Spot personal locator

[10-K]

Hoe much "peace of mind" is your family going to have if you camp at a spot that does not have service and that "I'm OK" message never comes?

For my wife it's a convenience. She doesn't sit around on pins an needles waiting on an "I'm OK" message ready to call SAR if my message doesn't come through. If she were that obsessive I wouldn't be married to her.

But so far, after about 45 nights of use 100% of the "I'm OK" messages got through.

[Big Dawg]

Granted Big Dawg - you can go without one on the AT, but you would not go out on a boat on the Atlantic without a radio, survival gear, extra water, and a spare inflatable. It has its place. It's a good solution for hikers.

How long can you tread water?

you did see the "just kidding" note, right?

[Phreak]

Spot 2 works great. 100% success with "ok" msgs.

[HiKen2011]

Spot 2 works great. 100% success with "ok" msgs.

That's the one I have, gunna activate later this year

[Mags]

As an alternative view about "The loves ones at home can make sure you are safe".....

My fiance' grew up in Cold War Eastern Europe. She has a much different take on the ability to be tracked then a person who grew up in America.

It is radical..but all she asks is the general route and a phone call when I back from my trip.

Kinda like what was done in the dark ages of 2005....

[skinewmexico]

BPL tested the new Spot 2 under some really tough conditions, and it was head and shoulders above the original Spot. They did 80 days of testing in North and South America, and 100% of the "I'm OK" messages were successful. Now if I was sailing to Tahiti, I'd probably want a PLB.

[10-K]

..............................

[Wise Old Owl]

Actually Big Dawg this Old Owl is starting to need GLASSES, for the first time in his life... I gotta fix that cap I am a Philly's Phan.

[topshelf]

Hoe much "peace of mind" is your family going to have if you camp at a spot that does not have service and that "I'm OK" message never comes?

Having one myself, I have dealt with this issue. Here is how my girlfriend and I do it. First I TRY to send a message at every place I camp, or at least send one or two each day at some point during the day. If she doesn't get one I let her know it does not mean that I am hurt and I'm not OK. I tell her it probably means I'm somewhere I can't get reception. It will struggle under the trees but most often than not it will send a message unless you are hanging in a very dense section in a deep valley. It will send on top of the ridge lines with no problem. So we've come to an agreement that the only time she should worry is when I send a S.O.S. message.

[Shutterbug]

Hoe much "peace of mind" is your family going to have if you camp at a spot that does not have service and that "I'm OK" message never comes?

As with all electronic gear, there is a learning curve. Once one learns how to use it, there isn't a problem with failure of the signals to get through. Before SPOT, I used to carry a sat phone when I went into the wilderness. I have found the SPOT to be more reliable than the sat phone was.

[10-K]

I would dearly love to hear from someone who has firsthand knowledge of how the SOS feature works.

If you press the SOS button - I wonder what *really* happens?

[HiKen2011]

I would dearly love to hear from someone who has firsthand knowledge of how the SOS feature works.

If you press the SOS button - I wonder what *really* happens?

Remember the guy at Springer a couple yrs. ago who got lost? SAR rescued him only a few (hundred) yds off the trail. He used the sos on his spot.

[Shutterbug]

I would dearly love to hear from someone who has firsthand knowledge of how the SOS feature works.

If you press the SOS button - I wonder what *really* happens?

It works as advertised. When you activate the SOS feature, someone from the emergency center will call the telephone numbers in your profile, then will call the agency responsible for search and rescue in the area where the SOS was activated.

Earlier this year, I was hiking in the Grand Canyon. I was trying out my new Delorme/Spot -- the one that allows you to send text messages from your Delorme GPS. There was a glare on the gps that kept me from seeing it clearly and I accidentally activated the SOS function. Within a minute, my cell phone rang. It was the emergency center and they were following through on the instructions on file. I was able to cancel the SOS before any rescue personnel were notified.

It was an embarrasing mistake. I was glad that I was still in cell phone range, but it did give me comfort to know that the SOS feature really works and the response is fast.

My mistake did point out a problem. It is too easy to activate the SOS on the Delorme/SPOT. One click on the SOS button sends the message. My guess is that the software will be revised to require a second click confirmation. (A clarification for those not familiar with the Delorme/Spot -- the spot device can be activated from the gps display. The SOS button on the spot device has a cover on it, but the SOS icon on the gps screen can be activated merely by placing the cursor on the SOS incon and clicking.)

SPOT has recently introduced an even newer version. With the new version, one can pair the SPOT with their cell phone to send out text messages. I wish I had waited because the display on the Delorme GPS is too small for my 68 year-old eyes. The Delorme/SPOT won't work with a cell phone because the blue tooth connection uses a different frequency.

[Raul Perez]

Hoe much "peace of mind" is your family going to have if you camp at a spot that does not have service and that "I'm OK" message never comes?

I've had that issue... BUT I anticipated not getting coverage everywhere. So my instructions were if you dont get an ok message within 24 hours of the last message then check the map (I have the add'l tracking feature) and see if I am moving forward. If neither show anything call the authorities.

I send about 3-5 OK messages a day to make sure at least one gets through.

[Panzer1]

what's wrong with just carrying a cell phone. You can at least talk to your family. Would they not worry less if they could hear your voice.

Panzer

[skinewmexico]

what's wrong with just carrying a cell phone. You can at least talk to your family. Would they not worry less if they could hear your voice.

That would be great, if your only hiking close to cell towers. There are a lot of large areas without cell phone coverage where I spend most of my time.

[Shutterbug]

what's wrong with just carrying a cell phone. You can at least talk to your family. Would they not worry less if they could hear your voice.

Panzer

I carry both, but most of my hiking is out of range of the cell phone. As I mentioned in the earlier post the latest advancement of SPOT is to connect by bluetooth to your cell phone. You can't talk on the cell phone, but you can send text messages.

[Panzer1]

That would be great, if your only hiking close to cell towers. There are a lot of large areas without cell phone coverage where I spend most of my time.

nah, you get pretty good coverage on the AT. They don't have to be in touch every second anyway.

Panzer

[House of Payne]

When I looked at REI's reviews on the SPOT 2, alot of them came back as negatives. Anything from hardware related to customer service and activation (cost) issues. After reading about 30 of them I would hesitate to make the purchase.

[Bear Cables]

what's wrong with just carrying a cell phone. You can at least talk to your family. Would they not worry less if they could hear your voice.Panzer

Because sometimes you hike where there is no cell service. In Arkansas on Eagle Rock Loop...no phone or 3G service for 4 days and my husband got concerned that he hadn't heard from me. That's when I purchased the Spot 2. This winter on the Buffalo River Trail, again, no device of cell or 3G. Glad I could let him know everything was ok via the Spot. Usually on the AT there are many spots where you can call out but not so other trails. Another example...Hoh River Rain Forest in the Olympics. Glad to have the Spot for my husband's and my mom's peace of mind.