SPOT Global Messenger

[dmc]

A quick review of the SPOT device. After reading about it in Overland Journal I decided to pick one up for my trip. I've only been on the road for a few days but I have been playing around with it as I go. So far it has worked perfectly and I can't get over how cheap it is relative to other devices. I picked mine up at REI in SLC and within 20mins I had an email with my location linked to Google Earth. It seems like a no brainer device for anyone looking to get out in the backcountry but wants to be able to communicate back home. Inexpesnive, effective and gives piece of mind. once i leave the US i'll post up more on it's coverage.
dmc

 

[Scott Brady]

Mine is on the way. Looking forward to using it.

 

[Desertoutpost]

To help out those wanting information on cost etc...

http://www.rei.com/product/766529?vcat=REI_SEARCH

Not affiliated with REI in any way, just a simple link to a product.

Good to hear it is up to par so far!

 

[adventureduo]

oooh i know where im going tomorrow :wings: REI!

 

[dmc]

one of the things i found out last night is that you can only add 10 emails to the list of 'ok' email recepients. not normally a big deal for smaller trips. For a longer trip like mine, however, a mailing list will have to work so my friends can keep track of my location.
dmc

 

[Desertoutpost]

one of the things i found out last night is that you can only add 10 emails to the list of 'ok' email recepients. not normally a big deal for smaller trips. For a longer trip like mine, however, a mailing list will have to work so my friends can keep track of my location.
dmc

Do you mean a total of 10 email addresses for unlimited messages or a total of 10 messages to countless email addresses, for the whole trip? Probably the first I would suspect.

If so can you set up a proxy email account to kick a forwarded message with an attachment of the message sent to everyone on the predetermined list? Did that make sense?!@?

 

[TheRoadie]

Three REI's in San Diego county, and only one had a unit in stock. Now I got it. Sorry. I think they sell out fast. Good luck on the SPOT hunt!

 

[adventureduo]

Three REI's in San Diego county, and only one had a unit in stock. Now I got it. Sorry. I think they sell out fast. Good luck on the SPOT hunt!

That's ok, im not in SD :costumed-smiley-007

 

[TheRoadie]

I should have been explicit, because I wasted gas driving to the closest one before I remembered that's why Al Gore invented the telephone: Call first and have them hold one if they have any in stock. But you probably figured that out already.

 

[adventureduo]

Just called.. the Santa Ana location has 4 of them.

 

[TheRoadie]

So the SPOT market on Ebay will probably support selling them for $200. [very punny]

Ahhhhh, I bet SD was wiped out by folks going down for the Baja 1000.

Anyway, very cool that they have some.

 

[dmc]

Do you mean a total of 10 email addresses for unlimited messages or a total of 10 messages to countless email addresses, for the whole trip? Probably the first I would suspect.

If so can you set up a proxy email account to kick a forwarded message with an attachment of the message sent to everyone on the predetermined list? Did that make sense?!@?

yeah i guess i should clarify. unlimited email messages to a total of 10 individual address.

i already set up the email list i just need to do some final configurations (i'm a web idiot for the most part and it takes me a long time to figure things out) then i'll have it up and running. the benefit is people can sub/unsub on their own.
dmc

 

[adventureduo]

Whew hoo! Just picked ours up. Sending a sat. signal right now to see how the contact comes back with the google map. Should be a great little device to have with us. Only part i didnt like is paying the $49.00 additional for unlimited tracking. So for us it's $149.00 a year.. which isn't that cheap. You can do the standard setup for $99.00 a year.

 

[Azrocks]

Way cool. I'm definatelly going to be getting one soon. That sounds like the perfect tool considering the non-emergency functions it has.

 

[TheRoadie]

Been playing with mine. Two issues I've discussed with their customer support for the next rev of the back-end software.

1) The track (a fix every ten minutes for 24 hours) feature can only be viewed on the web by somebody logged into your account. So they can also see personal details and play pranks.

2) Single "Check in OK" or "help" messages are emailed to your list, but none of the fixes in a track list are emailed. Not even the first of a series, to alert folks that you have started an expedition.

Many Baja 1000 users have griped already about item #1. Item #2 was my bright idea.