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SPOT decision

chrispratt

chrispratt

Well Known Member
So Doug (Reeves), have you come to any conclusions about the value of the SPOT satellite based personal locator you've been using? Sounds like a nice safety device to me. In fact I was thinking I wish I had one with me on my last solo cross-country. What are you're thoughts?

Chris
 
My experience with SPOT

I ordered SPOT shortly after its first mention on this site. It arrived last week. Setting it up was straight forward. So far I have only used its tracking function and it works as advertised.

Flying to visit the in-laws for Thanksgiving, they were able track our progress and judge when to pick us up at a nearby airport. It seemed to make the whole experience less stressful for everyone. They could track our progress and know that all was well and we were met when we arrived at the airport.

The check-in function looks useful as well.
 
...........and

How do you save your "Spot Maps" as .jpeg files? Google Maps won't let me right click and save anything.
 
My experience with Spot

I also ordered SPOT and set it up last week for my trip from Kelso WA. to Sunriver OR.

Worked great, and the thing that was most useful on that trip was the "I'm OK" function. Just push the button and it notifies all the folks that you set up buy cellular text message and/or e-mail that you are OK. Used it at the end of the trip to tell my parents (who always worry when I fly) that we arrived safe and sound.

I think it is a great tool! Just think what might of happened if Emelia Earhart had had one!
 
Same as others have said, Chris...

I use the 'tracking' mode most, letting my family keep tabs on my flight. I also clipped it to my belt on the 2 mile Petit Jean State Park hike (so I would have a record of my hike).

The buttons are a little hard to use (that's by design I'd imagine - don't want to accidentally press '911'), but that would be my only dig. I'm pretty happy with mine.

Each time I get back from a trip and look at it on GoogleMaps I think "Steve Fossett".

As for printing the map, I just get it like I like it and hit "Print Screen", then paste that into PhotoShop.

Happy customer,

D
 
Good results as a Baja lojack.....

As many of you know my first love over flying is still my dirt bikes. This year after turning 50, several of us decided to take a crack at the over 50 class in the Baja 1000. We all bought SPOTs both for use during prerun, on the race bike, and whatever other aviation-marine-???? uses after the race.

We started out with using the tracking mode in the support trucks as they made their way to their appointed places on the peninsula--all as advertised. We then were able to check in and track each other making sure no one was left out on the course during prerun, it was not always possible to prerun with a companion so the SPOT provided a level of security not otherwise available.

It all got much more interesting on race day!!

For those not familiar, the 1000 usually starts in Ensenada about 60 miles south of San Diego. This year, as the 40th anniversary run, it ended in Cabo San Lucas covering 1296 miles. It is run nonstop, day and night, by bikes, quads, trucks, buggys and all sorts of off road vehicles. The vehicle is the entry and rider changes are the norm where the course crosses roads or other relatively convenient locations.

Our first rider was scheduled to ride the top 203 miles then start the handoffs. In the bike's fender pack with a spare tube and miscellaneous gear was one of our SPOT devices.

I was waiting my turn sitting in a hotel in Loreto, about 600 miles to the south monitoring the progress in track mode---seeing faster areas, slower areas, etc when I saw a run of 3 overlapping pings at the same location--Race Mile 188.5.

Not good---a likely crash in high speed country! Soon I got a call that our rider was injured and going out on a helicopter, nothing life threatening, but easily enough to end his day. While the guys in the area got organized to go retrieve the bike and hopefully initiate repairs and continue the race we looked back at the SPOT site and saw the bike had moved!! Not good--local vultures at work!!


As the rescue bike arrived, fortunately with cell phone coverage in an unlikely area, we were able to direct them about a half mile to the north off the course and up through rough country. After a bit of searching, the bike was found, stripped and stashed in an arroyo and covered partially with brush.

Thanks to SPOT we were able to retrieve the bike albeit that our race day was toast. Maybe next year, but for sure with a SPOT.
 
Much to my surprise, SPOT takes "AA" batteries. This is a very good choice, IMHO, and makes it more likely that I will get one of these instead of a PLB.

TODR
 
Seems like a no brainer to me. I just put in on my Christmas list. It is a much better/safer investment than an ELT.
 
I've had mine for about a week. Works as advertised up here in Illinois. Going overseas next week and look forward to sending "check-in's" to the family at home. (Where's Waldo?)
 
What are you talking about?

Apparently I missed the original post and this SPOT thing sounds good, but I didn't find a reference to it in a search of the archives. How about a link?

Richard Scott
RV-9A Fuselage
 
Can the people who are using Spot let us know where on the aircraft they are putting the spot device, where not to put it, and any mounting ideas?

I would be interested in a group buy. The spot web site indicates there is coverage in Australia.

John Russell
Melbourne
Australia
 
just behind my head

I clipped it to the shoulder harness belt just behind my head. Would have clipped it on the lip of the dash, but the clip wasn't big enough to go over the molding.
 
rjtjrt said:
Can the people who are using Spot let us know where on the aircraft they are putting the spot device, where not to put it, and any mounting ideas?
I would be interested in a group buy. The spot web site indicates there is coverage in Australia.
John Russell
Melbourne
Australia
Click to expand...

John, I just clip it anywhere that can 'see' the sky. Top of the dash, top strap of the shoulder harness, up on the dash in the car, on my belt walking, etc....
 
Always read to the end..

Now that I get to the end of the thread I hear about a group buy. I just ordered one this afternoon..
Oh well, I think it will be worth having for those of us that do alot of traveling by air.
 
Hmmmmm........

A group buy might just be the "tipping point" that would get me interested.:cool: Especially if the subscription price would come down a bit.:rolleyes:
 
SPOT

I bought mine at www.mypilotstore.com for the usual $150 with free shipping. I tried it out in the airplane yesterday and it worked great. It showed the location on the runway within feet. When you sign up for service you get the option for $100,000 worth of commercial Search and Rescue services for $8 a year. I opted for that since I'm considering another trip to Baja this year. As you may know there is no such thing as SAR in Mexico so the $8 may be well spent. Beware, you have to take this option at sign up your SPOT or the price goes way up.
 
For any non US people considering this I emailed the Spot organization to ask if they supported non US registration of Spot-1 units. This is there reply.

"Hi,
We plan to have SPOT activations available for international customers early next year.

SPOT Customer Service
866-OK1-SPOT
www.findmespot.com"

John Russell
 
Does is show vertical tracks for altitude too?

If not, I'm curious to know how others are getting the google map tracks showing their flight path across ground and also around terrain.

Phil
 
Got mine for Christmas

Well, today my wife gave me one of these. She didn't wait for a group buy (because I didn't mention that to her) so I got to play with it today.

The Check-in feature works well and I can see the lat/long on the map on the www.findmespot.com website after I log in.

However, I am unable to verify the tracking feature today, so far. I assume it works but I don't know where to go on Google maps to see my travel. Can anyone with experience with this SPOT fill me in? Neither website or the literature in the box tell me what to do.

Thanks,
 
Just saw a TV commercial for SPOT. The SPOT spot (b'dump-bump-clang) featured Les Stroud of the TV show "Survivorman" (great show, by the way).
 
Seeing your tracks

keithschult said:
However, I am unable to verify the tracking feature today, so far. I assume it works but I don't know where to go on Google maps to see my travel. Can anyone with experience with this SPOT fill me in? Neither website or the literature in the box tell me what to do.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Keith:

To see the tracking mode you must log in to the SPOT website (findmespot.com) and then look in the message section. There you can check as many boxes as you like to view position over time (the boxes have a UTC time next to them). Once checked you can then view the positions via the link given. You'll have options for viewing on a basic map or a Google Earth overlay.

(NOTE: Tracking points are not automatically e-mailed to other people like the single position track or help message. So if you want another person to follow your track you'll have to give them your log-on user name and password.)

Chris
 
Which Service

Hi All,

Which service are you using? The basic service is $99.99 and the additional tracking service is $49.99 more. Can you add the tracking service at a later date?

Thanks,
Tom RV-7A N175TJ
 
tacaruth said:
Hi All,

Which service are you using? The basic service is $99.99 and the additional tracking service is $49.99 more. Can you add the tracking service at a later date?

Thanks,
Tom RV-7A N175TJ
Click to expand...

I got the basic service and the tracking service. I figured the tracking service would kind of give a plot and data points in case something happened and SPOT couldn't transmit after a crash. The tracking feature also allows others to track your progress.
 
Subscription cost

The $100 a year seems pretty steep for what is essentially a PLB that can be used all the time.

Don't get me wrong, nice product but the ongoing cost was a bit much for me...So I plunked down $500 for a PLB.

Of course in 4 years (the approximate break even point) we may all be moving to a new technology anyway.

Either way, $500 to have folks be able to find you in 99.9% of crashes has to be a good thing.

Frank
 
I bought one (or actually requested it for X-mas) for the peace of mind of my wife and inlaws. To be able to see the progress on google or fur us to send a "I'm ok" signal out would mean worlds to the inlaws since I carry precious cargo (my wife and little girl).
 
SPOT Review

After flying with Keith Schult this week I can really see the value of the "check in" button; he was able to keep his wife well-informed on our run down to Houston-Dallas and return. Obviously, you can't do that with the PLB.

I found a review of the SPOT unit on Doug Ritter's "Equipped to Survive" website:

http://www.equipped.org/SPOT_ORSummer2007.htm

There are some potential cons to the SPOT system as outlined in Doug Ritter's article, but it still looks like a viable alternative to a PLB, particularly if you want to keep your family informed.

FWIW, Doug Ritter's site is supported by donations to a non-profit 501(c)(3) "Equipped To Survive Foundation." It's a good source of independent survival product reviews. The site contains a wealth of information on other suvival products including life rafts, flotation devices, survival kits, knives, etc.
 
User Report

I tested my new Spot the other day in my rv7. A bit of Velcro kept it nicely on the glare shield. It worked perfectly, exactly as described. I used tracking mode where ever 10 minutes it posts your position on a web site. The only minor fault is that if you are doing a local flight in a 200 mph airplane, you know, just goofing off, you can cover so much distance in 10 minutes and in a variety of directions it may be hard to track where you really are. If you are on a cross country and fly a steady course it should help a lot pin pointing where you most likely are if ever needed. For local flights, the "i'm OK location" marker is probably better than the 10 minute tracking feature. I think this is a great safety device that also keeps relatives assured you are OK! ...and it is Cheap!
John Adams
 
RV7AV8R said:
.... I think this is a great safety device that also keeps relatives assured you are OK! ...and it is Cheap!
John Adams
Click to expand...

Amen, brother. I've had mine since late November and have developed the habit of pressing the check in button before I leave and wherever I land including back at home base. This accomplishes two things: 1) it tells me the device is working properly (I message my cell phone and home computer), and 2) let's my family know I've been out flying and where. I think the habit of doing this may pay off someday in case they don't see the return message from home base.

In my opinion, it's a great safety device at a reasonable cost. How many items have you bought for your RV that are cheaper? Not many I bet.

Chris
 
Just ordered one

We're going to be taking some long cross country trips in the -8 this year and was thinking about a PRB, but I like this better because people can track us. Have not decided yet which servies to sign up for. I'll figure that out when it gets here.

Some upcoming trips -

April - Dekalb, IL to Florida for Sun-n-Fun, then to Virginia Beach to visit my USN son, then home
May - Dekalb to Texas for a RV event then to Georgetown, Cotulla, and Garden City TX to visit inlaws, then home
 
I just bought a SPOT and got it working as advertized. I just went with the basic check in service and not the tracking. I figure I'll just check in several times a CC flight and the direction of travel will be logged in with GPS coordinates & Google maps. I really just wanted it for the 911 feature to send the calvery in the event of an emergency.
 
We just got one

Seems to work as advertised. We fly, we kayak, we hike, we mountain bike. We'll use it for all that.

I consider $99 a year to be virtually free considering the emergency use potential.

We have the "help" button set up with parents and kids, and will only use it if a rescue of some sort is needed. We'll hit 911 as well, but I trust family more than the people running that service.

"OK" button set with the same family members and we'll use that to keep them updated on our whereabouts.
 
spot info

I bought a spot because it is one of the neatest gadgets I've seen. After using it a couple of times I discovered some quirks, however. The one I don't like is that you can't send an OK message while in tracking mode. For anybody to track you live you must give them access to your account ID and password. The account data base has personal info. That person also may make changes just as if he/she were you. It's ok if its a very trusted party.
 
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