Spot 2

[robert j. yates]

Not sure if this is the right forum but I'm trying to ascertain this product's viability for emergency contact use when solo in the southwest US. I have found it for $80 which seems cheap and the reviews were a little rough although most of them were dated 2010 and 2011. Thanx for any input.

 

[carbon60]

Really depends on your use case. What, exactly, are your needs?

Large difference between a SPOT, inReach and a PLB.

A.

 

[Herbie]

Searching the terms "spot" and "plb" together will yield several threads where they are compared.

There is also an extensive analysis of the SPOT capabilities vs. PLBs and other devices on Equipped.org

 

[robert j. yates]

Thanx...... Mainly I will be solo vehicle traveling in my Jeep in the California, Nevada and 4 Corners areas. I don't need anything fancy... Just a way To check in with my wife and get a SOS out if I have a vehicle break down out in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. I would be fully self contained for recovery and moderate repairs. I usually travel in a small groups of 2-3 vehicles but expect to be doing more solo just because I can.

 

[pugslyyy]

Thanx...... Mainly I will be solo vehicle traveling in my Jeep in the California, Nevada and 4 Corners areas. I don't need anything fancy... Just a way To check in with my wife and get a SOS out if I have a vehicle break down out in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. I would be fully self contained for recovery and moderate repairs. I usually travel in a small groups of 2-3 vehicles but expect to be doing more solo just because I can.

For me, I decided that I wanted something with 2-way messaging capability. With the Spot you have no guarantee that your message was received because there is no way to get an acknowledgment back.

I would seriously look at the DeLorme inReach SE or DeLorme inReach Explorer as options.

 

[carbon60]

I chose the Delorme inReach because it gives me two-way text communication which is great for problems that are not immediately life threatening:

- ask a friend for mechanical advice or request a specific part needed to get your rig moving
- discuss medical symptoms before deciding whether to evacuate a patient

And, of course, it also gives you tracking and SOS via GECOS.

For guaranteed reliability in getting an SOS out, plus assisting your rescuers with a homing signal, a real PLB can't be beat.

For cost, the Spot can't be beat.

A.

P.S. FYI, I'm SAR Commander of a 140 member volunteer ground SAR team.

 

[pugslyyy]

I chose the Delorme inReach because it gives me two-way text communication which is great for problems that are not immediately life threatening:

- ask a friend for mechanical advice or request a specific part needed to get your rig moving
- discuss medical symptoms before deciding whether to evacuate a patient

All good reasons for the 2-way comms. For me, I want people to be able to contact me in emergencies, especially if something happens to a family member back at home.

 

[carbon60]

All good reasons for the 2-way comms. For me, I want people to be able to contact me in emergencies, especially if something happens to a family member back at home.

Excellent reason that I've even used for real! Didn't think of it.

How I wish that the inReach had a nice loud beep, though…

A.

 

[robgendreau]

And the Spot cost vs the Inreach costs tend to narrow when you examine the plans; I think SPOT still requires one year, whereas Inreach had a monthly. In any case, I'd never want a one way. I've been on the end of SPOT messages and frankly I didn't see them as that useful. If I got an SOS, fine perhaps. But when the "I'm OK" type messages stop I just ignore them. Probably means they're drinking in some bar. It would probably work if you had a bomb-proof regimen for following someone, but I'm not gonna force friends and family to do that. Especially since vehicle breakdowns and whatnot are rarely the sort of event that warrants sending out SAR teams as opposed to the auto club.

 

[Arclight]

I chose the Delorme inReach because it gives me two-way text communication which is great for problems that are not immediately life threatening:

- ask a friend for mechanical advice or request a specific part needed to get your rig moving
- discuss medical symptoms before deciding whether to evacuate a patient

And, of course, it also gives you tracking and SOS via GECOS.

For guaranteed reliability in getting an SOS out, plus assisting your rescuers with a homing signal, a real PLB can't be beat.

For cost, the Spot can't be beat.

A.

P.S. FYI, I'm SAR Commander of a 140 member volunteer ground SAR team.

I'm a SAR guy as well, and the above advice is spot-on. If my life depended on it (i.e. backpacking solo across the Wrangell-St. Elias Range in Alaska), then a PLB would be the only thing I'd trust. If the problem is along the lines of "Getting a recovery from here is going to cost $1,000 if I can't get hold of my buddies" then the Delorme or other 2-way service is great.

Arclight