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Free SPOT to EAA'ers at Oshkosh

Thanks Brad!

Wow, thanks Brad! I've almost ordered one a couple times recently. I'm glad I waited. I pre-registered on their website. I just wish I didn't have to wait until Oshkosh to get it!
 
The future?

I was not sure of these active big brother keep track of you devices.

Now I think of it, in many ways active tracking is better than ELT. ELT does not work until G's (crash). Some times the violence of that crash can disable the ELT. Not saying SPOT is the best or better than other service but what a good idea for adjunct to ELT. If billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett had this, they would have found him? May be?
 
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I have been using a SPOT and Steve Fossett was very much on my mind when I bought it. I don't think there's anything better out there for flying over remote terrain.
 
FREE SPOT at Airventure

Didn't want to hi-jack Tom Martin's thread, but as he said, Spot is giving out free Spot's at Airventure. I called Spot and they are giving out between 5,000 and 10,000 units, FREE!! The catch is you have to sign up for the service on the spot! (no pun intended). Here's the web link to the free Spot: http://www.findmespot.com/eaa.aspx

The best thing is you can reserve your free spot so that there will still be a free one there when you arrive.

What you can't do is take more than one to give to friends who couln't make it due to the fact that you have to sign up for the service right there.
 
This is the 4th or 5th thread about the free Spot's at OSH (Oshkosh, WI. USA 7-28 thru 8-3).

I just bought mine and you guys are trying to rub it in right? :mad:
 
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yearly subscription?

This part is confusing me:

2) SUBSCRIBE AND PAY FOR TWELVE (12) MONTHS OF THE BASIC SATELLITE SERVICE AND TWELVE (12) MONTHS OF THE TRACK PROGRESS SERVICE AT REGULAR PRICES (CURRENTLY $149.98)
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The $150 price is per year right?
 
I signed up online, even though I would prefer to go the APRS route.

I do like that I can get this and send it with family when they are traveling.
 
morlino said:
This part is confusing me:




The $150 price is per year right?
Click to expand...

That is correct.

The basic price is the emergency stuff, and the button activated reporting. I think the additional service is the automatic position reporting feature
 
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tobinbasford said:
<snip>...What you can't do is take more than one to give to friends who couln't make it due to the fact that you have to sign up for the service right there.
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I'm not sure this is exactly true Tobin. If you check the "Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the SPOT page, it says, "ADDITIONAL SPOT SATELLITE MESSENGERS MAY BE OBTAINED FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY PROVIDED THAT AN ADDITIONAL SERVICE SUBCRIPTION IS PURCHASED FOR EACH SUCH ADDITIONAL MESSENGER."

This appears to indicate that you can 'take' one for a friend IF you pay for the subscription to go with it right there and then. I'm hoping this is the case so I can get one even though I can't attend this year :) Rosie
 
Free Spot receiver at Oshkosh?

According to AvWebFlash:

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/1171-full.html

"If you're an EAA member, Spot International has a deal for you. At EAA AirVenture this week, the company is giving away free satellite messenger units, a $169.99 value. So what's the catch? They'll ask you to sign up for at least one year of locating service, which costs $99 for basic service and an additional $49 for tracking. A Spot works by plotting its position via GPS, then reporting or messaging that data through a separate low-altitude satellite system that then forwards the data to a web-based network that can be accessed by others."
 
Not really a catch. Thats exactly how it was reported in Sport Aviation.

If you want deal, check out Sam Buchanan's article in Kitplanes magazine. Very cool GPS tracking for free. (Almost free anyway.)
 
Spot at Osh

I picked mine up today. It's already activated and I've tested it. Very cool!
I'll try to find out tomorrow if it's possible to get one for people who aren't here. I had to give them my credit card, so I'm not sure. I'll let you know tomorrow evening.
 
Craig, if you can I'd like to get in on that deal, too. I'm going to be in the Stockton area soon, too, so you wouldn't have to ship it.
 
craigvince said:
I'll try to find out tomorrow if it's possible to get one for people who aren't here. I had to give them my credit card, so I'm not sure. I'll let you know tomorrow evening.
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Craig, I'd also be very interested in what you find out. I signed up for a SPOT online, but now can't get there (gotta keep workin' on de plane while the local support is available to complete the panel). Can provide payment and shipping info to them if they are willing to give the deal in absentia and ship. I'm in Reno and could also pick it up if you decide you want to bring a crate of them back (but hesitate to ask you to do so...you may get a lot of requests like that, and I'm sure you'll have many goodies to cart home!) :)

Thanks for any info you can dig up!

Cheers,
Bob Mills
RV-6 "Rocket Six"
N600SS
Reno-Stead (4SD)
 
OK.... If you can't make it to Oshkosh, ...

I had dinner tonight with one of the SPOT guys. He said that if I have names and credit card numbers, etc of you guys who want SPOTs, he'd let me pick them up for you. They do have a post office right here on the field, so anyone who wants one can call me and I'll make arrangements for you. Please do NOT email me, since I can only check my emails at night. Call me between 8am and 5pm, CENTRAL TIME only please. I will be in my booth, and can go over each day and pick your up for you. I will not be able to bring any back home with me, unless you don't care about the box and packing materials. If you want that stuff, I'll ship it to you from Oshkosh, in a Priority Mail box. We'll discuss when you call.

Hopefully I haven't opened a can of worms with this, but I think I'll be able to accommodate you guys who can't make it in person.

Craig Vincent
209-609-6730 (cell)
 
Actually, Craig, someone here has decided to leave tomorrow for Oshkosh and will get mine for me. Thanks for getting the info, though.
 
You da man!

Thanks very much Craig! Will call you tomorrow, really appreciate it!

Cheers,
Bob
 
GOT MY SPOT

Tuesday, but couldn't get it to initialize. Went to the booth and they exchanged the unit without hassle. My advice is to activate it right away (at the show if possible) to make sure it works...

Still can't get the tracking to work (web page problem). Probably me.
 
SPOT ISSUES

Ok, got my spot, tried x2 in osh to activate and now at home. No go, says my unit is assigned to someone else. Go through all the registration, punch in the esn # and auth # and promo code they gave me with spot and always "assigned to another user"
So, today, i email the customer care email and it bounces back saying their direct link to email support is "unknown, or not accepting mail"

Hmmmm. The orange box looks cool but this is royal pita so far.

Tomorrow or monday i will spend some quality time with the phone and see what they can do.
 
Thanks to Craig!

Hey, just wanted to post a quick public thank you to Craig Vincent for taking the time to hike over to the OSH SPOT booth, give me a call, and put me on the line with the SPOT rep. They signed me up and gave Craig the (free) unit, after which he then took the time to do another hike and mail it to me! We've not met outside the forum, and he did it all like an old bud! Thanks very much Craig!

I'll pay that back and pay it forward at the earliest opportunity! :D

Hope the "dogs" aren't too tired after adding these two hikes to your OSH mileage! Thanks again!

Cheers,
Bob
 
Have we been bamboozled?

RickWoodall said:
Ok, got my spot, tried x2 in osh to activate and now at home. No go, says my unit is assigned to someone else. Go through all the registration, punch in the esn # and auth # and promo code they gave me with spot and always "assigned to another user"
So, today, i email the customer care email and it bounces back saying their direct link to email support is "unknown, or not accepting mail"

Hmmmm. The orange box looks cool but this is royal pita so far.

Tomorrow or monday i will spend some quality time with the phone and see what they can do.
Click to expand...

"Bamboozled" don't see that word much any more! To the point though, I activated using my promo code but the activation page wanted a credit card. Now I have been double billed. I wrote them an email a few minutes ago so no answer yet (if ever). We may not be working with people of great integrity here! I hope that we are though.
 
...had this email in my box when I woke this morning. They'll make it good.

"The promo code sets your balance to zero. SPOT asks for your credit card for subsequent year's billing. You may cancel the next year if you wish. Check your credit card to see if you have been charged twice, if so call customer care and you will be credited. If you have any problems call me at 519.472.4018 and I will personally get it sorted out.
Regards,
Greg Wilkinson"​
 
Glad to hear that. My spot buyer flew back last night, it should be in my hands today and I intend to try it on a low level 'flight' by pickup truck to CA this week. By the way, another thanks to Craig for posting the info and offering to buy for others.
 
Don't be too quick to judge

gvgoff99 said:
"I wrote them an email a few minutes ago so no answer yet (if ever). We may not be working with people of great integrity here! I hope that we are though.
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A little harsh, I think, since you just emailed them a few minutes ago, and they're at Oshkosh so their "back home" staff is probably limited. From what I saw of their booth and from talking with the guys here at OSH, they're not a little fly-by-night company. They're in it for the long haul, and if they did double-bill you, they'll fix it.

When I activated mine, I too had to enter a credit card. As Doug said, it's only for recurrent billing, and I opted for the Search and Rescue coverage, so my card was billed $7.95 (or whatever it was).

For those of you who have had difficulty activating and setting up your SPOT, I can say that their instructions aren't the most intuitive. There is certainly room for improvement. Trial and error got me through most of it. I will offer this tip: BEFORE you go online to activate it, turn it on and leave it set outside for 20-30 minutes so it can get it's base-line fix on the GPS satellites. When you setup your contact lists online, ONLY put in your email address and cell phone number. After you've done all the testing and playing around that you're going to do, then put in your relatives/boss/whoever. My better-half freaked out after I tested the "HELP" button! :eek:

I hope this helps.
 
Rosie said:
I'm not sure this is exactly true Tobin. If you check the "Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the SPOT page, it says, "ADDITIONAL SPOT SATELLITE MESSENGERS MAY BE OBTAINED FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY PROVIDED THAT AN ADDITIONAL SERVICE SUBCRIPTION IS PURCHASED FOR EACH SUCH ADDITIONAL MESSENGER."

This appears to indicate that you can 'take' one for a friend IF you pay for the subscription to go with it right there and then. I'm hoping this is the case so I can get one even though I can't attend this year :) Rosie
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Rosie,

I got one of these at OSH and the way they worked it was like you stated, only simpler. Once they had removed the money from the customers pocket and put it into their own a "Spot" was handed over to the customer. On top of the box that the Spot comes in there was a redemption code that can be used by anybody to activate that particular unit into any customer name. What really appeared to be happening is that we purchased the unit and got a free service even though it was marketed otherwise. Regardless I'm happy with mine.

Last night I was online looking at the setup options on Spot's site and there is a place to enter personal information on anybody that might be using my tracker. This allows any medical or personal information that might be helpful to be known and taken into consideration in case of any rescue actions. That was a nice thing to see that if I choose to loan this thing out and it is actualy used we won't be paying some kind of fees or fines.
 
Not Bamboozled!

DeltaRomeo said:
...had this email in my box when I woke this morning. They'll make it good.

"The promo code sets your balance to zero. SPOT asks for your credit card for subsequent year's billing. You may cancel the next year if you wish. Check your credit card to see if you have been charged twice, if so call customer care and you will be credited. If you have any problems call me at 519.472.4018 and I will personally get it sorted out.
Regards,
Greg Wilkinson"​
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DR, Thanks! I know that I will get my $ double bill credited. The businesses that advertise on your site seem to be of top integrity. Thanks for being in touch with them so that info gets to us fast and accurately.
PS: Nice to meet you at OSH.
 
Couldn't make it to OSH

I emailed the folks at SPOT a week or so before Airventure to see if I could still get in on this even if I'm not at Oshkosh. They said they couldn't do it unless I was at Oshkosh but that possibly in September they would have it available. I'm keeping my eyes open.

Bill Near
RV-7A flying
 
"SPOT On"

Today I received the SPOT Craig helped me arrange while he was at OSH (and he then mailed to me, along with a few OSH goodies...thanks again Craig!)

The set up went as advertised above (including the promo code setting the balance owed to zero...just don't forget to hit the "APPLY Promo" button before hitting the "Submit" button). Took about 30 minutes on the computer. Just wanted to send a positive "PIREP", and hope the others get the bugs worked through...sounds like they are very helpful folks!

Did two successful "OK/Check-Ins", and set it to track, with the SPOT on the corner of my pickup bed rail out front. The first track hit is actually in almost the exact spot on the driveway that the unit is at, when the satellite photo is zoomed in. The others are within 20-30 feet. Pretty impressive!

Thanks again for the gouge on SPOT. In the local Sheriff's Volunteer Search and Rescue Air Squadron I'm in, we now have an RV-9A with an APRS and an RV-6 with a SPOT. Down the road we'll be running some side by side tests to see how the units compare in the badlands of northern Washoe County...not for bragging rights, but to test multiple tools to assist emergency responders reach those in need. Pretty cool technology in both cases!

Thanks again very much!

Cheers,
Bob
 
rvmills said:
Today I received the SPOT Craig helped me arrange while he was at OSH (and he then mailed to me, along with a few OSH goodies...thanks again Craig!)

The set up went as advertised above (including the promo code setting the balance owed to zero...just don't forget to hit the "APPLY Promo" button before hitting the "Submit" button). Took about 30 minutes on the computer. Just wanted to send a positive "PIREP", and hope the others get the bugs worked through...sounds like they are very helpful folks!
Click to expand...

A follow up.....I got a PM from Greg Wilkinson and I obviously was wrong (and my wife didn't even have to tell me!). Greg is involved with his customers and has given me a phone # to call him in the event I have any difficulty with the double billing. I most likely did not hit the "Apply Promo" button and created the problem. I assure you that this is the first time that has ever happened to me!;)
 
I love mine

I picked up a SPOT for a friend and he activated with no problem and is up and running.
I pulled up my travels over the last couple weeks and mapped them on Goolge Earth. Pretty neat what these little black and orange boxed and the RV's they are wrapped in can do!

2733943760_26f1cc52da.jpg
 
Good Service

I admit i was grumpy when my new toy didnt work and their email support in Canada was TU. But a call today was quickly answered and the very polite lady was quick to get me up and running.

I "checked in" with my kids over the net all day while i ran errands. Amazing what is available.

Great product and good service to back it up so far.
 
activate spot HELP

when asked for serial number, put it in EXACTLY like you see it. I omitted the dash for about an hour before i figured it out...
jeff h
austin tx
 
i didnt make it to OSH, so i thought i would take a chance and email them and tell them i was interested (and an EAA member) and if they would extend the offer to me.

they said yes!!

and any of you can do it up to the end of the month....

just thought you might like to know!!

Jeff
 
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