SPOT Personal Tracker - Piece of Mind / May Save Your Life

[flysar]

After reading the post about the lost hunter in the Yakima area I thought I'd post a thread about my latest purchase... Spot Personal Tracker.

I hunt and fish quite a bit by myself and not until I was planning a remote Alaska Goat Hunt this year with my 2 boys did I ever consider a piece of electronic Search & Rescue gear that might save our lives in case one of us got hurt bad... fall, bear attack, disoriented, etc. I was going to use the "Help" function to alert the float plane folks that we're ready to come out if the date was different than planned. We never did fly out to our Goat spot because of severe weather but we hunted Black Bear, fished, camped, and had a great time. 

I purchased a used, first generation http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=101, SPOT Personal Tracker, and set up services for a total of $150. We were able to send daily "I'm OK" messages to wives, girlfriend, grandparents and my brother who always has his smart phone with him. The family enjoyed knowing where we were by a GPS coord on a map and I knew that in minutes we could have the closest Rescue Coordination Center activated by hitting the 911 button if needed.

Since I paid for 1 yr service I've taken it with me on every solo pontoon river float trip and solo muzzle loader hunt and activated the "I'm OK" button about every hour on my float trips and the location of where I parked my rig for hunting and about every 2-4 hrs while hunting; I cover lots of ground.

Never thought about buying something like this in all the years of solo fishing & hunting but it gives my wife piece of mind knowing that I can check in or call for help if I'm able to press a button and have satellite coverage; may save my life some day.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding my experiences with this product via this post, PM, or phone.

Safe Hunting!     

[rtspring]

Is this a hand held device? How big is it say to a standard GPS model?

RTSPRING

[flysar]

Is this a hand held device? How big is it say to a standard GPS model?

RTSPRING

The one I bought fits in the palm of your hand, the newest model is smaller. Mine measures 2.5 w x 4.0 l x 1.25 d.

I clip it to my life vest when fishing or my shoulder strap when hunting. 

[flysar]

Stopped along the road and sent a SPOT "I'm OK" message today; still has my elk hunting msg on it, I can change it at any time from a computer, not the SPOT.

It arrived in our email account, you can designate up to 10 accounts, approximately 3 minutes after I hit the button.

This is what the email looks like;

spot
 Latitude:45.80036
 Longitude:-121.19901
 GPS location Date/Time:12/13/2011 13:15:16 PST
 
 Message:I'm OK. If you get a couple in 1 hour then I killed a Bull and may be home later than normal.
 
 Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/6eeAx/45.80036N/121.19901W

If you click the link above it will show you an accurate GPS location of where I was.

[Bob33]

FYI. The first gen SPOT had a reputation for poor GPS reception.  Something to consider.  If you are in a marginal GPS signal area and can't send a message, and don't know that you can't send a message, what do you do and what does your spouse do?

http://www.rei.com/product/784892/spot-ii-satellite-gps-messenger

These are Gen 2 reviews. 34 "unreliables" out of 97 reviews.  Do you really want to trust your life with that?
 

[sirfunkeybut]

FYI. The first gen SPOT had a reputation for poor GPS reception.  Something to consider.  If you are in a marginal GPS signal area and can't send a message, and don't know that you can't send a message, what do you do and what does your spouse do?

http://www.rei.com/product/784892/spot-ii-satellite-gps-messenger

These are Gen 2 reviews. 34 "unreliables" out of 97 reviews.  Do you really want to trust your life with that?
 

with that being said, maybe a suggestion to something better? I think a "spot" would increase the chances of being rescued by far greater than not having one. IMO

[flysar]

FYI. The first gen SPOT had a reputation for poor GPS reception.  Something to consider.  If you are in a marginal GPS signal area and can't send a message, and don't know that you can't send a message, what do you do and what does your spouse do?

Before I bought the Gen I SPOT I talked with the company and told them where we were planning to hunt in AK and they said they have had coverage in that area. I have yet to send a "I'm OK" or test "Help" msg that didn't get through. Both the Company Rep & manual stated that you have to been in area of satellite reception; deep timber may be a problem, I'll have to better test that.

I always tell her not to be alarmed if she doesn't get a msg because of an electronic failure and resort to our non-tech days...  I always file a float or hunt plan with my wife with a map of the general areas I hunt and when to expect me; 25yrs of helicopter flying in the Army & Coast Guard taught me the value of leaving a plan with a "responsible" person.

[Bob33]

FYI. The first gen SPOT had a reputation for poor GPS reception.  Something to consider.  If you are in a marginal GPS signal area and can't send a message, and don't know that you can't send a message, what do you do and what does your spouse do?

http://www.rei.com/product/784892/spot-ii-satellite-gps-messenger

These are Gen 2 reviews. 34 "unreliables" out of 97 reviews.  Do you really want to trust your life with that?
 

with that being said, maybe a suggestion to something better? I think a "spot" would increase the chances of being rescued by far greater than not having one. IMO

Some people love the SPOT, so these are only my opinions.  If I plan to be in a situation where my life could be in jeopardy I would trust two things: (1) satellite phone.  That way I know if my message got through, and I could carry on a two way conversation: what my status is, exactly where I am, what equipment I have, etc.  That's huge. (2) PLB - much more reliable and robust than a SPOT, and no annual service contract.

[sirfunkeybut]

thanks for the reply cause i was considering a SPOT myself, or a satillite phone, mybe a phone would be a better idea.

[Bob33]

I don't own a satellite phone. They are expensive to buy.  However, most of the places I go have cellular phone coverage.  If not, and I'm hunting/travelling solo and in a situation where I could get myself in serious trouble, I will rent a satellite phone.

[bigdave]

How much to rent a sat phone and where do you rent them from?

[Colville]

I like my spot, with a but.

BUT, it does in fact run into holes in reception. However, it does indicate whether a transmission went through or did not. The way the lights blink tell you if you made reception when you try to send the message. It doesn't tell you if you are in a reception area without sending a message.  On my high hunt there is a logical location to send a status update on the hike in/out, but that location gets no reception. Apparently, for no obvious reason. There's plenty of access to the sky. But a few miles on, comparable sky access and in the hunting location, there's signal.  I think in most cases getting the maximum high ground will solve the problem.

That's not a lot of solace if you are solo. When your femur is sticking out of your leg you aren't going to peak bag to get reception. The degree to which you are way off trail and making day to day hunt location choices that might not be predictable... and you are solo, spot could leave you with no contact when you need it. If you have a pard he might have to mosey around to find a reception spot.  I've not used it so many places that I can say how spotty the reception is overall. Other places I've used it, it has worked without problem. I'd not rely on one as a soloist.  I'd not rely on one in true Alaskan type wilderness. For most of my WA hunts with a buddy, I think it's a good piece of equipment

[Machias]

I like my spot, with a but.

BUT, it does in fact run into holes in reception. However, it does indicate whether a transmission went through or did not. The way the lights blink tell you if you made reception when you try to send the message. It doesn't tell you if you are in a reception area without sending a message.  On my high hunt there is a logical location to send a status update on the hike in/out, but that location gets no reception. Apparently, for no obvious reason. There's plenty of access to the sky. But a few miles on, comparable sky access and in the hunting location, there's signal.  I think in most cases getting the maximum high ground will solve the problem.

That's not a lot of solace if you are solo. When your femur is sticking out of your leg you aren't going to peak bag to get reception. The degree to which you are way off trail and making day to day hunt location choices that might not be predictable... and you are solo, spot could leave you with no contact when you need it. If you have a pard he might have to mosey around to find a reception spot.  I've not used it so many places that I can say how spotty the reception is overall. Other places I've used it, it has worked without problem. I'd not rely on one as a soloist.  I'd not rely on one in true Alaskan type wilderness. For most of my WA hunts with a buddy, I think it's a good piece of equipment

My thoughts exactly, it's great when I'm riding my mule or snowmobiling in the back country....but, it's just another tool, it's not the only tool or the only thing I rely on.

[jechicdr]

I have used the spot (older generation) for the past 3 years...one of the conditions for my wife letting me hunt alone in wilderness.  It works well, but you have to understand its limitations.  It is pretty reliable in getting the signal out but you have to have a good view of the sky and the spot must be left in that location until it sends the signal (which can seem like a long time) for the "OK" signals.  The "Send Help" signals go out faster and the 911 signals go out the fastest and don't necessarily need a GPS fix before it starts sending signals.  I suspect if you do not have a good signal for the SPOT, you would not have a good signal for a satellite phone either.

My camp historically has been in a place with some cell phone coverage (not reliable enough to carry on phone conversations, but enough to get my text messages and e-mails), so when I got back from my hunt and my cell phone was turned on, I will get all my Spot messages as well to show that they went through.  I typically send a signal from my camp by Spot in the mornings and when I get home in the evenings and usually some time mid day when I am in a relatively open spot.  I would set my spot down face up in an open spot and let it have enough time to send a complete signal.

The yearly cost is about $100 which also can include kind of a "Search and Rescue" insurance.  I suspect you wouldn't want to have to pay the bill for a search and rescue operation yourself.  I think $100 a year is a relatively cheap option.

They now make a newer version of the Spot and one that connects to your cell and you can send text messages by satellite.  My cell phone usually dies long before my trip is over though, so I don't know how useful that would be.  Of course I could just turn on the blue tooth and leave the wireless and cell coverage off and it might last long enough.  I'll probably eventually buy that one though.

[bearpaw]

This year a charter boat captain from northern CA did a drop camp with us. He has a "Spot" that he uses all over the west. He sent me a message everyday that said "I'm OK" and when he killed his buck he sent me a message from the kill site that said "deer down". We loaded the horses and went and packed him out.

Seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

[marmotsafari]

I've been using one for about 2 years. As stated, it's another tool but not a guarantee.

I have found that I could get a signal out 90% of the time- sometimes it would not show a "connection" after I had sent a message but remained on the move, but if I stopped It would show it connecting ok and going through.

Like leaving info at home/w/loved ones about where you are going, I found it is also important to have a protocol with my wife- how many times/when I would use the check in feature, and how long she should wait without receiving a check in before getting worried.

Her concern is that something happens where I lose the ability to signal- knock my head, killed by pirates etc. Thus I don't send an I'm ok, nor do I send a help/911 message.

My worry- is That I have backpacked in umpteen miles, its getting dark/I finally found the animal etc, when I go to send a check in message and my SPOT is missing/damaged/out of power. Do I not check in? Do I put myself at real risk moving in dark/weather/off trail to get to where I can use a cell phone?

We have agreed that she is to do nothing for X hours based on how far I am packed in + a grace time since I may not have even noticed a problem w/ the device. All this is part of the price I pay of having someone wonderful enough to worry about me at home and I gladly pay it.

One lesson I learned was to keep the little instruction card with my hunting license. Last Sept  I was trying to optimize battery life and was sending a ok message then turning the SPOT off. None of them went through because you are supposed to leave it on for 15-30 minutes to fully connect. 2 days later I had cell signal and boy was she pissed and worried.. had already been on the phone with the sheriffs office! Glad I called! Had I reviewed the instructions things would have been fine.. I have to wonder how many people on the REI reviews made similar errors and don't own up to them.

[jechicdr]

I've been using one for about 2 years. As stated, it's another tool but not a guarantee.

I have found that I could get a signal out 90% of the time- sometimes it would not show a "connection" after I had sent a message but remained on the move, but if I stopped It would show it connecting ok and going through.

Like leaving info at home/w/loved ones about where you are going, I found it is also important to have a protocol with my wife- how many times/when I would use the check in feature, and how long she should wait without receiving a check in before getting worried.

Her concern is that something happens where I lose the ability to signal- knock my head, killed by pirates etc. Thus I don't send an I'm ok, nor do I send a help/911 message.

My worry- is That I have backpacked in umpteen miles, its getting dark/I finally found the animal etc, when I go to send a check in message and my SPOT is missing/damaged/out of power. Do I not check in? Do I put myself at real risk moving in dark/weather/off trail to get to where I can use a cell phone?

We have agreed that she is to do nothing for X hours based on how far I am packed in + a grace time since I may not have even noticed a problem w/ the device. All this is part of the price I pay of having someone wonderful enough to worry about me at home and I gladly pay it.

One lesson I learned was to keep the little instruction card with my hunting license. Last Sept  I was trying to optimize battery life and was sending a ok message then turning the SPOT off. None of them went through because you are supposed to leave it on for 15-30 minutes to fully connect. 2 days later I had cell signal and boy was she pissed and worried.. had already been on the phone with the sheriffs office! Glad I called! Had I reviewed the instructions things would have been fine.. I have to wonder how many people on the REI reviews made similar errors and don't own up to them.

My wife did same thing the first year I used it.  Stopped at a spot overlooking a small meadow and had a pretty good view of the sky (so I thought) and sent out a signal.  Did not get back to camp till after dark and I caller her.  She had called my work, my business partners, and the local Sheriff.  The Sheriff.  She was a little bit more relaxed after that if there was not a signal sent.

[asl20bball]

I had the same problem...you gotta leave it on long after you send the message otherwise it won't trasmit. For the most part it is a good piece of equipment to own tho.

[Bob33]

You have made compelling cases for a PLB or sat phone in life threatening situations.