SPOT Global Messenger

[TheRoadie]

Thx. Tacodoc carried mine, and had a lot worse performance, but it was in his center console. Here are the environmental specs:

Operating Conditions
SPOT works around the world virtually anywhere

* Operating Temperatures: -40°F to +185°F
* Operating Altitude: -300ft to +21,000ft
* Floats in water
* Waterproof to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
* Humidity Rated:
o MIL-STD-810E Method 507.3, 95% to 100% condensing
* Salt Fog Rated
o Per MIL_STD 810E Method 509.3, 5% NaCl, 95% distilled water
* Vibration
o Per SAE J1455
o Random, 20 Hz to 2000 Hz, 0.04g2/Hz, one hour per axis
* Drop
o Dropped twice on all six sides from one meter onto hard surface.

 

[adventureduo]

Im surprised it worked at all in the center console. Says in the directions needs direct sky to work properly.

Wow, great specs. Wonder why it wont work below -300 ft? Too far from the satellite range? Only place i can think of that would get anywhere close would be Badwater in Death Valley at -282 ft. .. so no worries there.

Thx. Tacodoc carried mine, and had a lot worse performance, but it was in his center console. Here are the environmental specs:

Operating Conditions
SPOT works around the world virtually anywhere

* Operating Temperatures: -40°F to +185°F
* Operating Altitude: -300ft to +21,000ft
* Floats in water
* Waterproof to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
* Humidity Rated:
o MIL-STD-810E Method 507.3, 95% to 100% condensing
* Salt Fog Rated
o Per MIL_STD 810E Method 509.3, 5% NaCl, 95% distilled water
* Vibration
o Per SAE J1455
o Random, 20 Hz to 2000 Hz, 0.04g2/Hz, one hour per axis
* Drop
o Dropped twice on all six sides from one meter onto hard surface.

 

[SpotMaker]

Hi all!

I work for Axonn LLC, the designer and manufacturer of the SPoT. I'm one of the engineers who designed it.

We are loving seeing all the excitement it is generating! :luxhello:

Sounds like you folks are figuring out the SPoT pretty well, but I thought I'd introduce myself and invite you to ask me any questions you might have about the product. Either post in this thread or send me a PM, I'll check both regularly.

 

[Scott Brady]

Welcome to the site! I have a demo unit en-route, and have been working with John, and the folks from Moroch. This is an exciting new product and so perfect for what this group does.

 

[TheRoadie]

Yes! Welcome! I wish more manufacturers and designers saw forums (fora?) like this as free focus groups and market research. I haven't been a member of this site for years, but I don't know of any other product that got the instant "I gotta have one, if only for my spouse's peace of mind!" reaction this one did. And not just thinking it's a great product, but scrounging all over the county to get one. I think four were bought just in this population in the first two weeks.

Anyway, I have no beefs with the hardware at all. I'll slap some velcro on the back to keep it from sliding around the dashboard. I was surprised mine worked at all for Tacodoc from INSIDE his front console, but I assume you saw the post that I saw 11 hits out of about 40 opportunities.

The beefs are ENTIRELY with the web site, which is out of your control. I've called and emailed them 7-8 times with over a dozen suggestions. The login page insists on javascript and doesn't degrade gracefully so I can't login with my Moto Q phone, even with Opera as a browser. And the track GUI display and list of hits could be SO much better with a few day's work. Renumbering the hits when a new one comes in is especially unfriendly. Any one of the members here could have told them this before rollout, but we didn't get a chance.

But I totally understand you're not on that side of the business, but I bet you have contacts at Globalstar who run the software roadmap. If you can jab them with a sharp stick and see if they make their plans a little more transparent, such as what new revisions are planned and when with what new features. And if they wish to use us as beta testers before the new rev is rolled out in public.

Oh, I had one question and my manual is in the truck right now - does the unit give any indication of the approaching end of battery life before going dark? Such as flashing the lights with a different rhythm?

 

[SpotMaker]

Oh, I had one question and my manual is in the truck right now - does the unit give any indication of the approaching end of battery life before going dark? Such as flashing the lights with a different rhythm?

The On/Off LED flashes red (instead of green) when you have less than 20% to 30% of your battery life left.

Just another informational tid-bit: It flashes the on/off and whatever other LED (OK, 911, or help) in unison when it has a GPS fix and not in unison when it doesn't have a GPS fix.

You're right about me having little-to-no influence on the web site, and it is a work in progress, they're still tweaking.

I work for Axonn, the designer and manufacturer of the SPoT.

The analogy for who we are to SPoT: If the SPoT were a Cel-phone, SPOT INC. (division of Globalstar) would be Cingular or Verizon or Alltel etc., Axonn (my company) would be Motorola, or Nokia, or Samsung, etc. We make the device, they provide the service (and maintain the web site).

 

[adventureduo]

Roadie, glad you asked that question.. i was wondering the same.

Welcome to the board Spotmaker.. you guys did a wonderful job with this product.

 

[shawkins]

I can see one of these as a Christmas present in my future!

I have been doing a fair amount of exploring of the forests down around here where I go to school, so this would be an easy way to let my parents know I'm ok when I'm in the back country.

 

[Clutch]

Will it work in a back pack, or will be need to be on the outside?

This is for hiking, biking, motorcyling, etc...

 

[SpotMaker]

Will it work in a back pack, or will be need to be on the outside?

This is for hiking, biking, motorcyling, etc...

It should work pretty well inside a soft backpack. Most all fabrics that a backpack might be made of are transparent to the frequencies of the satellite transmitter and GPS.

If you can somehow clip or wedge it inside the backpack so that is remains at the surface (not buried under other objects) and so that its face faces the sky as much as possible it would improve performance.

A better option, performance wise, would be to use its belt clip to clip it to the backpack strap, near your shoulder.

 

[Desertoutpost]

What about marine applications, and what I mean is will it show your location and track over water just as it does or land? I apologize if this has been asked or is in front of my nose. Thank you in advance, and welcome.

 

[TheRoadie]

From the findmespot.com page:

 

[Desertoutpost]

Thanks Rodie, I was just looking at the possibility of dual purpose. You know the marine/fishing community could really grab this and run also. It could be a saver as a last location and direction of travel on the water, in the event of a sinking?

 

[Clutch]

Thank you SpotMaker. I have a quite a few spots on the pack to clip it to. Keeping it in the pack would be for safety measures, damage to the device from a crash.

Cool, I am going ot have to order one. I have been wanting to get a locater beacon, but, they run close to a grand.

 

[TheRoadie]

I have been wanting to get a locater beacon, but, they run close to a grand.

Currently, PLBs with built-in GPS are going for $550-600 on Ebay. But their biggest drawback of course (for expedition travel) is the ability to send only one level of urgency in the message: "Help - I'll die if you don't respond quickly with SAR!"