SPOT GPS tracking devices ?

[R_Bert]

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php

We are thinking about getting one of these for my Dad (who is 78, and an avid hunter). We will probably the Satellite Messenger.

Anybody using these and particularly with off-road assistance ?

Thanks,

Bert

[DaveS]

I don't know of anyone, but it sure sounds like a good idea for your father.

[ShaunM]

Looks cool.

[Guest tnfireman]

I have never personally used one but I did assist with a rescue of a hiker that had one. I'm not sure what brand it was. The company led us to within 50 yards or so of the person. It seemed to work really good.

[whiskey]

Looks interesting. I am going to research it some.

[enfield]

A great idea for any hiker/hunter/adventurer. My sister-in-law, had she lived, would have been a prime candidate for this device. She traveled by herself and never knew where she was. We've all been places where there was nobody else around and there was no cell-phone signal. All it takes is a chest pain or a broken bone and you're in mortal danger.

[kieefer]

Several motorcycle riders use these on their tours, be excellent for a hunter.

If I ever get the time to do a US tour on my bike, this will be with me.

[Guest bkelm18]

If you are looking for something that you can view the person's location online, the SPOT is pretty handy. However if you want something that you can activate in cases of emergency and don't really care about the online logging thing, a regular PLB is probably better. The subscription service for the SPOT is $100 a year, and that adds up quick. If you activate the emergency beacon on the SPOT, it goes through commercial satellites and to a private company, who then contacts the appropriate authorities. Regular PLBs (ACR, McMurdo) have no yearly subscriptions and transmit emergency signals direct via the gov't SARSAT system. Personally, the regular PLB is a better option if you just want it as purely a life saving device, if you want something where you can see where a person is and something that allows the "I'm ok" signals, the SPOT would be better. The ACRs are more expensive up front, but they don't have the $100/yr subscription. Just depends on what your use is going to be.

Edited September 19, 2011 by bkelm18

[R_Bert]

Thanks for the comment, I had forgotten about the PLBs. An apparent disadvantage to the PLB (in our case) is that it has to be activated by the user (who has to be concious enough to trigger the device). I am hoping to watch my dad a bit closer with near-real-time tracking.

[dlm37015]

i have a spot device i havent had to use it but it is nice to know you have it

[10-Ring]

I know several people the use them for different kinds of motorcycle applications. Most of the time they attach it to themselves. From what I understand rescuers can get within feet of the unit when they are looking for it. It also has preprogrammed messages (3 I believe) that send a text message to a predetermined person at the touch of a button. Very handy, one friend recently used one when he was broken down in an area miles from cell service, he just hit the button and his wife got the message "I'm okay I need you to bring the trailer." Lots of piece of mind for $100 a year.

[Guest bkelm18]

I know several people the use them for different kinds of motorcycle applications. Most of the time they attach it to themselves. From what I understand rescuers can get within feet of the unit when they are looking for it. It also has preprogrammed messages (3 I believe) that send a text message to a predetermined person at the touch of a button. Very handy, one friend recently used one when he was broken down in an area miles from cell service, he just hit the button and his wife got the message "I'm okay I need you to bring the trailer." Lots of piece of mind for $100 a year.

Yes and no. SPOTs don't transmit a homing beacon like traditional PLBs. They rely solely on GPS. GPS technology is great but not super great. Many factors come into play when determining GPS accuracy but very few will actually get you to within a couple feet. More realistic is a few meters if you have a clear view of the sky.

[R_Bert]

Yes and no. SPOTs don't transmit a homing beacon like traditional PLBs. They rely solely on GPS. GPS technology is great but not super great. Many factors come into play when determining GPS accuracy but very few will actually get you to within a couple feet. More realistic is a few meters if you have a clear view of the sky.

Well, they both have their issues.

The PLB does transmit a beacon in the 400 Mhz spectrum which can be used by the system to do doplar location using the low earth orbit satelites, but it is only good to about 3 kilometers precision (LEO sats are always moving vs fixed GPS sats). Nowadays, the PLBs use GPS input for better precision.

When sniffing on the ground for the beacon, the 400 Mhz spectrum still requires specialized radiolocation ("fox hunting") equipment, and the signal can be tough to sniff out.

The SPOT does indeed "beacon", just through the GPS system. I tested mine out over the last few days, and setting in the seat of my truck, under the edge of the garage eve (obstructed 180 degrees by the house), the tracking mode beaconed every 10 minutes for over 150 updates. Its errors were easily within a 50' radius.

When I tested the "assist" mode, it continued to ping me on text and email until I shut it off.

BTW, a few years ago, I evaluated several asset tracking systems for the Department of Energy, including DOE Transcomm, GlobalTrak, and other commercial subscriber systems. We glanced at SPOT, but it's asset tracking user functions were limited. As far as precision and reliability, and emergency notification functions, my test results over the last few days are certainly on par with the cost of service (cheap).

I will report more, and post a breadcrumb trail when we actually do a run in the boonies.

B.