The SPOT

[sailaway78]

I had not long ago posted up, asking if anyone had tried or had any knowledge of the SPOT, which Waste Marine is selling. There were some mixed reactions, and some hadn't heard of it. Any how, a friend of mine now has one, and it works as advertised. He sent me an OK message yesterday, and it gives exact lat and lon and the pull up map shows this position. Hasn't tried it on the boat yet, the message he sent was from his car. If it works as good on the boat, as on land is certainly a bargain.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

recent magazine article on it

I recall reading about it last month in one of the sailing/cruising magazines. As I recall, it mentioned some limitations relative to it's competitors but can't recall the details.

 

[Jadedcrew]

And what are the Subscription

charges for this service?

 

[Brian D]

I highly recommend

looking at your cruising grounds and the SPOT's satellite coverage. Sometimes they do not match. I would not discourage anyone from getting one of these, but one must look at the B-I-G picture, in color, before one starts using this service.

 

[Ross]

I had not heard of this before so I did what I do and

went in search of more information. It seems that they do everything that GPS does but with some very nice pictures. I would classify it as a very desirable " Gosh ! I would love to have that." Doesn't fall into my "needs" list.

 

[caguy]

Sounds like a good idea. Could have used it in 1968.

I was young and foolish, hiking in the Rockies outside of Vancouver. The trail was well marked with processed wood chips that they used as they cut new trail. I got to the end and the trail stopped. The future tail was clearly marked with small red flags so I kept going for another couple of hours. Wanting to get back to the highway before dark I turned around to head back. All of the red flags were on the other side of the shrubs and had disappeared from view. I knew that the road came up the mountain to the west of me, so I figured that If I just kept heading west I would find it. It started to get dark and cold fortunately I found an abandoned cabin. It was more like a tree house about 15' off the ground. I climbed in and spent the night. I had my tent and sleeping bag with me but it was comforting having a little wood between me and the bears. Its an erie feeling being lost. Next morning I was able to hike out to the road. This was before GPS. I never go hiking or boating without my handheld GPS. In this case I'm not even sure the GPS would have worked, the woods were so thick. My Garmin Venture will not call for help but then that is what your VHF is for isn't it?Frank

 

[Bad Obsession]

Whew....Thought you wer talking about the Black Spot

What a relief.....Never heard of the other spot.

 

[caguy]

It looks like in addition to the $169 annual subion fee

there is an additional registration fee with Geos the global emergency response organization that is going to save your a$$ is $324 per traveler. Does our Coast Guard charge for rescues? I know our local fire department charges $90 for a 1/2 mi ride to the hospital. Do other countries charge for rescue. After hearing about that $19K fine for using your radio, the Aussies are the last people I would call for help.

 

[Steve]

I Called the company...

I heard about this product on Sailnet.com. I "googled" it and called the company. The director of marketing called me the next day. I explained there was some discussion about this product on various sailing sites. He encouraged everyone to visit thier website and call him with any questions...really.Seems like an intresting product...exp. the "where the hell am I feature for friends." There are two subscription levels. One for "help me" another price for "telling your friends where you are."It is cheaper than a GPS for about three years. After that your subscription would have purchased you a GPS. The issue is what technology will be obsolete in three years...and what will be new.I kinda like it...but sail in crowded inland bays and rivers.

 

[Stillraining]

Looks like it would be

just the ticket to keep track of kids whereabouts if they are off hiking or about anywhere...IF you carry around a lap top and mapping software that is..But for the minimalist's it just another gizmo of what there trying to get away from..

 

[Stu Jackson]

The WM catalog explains it in detail

with the various subscription prices.I'm torn, because it's important for ME to know where "I" am, but it's almost getting ridiculous for other people to know that too, unless there's a reason for it. I guess everybody has different "reasons."Pretty pricey feature.BTW, it's VHF. that's: F F F F F and NOT VHS

 

[caguy]

Thanks S S S S Stu, I know what you mean I usually

get a panic call from my sister nearly every time I go to Catalina. Seems like someone's sailboat is always washing up empty in So. Cal and she naturally assumes its me. Maybe I'll tell her about SPOT and let her pay the subscription fees. I generally know where I am and that I'm OK. Frank

 

[Bayou Bengal]

I am the one who just bought one!

The basic subscription fee covers help, 911, and O.K. The reason I bit the bullet and purchased SPOT is because we go off shore out of cell phone range and may also be out of VHF radio range if there are no other boats in range. However, we do not plan to go over 75 miles off shore so we did not want to spring for a single side band, etc. So far the device has worked according to what was represented and seems completely accurate. We have unlimited towing and have not used it for the last two years, but it gives us peace of mind and we are happy when we don't need it. I see this as a type of safety/security device. I hope I will never need to send a help or 911 message, but in the event that something may happen I take comfort in knowing that this device works and for the price, it is reasonable. Of course as is true for most electronic gadgets, technology improves and prices go down. So, for now I think this is a good deal, but in the future it may not. I just try to take one day at a time and enjoy the moments.

 

[PilotAlso]

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Am I reading this correctly?For 99 bucks a year you can send as many notes home as you like, can transmit your position even when out of cell or other radio coverage so your family can see where you're at, and to top it all off you can activate a rescue and the rescuers know your exact position.AND PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING?Geez, this looks like a steal. Dang, for 50 bucks more, you can automatically plot your trip on Google Earth. Add another 10 bucks and you have an insurance policy for cost of search and rescue services if charged.I will be picking up this device as soon as my wife and I start our retirement travels.

 

[EvenKeel]

Text messaging? Doesn't look that way to me..

My reading of the website leads me to believe that, among other things, you can press a button that says "HELP", and that that is the message that will be transmitted. I didn't see anything about actual text messaging beyond the word HELP. Am I correct about this? If you were actually able to do unlimited text messaging with this device, it would indeed be a bargain.

 

[PilotAlso]

On further review!!!!

I did indeed misread the "text message" stuff. It looks like you have unlimited check in's with family and friends but the message is a pre-set by you when you have computer access (i.e. something like - Things are going well, wish you were here - etc.). You can forward a link to your exact position so they can see where you were when the message was sent.It would be great if you could send a contemporary note but I guess I was reading too much into it.

 

[sailaway78]

Message

The SPOT does not send a text message. It sends an email, that says OK, or HELP.This is all the message you get. It also sends the HELP message as a text message to phone #s you have put in it. In addition it gives the location, ( Lat. and Lon.) with a link to a google map that will show your exact location. The OK and HELP messages are unlimited. You can send a hundred a day if you like. They also have a track feature, which is an option, but my understanding is that it is not currently in operation. Still not real sure how this feature works, but apparently it will show your boats position over a period of time. This still seems to me like a pretty good deal. They also have an insurance deal, that will pay 100,000 towards rescue efforts. I would assume this would be a valuable thing to have if you were in an area where you could be charged for any rescue efforts. For 7 bucks it too seems reasonable. You do have to sign up for the insurance deal, when you activate the SPOT, or it is, I think, a 150 buck option.

 

[PilotAlso]

I'm nit picking but I will be buying one soon so I'll report back ASAP

FWIW, The literature says that it does in fact send text messages with YOUR message, not just an OK or Help. The message appears to be set before hand however. It also sends the coordinates where you're at. The Google tracking is what costs extra. At least that's how I read it.This page gives an example and clarifies (at least a little) what is offered.http://www.findmespot.com/explorespot/checkin.aspxThis is the telling sentence"Once you have activated your SPOT account, you can change your contacts and customize your SPOTcheckingSM message at any time."

 

[Bayou Bengal, LLC]

I have one.

You do get a text message on the cell phone. You can set up email accounts and cell phones. Either way, you get OK, or Help along with the position and a lik to google earth with the position on the map.

 

[Bayou Bengal]

I have one and did not know

Since I read your speculation, I di clarify the fact that you do send text messages to the cell phones that you set up in your profile. I went back and discovered that you can customize your OK message. You have about 100 characters to play with nd of course you can change it at any time. The same is true for the help message so I guess you could indicate that you need help but it is not an emergency or something like that. However, in order to change anything you must have internet access so if you were out of range you will be stuck with whatever you have in the profile. I just keep finding out that this better than what I thought I was getting when I bought it.