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SPOT 3 tracker....anyone got a pirep?

flyboy1963

Well Known Member
So don't tell me I accidentally found out about this???? before it appeared on this forum? :eek:

looks like they almost got it right....2 minute tracking interval, and some other improvements. $161 at ACS.

...anyone else have some feedback? better deals, rebates etc.?


( looks like my procrastination worked...again....not buying a SPOT 2 yet!)

perhaps this should be moved to another forum - GPS? APRS???
 
Definite thumbs up

Yes, we've been beta-testing the Spot III unit and it is a definite and major improvement. I, personally, haven't had much chance to use it yet but the short intervals, much more intuitive button-ology (at least than the original), and smaller size makes it a really nice unit. The shorter intervals make the data much more meaningful in the RV environment. It now live in Tsamsiyu (RV-3) and poor Tsam hasn't flown for a week or two due to our currently hectic lives so we don't have a current track log to show. I expect there will be a product report in Kitplanes some times soon.:)
 
I bought an original SPOT and found that the user interface made it nearly useless. When the SPOT Messenger with its Blutooth interface to the iphone came out I thought it would fix all of my woes. I bought one. The SPOT Messenger user interface was also bad, and the Blutooth pairing had to be reset everytime the unit was powered up. Promised firmware upgrades never fixed that issue, and shortly the unit quit accepting updates at all. Their technical support was next to useless.

In summary, I have found their hardware to be OK, but their software/user interface to be total junk to the point of making the hardware useless.

Maybe they have fixed it for the latest version, but I'm not going to give them the chance to fool me a third time. Your mileage may vary.

Guy
 
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SPOT 3

I recently saw an ad for the SPOT 3 as well. I have the 2nd generation and use it every flight.

I like the idea of 2 minute intervals. 10 minutes is too long at RV speeds.

I saw mention of the 3 that said it has a "special feature" that shuts it off after a time sensing no motion, to save battery life. The thing is, when it stops moving is when I'd really like it to be pinging my location. It would probably get out several pings before shutting down (don't know what the delay is), but it made me think.
 
...will there be the usual free demo???

a year or two ago, they were handing out a couple hundred of these at Oshkosh, and a COPA convention here, for FREE.....of course, you had to sign up for the basic subscription, and tracking I think, so they made back their $150 instantly. ( remind you of a cel phone plan much?)

If they are tossing these around at OSH, please grab on for me, ok!? :D

another data point, with the new form factor, you STILL can't see the lights flashing if it's on your dash, as the LED's and button are all flush with the top surface.
(I think I'll try to glue a small wedge of clear plexi on top so some light is refracted toward me.)

any other ideas?
 
I just ordered mine a couple days ago. Of course it is backordered, so I'm waiting until the first week of July, according to Spruce's website.

Anyone want to buy a Spot 2 ?
 
ok Craig, you're our Pirep guy!

I just ordered mine a couple days ago. Of course it is backordered, so I'm waiting until the first week of July, according to Spruce's website.

Anyone want to buy a Spot 2 ?

...yeah, so my Spot 1 is now worth.......zero??? too bad a guy couldn't just keep it in the glovebox of the car, for emergencies ONLY.....without the annual subscription (or have multiple devices on one plan!??!)

hello SPOT...are you listening????
 
I've been using the original Spot since the first time they handed them out at Oshkosh....maybe 5 years ago? It has a significant learning curve but I learned to use it effectively and we continue to pay for our subscription for the original unit that mostly resides in Mikey. Certainly not "junk" but it had room for lots of improvement.

Spot donated the second version for the RV-1 tour and it was better, but the several of the guys who hadn't used it before didn't get it "right" when they flew the plane. They were understandably focussing their learning elsewhere. There was still room for improvement.

The little time that I've had an opportunity to use or watch the track of the Spot 3, I think they have nailed it. Like all the trackers, there are pros and cons.

PROS:

  • It has the capacity for a useful interval of bings (yes, 10 minutes was frustrating for aircraft)

    It is very intuitive and doesn't require much of a learning curve

    It's very small and fits in the -3 more comfortably (I have it mounted with velcro on the top skin, right behind my head). (I'm not sure why one would want to watch the flashing light on the newer units. Set it before TO and let it go.

    No ham license (or creative interpretation of the FCC regs) needed

    I can easily pull it out for driving trips (the relatives like to track us) or hiking trips

    It turns off after awhile when stationary (I don't remember how long, but long enough).

    It seems to (and should) work everywhere in the air with no "dead" zones

    Compared to a PLB, it provides a track before you get in trouble and doesn't require an active action to turn it on when trouble happens

    It is certainly cheaper than a PLB

CONS
  • There is a subscription price for as long as you use it. So, you keep paying and paying.

    I think even the new one requires a new lithium battery once in awhile with no accomodation to have ship's power (if that's a bad thing).I replace my original Spot's battery about once a year or so and use is several times a week, on average

I'm sure advocates for the other tracking/emergency systems can come up with more cons.
 
I also bought an original Spot at Oshkosh when they first came out. I got used to it very quickly.

I bought the Spot 2 when it was released and have been using it since. It is leaps better than the first, but still has its downsides. My main gripe is the buttons are hard to press with my fat fingers and the light is built into the button so you can't see if it's activated while you're pushing it.

The coverage has been very reliable since day 1. My family likes that I let them know when I've landed somewhere and if they're bored enough to watch my track, they can do so. The $149/yr is very cheap peace of mind for me and then.

I also have a PLB in my flight bag always. When I'm flying over mountains I wear it around my neck. Just one more tool in my arsenal.
 
I've been using the original Spot since the first time they handed them out at Oshkosh....maybe 5 years ago? It has a significant learning curve but I learned to use it effectively and we continue to pay for our subscription for the original unit that mostly resides in Mikey. Certainly not "junk" but it had room for lots of improvement.

The same with ours. It belongs to a friend now, but it was extremely worthwhile, as we fly a lot of mountain country. I constantly checked my SPOT, as well as the same model owned by another RV pilot, for that 10 minute accuracy. It was very rare to miss a ten minute "beep". We even accidently activated the SPOT's emegency button, when my wife set her headphones on it, after pulling up to the hangar. I got a response from SPOT, before even climbing out of the aircraft. Needless, to say, with all of this rugged area out here in the mountain west............we'd never fly without it.

L.Adamson
 
I bought one of the original SPOT trackers very early in the program. Actually a couple of months or so before they announced that they would be giving them away for free at Oshkosh that year.:( 2005 or 2006 maybe?

I use it every flight and am satisfied with it. I think it is pretty much useless as a device to send a personal message, but it works fine as a tracker and a means of notifying SAR to start looking for me if I have a problem. Part of my normal briefing to front seat pax is how to switch the 406 ELT to on, and how to push the "911" button on the SPOT. The annual fee for tracking and SAR is cheap insurance in my opinion.
 
gee, lots of feedback eh?

PROS:

  • It has the capacity for a useful interval of bings (yes, 10 minutes was frustrating for aircraft)
    (I'm not sure why one would want to watch the flashing light on the newer units. Set it before TO and let it go.
    LOUISE: I REFER TO THE NEED TO SEE IF YOU HAVE IT IN TRACK MODE; CAN TAKE UP TO 10 MINUTES TO INITIALIZE, both lights are flashing etc.

    CONS
    • There is a subscription price for as long as you use it. So, you keep paying and paying.

      I think even the new one requires a new lithium battery once in awhile with no accommodation to have ship's power

  • apparently the USB connection will power, but not charge, the unit.

    thanks for the pirep....if I'm gonna pay $150 a year, yup, might as well be the new one with useful tracking, and maybe easier for the pax to use.
 
Phil,
I don't think you will have to worry about checking if the Spot 3 is in tracking mode once you get it started. This was a problem and pain with the original one, however.
 
I had been meaning to comment on this thread all week, but have been so busy....I grabbed onto the 3 when SPOT asked us to try it out, and have probably used it more than she has, since I had it out west with me in March. Not only have I flown with it, but I have hiked and biked with it as well.

As Louise said, we have been using SPOT since the first ones were handed out at OSH. We got one of those free, but have been paying the annual fees every year since we find it very useful for me to track Louise - it helps to know when she is headed home and I should start dinner!

The 3 has definitely fixed many of the annoyances from the 1 and 2 - the buttons are so much easier and intuitive to use, and far better for fat fingers. your finger no longer covers up the indicator light. Yes, the unit goes to sleep when it hasn't moved for some period of time, then wakes back up when you get going again. This is nice for normal operations, and I see how it might be a concern from a SAR point of view, but a little logic on someone's part should see that if the unit is stationary off-airport for long, there might be a problem...

The smaller intervals are great, but you do pay more for them - the unit is configured for the intervals you want through the PC and internet when you sign up. I suspect you can change it, but am not sure how their subscription will work for this.

Now that we are operating more and more out west, and I am traveling more for my retirement job, I think we'll stay SPOT customers and keep up or subscriptions - it is nice to know where each of us is!

Paul
 
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