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  SPOT Personal Tracker By: SPOT Inc. Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 99 More Information DO NOT BUT-Terrible customer service and product  On: 2010-03-19I bought my spot and was excited because of the promises the company made. My signals go out half the time and I have a clear shot to the sky from different locations. I had the product for several weeks and use it when I go to my cabin 6500 up in the mountains. I finally had an opportunity to call spot from the cabin and tell them it never worked properly. The customer service rep. Steve made me feel like an idiot. I am an executive and never, never been treated so rudely. I finally said look, please refund my annual subscription price and he said i was too far into it. He would not even refund the months going forward that I prepaid. Basically their customer service people are not trained and I got the impression do not care. I would stay away from this product for sure. An unreliable toy useful for entertainment value only On: 2010-03-18I purchased one for a trip to the Amazon rain forest last July I spent a couple of hours just to make it initially connect to the service - which was supposed to take minutes Then i found it very unreliable in sending msgs while in the jungle - even with a clear line of site to the sky from a river Bottom line: it may be a fun way to communicate with friends/family while in a very remote location, but realize that only about 50% (if that) of msgs get through. Its an unreliable device. Dont dare bet your life on it in an emergency - you may lose. To top it all off customer service is absolutely awful, nonchalant and they dont refund your money once you sign up and find out how poorly the service works No problem!  On: 2010-03-11My purpose for buying this device was my travels to some fairly unpopulated places on the Colorado plateau. I read all the negative reviews here at Amazon and then decided that for a total of 100 bucks I could give this device a chance. Ive just returned from a week long trip in various locations in Arizona. The device worked perfectly and was just as advertised and described in the user manual. I sent a number of "Im OK" messages; the device sent them quickly and they were received quickly by my wife on her Blackberry. I see no reason why a 911 call would not be sent and dealt with just as expeditiously. Later this year Ill be in some narrow canyons and,at another time, under some dense forest canopy. If I can remember, Ill report on the devices performance in an update of this review. SPOT, just the ticket On: 2010-03-08I wanted to write a review of the SPOT because of all the misinformation I have read from other reviewers. I got the SPOT about 3 weeks ago and have tested it every night for the past 3 weeks. I have gone to several locations, from the city where I live to the country where there was no cell service. First of all I have no affiliation with the company, as you should be able to tell from my profile and my other reviews. I am just a consumer that believes in giving first hand accounts of my experience with different products I have purchased and used. I have seen some of the other reviews and they have given reviews that sound to similar, as well as comments to reviews that are all the same. This makes me suspicious. My experience with the SPOT has been very good so far, I READ the manual and went online to make sure I understood how it worked. I powered it up after activating it, it took about 7 minutes to acquire a signal, by the time I got back in the house I had an email with the OK message that I set up. Just to make sure I tried it again and within a minute I had another OK email. I was now ready to try it in the field, I have sent several OK messages and not one has failed. I have also set up my share page and it has worked flawlessly, I have been able top track my progress on all the trips I have set up and it has been great. The directions are not the greatest, but if you will take the time all the information you will need is available at the SPOT site. It could be easier to navigate, but it is there. I purchased this device to use for my motorcycle trips and so far it has not disappointed. My last trip to the Gold country I had no cell service and I was able to check in everyday to let my family know i was OK, well worth the price of service. I think the service could be lower, but if you cannot get cell service, and can send information to you family, it is worth it. I plan to purchase the tracker service at $49 per year, it seems better than the share page they provide. I have only tested the "HELP" button, but it has worked around here every time. Hopefully Ill never need it, but it is comforting to know the tests have been successful. I obviously cannot test the 911 button, but in light of my other successes, I have no reason to think it would not work. I am sure that some have had some difficulty with the unit, but I do not believe that all the poor reviews are real. I think this unit would be great for camping, the frequent traveler, or the adventurer. I have not been able yet to find an outdoor spot where the unit would not send a message. If you are considering this unit, I would recommend reading all the reviews, both positive and negative, you will see a pattern that will become familiar. I would disregard those that seem familiar and concentrate on the ones that are by actual users, I think you will find that the SPOT has some good feedback and does what it claims to do. As far as the unit itself, I was surprised at the feel of the unit. It feels well built and solid, it does not feel cheap and flimsy. It looks to be waterproof or water resistant, it does have rubber seals. It is supposed to float, but Im not going to test that. I left it outside all night and it got pretty cold and was still blinking the next morning, so I think the durability is good. I have bought many things that have been not what they claim, are not well built, or are just junk. The SPOT has not been that for me, it is what is says it is, and I like it. I will use it as long as it continues to work for me, that seems like it will be awhile. Does what I expected it to do. On: 2010-02-17My SPOT just showed up last night. I had read all the reviews, good and bad. It did take a long time to connect to the satellite for the first time (as the directions said would happend), but after the initial wait, it was very quick. I gave it a few test runs last night, and was very pleased. I plan on doing a lot of solo hiking this summer, and want a way to let my family know where I am and to check in every once in awhile to let them know Im okay. I plan on doing the Walkers Haute Route in the fall in France and Switzerland. I wont have regular cellphone and internet service, but this will allow me to send "OK" messages to my family with my GPS coordinates. I do pretty basic hiking/backpacking/climbing. If I were doing some more serious mountaineering, Id probably go with a different PLB, but I think that this will serve its purpose, and the price is right. Over all, this is a great product. excellent device & service at acceptable price On: 2010-02-07well, I purchased Spot cause I was looking for a tracker capable to transmitt your position virtually verywhere, unlike GPRS based trackers that only work where GSM coverage available. I have tested the device for a couple of weeks The results of the testing are as follows: The device is pretty relyable, unless you are in urban environment: in this case, percentage of successful transmissions is pretty low (according my testing), due to low visibility of the sky & contaminated radio spectrum... However, the primary goal of the device is to be able to transmitt a distress call when you out of reach & no other way to communicate.. Field tests (out of the city) showed very good results. Keep in mind that you should try to have clear sky view in order to obtain a succesful transmission.. the device itself is very well made: water & shock proof. simple to use. I beleive it is a good choice for a person who whish spend time far from "civilization" & need a possibility to request help, in case of emergency. Excellent device Does not deliver On: 2010-01-19It was with much eagerness that I plopped down $250 for the SPOT and the service. I participate in and lead various outdoor activities year-round. I thought it would be a good fall-back safety item for groups of 40 people I lead in a hike program if something went terribly wrong. I also thought it would be fun/useful for my personal trips to send messages and track my routes. I was very dissapointed to discover that this unit is the ultimate of NOT user friendly and more often than not does not locate a satelite in a reasonable time and usually does not actually send a message. The user interface is awful (how can that be when it is so simple). No feedback to know the status of messages you have attempted to send in any meaningful way. I know that they have "fixed" these problems with the 2nd generation. Oh wait... the 2nd generation ones have been recalled. Oops. Bottom line, dont count on a satisfying user experience. If you are in dire straights, it will ultimately get a signal out... hopefully. Does not deliver on its advertised features. Maybe the 3rd generation. Note that they are now partnering with Magellon with a GPS device that will use a spot device as a satellite uplink. Recall program delays shipment of workng units- HOLD OFF On: 2010-01-11The product is not being activated and is being replaced over time. Below is the email from their support department referencing a SPOT 2 I bought in early December. Apparently they dont have an issue continuing to sell them knowing they will have to issue replacements. They are replacing or upgrading both the Spot 1 and Spot 2. It might be a good product, but Im not impressed a month later with not a single chance to use it or the slow process outlined below. Im requesting to return mine for a full refund until they get their issues resolved. "In regards to your email below, like explained in the previous email we are experiencing a bit of delay in sending out the return shipping material. If you are planning a trip soon and need a Spot device fairly quick you can certainly return your Spot 2 device and purchase a Spot 1 as that is the only device available for sale at this point. (So, buy a Spot 1 unit so they can try to upgrade me to a Spot 2 as noted below???) We are working on a upgrade program for existing Spot 1 customer wanting to upgrade to Spot 2 device. Once that is finalize you are welcome to upgrade to a Spot 2 if you choose to return your Spot 2 unit. Best Regards, SPOT Customer Service" SPOT Personal Tracker  On: 2009-12-29I have purchase two of these products one year apart for my sons for Christmas. The son I first purchased it for has sent me tracking messages from a number of mountins that he has climbed as well as from the middle of nowhere eastern Washington. The second son also loves backpacking and the outdoors. This is a great gift for the parent that worries that their children will be as adventursome as they were at one time. I should note that I also have an emergency locator beacon for boating that I use myself, but not a SPOT. The yearly subscription fee for the SPOT is a bit high, but if you need to use the device to get help or just to know that your family is OK, it is worth the money. Safety and peace of mind On: 2009-12-19I am surprised to see negative reviews. It has given us wonderful service and complete peace of mind. We use this in the Blue Mountains in Washington state. In areas with NO cell service and it has worked every time. My husband moves to the mountains for hunting season and I stay at home and work during the week. He sends a message when he returns to camp in the evening and I receive a e-mail saying all is well and pin pointing his location on a satellite map. I am now buying another for my adventure loving sister in laws. Every year we have people lost in our northwest mountains. The risk and cost incurred for search/rescue/recovery just prove the value of this unit. This TOY will get you killed in a REAL emergency On: 2009-12-04This is a TOY. The technical data on this unit is sub standard when compared to units that really work. If you are going to buy a self rescue device (PLB) then spend a few more dollars and get a unit that works. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, AND I MEAN RESEARCH IT, VERY THOROUGHLY! Google AQUALINK or SARLINK, that is a good place to start. Look at the technical data and then decide. You WILL see a difference. ANY ¨Pay¨ service is a for profit company. A TRUE ¨PLB¨ should cost you the price of the unit and nothing more. No monthly fees, NOTHING, end of story. A TRUE PLB is required to be registered with the Govt with all your data, since that is who gets the signal, DIRECTLY. HONESTLY PEOPLE, if you are wanting something that WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE, this is NOT the device you want in a do or die situation. And YES, I have tested this unit AND the companies newer model. Unfortunately, I know people who purchased them and after the tests, back to the store they went. These are toys, clear and simple. I own the SARLINK and I DO trust that unit with my life. It does cost more, but how much is YOUR life worth? So give up fast food for a month or two and invest that money in a device you know will work if your life is in danger. Hope the info helps. A complete rip-off On: 2009-11-12It plain doesnt work. I tested extensively a couple of days before a planned trip into the boonies and am glad I did - it successfully did about 70% of what it claimed, about 11% of the time. I sent about 30 "OK" messages and 3 were logged. Of those 3, only 1 resulted in an email notification. And one of the three logged said "no information available from this device". No message, no GPS coordinates, nothing. Save your money and buy a smart phone or something. This dog doesnt hunt. SPOT TRACKER On: 2009-11-06Purchased for hunting and open ocean sailing. For that "just in case" need. Works exactly as advertised. Never wanted to pay for the service, but if I needed it, it would have easily paid for itself. I used the "help" feature differently, though. (Not the 911 feature.) Instead of requesting help from friends or family, I merely informed them of a change in plans and would contact them asap. I figured that theyre really not going to be able to do anything to help me, except, perhaps worry... After the "change of plans" notice went out, I followed with a "checking in" notice to assure them that all was well. Very easy to use and equally easy to set up the account online. Locks on to satellites quite quickly. Well worth the peace of mind for friends/family when in the wilderness or on the ocean. Not to mention the capability of getting real help in a real emergency. There is a down-side, however. When the feces impacts the rotary oscillator, this tracker will not be able to replace the reliability and accuracy of a 406 Mhz EPIRB. It just comes close enough to be able to do what we want within a tighter budget. Beautiful Gadget, One Suggestion On: 2009-11-05Spot is a must have for any adventurer or anyone with loved ones who may worry about them when away. There is three messages "Ok", "Help" and "911". I use the "OK" message just to send updates on my location. I had to inform those monitoring, that I would use the "Help" button to notify them that something had happened which may cause me to be late, everyone is ok. This is a bit different from its intended use. The "911" doesnt provide a message option as well it shouldnt. In the event of a 911 rescue personal are dispatched. My only suggestion is to add a forth button so that "Help" can be used for "I need help but its not an all out emergency". The additional button could be used to send the message that something happened which may cause me to be late but everyone is ok, therefore we dont need assistance. Love Spot! Works exceptionally well On: 2009-11-03I often travel at night on country roads where there is no cell phone service. I wanted this device so that I could keep in contact with my husband and let him know that Im all right at points along the way. I also wanted something with me so that if I did get into trouble, I could call for help. So far, SPOT has performed exceptionally well; every message that Ive sent has been received. I leave SPOT on my dash board and the messages get through. I have even sent an "OK" message from my window sill at home, under a covered porch, and the message went through. Ive noticed that the older posts are mostly negative and that the newer posts tend toward positive. It may be that Globalstar has improved their product. I cant say if thats the reason why my SPOT works so well, I only know that it does. I recommend this product wholeheartedly without reservation. Be Aware!!! On: 2009-10-19Be aware that if you choose to use their service,they will automatically renew your subscription every year without any prior notice. You will be on the hook to pay for the service even if you do not want it, need it, or have authorized it. They will not drop the charges once you are past your renewal date, even if you no longer own the device. This company has the worst customer service of any company I have dealt with in many years. It really works better than expected On: 2009-10-12I work in central Idaho, in and around the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness area. The guy I work with and I have been using the Spots through out the summer, and have been sending "Ok" messages every time we are out in the field, just to see what the limits of the spot are. Thus far, we have sent over 500 positions, and havent had any instances where it doesnt get out, and the message gets through. The tree cover is moderate, but we are frequently down in canyons, and the link has always gotten out. This weekend, I slid my truck off a mountain road, and needed to use the "911" button. Help arrived about an hour later, which considering, I was 25 pavement miles, and another 25-miles into the woods on dirt roads, is really quick. (Im unhurt, but the truck may be totaled.) I plan to buy units for my brothers for Christmass this year. great peace of mind. On: 2009-10-09My husband is an underwater fisherman off the coast of Maine from Sept. to Jan. - weather conditions and the nature of the job are inherently dangerous. Often there is no cell phone coverage. When hes out of the water, he hits the button and I get an email and a text so I know hes out of the water, safe and on dry land. Its great. If something ever happened to the boat/him, knowing that he can push the 911 button and rescue services can get to him offers amazing peace of mind. So far so good On: 2009-10-07I bought this to track my cross country motorcycle trip. Ive had it on a few trial runs and seems to work as advertised. It even connects when inside my fiberglas saddlebags on the Harley. I think the web interface could be a little better and I cant really get it to link with Facebook like it is supposed to although that may not be a SPOT problem. I read the mixed reviews but in my experience if you follow the directions it works fine. Follow me at: [...] Spot Personal Tracker On: 2009-10-05Well made excellent product for anyone that may travel in area where there is no cell phone reception. I purchased the item for my motorcycle trips that often take me into "dead zones". SPOT can alert to an emergency or 911 via satellite tracking. There are various programs that can be purchased from just 911 service to sending emails to friends and family of your progress on a trip whether in a vehicle or hiking. After an emergency situation involving two motorcyclists down in a remote location, I will never travel without SPOT. RAM mounts makes a specific mount system for SPOT to anchor onto handlebars which keeps the device handy. It is a must-have in my motorcycle travels, and will go with me on vehicle trips in the future. Works well enough On: 2009-09-29I ski tour and backpack alone and decided I should buy a locator beacon. I chose the SPOT over the ACR PLB because I can test it by sending "OK" messages. The information states that it may be unable to transmit from a steep valley or forested area and Ive verified that is accurate. Very accurate! On: 2009-09-06I think wed had ours for about 3 weeks when we accidentally left it on the roof of the truck on an off road stop. Of course, we did not realize it until we got home. We thought the unit was malfunctioning, as it "moved" about 1 mile overnight. Using the coordinates that the Spot transmitted, our regular GPS, and a picture of where it was located from the Spot website, we were able to locate it the next day... inside a packrats nest. The buttons have been chewed on a bit, but its still going strong. I certainly dont worry about it not transmitting my location accurately. Great for when the husband is out in the woods. Works as Advertised! On: 2009-08-29There are many negative reviews of the SPOT messenger scattered throughout the internet. Regardless of these reviews I purchased the SPOT, activated the service, and have used it on three occasions. I have not experienced any of the negative traits that have been discussed in other reviews. This device has worked flawlessly for me. Every OK message, and HELP message I have sent has gone through. I have used the tracking feature twice - it has also worked flawlessly. My assumption is that other users have not followed the instructions for setting up the device. The first time the device is turned on, or when it is turned off, relocated over 300 miles away, and then turned on again, it takes up to 20 or 30 minutes for it to locate itself. This "startup," if you will, only needs to be completed once if one stays in the same geographical area between power ups and power downs. I am confident enough in its reliablility that I will be taking it with me in a couple weeks for a two week backpacking trip into the wilderness. If I remember, I will post a review of the SPOT again after this trip. Do not trust these guys On: 2009-08-25SPOT forces you to have an auto-renewal subscription. If you try and cancel your subscription they tell you that you forfeit any remaining service. They will not allow you to remove your credit card information. They expect you to wait until the time of the next renewal and then contact them promptly to dispute the charge. Right now Im faced with either terminating 2 months after my renewal date, paying $150 for no service, or to use the device and remember to cancel next year. SPOT for Aviation On: 2009-08-17I have used the SPOT tracker for two aircraft deliveries to Egypt from Florida, and it worked great. My bosses loved being able to see where I was, beyond [...]. Invaluable tool!! Will help me out of any tight SPOT I find myself in... On: 2009-08-11Great piece of technology - will be using it to update friends and family of my location on a month long wilderness trek, while also having the piece of mind that should things go seriously wrong, there is a way to call emergency services for help. I received good customer service support from SPOT and learned that there is a fully customizable set of subscription options - so you only pay for what you need. The unit is small, light weight, power efficient and a sensible piece of kit for any back-country adventurer to have in their pack. Tech geeks will love it too! Useless without post-trip data - SPOT step it up! On: 2009-08-04I was so excited to use this unit in connection with my crew at Philmont Scout Ranch. It was a great way to keep in contact with all the families and friends of the Scouts. I was also eager to retrieve my data from the trip and upload it into Google Earth for review. I planned to use it on a 25 day expedition in the Peruvian Andes... BUT... SPOT lost almost all my data!!!! A few days were still in the system - but most had been deleted. Requests to retrieve it were basically ignored by SPOT. Customer service SUCKED!!! This unit is fine for purely emergency purposes, but if you want to keep coordinates and review complete maps after your trip, its a terrible choice. Buy a Garmin. Can't Hide From Me! On: 2009-08-01I purchased this item to carry along with me on a motorcycle road trip through Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, etc. Every morning I used the "check/OK" feature to let my friends and family know that I was OK. Then I used the "TRACK" feature so that my location would be tracked by satellite every 10 minutes. At the end of the day I was able to go to the SPOT website and view my daily progress. The unit is compact, lightweight, rugged, and easy to operate. The unit was turned on at the beginning of each day, and remained on for rides in length of 8 hours plus. Never had to replace the batteries or recharge them during the entire 7-day trip. Data from this unit can be shared with Google Fire Eagle and uploaded to Facebook page to share with friends. I am very pleased with this unit, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is hiking/backpacking, camping, boating, or on a road trip (cycles or car). Doesn't work in Japan or China-despite what their website claims On: 2009-07-28My son tried to send FindMeSpot OK signals and tracking while walking up Mt Fuji, and other places in Japan. Never received an e-mail. Just tried it in Shanghai. Got an OK signal, three hours later--no e-mail. Before purchasing this device and the $150 tracking package, I carefully checked the company website where its map claims China and Japan as covered. But it does not work in Asia. This thing is dead baggage weight. Its one thing to be at the fringes of a technical device, its unacceptable to over hype a safety product that fails to work as advertised. Dont spend your money. Dangerous! Beware! On: 2009-07-27Amateurs at work here! It would be great if it did was it is suppose to do. However, despite the expense of maintaining the service, they cannot locate my account by computer. Since most of us explorer types do our thing on the weekend, guess when Customer Service is closed? Right! On the weekend! Run away as fast as you can. For the expense and the monthly charge, buy a satellite phone! SPOT Customer "service" is horrendous On: 2009-07-25While the SPOT is a compelling device their customer service is horrendous and blows the deal. I would not trust my life to this company (e.g. 911 button). Their tracking service ($50 a year) has been in "beta" for over a year and they refuse to support issues with this service. I guess they expect you to pay for an unsupported "beta" service? After SPOT promised free service due to problems with the service they conveniently forgot at billing time and now refuse to honor their promise. No support, no service, no deal! SPOT on On: 2009-07-07So far I have only had to use it to tell my wife I am OK. She loves it. Now she feels better when I am traveling. My only very minor complaint is that it takes a little longer to send its message than I had anticipated. That means I can sit and observe what is going on around me a little longer. I would certanly recommend this to a friend. SPOT is awesome On: 2009-07-02I bought SPOT for the TransAmerica Trail. I was riding 1300 miles offroad through mountains and every imaginable type of terrain. My wife demanded some safety precautions so I bought SPOT. I looked at satellite phones, other homing beacon type things and SPOT was the best deal. Plus, the tracking option worked perfectly. I had appx twenty people checking in on my ride through the Google Earth web page that I set up through their website. It sends up a signal every ten minutes and was awesome. I read alot of reviews that made me think it wouldnt work, but I just wanted to ride. Its very important that you read the SIMPLE directions. They are simple, read them and it will work great for you. Dont buy SPOT if you will be hiking in a cave. Buy it for safety and fun...Glad I bought it! On means off. Tracking means not tracking On: 2009-06-26Spot does NOT perform as advertised -- according to experience and customer service. I received the Spot for Christmas. I expected it to work outstandingly like an Apple product. Instead, it performs intermittently and mostly poorly. I called customer service because the red lights were flashing. Customer service put it in the window and they said Spot worked fine: it needed new batteries. I said that it was not because of the single red light indicating a battery problem that I sent it to them. They were unimpressed. (Maybe a wire got jostled into place during shipping.) I complained to customer service that the tracking is supposed to send a message approximately every ten minutes, but it sends a message approximately every hour. Customer service said it was because the Spot was not outside and did not have clear, open access to the southern sky, facing south, with neither cloud cover nor obstruction. I was in the middle of the Owens Valley. How much more open access to the southern sky, facing south, with neither cloud cover nor obstruction all the way to Bakersfield can you get? Spot would work great, then, it would quit working entirely. I called customer service, they said it was because I was in a congested metropolitan area. I live in the desert. They said that to send an "Okay" message, I need to press the "OK" button and wait for it to blink steady green for three-to-five seconds. They said if I wanted to change to tracking mode, I had to press the "OK" button for seven seconds. They said it I wanted to send an "Okay" message after starting tracking, I had to turn the Spot off, turn it on, wait for the "On" light to blink three times, and then press "OK" for three seconds. That made sense. Then they said I needed to keep it away from my body. AWAY FROM MY BODY!?! When youre hiking, where is away from your body? Buy a sledge and drag it behind you? Where when youre mountain biking? Buy a trailer and tow it behind you? Today, I sent "OK," placed Spot in the window, waited 30 minutes for it to work, turned on tracking, and headed into the desert. Forty minutes later I turned off Spot, turned on Spot, sent an "OK" message, and waited for response. I saw Spot go double steady green for three-to-five seconds. I selected tracking, and, headed off, again. Upon my return, I checked Spots tracking: Nothing for four days. After yet another conversation with customer service, they contradicted themselves on the functions of the buttons. When you turn it on, you must place Spot in the open, outside, facing south, with neither cloud cover nor obstruction of the southern sky. Then, wait for half an hour. Note: According to customer service, my window, facing south, with neither cloud cover nor obstruction of the southern sky all the way to Bakersfield is unacceptable. When you want to send an "Okay" message, you must place it in the open, outside, facing south, with neither cloud cover nor obstruction of the southern sky, press the "OK" button for approximately three seconds. Then, wait for half an hour. When you want to start tracking after sending an "Okay" message, well, according to customer service, today, you cant. If you try to start tracking, it will cancel the "Okay" message -- even after Spot says it already sent the "Okay" message. Kinda like changing history. So, you turn off the unit, turn on the unit, place it in the open, outside, facing south, with neither cloud cover nor obstruction of the southern sky (not your window), wait for half an hour, press the "Okay" button for seven seconds until the steady light goes off, then -- it still doesnt send "Tracking" messages approximately every ten minutes like its supposed to. Or, in todays case, at all. So, I repeated what customer service told me: you turn it on, send an "OK" and wait for Spot to say it sent the message, select tracking and it cancels the "OK," but it doesnt track. Customer service said yes. Exactly what is this GPS tracking device supposed to do? Act as a paperweight in the backyard -- make that "the open, outside backyard, facing south, with neither cloud cover nor obstruction of the southern sky"? Buy an iPhone, instead. Brilliant Concept - Well Executed On: 2009-06-20The spot messenger does several things locates your position using gps but does not display it allows you to track your position by sending messages, map can be downloaded sends a custom OK message to designated emails and text devices on your commend includes your location. Email links to map of your location sends a custom need help message to designated email and text addresses with your location sends help message to authorities in a real emergency . Your personal id is on file so that authorities can be notified of the exact location and person sending the message. The gps unit takes a few minutes to get its location fixed but then becomes very accurate. Probably 15 foot accuracy . As a pilot it adds to flight safety in two areas. With the track me mode activated the unit sends a message about every 10 minutes. It needs a good window to the sky and airplane heading will affect its vision of the satellites. The tens of thousands of hours spent searching for Fossett would have been reduced to a single helo flight had he carried one of these and had it activated in the tracking mode. The second flying application is when I have a weather delay of diversion. Pressing the OK button sends the message that I am well and a click on the map shows where I am . Looking back on the chaos following Katrina we saw that one of the real tragedies was the needless death and suffering because people simply were not aware of where people were located. The Spot s I gave to family members came with a brief set of supplemental instructions which I wrote. If I were spot I would include a waterproof card with instructions to attach. If I had a teen age daughter this would be in her purse Perhaps they need a sexier color. In summary, it is a very well conceived device that operates independently of land based equipment to track your progress, send OK messages, send personal "need assistance" messages or send HELP messages to authorities. By adding exact position information it ends one of the greatest problems in search and rescue from the urban jungle to the snow covered mountains - precise location. Device is useless without registration so dont bother to buy one on the street corner. Note that it requires a special type of battery. Having spares is common sense. Other than the lack of a cheat sheet the product is outstanding. HIGHLY recommended. A total waste of money, but even more so a total loss of peace of mind On: 2009-06-18Purchased this item a couple of days ago and tested its reliability by sending some more than 25 messages. Out of all these messages only two came thru, (one "help" message, without coordinates) despite the fact that it had clear view of the sky for long enough (more than 20 minutes each time). I find this item a total waste of money and even more so a total loss of peace mind, given the situation when youd wait for messages from your loved one, messages that would not come thru. I cannot recommend this item to any one, and even one star is too much. Customer Service was also very unresponsive. For overseas dont bother........  On: 2009-06-10My daughter was going to China, and it would have given us a great deal of comfort knowing shes ok and able to track her path....I was told it would work. It worked at home in IL, but that was the last signal....They took the instructions, watched the videos and nothing... When she returns, I will be returning this unit....if it only works in the US, Ill take my chances with my cell and OnStar. Fails to deliver what you expect On: 2009-06-05Hasnt been reliable enough to suit me! After some testing before going backpacking, we just figured we were doing something wrong. Called Customer support who suggested we change the batteries. Seemed odd since we only had it a one week and the batteries should last much longer according the the instructions. After battery switch it seemed to be ok for a while but began acting up again. Now it just keeps giving the red blinking light on start up indicating it failed self test. Only had it about a month and used it twice with poor results. Contacted warranty support today and will be sending it back for service/replacement. I would have returned it for a refund, but these are sold as is and once you buy it, your stuck with it. Already paid for Service subscription for the first year, But if it doesnt do better after I get it back, I wont be renewing. A product without an equal On: 2009-05-28Ive owned and used a SPOT for a year now. Ive used it in rain, fog, blizzard and sunshine, in the forest, in the mountains and on the highway. I have used 911 once - it took all of 10 minutes - very fast. SPOT works as advertized. SPOT is adequate for 99% of outdoor adventures and offers capabilities found nowhere else. SPOT is not a replacement for a PLB or EPIRB in all cases - PLBs tend to be more rugged, less position sensitivity, and have higher power transmitters. But carrying a SPOT is a HUGE step forward in responsible backcountry travel. Although I dont mean to insult anyone, I should point out that the weak link with SPOT (and PLBs) is Search And Rescue. SPOT will get the message out, but whether or not the local SAR will be able to respond is dicey. If you are fortunate enough for SAR to be the US Coast Guard, rest assured that they will respond to SPOT just as fast as SARSAT. The usage model with SPOT is much different than that of a PLB. Nobody knows where you are or how you are doing with a PLB. With SPOT, theres no reason not to keep your loved ones informed and doing so will create the electronic bread crumbs enabling SAR to find you if you are unable to activate 911. My point is that if you drop dead of a heart attack while carrying a PLB, nobody knows where to look. Would I carry a PLB? Only as a backup to SPOT and only if the price comes way down. I would definitely have an EPIRB if I were ocean traveling - but I would still use a SPOT. Downsides to SPOT? Globalstar financials is the biggest risk. And the user interface on SPOT was obviously designed by engineers and it is a great IQ test. Those who complain about SPOT not working failed the test. SPOT should be enhanced to support more people. I have more usage info and tips at the following https://sites.google.com/site/hobbyhintstricksideas/Home/spot-messenger-information Works great on a boat On: 2009-05-24Use this to track progress and location when out on a boat. Great for keeping family informed of whereabouts, and provide history of trips. Works as advertised... On: 2009-05-22After reading mixed reviews at Amazon.com, [...], etc.... I ~had~ decided to wait on purchasing. A buddy ended up buying one with positive experiences AND there was a special going on at SPOT so I bought one. Thus far, the unit works as advertised and Ive not have any problems. They could work on some features like a small text screen to more definitively confirm commands and messages being sent etc... but overall I am happy with the purchase. My opinion now, is that for the price; right now its the best way to go right now. Spot Messenger - my son is riding a bicycle across the US On: 2009-05-15My son left on April 30 on a solo bicycle ride from Virginia to Oregon - the trans-america route. Although he is 23 we worry about him and when he sends us the OK message each day we are thrilled. It is also great fun to follow his progress all across the US using Google Maps. I highly recommend the SPOT. SPOT right on. On: 2009-05-13I have only just received my SPOT one week ago. I had no trouble getting it set up with the company. Now I have the confidence to wander around alone when necessary and also, together with someone else. If any emergency happens, I can summon help immediately right to the site! Good for what it is On: 2009-05-02I purchased my Spot last Decmeber so I have been using it now for about 6 months. I am on a mountain rescue team, I hike and mountain bike and work on remote mountain tops repairing 2 way radios. I bought the spot to let my wife know where I am when out of cell phone range. The Spot is not a replacement for an Epirb or ELT for boaters or pilots but it is an adjunct to those. The rescue infrastructure for these items are much better than Spots. Both of those items only send emergency messages to be used if you are really in trouble. In mountain rescue we occassionaly get calls from family members or friends of people who have gone hiking but are late returning from their trip. Often these people are ok but they have been delayed for one reason or another. By using the Spot OK feature and sending messages to their friends some of these calls could be averted. When hiking or bike riding I usually carry the Spot on the shoulder strap of my Camelback. Because of the design and placement of the antenna only about half of the messages go out in this configuration. If you are not in a hurry and sit with the antenna pointed upward and have a clear view of the sky the percentage goes way up. I have also found that in a car it only works reliably if you leave it face up on the dashboard. The tracking feature is a waste of money to me. Because of the poor send percentage many of the tracking sends would never go through. It is just as easy to hit the ok button every half hour or so and wait a little. The other complaint that I have with the unit is the belt clip. It is poorly designed and allows the unit to fall off my Camelback and belt many times. I have almost lost the unit many times. I have to go with some kind of tether so it doesnt fall and become lost itself. SPOT - Great product! On: 2009-04-27I purchased the SPOT for my wife to use on a trip she was taking with her family. The tracking ability of this device is outstanding, but it helps to leave the messenger on the dashboard for better reception if you are on a road trip. The only problem we had was the same button used for check in was the same button you use to enable live tracking. You cant have live tracking enabled and send a check in message at the same time. Thats explained quite well in the manual, but I would have preferred separate buttons for check in and live tracking. When you activate the messenger, go ahead and spring for the extras they offer at sign-up. The incredible peace of mind this device gives with all the extra options enabled is far, far beyond its selling price. I would definitely buy this item again and highly recommend it! Works as advertised. On: 2009-04-25Flawless set up and function. Hopefully Ill never have to use it for a real emergency but its great to know I have the option. Spot Beacon review On: 2009-04-21I followed 3 groups of PCT hikers last year from Mexico to Canada. It worked great. I was able to follow their progress on the computer daily. We have 200-250 hikers stop in at our home each year and I wish they all carried one. Works perfectly On: 2009-04-15I was a bit surprised to read so many negative reviews here. Ive only had my unit for a few days but Im already impressed. Within 15 minutes of turning the unit on for the first time, the gps downloaded almanac and ephemeris data and then sent an OK message with good coordinates. Since then Ive sent several messages from all around Bowie, Cass, and Miller counties in northeast Texas. So far, it has worked perfectly 100 percent of the time. This thing does exactly as advertised. Cant ask for better. Dead weight On: 2009-04-08I followed all of the directions for the Spot Messenger precisely, but mine was a complete lemon. Nothing worked properly, aside from the lights on the device. Prior to my round-the-world trip, my mother purchased this and asked me to use it for her peace of mind. With very limited packing space, I had to drag the useless POS around the world with me just so I could make sure my mom could return the product and get her money back... but now that my trip is over I see that the warranty is only for replacement?! Sigh. If you plan to purchase this for a particular trip, make sure to buy it early, with sufficient time to exchange it if you get a lemon like mine. Spot Satellite tracking On: 2009-03-28Have not used yet due to medical problems. However bought 2 and both of us are very satisified . Have read many reports and expect these to preform well. It's OKAY On: 2009-03-23This product does MOSTLY what I had hoped. We got it for my son who is on the Appalachian Trail. Most of the time it tells us basically where he is at. Im not certain of the accuracy - but it appears he is at least NEAR the trail...and some of the shelters are a bit off trail. What I wanted it to do was tell me where my son is. IT DOES THAT! Now, I hope it works accurately if the 911 button is ever required - AND I hope it is NEVER required! =) But I dont know how to test that - gotta trust the product. My big beef is my son is on the appalachian trail for 7 months - and the SPOT tracking page only holds messages and tracking points for 7 days. Waaa... so I have to transfer the points to Google Earth myself to make one of those new-tech, but old school idea, of "pins on a map" tracking. At least I have that. Im such the proud mommy that I may end up ACTUALLY pinning a map too! :) At least this product - for comparatively less money - does what I wanted. Simply - no real lessons required. SPOT Messenger On: 2009-02-21The SPOT messenger does what it says, it sends a message to a listed party via email, or the other party can track via a password protected web page. Weather conditions such rain or fog do not effect the SPOT. As indicated the SPOT must have a clear view to the sky. The current season is winter, all the places I have tested the SPOT have worked, Im not sure how well it will do in the summer with the trees full of leaves. It works well on the dash board of a moving vehicle, glass does not hamper the signal. Allowing time for the signal to be sent is another consideration. The SPOT will need about 10-20 minutes with a clear view of the sky to work. I hope I don't need it On: 2009-02-16I have only had my SPOT a short time and so far it has worked fine to send the "OK" message. Thankfully, I have had no need to send the other messages. Does not work as advertised On: 2009-02-14I just bought one of these and it never really worked right. The people at the support desk kept on blaming my location (I am in sunny arizona with no clouds, tall buildings or trees around?) I tried it at different locations and it seemed to work only once every 10 tries. I called support again and they continued blaming it on my location again (every other gps unit I own works at these locations)... I then took it on a plane (I am private pilot) over arizona and it never worked. They blamed this on the other electronics on my plane, and that I should not use it on a plane(yet they advertise it for -- and target it to private pilots). In short either I got a faulty unit or this thing does not really work. Amazingly the people at support never agred to get me a new unit... I am now trying to return it... Bad experiance and a waste of time for something that does not work as advertised. SPOT review On: 2009-02-10This device is one-of-a-kind, so reviewing it has no compare. The device, with service contract, provides a one-way limited communication via satellite to contacts of your choice and to emergency personnell. Performance of the device itself is fairly good. Once familiar with how the device behaves, it does send most of the messages intended, though not all. Other reviews of it are correct in that it is limited in that the messages sent for "Ok" and "Help" must be pre-programmed before your trip and that the device does not give feedback to the user that the message went out. It does, however, provide the opportunity to reach out to the civilized world from locations where cell phones have no service and therefore no use. If used properly, it can provide an additional layer of safety to a group or trip that is also otherwise prepared to be self-sufficient. I used the device, after practiciing with it, on a multi-day trip in the high peaks of the Adirondacks, NY in January. It sent OK messages and tracking locations to our point man (primary contact) back home that had all of our information, was familiar with our group and the SPOT device and knew what to do and who to call if he received a "help" message. It also sent them to our wives and friends unable to go. Performance wise, the SPOT device sent 5 OK messages and only missed one. For tracking, it successfully sent a location, on average, every hour or so, as opposed to every 10 minutes. Enough for our contacts to know what trails we were hiking and when we reached mountain summits. I do feel the help and 911 buttons are too close to the OK and too easily bumped. I bought a hard plastic case that protects this from happening. I strongly recommend anyone planning to use this device to practice with it around town and send "OK" messages and use the tracking feature to be familiar with it. Also, have your home contacts understand what is expected of them if you send a "Help" message. You must abide by the wait times recommended before or between messages. I imagine there will be a next generation of devices that has enhanced message capabilities, response capabilities and better protected buttons, but for now I will continue to carry the SPOT messenger on any dangerous or distant excursions. - Todd Very Dissapointed..... On: 2009-02-05The item looks great, easy to set up, but, very dissapointed with the GPS. Tried the OK option, like 5 times, and only worked sending e-mails twice. Whenever the day is kind of cloudy, unfortunately, IT will not work, if the day is sunny and clear sky, will probably work. I hoped for a product to work on any weather condition, because when you are in trouble, you dont need to be praying for clear sky. I hope they can upgrade their GPS receiver or their system. SY Potentially life saving device - excellent On: 2009-01-27I use the Spot in my airplane so that my wife and business can see where I am. Spot updates my position to the internet every 10 minutes which can then be seen from a private web site. Its saved me many a headache when Ive been late as my wife can look online and see that Im OK and also estimate my arrival time. The 911 feature which will allert search and rescue to my exact postion is also a potential life saver. Even if the device is destroyed before impact it will have left a trail of postions leading to the final one. Steve Fossett would have been found a lot sooner with a Spot. It saved my life the day I got it! On: 2009-01-23It saved my life the day I got it! I Cannot Believe The Spot Device Saved My Life The Day I Received It! I am alive today! I work and ride ATVs with a great group of friends who all carry a Spot Device. It was an easy choice when I decided to buy the Spot Device, with all the positive words of so many on[...] and my friends. For my birthday a group of us decided on an ATV trip a friend ranch in central Texas. I had ordered the Spot Device at the last minute, hoping the device would get to my house before we left. I was disappointed when I was told the Spot Device was not delivered to the house on Friday, knowing I was leaving early on Saturday morning. To my delight when I left the house at 5:00 am I noticed the package behind the pillar of the front porch. My Spot Device was delivered and now I had little time left to activate it. I logged in to the website and in no time at all my Spot Device was up and running. When the sun came up on my 28th birthday the dirt was flying at the ranch. We rode for 4 to 5 hours before lunch. After lunch we headed down to a creek where the 12 of us were ridding and within 10 minutes of getting wet and muddy at the creek I collided with another rider in mid air. After everybody stopped and realized what happened I had already pressed the 911 button on my device. Some people in the group tried to call 911 and others pressed their 911 buttons. Due to our location no one had cell coverage. A group of riders rode back to the house to call from the house line. To their surprise the 911 operator had spoken to the Spot Operators and Fire and Ambulance services were in route to our location. After the Fire Department arrived I was air lifted to a trauma center. Even though there was more than one device activated mine was the first received by the Spot Operators. The timely notification and fast response of the Fire Department and Life Flight saved my life. Emergency Services give the credit to the Spot Operators for their fast and accurate notification and location of the incident. My Family was also notified and was in communication with the Spot Operators thru the entire ordeal. I cannot thank them enough. I Still Cannot Believe The Spot Device Saved My Life The Day I Received It! Owner On: 2009-01-16This product is great in concept, but short on performance. The tracking feature only lets you track through the internet. It doesnt send text messages every 10 minutes as I was led to believe. For the money it coulds be a good product, but it is bulky and not a convenient size for runners, which is the reason I purchased it in the first place. My husband runs in marathons, and I thought that this would be a good way to follow his progress and catch up with him during a race. This unit is too bulky to be worn on a pants waistband and is heavy for an armband. It also only sends emails for tracking which if you dont have a web enabled cell phone makes it useless for the job I had in mind. Also the unit is unable to get a signal in bad weather. If GPS can get a signal during a rainy cloudy day why cant this one. Wonderful Product ! On: 2009-01-10I love my new Spot Satellite Messenger that I got for Christmas. It is easy to use, works well ( if you follow the directions and read the manual ), and could save you or a loved ones life. It is so great to give peace of mind to loved ones. Their Website is also friendly and informative. I love their training videos. I used it on a recent trip to the Canadian Rockies and it was so cool how I could sent regular update messages to my love ones letting them know I was ok up there. I had no trouble with messages getting out. You must remember that this is a satellite device so you must have a clear view of the sky for it to work. The signal it sends is very weak and the satellites very far away. It amazing how it can contact the satellites as it is so small and only using 2 AA batteries for power. That is amazing ! It is a must have device for travelers, explorers, hikers, bikers, walkers, motorists, truckers, boaters, hunters, fisherman, pilots, and especially tech enthusiasts. Highly recommended ! This device can offer your loved ones great peace of mind, is fun to use, and most importantly could save you or a friends life. A nice toy, but not a serious rescue device  On: 2009-01-01I wanted to like SPOT. Really, I did. I tried my best to overlook the low-power signal & lousy antenna performance, but after seeing how few of the "tracking" messages actually got through, I never felt like I could trust this thing to save my bacon when it really counted. I believe this is a "beta" product that should never have made it to market. Its an interesting prototype, but no where near ready to be relied upon if youre out in the wild. I suppose if you find yourself with a broken leg or something out in the open, with a clear view of the sky and you have the time to sit and wait for up to an hour for it to send a signal, and then you dont mind never knowing if it actually sent a message or if help is on the way, ... you get my drift. Ill be taking mine back to REI for a refund of the units price. Thats easy. Getting my money back from SPOT for the service fee is probably a lost cause, though, at least from what I read on line. I think this is a great concept, but if I was designing it Id opt for a full-strength signal at the expense of battery life. Id also incorporate a better user interface that makes it clear if a "help" or "ok" signal actually gets through to someone. Nice try SPOT...but keep trying. Does what it says On: 2008-12-31Tracking feature is not always accurate but in its defense, it only tries once every 10 minutes as opposed to 3 times when you send an OK message. Even if it misses one out of every 3 or 4, it stills gives you a good view of your track. Theres a lot of discussion about the reliability of the 911 feature as your only means of emergency notification. If you think of this gadget as primarily a personal tracker and messenger that "oh cool, also has an emergency feature" instead of the other way around then you will have fun with this. If you need a PLB then get a dedicated PLB. It works, but it could be improved in many ways On: 2008-12-29Have you ever heard of the expression "talking horse" used to refer to a new type of technology product? (The idea is that if you found a real talking horse, you would think it was fantastic, and wouldnt care even if the horse wasnt the most amazing conversationalist. The same thing goes for new tech products; when a product comes out that does something totally new, its easy to overlook its shortcomings...) Well, you could say that the SPOT is a talking horse. It does something totally new, but it has shortcomings - however, the shortcomings dont really impact the basic functions of the product, and they seem to be due to poor design rather than inherent technology limitations. So far all Ive done is set up the unit and sent a couple of test OK messages, and here are my impressions: PROS: - Nothing else like it (as far as I know), can save your life. - Portable, waterproof, simple operation is easy to remember once you learn it (and basic instructions for sending emergency messages are printed on the unit). - Very long battery life (1 year of "on" operation, according to the manual). - You can set up a map on the SPOT website showing where you have checked in, which others can view - and this does not cost extra (but the web site says it is still in beta). CONS: - LED indicators provide limited feedback and are not well explained; unless you read and remember the manual AND watch the unit nonstop, you wont figure out a) whether the unit is locked to a satellite and b) whether the unit actually sent its message. - The manual tells you to install batteries, THEN to sign up using the ESN number printed inside the battery compartment (so you have to re-open the battery compartment and remove the batteries, doh!). - GPS accuracy drifts a bit - I sent two "OK" messages from exactly the same location, but the coordinates came through about 75 feet apart (but to be honest, this is OK for most purposes). IN CONCLUSION: As long as you read the manual and remember its main points, the drawbacks of the unit dont really prevent it from doing its job or make it difficult to use. That said, SPOT could easily redesign the unit to be much easier to use - and for a product like this, better usability could save lives. Great idea, but very unreliable On: 2008-12-29I recently purchase a SPOT for my son, who is a mountaineer. The idea of being able to track him on his excursions - and give him the ability to summon a rescue team sold me in a minute. But I wish I had read all the reviews on Amazon. After a long day of testing, I found the unit to be totally unreliable. Only about 5% of all OK and Help messages were successfully sent. It does not work in a car at all, even when pointing it through a sun roof. It wont work with tree cover. Even with a clear path to the sky, it is very unreliable. This could be because of cloud cover (just a theory), but cloud cover is exactly what a mountaineer is going to experience. I suggest reading all the Amazon reviews before buying this product (I wish I had). A rescuer's perspective. On: 2008-12-25As someone with Coast Guard Search and Rescue experience who is very familiar with SPOT, (also an AT and PCT alum) I wanted to add my review from the perspective of someone who has responded to distress beacons. I first learned about SPOT with an open mind, but have since found many reasons to dissuade mariners and others from using the device. I cant stress strongly enough the need to go with a 406 MHz beacon, such as an EPIRB / ELT / or PLB as the distress-alerting device of choice. As a reference, Ill point to SPOTs own web site. Unfortunately, it is full of half-truths and other misleading information. Below, Ive included a transcript of their online video about its "Alert 911" function. A point-by-point discussion/rebuttal: Claim: "Every year, emergency authorities conduct 50,000 rescue missions. Many of these people are not found in time. Now theres a way to make sure that they are: the SPOT messenger is the first and only product that combines GPS technology with Satellite-based communication..." Response: FALSE! Such technology has been available for many years: SARSAT-based 406 MHz EPIRBs / ELTs / PLBs. When synced with a GPS, they embed and transmit their coordinates to a satellite, giving the Coast Guard (and for inland positions, the Air Force) an immediate "E" (electronic) solution where they can send boats / aircraft / search teams. Claim: "Whether you are snowmobiling, hiking or sailing, it is your personal connection to loved ones and emergency authorities, with the simple push of a button, from virtually anywhere, worldwide..." Response: Not always true. You CANNOT depend on it! In Seattle, the Coast Guard had a case in September where a boaters loved ones hadnt received their scheduled "Im OK" update from the vessel as expected. Suddenly it became a case of an overdue vessel. Turns out the boater had hit the button on the device, but the message was not transmitted. The CG called SPOT and learned that the company was having difficulty receiving transmissions from multiple vessels. Of course neither the sender nor their recipients was notified of this. CG units from Seattle to California were involved in this case. Something similar could happen inland. Claim: "Over 50% of the US does not have cell phone coverage. With SPOT youre covered..." Response: Um, not always (see above). Also, with any 406 MHz beacon, youre covered, as well. Without the yearly fee and extra fees for bells and whistles. Claim: "Today, SPOT is saving lives all over the world." (Provides several anecdotes.) Response: Certainly it has played an important role in certain cases. But show me one where SPOT worked and a 406 MHz EPIRB / ELT / PLB would not have. Claim: (Case study - the Bertsches) So the wife receives an email stating plainly "This is an emergency. Please send help." Followed by a lat/long. Response: So this is not to be confused with the message sent when you hit the "HELP" button, which reads: "This is an HELP message. Please find my location in this message below and send for help ASAP." Confusing? Claim: The wife then says she received a SPOT message saying "I am OK." and was very relieved. Response: What if she had been away from her computer this whole time? Had she seriously not yet been contacted by authorities? In the case of a 406 MHz alert, the Rescue Coordination Center that receives the alert puts a live person on the phone with the family member / emergency contact as part of prosecuting the case. Claim: "If your loved one is going into the outdoors, you need SPOT..." Response: No you dont. Its a false sense of security. While SPOTs a neat tekkie tool for tracking someones location in the wilderness or at sea, it should NOT replace a 406 EPIRB / ELT / PLB for emergencies. It also lacks the 121.5 MHz homing signal that all 406s have, with homing equipment already installed on all Coast Guard aircraft. CG boats, civilian air and ground SAR and civil air patrol assets also have this equipment. The CG also has 406 MHz direction-finding equipment installed on many of its aircraft, as well, which can lock in on a signal from over 100 miles away. SPOT has no such advantage, as responding agencies have no way to detect its signal with their aircraft, boats, or ground teams. SPOTs business model is clearly based on the continued profits generated by its subscription services, and is aligned with the GEOS company, which is in this business for profit (nothing wrong with that). Contrast that with SARSAT (406 MHz) beacons, which exist to execute the federal mission of inland and maritime SAR. While beacon manufacturers like ACR and McMurdo look to make a profit, they have to adhere to strict federal (and international) standards to market their devices as SARSAT EPIRBS / ELTs / PLBs. The government (NASA / NOAA) funds and maintains the satellites (which are being significantly upgraded again in the next decade), and the Air Force and Coast Guard executes all SAR in the US and our territorial waters (and often beyond). Another advantage of SARSAT (406 MHz) beacons - NOAA tracks all false alarms, follows up on their causes, and works directly with their manufacturers to minimize their reoccurrence. And one additional reason the video on SPOTs site leaves me scratching my head: it uses footage of Coast Guard assets that were retired before SPOT was even on the market (44 motor lifeboat / CG HH-65A helicopter [illustrating a case off of AUSTRALIA, and the CG now uses C models with a different paint job]). My one-star review is specific to its use as a distress beacon. As a fun way to track a friend or loved one via google maps, its a neat gadget (so long as folks know not to panic if you miss a check-in, since their technology is unreliable). Just make sure you carry a 406 in case you get in real trouble. A Coast Guard SAR Controller's perspective On: 2008-12-25As a Coast Guard Search and Rescue Controller who is very familiar with SPOT, (also an AT and PCT alum) I wanted to add my review from the perspective of someone who responds to distress beacons. I first learned about SPOT with an open mind, but have since found many reasons to dissuade mariners and others from using the device. I cant stress strongly enough the need to go with a 406 MHz beacon, such as an EPIRB / ELT / or PLB as the distress-alerting device of choice. As a reference, Ill point to SPOTs own web site. Unfortunately, it is full of half-truths and other misleading information. Below, Ive included a transcript of their online video about its "Alert 911" function. A point-by-point discussion/rebuttal: Claim: "Every year, emergency authorities conduct 50,000 rescue missions. Many of these people are not found in time. Now theres a way to make sure that they are: the SPOT messenger is the first and only product that combines GPS technology with Satellite-based communication..." Response: FALSE! Such technology has been available for many years: SARSAT-based 406 MHz EPIRBs / ELTs / PLBs. When synced with a GPS, they embed and transmit their coordinates to a satellite, giving us (and for inland positions, the Air Force) an immediate "E" (electronic) solution where we can send boats / aircraft / search teams. Claim: "Whether you are snowmobiling, hiking or sailing, it is your personal connection to loved ones and emergency authorities, with the simple push of a button, from virtually anywhere, worldwide..." Response: Not always true. You CANNOT depend on it! We here at the Rescue Coordination Center in Seattle had a case in September where a boaters loved ones hadnt received their scheduled "Im OK" update from the vessel as expected. Suddenly we had an overdue boater on our hands. Turns out the boater had hit the button on the device, but the message was not transmitted. We called SPOT and learned that they were having difficulty receiving transmissions from multiple vessels. Of course neither the sender nor their recipients was notified of this. We had units from Seattle to California involved in this case. Something similar could happen inland. Claim: "Over 50% of the US does not have cell phone coverage. With SPOT youre covered..." Response: Um, not always (see above). Also, with any 406 MHz beacon, youre covered, as well. Without the yearly fee and extra fees for bells and whistles. Claim: "Today, SPOT is saving lives all over the world." (Provides several anecdotes.) Response: Certainly it has played an important role in certain cases. But show me one where SPOT worked and a 406 MHz EPIRB / ELT / PLB would not have. Claim: (Case study - the Bertsches) So the wife receives an email stating plainly "This is an emergency. Please send help." Followed by a lat/long. Response: So this is not to be confused with the message sent when you hit the "HELP" button, which reads: "This is an HELP message. Please find my location in this message below and send for help ASAP." Confusing? Claim: The wife then says she received a SPOT message saying "I am OK." and was very relieved. Response: What if she had been away from her computer this whole time? Had she seriously not yet been contacted by authorities? In the case of a 406 MHz alert, the Rescue Coordination Center that receives the alert puts a live person on the phone with the family member / emergency contact as part of prosecuting the case. Claim: "If your loved one is going into the outdoors, you need SPOT..." Response: No you dont. Its a false sense of security. While SPOTs a neat tekkie tool for tracking someones location in the wilderness or at sea, it should NOT replace a 406 EPIRB / ELT / PLB for emergencies. It also lacks the 121.5 MHz homing signal that all 406s have, with homing equipment already installed on all Coast Guard aircraft. CG boats, civilian air and ground SAR and civil air patrol assets also have this equipment. The CG also has 406 MHz direction-finding equipment installed on many of its aircraft, as well, which can lock in on a signal from over 100 miles away. SPOT has no such advantage, as we have no way to detect its signal with our aircraft. SPOTs business model is clearly based on the continued profits generated by its subscription services, and is aligned with the GEOS company, which is in this business for profit (nothing wrong with that). Contrast that with SARSAT (406 MHz) beacons, which exist to execute the federal mission of inland and maritime SAR. While beacon manufacturers like ACR and McMurdo look to make a profit, they have to adhere to strict federal (and international) standards to market their devices as SARSAT EPIRBS / ELTs / PLBs. The government (NASA / NOAA) funds and maintains the satellites (which are being significantly upgraded again in the next decade), and the Air Force and Coast Guard executes all SAR in the US and our territorial waters (and often beyond). Another advantage of SARSAT (406 MHz) beacons - NOAA tracks all false alarms, follows up on their causes, and works directly with their manufacturers to minimize their reoccurance. And one additional reason the video on SPOTs site leaves me scratching my head: it uses footage of Coast Guard assets that were retired before SPOT was even on the market (44 motor lifeboat / CG HH-65A helicopter [illustrating a case off of AUSTRALIA, and the CG now uses C models with a different paint job]). My one-star review is specific to its use as a distress beacon. As a fun way to track a friend or loved one via google maps, it seems to function fine (so long as folks know not to panic if you miss a check-in, since their technology is unreliable). Just make sure you carry a 406 in case you get in real trouble. SPOT Fails in Actual 911 Emergency On: 2008-12-18Do not under any circumstances buy a SPOT unit! It is unreliable in a 911 situation, and customer service is the worst I have ever experience. Here is my story. I bought the unit for $200, and paid the $200 annual fee. I figured that if I ever needed it, the 911 feature could get me out of deep trouble, so it was worth the cost. I went car camping with my 4 little kids, ages 10, 8, 6 and 4. While I was on the trip, the unit sent out a 911 message due to a malfunction. The good news was that I really wasnt in danger. Here is the bad news: When the SPOT unit sends a 911 message, it does not actually go to 911. It goes to some call center in Houston. There, some dude gets the message and has to figure out what to do with it. From there, it is all down hill. In this case, the dude called my wife and told her my unit had sent an urgent 911 message, and were we OK? and did she know where we were? Of course, she freaked out, thinking the kids and I were dead somewhere. She had no idea where we were and whether or not we were OK, and SPOT completely fumbled. The SPOT guy was completely clueless about what to do next. He acted like he had never gotten a 911 message before. The SPOT guy then called my business partner and asked him were we OK? and did he know where we were? Now, the SPOT unit is supposed to tell SPOT where you are, right? The SPOT guys computer wasnt working properly that day, or he couldnt figure out how to zoom in and out, so he could not tell on his screen even what state we were in. Totally pathetic. The SPOT guy then called information (411!) and got the number for the fire station in the little 10-person town near where we were. No one answered there. He left a voicemail at the fire station. Then he called my wife again. Then he called my business partner again. Tick tock tick tock tick tock. Both of them are freaking out, and the SPOT guy has no idea what to do. This fumbling around by SPOT took years off of my wifes life. Eventually, the SPOT guy called the right emergency service location, and they immediately dispatched an emergency crew to the scene. From the receipt of the SPOT 911 call, to the dispatch of emergency services, it took SPOT 45 MINUTES! During the 45 minutes that SPOT wasted, we could have been DEAD. I have spent countless hours on the phone with the top officials people at SPOT. I probably had 20 calls with them and a similar number of emails. I got nothing but stonewalling for months. First, they told me that "this could never have happened"...they "always" dispatch within 2-3 minutes. Then, after FIVE MONTHS of asking them for their logs, they finally admitted to me that in fact it did take 45 minutes, and then they claimed that 45 minutes was an acceptable timeframe to reach emergency services. After they finally admitted what had happened, they promised to send me by Fed Ex a new SPOT unit and give a years service credit. Five weeks later, I have received no unit, gotten no service credit, and SPOT now wont return my phone calls. SPOT sets an absolute new LOW for customer service. SPOT is a bunch of Keystone Cops. Dont buy this unit under any circumstances. And if you already bought it, do not rely upon it. If you ever need 911, you are better off trying to drag yourself up from the bottom of the canyon by your fingernails than hitting the 911 button and thinking that help is coming. It may not. cheaper at bass pro shops On: 2008-12-06149.99 with a 50.00 rebate at bass proshops. so much for a gold box deal Highly Recommended! On: 2008-11-20After reading reviews, it seemed that most of the problems with the SPOT are a result of user error. At first, I had some of the same issues, like messages not getting through, tracking not working, etc., but that was a result of operator error and not the SPOT Messenger. This product works perfectly if you use it correctly. After figuring it out, I have had zero issues with messages getting through and/or the tracking working properly. The main thing is to push the correct buttons for the correct amount of time in the correct order. Also, the unit must be outside your pack/pocket with a clear view of the sky. I would give the unit 5 stars but it has two flaws. Fortunately, these flaws are not significant enough to keep someone from buying/using the unit. (1) The units printed instructions are too vague and not very good. In fact, my unit came with a hand-typed instructions addendum in addition to the manufactures printed instructions. The hand-typed instructions were very helpful, but you still have to follow them very carefully. Obviously, SPOT realizes that the printed instructions were not good and started including the typed detailed addendum. (2) The units "clip" to attach it to your pack, etc, is virtually useless. The unit needs a more secure way of attaching to your pack like a case with a carabiner or more secure locking clip system. In fact, I actually temporarily lost my unit during a hike after it fell off my pack while only using the included clip. Since then, Ive been using safety pins run through the little screws in the back of the unit. The screws have little rings so safety pins works well in keeping the unit secure. Supposedly, SPOT is currently developing a case for the unit with a more reliable system of securing it. Ill be happy when that happens because the safety pins are putting holes in the top of my pack. Otherwise, I am very happy with the SPOT. Since I figured it out, the messaging and tracking work perfectly with zero problems. I highly recommend this product. Great Product On: 2008-11-14Excellent product, it works very well and has good endings. The store was 100% recommended, the product was released within the time and very well packed. Fair Design with LOTS of Room For Improvement On: 2008-11-11Ive used the Spot on several trips now, and my experience has been mixed. The system of push and hold a button for "x" number of seconds is a bit confusing. When you send a signal the light above the button glows solid (instead of flashing) for 5 seconds to confirm that it was sent, but whos going to sit there staring at the device (for up to 10 minutes) to see if your message was sent properly. The belt clip is a bad joke. Dont trust it. There is a place to attach a loop/lanyard, but the plastic there is a little thin... All-in-all this device is OK, but for a device thats supposed to be relied upon to save your life in an emergency there is a LOT of room for improvement. Just be aware of its limitations, and make sure you familiarize yourself thoroughly with its operation. Lets the family NOT worry On: 2008-11-03Overall even though I am just hiking in the local mountains. This device has allowed my family not to worry about me since I broadcast on top of every hour. Thankfully even though I have not had to push the 911 button, I feel at this time confident that help will be on the way if I do. Side notes: I have read some reviews that some people had bad luck when pushing the OK button. While I did have a difficult time FIRST time and the cause was that I did not read the directions - ever since then all has been great. SPOT Satellite Messenger On: 2008-10-21The positions my SPOT unit E-mails are pretty accurate, usually within a few feet. A couple of times the unit indicated a successfull OK message was sent but no E-mail was generated. Being under canopy of trees seemed to block messaging. The SPOT website very easy to use in registering the unit and setting up profiles. I signed up for the basic service, thought the extra $45/yr for continuous tracking a little pricey. Ill just push the OK button myself. The "Beta" share service on the website still has a few bugs, I hope they get it fixed, nice way to share your treks with friends. I would recommend to anyone that does a lot of hiking/backpacking in the outdoors. As they advertise, the unit works when cell phones dont. Disappointed On: 2008-10-12Was not what I thought it would be. Carried it on a backpacking trip last week, thought I had sent several o.k. messages and thought it was tracking me on my trip, I only had one o.k. message and no tracking, very disappointed in device so far. Lousy user interface makes it unreliable On: 2008-10-04I have used Spot for several months in my helicopter. Sometimes it works okay; often it doesnt. I have made many flights over rugged terrain to discover that my Spot wasnt in tracking mode. Many of my attempts to reassure my wife by sending an OK message failed to send any message. The problem is with the poorly designed user interface that depends on pressing buttons certain amounts of time. Also, the LED feedback is ambiguous: You cant tell the difference between tracking mode and check-in mode by watching the lights. This product is a great idea, but I cant understand how they could screw up the user interface so badly. The website is just as bad. There is no way to find historical flights. It discards old tracking information with no way to get it back. I fear that if I crashed, the tracking data would disappear before someone could find me. Sometimes multiple flights get munged together into a big mess, and there is no way to sort it out. I dont know how reliable the satellite and server technologies are, but the user interface is enough for me to reject this as something to bet your life on. I am getting a Guardian 3X installed in my aircraft because it is foolproof. It will work every flight, and there is no way to keep it from working. Also, the website seems much better. Ill probably get a new portable device for my survival kit; I plan to consider Spidertracks, a New Zealand product recently endorsed by Cessna. Maybe it wont have similar design flaws that could lead to tragic results. Spot Satellite Personal Tracker On: 2008-10-03The reason for purchasing the Spot Tracker is when I go sailing in the Gulf of Mexico. I have used it around home just to test it out. It really works good and family members out of state can keep track of my locations on their PC. The only reason I didnt give it a 5 star rating is because I havent use it when sailing. I have no reason to believe it would not work perfect. Peace of mind in the wilderness On: 2008-09-30This unit provided peace of mind for our entire group during a wilderness canoe trip this past summer. We were able to keep our loved ones assured that we were O.K. and share our location with them every day, and we had the assurance that should something go wrong we would be able to summon help. Every message that we sent was recieved. The only reason Im not giving it 5 stars is because you have to sit there and stare at blinking lights if you want to be assured that your message was indeed sent. Perhaps in future models they will have a "message sent" light that would allow you to be aware of that important fact without having to sit and stare at the unit. I would definately recommend this unit to anyone who is traveling to a region where cell phone service is spotty or unavailable. Very cool! On: 2008-09-28My company recently purchased four of these units for those of us who travel to remote areas where there is no cell coverage. So far, we have been very impressed with this little device! Its great that not only can you send check-in messages to your friends and family, but you can see where you were, exactly, when you get home. The accuracy is unbelievable! I pressed the check-in button from several different locations across California, and later when I looked at the locations on Google Maps (with the link provided by SPOT) it was dead-on, precisely where I was - in every instance! It is so accurate that it literally pin-pointed the exact parking spot I was in when I left the office. If I ever need rescue, I know it will bring the search teams to my exact location. The only drawback I have seen is that occasionally the website doesnt get updated with the messages, or it takes a long time. One day I pressed the check-in button 4 times during my journey and only 3 messages were posted online. Granted I did not have the unit in the best location (inside a truck). But knowing that when you send help and 911 messages it transmits much more often, I still feel very safe carrying the unit. One thing to keep in mind: the unit requires an annual subscription of $100, and then if you want to use the tracking feature it is an additional $50/yr. But what is your life worth? For the price and features, it is a MUST HAVE for those of us who go into the wilderness where cell phones dont work. wouldn't trust my life to this... On: 2008-09-23i recently used the SPOT for a 3 week hiking trip in the sierras. it took me a few days to get used to setting it up for tracking. im not a big fan of "press once for..." and "hold for 5 seconds for..." button use. especially when there is no feedback other than a few blinking lights. some sort of audio or vibration feedback would be comforting in addition to the indicator lights. or an lcd display that told me exactly what the status was, if the signal was received, if the tracking mode is indeed on, etc... in tracking mode, i was surprised at the end of my trip to see where the gaps were. it inconsistent with the terrain and tree cover. hours of blank spots where tracking waypoints should have been marked, sometimes above the treeline with open sky all around. the limited ability to function properly when tracking leaves me doubtful that this would do the job if i had a serious emergency. i dont understand the lack of provision for some sort of tethering cable. the belt clip is entirely insufficient for keeping the device in place... i wanted to keep it on top of my pack so that it would have the best satellite visibility but didnt want use anything that would cover the case and impede the signal. as this is the first year of release, ill be curious how many false-alarms occur due to the exposed buttons. steve howe, the editor of backpacker magazine, had his send a distress signal by mistake when something in his pack pushed against the button. seems like there should be some sort of secondary protection, like a slide cover over the HELP and 911 buttons. to be fair, the 911 button has a raised edge surrounding it, making it difficult to set off inadvertently, but not impossible. a small gripe that i have, is that at the end of my trip, the website didnt make it clear where to find my tracked path. its under a tab labeled "messages"... mmm not very clear kids. i like the premise for the SPOT, i just wished it was more reliable. ill be curious to see how this product develops in the future. Very unreliable service, especially tracking. On: 2008-09-10I wont touch on the technical issues -- I want to focus on our groups real life experiences trying to use this product. A group of us (pilots) bought the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker and have been completely horrified by its lack of performance. The idea and promise is very compelling, however, the stability of their system is truly absurd. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be your emergency tracking and notification system. The problem is that their website is always crashing - which they call maintenance (never posted on the website beforehand though). Also, many of the messages sent from the Personal tracker never show up on their website. Weve done several test where we lay a SPOT out in the middle of the ramp at our airport, press the help button, and about half the time the messages are never delivered. Our hope, for the longest time, was that this company would eventually get their system working correctly, or at least predictably, however that has simply not been the case. In fact, when you contact them by email their responses are very caviler. Put your money into a system that doesnt have an annual subscription and is run by a very reputable group (the US Air Force) Buy a PLB! Terrible website stability and lost help messages On: 2008-09-10A group of use (pilots) bought the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker and have been completely horrified by its lack of performance. The idea and promise is very compelling, however, the stability of their system is truly absurd. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be your emergency tracking and notification system. The problem is that their website is always crashing - which they call maintenance (never posted on the website beforehand though). Also, many of the messages sent from the Personal tracker never show up on their website. Weve done several test where we lay a SPOT out in the middle of the ramp at our airport, press the help button, and about half the time the messages are never delivered. Our hope, for the longest time, was that this company would eventually get their system working correctly, or at least predictably, however that has simply not been the case. In fact, when you contact them by email their responses are very caviler. Put your money into a PLB which doesnt have a subscription fee and has a company with a great track record of rescue service (The US Air Force) Good product, works as advertised On: 2008-09-06Acquires satellite (GPS) bearing pretty quickly (few minutes), reliably sends OK messages. I havent had to try 911, thankfully, so I dont know how that whole experience would work. Carries a bit of heft, but not too large or heavy to take backpacking. Relatively easy to set up on their web site. It does a decent job On: 2008-09-01For the last 4 years I have been using a GPS for my hikes and I was quite aware of the limitations these products have. I signed for the Track Progress so my family can follow my progress in real time. On the parking lot they were able to get a signal, but once I went into the forest they "lost" me for couple of hours. Once I arrived to the last part of my hike (an open alpine meadow with clear views of the sky) they were able to track me for the next hour. Back to the forest I was "lost" for couple of hours but on the parking lot a new "track" let them know I was on my way home. I always carry my GPS and now my Spot on top of my backpack, otherwise I think will be quite hard to have these devices connected to the satellites. Just for fun I decided to test Spot while driving, I put the device next to my stick and I got three "tracks" before arriving home (almost 100 miles, two hours drive). I am thinking in getting a portable dash mount so I can put the Spot closer to the windshield. My only complaint is that I would like to know when the last check in or track progress was sucessfully send because I dont expect miracles for this device to work below trees or middle of downtown. Always take a screwdriver with you if you need to replace the lithium batteries. Hopefully a second generation product will fix these annoyances. FIND ME On: 2008-08-04Ive been out with this device on a number of trips, although Im still on my first set of batteries. I set it to track and when I come home I download to google earth and smile as I look over my tracks from a heavenly perspective. Its a great lifeline. Search and Rescue able to find lost party who was using SPOT On: 2008-08-02I am a deputy with a county Sheriffs Search and Rescue patrol and had my first experience with the SPOT unit today. We had two motorcyclist lost in the back country for two days. Once they ran out of gas and food, they activated their SPOT unit. We kept getting messages with their exact location. We were able to locate them quickly and get rescuers to their remote location within hours. They were so far off of their "planned" route that it could have taken us days to find them without the SPOT unit. I wish all of our rescues turned out this good and were this easy to find! I plan on buying units for my loved ones. First Try at sending OK Locations worked well On: 2008-08-01I have had the Spot Messenger for about a month now and have traveled remote areas in Canada and was able to send OK messages with no problem. They do take about 20 minutes from the time I turn it on to be completed however, so one should be aware of the time it takes to send messages three times, which is the standard pattern. The LEDs are Quite adequate for letting one know what is occurring. the daughter's perspective On: 2008-07-29i dont know all the technical stuff, but as the person sitting at home getting the messages, i LOVE this thing!! it was SO much fun to watch Dad get to different points on his hike, and to know that he was safe! as far as we could tell after the fact, i received each of the messages he sent along the way, a couple twice, i think. for anyone who spends a lot of time in the middle of nowhere, with loved ones at home, this is great peace of mind!! Works well IF you are in a clear area On: 2008-07-27The Spot works well if you have a clear area to send a message. Ive found that if Im in a heavily wooded area or in a valley with mountains close on either side the message does not go through. However, in the clear it works well. Be advised that you must turn it on and leave it on for about 20 minutes after your message is sent to make sure that it goes out. If you also have a GPS it will usually work where ever the GPS will. Its a good emergency backup where there is no cell coverage. Nice idea, big problems in actual use. On: 2008-07-25After completing a three-day climb of Mt. Rainier, upon my return I discovered that ONLY ONE "OK" message had been sent while we were on the mountain, despite setting the unit to transmit tracking signals every 10 minutes; almost 400 messages should have been sent. The Spot unit was in my front (thin) pants pocket or on a rock at a bivy site pointing to the sky the whole time. A call to the manufacturer revealed that the Spot unit requires "a clear unobstructed view of the sky" with nothing between it and the sky for it to operate properly; this critical information is lacking from the instruction manual. Unlike virtually any GPS unit, this means the Spot unit has to be on top of your head, your helmet, or somehow attached to the very top of your backpack at all times to transmit an OK or emergency signal successfully. This is a serious drawback to actual use of the unit. A satellite phone is a much better and more reliable, albeit more expensive, option. The subscription costs for the Spot unit ($150 per year for full service) are also non-refundable. Dont waste your money on this expensive trinket that at the end of the day will not bring you or your loved ones peace of mind. I do not trust the Spot unit and will be returning it for a refund of the units costs (but will be SOL on the subscription costs). I should have bought a satellite phone. SPOT...Un-reliable, NOT to be used for emergencies!!!!!! On: 2008-07-20SPOT Messenger review: I have owned this unit since May 2008. I have used it numerous times during the months of June and July quite disappointedly with its lack of reliability. Only functioned correctly 2 out of 9 times!!!! I spoke with SPOT customer care, competent and professional but could not help with technical aspects. I called on Saturday, will have to wait until Monday. (mean while my son is at sea and unable to communicate his position to me, the reason I purchased this sytem!) DO NOT buy this unit for an emergency tracking system, most likely it will not work! Instead, take the $149.99 youd pay for the unit plus the $149.99 for the annual service fee (Yup, $300.00) and buy a portable USCG and/or SOLAS approved EPIRB, ELT or PLB from either ACR or McMurdo/Paines Wessex for about $500.00 with NO ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FEE!!!! Both ACR and McMurdo units work!!!! SPOT is UNRELIABLE at best!!!! SPOT should be pulled from the marketplace as it represents the unit to be dependable when in fact the manufacturer knows this to not be true! Its a good concept but needs to fixed and brought up to a near 100% functioning reliability range before being re-introduced to the marketplace! Hopefully, the 2nd Generation units will WORK! Dose what it should On: 2008-07-17I have had the SPOT unit for about three weeks and have tested it several times. It works just as it is advertised. I had a little trouble trying to change an email address for one of my contacts, but a call to the service number solved the problem quickly. I am well pleased. Reliable and easy tracking device On: 2008-04-20I am living in Germany and imported the device from the USA (Bass Pro). It took unfortunately 8 weeks because the German customs was holding it back. I am running the device now for 2 weeks. The activation over the SPOT Web site worked fine. Foreign addresses and credit cards are accepted. The device works without any problems in Germany. Beside the messaging (included in the basic subscription for $99.99/year) I also use the tracking service (additional $49.99/year to the basic subscription). The tracking must be re-activated every 24h by pressing the Ok button for 5 seconds. Every 10 minutes the current position is sent to the satellite. This position is very accurate (within a few meters accuracy). In your account (on the SPOT Web site) you can access the messages and the tracking data as KML file (Google tracking format) and also display the positions in Google Maps and Google Earth. So far I like the device very much. In the next months I will use it on my wilderness trips. Tip for how to publish the tracking data on your own home page: The tracking data is offered through the account that is password protected. I dont want other people accessing my account. If you have a running PC with network (e.g. permanent DSL) then you can use a Webtool (e.g. iMacros for Firefox) for polling regularly the KML file from the account (be responsible for doing it not too frequently). After that the KML file can be copied over to your home page (e.g. write a small script that uses FTP). Then link it with Google Maps (see http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=41136 for instructions). So anyone visiting your home page can watch your live tracking positions in Google Maps (use it e.g. when you are on vacation). Alternatively someone can define a so called "network link" in Google Earth that periodically reads this KML file from your home page. Tip for the initial activation: If you enter the ESN (equipment serial number) on the Spot Web site for the initial activation, then include the - character. Otherwise you get a misleading error message that the device is already in use. Spot Messenger and Tracker On: 2008-03-24This devicde works exactly as described. The directions as to how to enable someone to access the tracking function are not all that great. A brief demo on the web site might be of a help. Once you get it figured out the system is actually pretty simple to operate. Outstanding Test On: 2008-02-11The SPOT arrived on-time and in perfect condition. I set-up the subscription info quickly on their web site. The e-mail notification and google map test for the TRACKING feature worked amazingly well. Spot website problems On: 2008-02-06After waiting on the 1 to 3 day so called expedited shipping from Beach Camera I received the Spot Messenger.I am currently at the 24 hour mark in my attempts to register the unit.After completing the entire registration to the "finish registration" point I received an error message to please call to register.I am told tonight that there is a software problem with the online registration and to wait another 12 to 24 hours.After enduring months of Globalstars (parent company) diminishing satellite phone reception,IM not much of a believer! At this point dissapointed... Happy Camper On: 2008-01-09This is a very nice product for the price. The features are simple. It sends an email and/or text message saying you are OK. It can also send an email and/or text HELP message. OR, it can call the service emergency response center and they will call local authorities based on your location. Not bad for the price huh. A graduated response. Very good use of existing technology by a creative company that saw a potential market. Apparently, they use a similar technology to track kidnapped executives. Nice market expansion guys. Trees can cause loss of the satellite signal. Use in a car is unreliable because the windshield attenuates the sat signal or the car itself blocks the satellites. In any case, use on a car dash is spotty. When out in the field, it needs to have a clear view of the sky. The most reliable way to use it is to just position it and leave it for 20min as the manual directs. I is 100% reliable when used as directed. Just be aware of the need to give it an opportunity to get the sat signal. The tracking on Google maps is cool, but because the unit does not maintain a sat lock when moving, I have gotten inconsistent results. My GPS will give a very good track in comparison. The extra insurance for a few bucks is cheap insurance. The terms of the insurance coverage are a must read...it takes a lot for them to kick in. But its better than nothing, right. Future iterations of this device need to be smaller and more integrated with the web features. The web based options are still kinda basic. I can see these issues being addressed easily and I would buy a smaller unti with more features...GPS navigation, GPSR/GMRS radio, weather radio, etc,...Integrate. I am very happy with this device and would recommend it for most locations. Its fun to use and I hope I never have to use the more serious 911 button and call for emergency response. Where Have I been On: 2007-12-19I have just begun using this. Very impressed so far on what it can do. The check-in function allows after about 2-4 minutes of being on to click once and send either a text message to a phone or an e-mail to computer for up to 10 separate addresses. You manage the addresses by accessing your account on the internet. The tracking(an optional service costing another 50 dollars per year) also has worked for me. That service does seem to be more challenged to keep connected to the satellites than my Garmin Etrex which rarely looses its connection. The SPOT has a blinking green light sequence that indicates whether or not you have lost satellite signal. If you see both the power and tracking light(ok checkmark) are both blinking in sync then SPOT indicates it has satellite connections and knows where you are. I was disappointed that leaving it in the top of my backpack did not always insure keeping a signal. When I held it in my hand and walked for about 10 minutes it would begin blinking in sync. I tested it in several more remote mountainous areas by leaving it horizontal on top of my pack and on my shoulder pouch of my backpack. Once it has the signal it usually will keep it in sync. However, if you just turn it on in heavy trees and deep canyons it is not very sensitive to finding the GPS satellites. This is the one weakness that I keep in mind. With the GREAT battery life, I have had great luck in turning it on when I leave home, then driving to the location I want to explore. When arriving I already have a synced signal and can now begin tracking my trip to the website and usually keeping the signal. The website shows the track and you can click on the several points of the tracking and they display the multiple locations on Google Maps numbered in order of creation. The power of this device to me is that since I have no cell phone towers in the remote mountain areas I frequent, this will use the messages by satellite and be available for four uses 1)Checking in by message that all is ok 2)Create a log of tracking locations every 10 minutes while turned on 3)Using another list of up to 10 addresses from your setup on the website a different message can be sent for help that is not life threatening like car breakdown or need to be picked up at a location and finally 4)Call 911 which will send to your broadcasted location help and rescue. I found it powerful to test these by using the device in non-life threatening situations. Customer service was very quick in answering my e-mail questions with kind and helpful responses in less than 24 hours each time. Color me satisfied. SPOT ON!!!! On: 2007-12-12Please ignore the comments about Globalstar service below, he has no clue about this product. Globalstar is having problems with its duplex service S-band amplifiers which only affects two-way traffic. I should know I have a Globalstar satellite phone. SPOT uses the L-Band uplink (simplex modem) which is used to track trucks etc. this network is running at full efficiency. I have this product and it works better than my expectations. About this product: it is not a personal locator beacon and if you wish to use this solely for emergencies, I would recommend another product. A true personal locator beacon because it works in all conditions and all-terrain (I also own one by ACR). SPOT needs to have an uninterrupted view to the satellite. In other words in heavy canopy this product does not work very well but in broken canopy or in the open this product works great (samething is true with my handheld GPS). I use this product to communicate with family and friends on my progress when backpacking, biking, or just out and about. I do use this product in heavy canopy areas and send a signal when I cross a road or powerline crossing. I still carry my personal locator beacon for real emergencies but this product helps in non-emergency situations. For more operational details you can download the manual at www.findmespot.com My cell phone doesnt work when Im away from cell towers or underwater while scuba diving nor in caves. Similarly SPOT will not work if it cannot contact the satellite. As with all communication devices, they all have limits and parameters that they operate in. You should know this before buying any product like this. bad service On: 2007-11-06globalstar has bad service. 1/2 of the satellites are nonfunctional. I would save my money... |
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