tyson Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Here is something that might be of interest given recent events. I ended up with a free Spot tracker and took it out for the first time yesterday. Here is a track of a trip to work Friday, yesterday's coastal trip from Portsmouth north, and our drive home yesterday: http://tinyurl.com/klrv4j The thing seems to be terrible sitting on the car's dash at the base of the windshield. However, clipped to my shoulder while kayaking it did quite well. I don't know how its performance compares to a "real" EPRB (is that the right acronym for the latest generation?) for reliability of reporting, but it appears to be a lot better than nothing, lets your friends and family be able to keep tabs on your progress and gives you the option of calling for help without declaring and emergency. Cheers! Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 Here is the GPS track of the trip for comparison: http://tinyurl.com/mfcfxq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Hi Ty, I've been contemplating a "Spot" purchase for the past month or so but the on-line reviews seem to be excessively mixed for my comfort level. Customer service seems to be the biggest issue. I am still intrigued however, as it's application would create a greater comfort level for my family members sitting home waiting for "that" phone call at the end of a paddle. I would be interested in your feedback over the next few weeks of paddling. This piece of equipment is not really a small device and given the other things I carry on my vest when paddling on the ocean, I would like to know how it tracks from within a sealed hatch. Thanks Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdeforest Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I have been using the SPOT tracker for the past 6 months and have found it to be useful. People need to keep in mind it's not a GIS tool or a EPIRB, it's tracking device. I attach it on the back of my Ronin and forget about it. It has a clear view sky and for the most part uploads every time. I have the tracking option so that wife can see where I am since I paddle solo long distances in all types of weather. The SPOT does have the ability to "Call" Search and Rescue assets, but shouldn't replace a EPIRB, but if you don't have an EPIRB the SPOT is better than nothing. Since it does have a emergency option people should attach it your body because in bad weather you have a good chance of become separated from your boat if your not tethered to it. I plan on using the SPOT on my next trip in a couple of weeks (1500 miles solo paddle), so I'll write in about my experiences it good or bad. My two cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossjb1 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Here is something that might be of interest given recent events. I ended up with a free Spot tracker and took it out for the first time yesterday. Here is a track of a trip to work Friday, yesterday's coastal trip from Portsmouth north, and our drive home yesterday:Ty, My god man, have you lost your senses? Posting this sort of technology on a public forum such as this! What if the authorities read this and decide to employ this technology to monitor us. I’m talking about our spouses! Seriously though.. can anyone recommend a cell phone w/GPS? My G'zone waterproof phone just bit the dust.Ross Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I'd recommend a cell phone in a bag, much cheaper than waterproof(?). Ours voice dial through the plastic. And given your post I'd also remind those who are unaware that all cellphones must have GPS. I'd tell you who can remotely activate it and track you but then "I'd have to kill you";-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 I would like to know how it tracks from within a sealed hatch. I don't expect that being inside a non-metallic hull will be a problem. ...but then I would have expected it to work better on the dashboard of a car where it is under only glass. I do believe that it is important that it be face up so that the antennae faces the satellites. You'd have to think a little about how to keep it looking skyward and not rolling over on its face. Cheers! Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolonsky Adam Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've been testing SPOTS with others here in the US for the past year. SPOT works fine so long as you have a clear view of the sky. Clear view includes lack of fog, no rain, and a high cloud ceiling. A couple of weeks ago in fog off Cape Cod my SPOT's transmission failure rate was nearly 55%. SPOT's good for checking in with friends and family daily on long trips. Its interface is funky though. You don't get a clear and simple indication that a message got sent. If the weather is poor, your messages aren't going anywhere. SPOT doesn't use doppler to send its signals to the GEOS satellites. That makes its reliability poor in bad weather. If you really need a failsafe rescue summoner, PLB (personal locater beacons) and EPIRPBs are virtually foolproof. But you don't have the option with them of sending simple "I'm OK" messages to friends and family. All EPIRPBs and PLBs do is summon rescue personnel. There's no fun in them. You only use them when the defecation hits the oscillation. You can rent PLB's for about $25 a week from plbrentals.com. Registration of plbs with the feds is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 That is a bit like I suspected. I've been figuring that I should still get a one of the expensive boring ones for serious calls and use the Spot for fun. Cheers! Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I don't expect that being inside a non-metallic hull will be a problem. ...but then I would have expected it to work better on the dashboard of a car where it is under only glass. It actually doesn't do very well at all in a sealed hatch. The problem with the Spot system is that the sat phone is single duplex which means that it can only send a signal, it can't receive. As a result it has no idea as to whether or not a message was sent, or if the carrier was even picked up. Basically it's sending blind messages. I've not had difficulty sending messages with the unit in the front dash (way up front) on my car provided that there are no buildings or trees around but inside the hatch... not much love there. It really does need to have a full, unobstructed view of the sky. Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Rice Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 We used a Spot during Mark's time in Norway this year, and were pretty happy with it. Our only complaint was that it didn't keep entries from as long a time period as we would have liked, and there were one or two days when a signal didn't go out). But it was invariably accurate, and gave us both a lot of peace of mind. We programmed it to send e-mails of his location when he hit the button at the end of a day of paddling, and it was often the only way I knew he was OK or where he was on a daily basis. Had there been a problem, another tap of a buttong would have sent out an emergency call. It's a useful tool for expeditions. Drop Mark an e-mail at mark@carpediemkayaking.com if you'd like to ask him about how it performed during the expedition. Cheers, Mel Melinda Rice Carpe Diem Kayaking www.carpediemkayaking.com 207-669-2338 info@carpediemkayaking.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 My brother lives in Colorado, and frequently takes motorcycle, kayak and raft trips to various locations. He got his SPOT last year before he rode the motorcycle up to Alaska, where he and a group of friends paddled up to the Arctic Ocean, then along the shore towards a tiny fishing village in the middle of nowhere. It was nice to be able to follow his progress on Google Map. Was a little concerned when they stayed in the same place for several days. Finally got a call from the satellite phone they had rented. Weather kept them from continuing, and had to call in a plane to take them the last 30 or so miles. If he's going to mostly be on his motorcycle, he's got the system programmed to send a basic OK message vs. a help message which includes his roadside assistance insurance info - one of us recipients would contact them to be dispatched if the need arises. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spider Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I've been usng the SPOT for awhile .. it came with the free tracking for a year promo when I purchased it . Some friends have a link I send them and I can just give them a heads up when I go on a trip from time to time. Other friends or family can ask to be put on the list for "I'm ok" or "I need help" (either or neither) ...you do get to customize your message a little bit The advantage is that I can send out an OK message and that let's them know I'm out doing some stuff they might want to check out/or not. If I'm paddling with some one, as I was this past week, we made sure his wife got the messages so she could have some peace of mind. I put my own cell phone # into it so my phone will ring when the message goes out. The cell phone may have no reception but the Spot message is a text mesage.(or e-mail or both) you can recieve text messages sometimes when you can't get voice coverage. Apparently text message is on a different frequency, but if my phone doesn't get the message till the next time I'm in an area that has cell reception then I can say "oh look those messages (satelite) we sent the other day went through ok when we sent them." Gives us peace of mind people aren't worrying about us" For the most part I've gotten used to it's light patterns, but I will set my watch for 20 minutes if I'm trying to send an end of the day message just to give it an optimal length of time. So we like it big time, this is the 1st year we've had it, plus you actually get to use it instead of just looking at it as a "someday I might use this" purchase. Yellowlegs good luck on your big trip... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spider Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I've been usng the SPOT for awhile .. it came with the free tracking for a year promo when I purchased it . Some friends have a link I send them and I can just give them a heads up when I go on a trip from time to time. Other friends or family can ask to be put on the list for "I'm ok" or "I need help" (either or neither) ...you do get to customize your message a little bit The advantage is that I can send out an OK message and that let's them know I'm out doing some stuff they might want to check out/or not. If I'm paddling with some one, as I was this past week, we made sure his wife got the messages so she could have some peace of mind. I put my own cell phone # into it so my phone will ring when the message goes out. The cell phone may have no reception but the Spot message is a text mesage.(or e-mail or both) you can recieve text messages sometimes when you can't get voice coverage. Apparently text message is on a different frequency, but if my phone doesn't get the message till the next time I'm in an area that has cell reception then I can say "oh look those messages (satelite) we sent the other day went through ok when we sent them." Gives us peace of mind people aren't worrying about us. For the most part I've gotten used to it's light patterns, but I will set my watch for 20 minutes if I'm trying to send an end of the day message just to give it an optimal length of time. So we like it big time, this is the 1st year we've had it, plus you actually get to use it instead of just looking at it as a "someday I might use this" purchase. Yellowlegs good luck on your big trip... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share Posted July 24, 2009 Here is our Blackburn SPOT track. Since I've already posted the track from our GPS, its not so interesting as a track. ...it will also go blank in a day or so I think. However, the point here is that I placed the SPOT in the mesh pouch on the top of my deck back facing just about straight up. The only thing between it and the satellites was a little bit of thin mesh. ...and I still ended up with 50 minute gaps when it is sending a message every 10 minutes. Because of its live tracking features, it is a lot more "fun" than a PLB, but I don't think I can recommend it as a substitute for a PLB. Cheers! Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Just FYI, Spot just announced a new version of their device. Upgraded gps chip, another (programable) message function and security covers over the help and 911 buttons. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 I expect the data to be deleted in a couple more days, but here is the Orrs Island SPOT Track. This is with tracker placed in the mesh top of a deck back facing up. It still misses more points than I think it should though the OK messages seem to always get through. Cheers! Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyfoley Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 That is a bit like I suspected. I've been figuring that I should still get a one of the expensive boring ones for serious calls and use the Spot for fun. Cheers! Ty PLB's can't make a call to anyone. It's for that time when you can no longer do for yourself and must summon help in an emergency. If you want to keep family and friends informed...the SPOT is the best option for you. Also, if you activate a PLB and rescuers respond..(which they will after they call your two emergency contacts on file with NOAA) you may be liable for all cost associated with that rescue. Whether or not you are charged is solely up to the rescueing agencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyson Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 If you want to keep family and friends informed...the SPOT is the best option for you. Are there any other options? I'm not aware of any. I just wish that I had more faith in its ability to get a message through if I really needed it. If I don't find that faith, I will eventually get a PLB for the more "out there" trips and will have to consider how many electronic gizmos I really want to carry: GPS, VHF, SPOT, PLB, camera... Cheers! Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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