Impressions of the Spot unit after a month

[Louise Hose]

I?ve had a Spot for about a month now and the folks at Spot sent a request that I participate in an on-line survey. I did. It was multiple choice and I answered the best I could. But, to my frustration, they didn?t allow a ?comments? area. So, when I said I wasn?t sure that I would renew my subscription and that I was only moderately satisfied with the product, I couldn?t explain to them what my real issues are with the unit. I had to check one box from choices they determined. So, I'm posting here a more thorough review of the unit after about a month of use.

I've mostly been using the Spot to keep Paul informed on my RV commutes to/from work. I power it up and hit the "send message" key as soon as I open the canopy. Then, I do my pre-flight and taxi. Generally, at the end of the run-up (just before calling the tower at the controlled field), I turn the unit off (to stop the message send out mode), then turn it on and initiate the tracking mode for the flight. This procedure allows Paul to receive a positive message through his Blackberry that I am at the airport and pre-flighting, then he can track my progress. If he is not at the arrival end, I turn off the tracking mode, wait about a minute, then send another message. I proceed to unload the plane and either tie it down or push it into the hanger, then turn off the Spot. This procedure seems to work pretty well and last night I was greeted with a cold drink before leaving the cockpit.

So, using the Spot is working out BUT there are several things I would like to see different for aviation. The Spot is clearly designed for slower moving activities, like hiking, and I?m really looking forward to trying it out on hikes and while cycling. (Distractions like our wedding and Hurricane Ike have mostly pushed those activities aside during the last month.) I wish I had carried a unit when I trained to race road bicycles. It looks like a fabulous tool for the solo cyclist!

I might preface this RV-focused review by saying that I do not feel an expert on the unit, so please correct/advise me if I just haven't learned about some "hidden" features.

1. It is almost unforgivable to me that there is no way to distinguish between ?send message? and ?track? modes after initiation. Both do the simultaneous green light flash. Surely there is an easy software fix for this issue. Maybe "send message" could have a double-blink on the message/track light and "tracking" could have a single blink.

2. You just shouldn't have to turn the unit off to cancel the "send message" mode. Again, I would think there would be an easy software fix for this problem.

3. The unit absolutely does NOT "Take the search out of search and rescue" when dealing with RVs unless the pilot/passenger is able to get a 911 or Help message out successfully. The best that the tracking will do is show which radar track was yours before you went down. The radar records will provide more precise information on the location. My unit pretty faithfully sends out every 9-12 minutes. But, I cover about 35nm in that time. That kind of precision provides little, if any, effective help unless the plane was too low for radar returns for an extended time before going down. I would be much more sold on the Spot in an RV if I could set the send-out interval. Ten minutes is fine for driving a car to the relatives (it's really only a toy, IMHO, for that mission) and hiking. But, I would want the tracking more like every minute or two in an RV if I thought it would help in a search of a downed plane. Even for our "mission" of starting dinner or bringing out the beer, an interval more like 4-5 minutes would be more useful. To be fair, when you look at their web site and advertising, their original market was the Outdoors crowd, and we are trying to use it beyond that original scope.

4. This one might be my ineptness....I haven't found a way to erase old tracks from the website. Since most of my flights are commuting these days, the track back-and-forth is very cluttered. If we can't clean it up when we, the users, want to do so, then that should be "fixed". If we can, maybe there could be clearer instructions on the process. (Love to hear from someone who has figured out how.)

I?m enjoying the use of the unit, and it has proved handy, but I?m not really sold on it yet for aviation. I could always use the cell phone to let someone know when I depart and arrive, as I used to do. The tracking is sorta fun, but not precise enough to really provide much value. The Help feature would only be useful in the rare locations (these days) that the cell phone didn?t work and there was no other phone available where you landed. The 911 feature certainly could save your bacon, but I?m pretty sure that I would prefer a PLB with no subscription fee and NOAA behind it. We?ve paid for a year Spot subscription and will continue to use the unit for that time. Maybe some of these issue will be addressed by that time and make the value clearer. And, it?s likely that we will be able to get out hiking, cycling, and doing other activities where it seems more suited over the next year. If not, I?m just not sure I find enough value in an RV for the subscription cost.

[gasman]

Louise,
Go to MESSAGES page....... at the bottom you can clk "tell us what you think" then just paste your post there.............. I am with you on this!!!

[rvator51]

Hi Louise,
You are SPOT on in your summary!

[Louise Hose]

Originally Posted by gasman

Louise,
Go to MESSAGES page....... at the bottom you can clk "tell us what you think" then just paste your post there.............. I am with you on this!!!

Good suggestion. I just sent it onto them.

[catmandu]

Originally Posted by Louise Hose

4. This one might be my ineptness....I haven't found a way to erase old tracks from the website. Since most of my flights are commuting these days, the track back-and-forth is very cluttered. If we can't clean it up when we, the users, want to do so, then that should be "fixed". If we can, maybe there could be clearer instructions on the process. (Love to hear from someone who has figured out how.)

We currently use SPOT trackers for traffic flights up here in your old "swingin' single" haunts (DC). This exact issue was of immediate concern (as we do 2 or 3 flights per day per device over the same basic route) and we are told a user selectable 'declutter' mode for the tracks is expected shortly. What 'shortly' means in the programming world, I don't know . . .

[gasman]

Originally Posted by Louise Hose

I’ve had a Spot for about a month now and the folks at Spot sent a request that I participate in an on-line survey.


I've mostly been using the Spot to keep Paul informed on my RV commutes to/from work. I power it up and hit the "send message" key as soon as I open the canopy. Then, I do my pre-flight and taxi. Generally, at the end of the run-up (just before calling the tower at the controlled field), I turn the unit off (to stop the message send out mode), then turn it on and initiate the tracking mode for the flight. This procedure allows Paul to receive a positive message through his Blackberry that I am at the airport and pre-flighting, then he can track my progress. If he is not at the arrival end, I turn off the tracking mode, wait about a minute, then send another message. I proceed to unload the plane and either tie it down or push it into the hanger, then turn off the Spot. This procedure seems to work pretty well and last night I was greeted with a cold drink before leaving the cockpit.

So, using the Spot is working out BUT there are several things I would like to see different for aviation. The Spot is clearly designed for slower moving activities, like hiking, and I’m really looking forward to trying it out on hikes and while cycling. (Distractions like our wedding and Hurricane Ike have mostly pushed those activities aside during the last month.) I wish I had carried a unit when I trained to race road bicycles. It looks like a fabulous tool for the solo cyclist!

1. It is almost unforgivable to me that there is no way to distinguish between “send message” and “track” modes after initiation. Both do the simultaneous green light flash. Surely there is an easy software fix for this issue. Maybe "send message" could have a double-blink on the message/track light and "tracking" could have a single blink.

2. You just shouldn't have to turn the unit off to cancel the "send message" mode. Again, I would think there would be an easy software fix for this problem.

3. The unit absolutely does NOT "Take the search out of search and rescue" when dealing with RVs unless the pilot/passenger is able to get a 911 or Help message out successfully. The best that the tracking will do is show which radar track was yours before you went down. The radar records will provide more precise information on the location. My unit pretty faithfully sends out every 9-12 minutes. But, I cover about 35nm in that time. That kind of precision provides little, if any, effective help unless the plane was too low for radar returns for an extended time before going down.

Even for our "mission" of starting dinner or bringing out the beer, an interval more like 4-5 minutes would be more useful. To be fair, when you look at their web site and advertising, their original market was the Outdoors crowd, and we are trying to use it beyond that original scope.

4. This one might be my ineptness....I haven't found a way to erase old tracks from the website. Since most of my flights are commuting these days, the track back-and-forth is very cluttered. If we can't clean it up when we, the users, want to do so, then that should be "fixed". If we can, maybe there could be clearer instructions on the process. (Love to hear from someone who has figured out how.)

I’m enjoying the use of the unit, and it has proved handy, but I’m not really sold on it yet for aviation. I could always use the cell phone to let someone know when I depart and arrive, as I used to do. The tracking is sorta fun, but not precise enough to really provide much value. The Help feature would only be useful in the rare locations (these days) that the cell phone didn’t work and there was no other phone available where you landed. The 911 feature certainly could save your bacon, but I’m pretty sure that I would prefer a PLB with no subscription fee and NOAA behind it. We’ve paid for a year Spot subscription and will continue to use the unit for that time. Maybe some of these issue will be addressed by that time and make the value clearer. And, it’s likely that we will be able to get out hiking, cycling, and doing other activities where it seems more suited over the next year. If not, I’m just not sure I find enough value in an RV for the subscription cost.

Louise..........

The unit looks like it is built really tuff. I think that if you crashed, and the SPOT was still in good enough condition to transmit, there would be a signal sent every 10 minutes till it was shut off. In that case, they would know where you are within about five feet. Now that's worth it!

As far as the check in, you need to do it just like you are doing. The unit must be shut off to cancel the mode. You just have to remember what mode you are in.
Press once for check. It will send check only once.....
Press and hold till check light goes off and you are in tracking. It will send every 10 minutes.

To shut down and turn on again and send a OK takes 7 seconds. You can do that as you sit there and log your flight time. But try this, to get out of track mode, hold down check button till it turns red... release it, now you are ready to send an OK.

As far as clutter......... go to MESSAGES, in message history clk chk last 24 hours, then select what you want to see by clicking on the box to the left... then clk "show on map".

If you purchased the ACR, you would have spent $650.00. It would sit there and do nothing for it's entire battery life (unless you had a real emergency) and then you would need to send it in to get the battery replaced. $$$.

SPOT IS A GOOD THING! Let's just hope (and we expect) that they solve some issues that have surfaced. I also expect that they will drop the price to $99.00 per year for everything. That would sure help...........

P.S. Just think if your dad placed one of these in the trunk of the family car when you were a teenager..........

[BrentHumphreys]

I just got back from Costa Rica where we spent several days hiking in Rain Forrest and Volcano. Out of 5-6 days where we spent virtually the whole day out with the spot tracker on, we got no more than 20 of the tracking beacons delivered. I had the spot mounted with a clear view of the sky on the top of my backpack.

None of the check in messages were delivered.

If this device was intended for outdoors users, it misses the mark pretty badly. I have not done any hiking in the US since I got it, but I suspect the same poor service here.

[Geico266]

I've had SPOT for about 3 months. I paid $150 for the unit and $100 for the message sending subscription only. The unit seems to work, but I can't get over the feeling of being screwed by SPOT. I paid $150 for the unit and then 2 months later they are giving them away, with no offers of upgrades, rebates, etc., nothing to existing customers. Everytime I look at SPOT I get depressed. I hate the feeling of being taken advantage of and I will not be renewing my subscription. I cannot support a company that does not support it's customers.

It's like buying a brand new shirt and finding a spot on it.

[Harvey L. Sorensen]

I totally agree with you Larry. Screwed again. Maybe I would feel better about if they would give us buyers a year free subscription to make up for it.
I'll bet they dont.

[keithschult]

I've had a lot better experience than many of these posts. I'm based in Kansas City and I fly great distances around the country with the SPOT: such as Dallas, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Oshkosh, Santa Fe, Tuscaloosa, Ft. Lauderdale, etc.

At first I had issues. It wouldn't seem to keep tracking when I sent an OK message, etc. But, now that I have figured out its idiosyncracies it seems to do fine for me across all these routes of flight. Mine reports every 10 minutes, based on the website maps.

My family is constantly telling me to stop sending the OK messages to their cell phones , while my co-workers get the email announcements so they can look up the lat/long on the map.

It's working fine for me.