renewed that's the only option available.
We're very happy with it. It does what we need it to do and lets our friends/family track us while out. We use it to send a "ok" message every night at camp. It's never let us down and it's still on the same batteries from 2007. The unit is good extra insurance for us in case something crazy happens.
Some people have had problems sending, but i think they're the minority. Everyone that i know that has one has no complaints.
Side note: Never had to use the 911 feature or help so i can't speak on those.. just hope they work when i need them.
I think you have to sign up for a year.. or at least when i renewed that's the only option available.
Tucson T4R
Expedition Leader
I have had mine for more almost a year now and have used in on several trips. I also have only used the OK function but my friends and family really appreciate the messages and being able to see where I am.
Ditto on the battery life. Mine still has the original lithium batteries I installed when I first got the unit.
Just good piece of mind for when the unexpected happens.
Ditto on the battery life. Mine still has the original lithium batteries I installed when I first got the unit.
Just good piece of mind for when the unexpected happens.
adventureduo
Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
I've done this also. It's a major plus.
DarkHelmet
Adventurer
Great... mostly...
I bought one for a trip to Alaska and have been using it ever since. Great device. Infinitely more useful that the $350-$600 PLB Beacons which can only be activated in an emergency. Sure there are pros and cons to PLB vs. SPOT but I think for most people a SPOT is more useful.
My only "mod" has been to cover up the "Help" and "911" buttons with duct tape patches to avoid accidental activation when shuffling around in a backpack lid with other objects. This after my old SAR Team members were chasing some guy through the woods after his "Help" button was accidentally activated in his pack and his family panicked and called 911... even after he sent an OK message.
Anyhow. I have used it to keep family advised of my progress on recreational trips. I have used it to keep a track log for SAR missions and keep checked in with base camp. It is a great device.
Pros:
- Can send non-emergency messages and tracking unlike PLB
- Long battery life in track or 911 mode with standard Lithium "AA" batteries.
- Less expensive to purchase equipment and about equal to PLB cost for the first 3 years of use.
Cons:
- Long-term cost of service
- Poorly protected "Help" and "911" buttons could lead to accidental activation - easily fixed with duct tape swatch
- Belt clip is nearly useless. If you secure it to a pack strap, etc. I would also use a dummy cord. At least if you have tracking enabled you could track back to the last known location to find it if you loose it. ;D
I bought one for a trip to Alaska and have been using it ever since. Great device. Infinitely more useful that the $350-$600 PLB Beacons which can only be activated in an emergency. Sure there are pros and cons to PLB vs. SPOT but I think for most people a SPOT is more useful.
My only "mod" has been to cover up the "Help" and "911" buttons with duct tape patches to avoid accidental activation when shuffling around in a backpack lid with other objects. This after my old SAR Team members were chasing some guy through the woods after his "Help" button was accidentally activated in his pack and his family panicked and called 911... even after he sent an OK message.
Anyhow. I have used it to keep family advised of my progress on recreational trips. I have used it to keep a track log for SAR missions and keep checked in with base camp. It is a great device.
Pros:
- Can send non-emergency messages and tracking unlike PLB
- Long battery life in track or 911 mode with standard Lithium "AA" batteries.
- Less expensive to purchase equipment and about equal to PLB cost for the first 3 years of use.
Cons:
- Long-term cost of service
- Poorly protected "Help" and "911" buttons could lead to accidental activation - easily fixed with duct tape swatch
- Belt clip is nearly useless. If you secure it to a pack strap, etc. I would also use a dummy cord. At least if you have tracking enabled you could track back to the last known location to find it if you loose it. ;D
EricGagne
Adventurer
Last week-end I went on a trip to Gaspésie with a friend, we drove 1865 kilometers in 3 days. My routine with the SPOT is to send a OK message in the morning before hitting the road, then I activate the tracking, I send another OK message at the end of the day when I stop driving and I shut it off.
When it sends a message the light stays on for 5 sedconds, I try to catch the first one to know at what time it's sent and then I can check at regular intervals to see if it sends message.
Here's my SPOT shared page for this trip.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=03DVtvxmlIQkj1pIYIbGVYFJjci5EOkvu
We drove about 8-9 hours a day for each of the three days but I only got 44 messages including the 6 or 7 OK messages that I sent.
On Saturday I only got 12 track messages over a 9 hours drive. I understand it needs a clear view of the sky but what bothers me is that I'm almost positive that I saw it sending more than 12 messages. I don't have a clear explanation of why I only see 12 on the SPOT page but my guess is that it's possible that the trees didn't block the signal in but blocked the signal out.
In other words, the SPOT was seeing the satellites signal and was able to calculate it's position and send the track messages but its outgoing signal wasn't strong enough to get out and be picked by the satellites.
That bothers me a lot because I don't know if I can trust the SPOT in an emergency situation. I can picture myself waiting for help, seeing the light confirmation on the SPOT that it's sending the 911 message but wondering if the satellites picked them up.
It could be fatal to wait for help that's never gonna come because one wrongly thinks that someone's on the way.
When it sends a message the light stays on for 5 sedconds, I try to catch the first one to know at what time it's sent and then I can check at regular intervals to see if it sends message.
Here's my SPOT shared page for this trip.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=03DVtvxmlIQkj1pIYIbGVYFJjci5EOkvu
We drove about 8-9 hours a day for each of the three days but I only got 44 messages including the 6 or 7 OK messages that I sent.
On Saturday I only got 12 track messages over a 9 hours drive. I understand it needs a clear view of the sky but what bothers me is that I'm almost positive that I saw it sending more than 12 messages. I don't have a clear explanation of why I only see 12 on the SPOT page but my guess is that it's possible that the trees didn't block the signal in but blocked the signal out.
In other words, the SPOT was seeing the satellites signal and was able to calculate it's position and send the track messages but its outgoing signal wasn't strong enough to get out and be picked by the satellites.
That bothers me a lot because I don't know if I can trust the SPOT in an emergency situation. I can picture myself waiting for help, seeing the light confirmation on the SPOT that it's sending the 911 message but wondering if the satellites picked them up.
It could be fatal to wait for help that's never gonna come because one wrongly thinks that someone's on the way.
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nwoods
Expedition Leader
Here are a couple of accounts about the 911 function of the SPOT system
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22302&highlight=SPOT
It worked for us:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22302&highlight=SPOT
It worked for us:
02TahoeMD
Explorer
I used my Spot for my trip west last month and it worked great. I had a page set up and my family would check the page several times a day watching the progress of my route. I also sent an OK at the beginning and end of each days travel, which in turn got sent to my list of email notifications, usually within 5 minutes of me having sent the OK message. Think about it.....here I am in the middle of cell-phone free Arizona, I hit a button, it goes to a satellite, and my dad gets a message on his Blackberry here in Maryland letting me know where I am and that I am well. In 5 minutes. Amazing stuff in my book.
That said, I have been having some technical issues with my account, hopefully can get them settled - I wanted to export my tracking points to a map since they are supposed to last 30 days....and they were GONE already. ARGH! Dunno what on earth is going on there.....
Above issue aside, I think the Spot is definitely worth the cost, especially if you travel alone and want to give your family reassurance about your well being when out in The Middle of Nowhere.
That said, I have been having some technical issues with my account, hopefully can get them settled - I wanted to export my tracking points to a map since they are supposed to last 30 days....and they were GONE already. ARGH! Dunno what on earth is going on there.....
Above issue aside, I think the Spot is definitely worth the cost, especially if you travel alone and want to give your family reassurance about your well being when out in The Middle of Nowhere.
kmroxo
Observer
I have never needed the Help or 911 features, but I occasionally test out the Help message before a trip. Most of the time I'm using it while backpacking with my dogs. The only times where I have come back and thought I sent more messages than I saw on email I was also under pretty dense tree coverage.
Also, in case you haven't seen it, Spot has a companion site now called Spot Adventures (www.spotadventures.com) and it is pretty cool. If you have a shared website set up with your account you can connect it to your Spot Adventures account and play with your waypoints to make tracks, upload pictures, etc. It really is a pretty cool website.
Last year a group of dirt bikers were riding in the forest north of Lake Tahoe and one guy had a bad accident. Another guy had a Spot. I think rescue crews were there inside 30 minutes. nwoods, how long was it between button push and arrival?
Also, in case you haven't seen it, Spot has a companion site now called Spot Adventures (www.spotadventures.com) and it is pretty cool. If you have a shared website set up with your account you can connect it to your Spot Adventures account and play with your waypoints to make tracks, upload pictures, etc. It really is a pretty cool website.
Last year a group of dirt bikers were riding in the forest north of Lake Tahoe and one guy had a bad accident. Another guy had a Spot. I think rescue crews were there inside 30 minutes. nwoods, how long was it between button push and arrival?
nwoods
Expedition Leader
Within 90 minutes of activating SPOT, a sheriff's fixed wing plane started circling overhead, apparently operating as a radio relay to incoming ground and air rescue teams. At about 1:40, a CHP helicopter arrived, and probably 5 minutes after that, two fire trucks, and ambulance, and a CHP 4x4 truck all showed up together. So under 2 hours, LOTS of help arrived. I asked the helio pilot how they were notified, and she said their dispatch gave them GPS coords to where we were. I figure that was from SPOT. Cool!
After a few minutes, the rescue crews had the patient on a backboard and strapped into the helio and he was on his way to a level III trama center in Palm Springs. He was gone and the dust settled in less than 2 hours from pushing the button.
jerdog53
Explorer
My buddy just got one, he races Quads cross country so there is a need for one anyway he is not very computer literate so he asked me to register it and test it out for him so i have and will get out tomorrow and the next few days running around on the MTB to ensure its working correctly before he goes to his next race in AZ.
kmroxo
Observer
I know that the cost is an issue. The Spot is a lot cheaper than a PLB, but the annual membership is what drives the costs of the Spot up. In my opinion the membership fee is what you pay for to have the OK messages so you can let your family know you are okay, something you can't do with a PLB.
I really like it.
I really like it.
M
MuddyOval
Guest
I have a loaner Spot that my company loans out to customers or media and we found a problem. One of our customers drove cross country on back roads to write up the experience for a magazine. The Spot tracking would drop out repeatedly, so he called Spot for advice. They told him that it wasn't intended for vehicular travel and if one travels more than 300 miles or so with tracking on, one needs to remove the batteries and hard reset it every day. I called Spot and they told me the same thing. Problem is- you don't know WHEN tracking stopped working during the day unless you go check the web site. Not easy when driving.
If Spot offered a stripped down service with just the 911 function, they could compete against PLB's- the initial cost is lower and the service costs won't add up so fast. I just checked on what it costs to have my PLB serviced and batteries changed and it's pretty steep. The Spot has user- serviced batteries.
If Spot offered a stripped down service with just the 911 function, they could compete against PLB's- the initial cost is lower and the service costs won't add up so fast. I just checked on what it costs to have my PLB serviced and batteries changed and it's pretty steep. The Spot has user- serviced batteries.
Schattenjager
Expedition Leader
I have always wished that SPOT had stuck with the OK / HELP / 911 features and not gone into the tracking / Triple 'A' services. I understand the business model et al but it dilutes, in my poor mind anyway, the intended purpose and power the unit possesses and potentially burdens the system with a lot of extra crap a handheld GPS could do as well if not better.
M
MuddyOval
Guest
Well, tracking and the 'triple A' stuff is all optional though... so at least you don't need to pay for those things if you don't want them. I dig the tracking. Sure, my GPS will do it too- but my wife and little kid can't see that daddy's making progress getting home without the tracking on the web. I could send a load of OK's, but tracking is easier.