Goodbye Spot!

[BakerBoy]

One thing I had to accept when moving off of SPOT to cellular data was this: I may end up in a spot without cellular coverage when I need to request help.

But also consider: even if you go through an area or stop in a spot without cell coverage, your prior track spots that were previously transmitted leave an obvious trail. Even in spotty coverage areas, your location and path will likely still be relatively obvious and useful to someone looking for you.

Another thing that is important with SPOT or inReach or a cell phone ... you need it attached to you (not to your motorcycle). In worst-case situations, it is a false sense of security to have a device but to not have it on you as you may not be in a condition to get to it when you most need it.

Technically, I'd rather have SPOT than my Life360 cellular app. But after having had enough of SPOT's practices/prices, I left them and I don't regret the choice.

 

[Uncle Phil]

An interesting option appears to be the ACR PLB units which seem to have a one time cost. They only send SOS/location signals and you would have to be able to activate them if needed. There's no 'bread crumb' capability that I can find as of yet.

 

[drrod]

For me, having 2 way communication is vital. For ELB without it, you push the button and then what?.......You wait. Did the signal go through (not unheard of)?, how/when are they responding? If you are travelling with someone, do you stay and wait with the injured person or go for help (in case the signal didn't go through)? With a device that allows 2 way communication you know if the signal has gone through, if/how they are responding, you can relay exact information on the injury (eg. severe injury....call in a helicopter), and you can wait with the injured party. For me, this is very important. For others, it may not be. All depends on what you need/want.

Couple of stories of when I had my Spot:
1. lent it to my daughter for one of her backcountry ski trips. I knew when she set out. The last ping it sent, she was in the middle of a frozen over lake. No other pings. Made me a bit worried. (turned out that the Spot was not pinging the satellite). I wasn't too worried because, by this time, I knew that the Spot was not pinging correctly and also the ice on the lake was over 2 ft thick at that time of year but still made me realize that the Spot was an issue.
2. I had a breakdown in the middle of nowhere California. No cell service. My Spot worked but did not move for over 6 hours. My wife was a little frantic. If I had had my inReach, I could have texted her that I was OK but to send a tow truck.

 

[Daboo]

That's my point exactly. I don't think the answer is to just give up SPOT and go to cell phone service alone.

Chris

 

[TPadden]

My wife can track my progress and have some peace of mind when I'm on a cross-country trip. Chris

My wife is happy with the peace of mind she gets because I'm on a cross-county trip.

 

[paulcb]

My wife is happy with the peace of mind she gets because I'm on a cross-county trip.

My wife and I both laughed at that! Her laugh suggested some familiarity with it though. [emoji15]

 

[drrod]

STacey's rider choose the following model; 1) Primary scream for HELP! that will hands down work is the ACR ResQLink+ and 2) Secondary scream is his Iridium Sat phone. Reasoning is as follows; ACR ResQLink uses the worldwide standard UHF 406 MHz radio band. This frequency is recognized by most if not all developed nations in the world as THE Search and Rescue frequency. Bottom line is you WILL be heard and someone WILL come for you. Cost? One time fee for the ACR ResQLink (or other brands using the same 406 MHz) which you then, in the USA, register with NOAA. So how is the UHF 406 MHz different than SPOT/Garmin? Not being satellite based means everyone one world wide in the SAR business is monitoring that frequency also all commercial aircraft and military aircraft also monitor that frequency. The system works via two systems; 1. the initial scream for HELP! via the 406 MHz frequency which is then followed by a 162 MHz locator beacon frequency which is homed in on by the responding SAR. SPOT/Garmin use satellites which need to be 'seen' by the device. Known pitfalls are terrain and vegetation. Downside to the ACR ResQLink? Well, most obvious is lack of two way communication between you and the inbound help. However, the 406 MHz SAR is a insanely reliable system. Part 2 to STacey's rider's system is the Iridium satellite phone. Already I can hear the nae sayers... Primary to STacey's rider's plan is to ALWAYS be able to scream for HELP! Secondary to that is two way communication. Survival tools are based on the model of one is none and two is one. SPOT/Garmin is a one trick pony. No satellite ping? No help. STacey's rider spent 30 years in the US Armed Forces and the one is none and two is one is a part of his very core now. Costs of a two trick pony? $275 for the ACR ResQLink+ and an annual Iridium contract. But, but, but??? Google Puerto Rico hurricane photo's...remember all those desperate people staring desperately at the cell towers? Hence my one is none and two is one system. Actually I'm paranoid so I also travel with a amateur radio HF rig too...

What's your life or your loved ones lives worth? I cut out 3 Starbucks coffees a week for this peace of mind.

Looks like a good system. There are a couple of caveats though:

1. UHF is line of sight so it can be blocked out by hills, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_high_frequency
So, if the signal has to be picked up by aircraft, then the signal from an inReach could get out as well. ie. clear overhead
2. if the sat phone works, so would the inReach since they both work off the same satellite network (Iridium).
3. Cost is a bit of a wash since an iridium contract is about $60/month, plus cost of the sat phone which can easily approach $1,000

Looking around for prices of sat phones and I stumbled across this
https://www.iridium.com/products/iridium-go/

Interesting!

 

[Uncle Phil]

My wife is happy with the peace of mind she gets because I'm on a cross-county trip.

I know the feeling ....

 

[Uncle Phil]

I appreciate all the ideas as I think many people are ready to 'pitch the Spot'!

 

[RaYzerman]

I think of it differently.... can't go with cell because the data costs too much when roaming, and majority of my bike travels are in the US. The Iridium Go certainly is interesting if there are no monthly fees.

 

[T_C]

2. I had a breakdown in the middle of nowhere California. No cell service. My Spot worked but did not move for over 6 hours. My wife was a little frantic. If I had had my inReach, I could have texted her that I was OK but to send a tow truck.

SPOT has the multi message capability. I configured one of the buttons to be just that. HELP!, but not 911.
The SPOT network does have it's occasional issue, but I don't think any system will ever not have an issue. It's worked for me reasonably well for a dozen different countries and quite a few US states. Just pricing seems to be getting out of touch.

 

[T_C]

I think of it differently.... can't go with cell because the data costs too much when roaming, and majority of my bike travels are in the US. The Iridium Go certainly is interesting if there are no monthly fees.

Cheapest plan your looking at is $45 a month for GO! You could buy some extra data capacity on the cell for that or switch carriers and get away from roaming.

 

[tnman]

Recently purchased a Garmin 396LMT, not a fan of the price but has GPS, MP3 and Livetrack. Phone has been working great for last 2 years but trying a dedicated GPS that will track without having to use 3-4 apps for music, tracking, gps etc.

Anyone have experience with Gamrin livetrack?

 

[heffly]

I cant think of any area I have been lately that doesnt have a ton of people around. Very few places have I lost service, from Alabama to the pacific, great lakes..... I really like fear and peace of mind marketing. It lets you know right away the value is in the unknown, the odds are it will never pay for itself. I agree there are some great uses for them but I cant see 700+ dollars would really accomplish for me.
Selling something based on fear. If I wreck and die, hell the buzzards got to eat, worms too.....lol Having said all that I just use my phone, bubbler, after all the last transmission from your phone is always trackable.

 

[Al st1100]

I have goolge maps on my phone and it tracks me all the time. I also can enter at least 6 months ago and it tracks my route, stops and time .....and I don't pay for it

 

[Landon]

I have goolge maps on my phone and it tracks me all the time. I also can enter at least 6 months ago and it tracks my route, stops and time .....and I don't pay for it

But can others? My use for such a device is a bit different. I'm not looking to use it on a motorcycle but on a hike up Pikes Peak. I would like to have the ability for others to follow along and see my progress. It would also be useful for the person picking me up at the top so they can see how close I am. I'm not sure a cell app will work as I remember cell service was not good at the top of the mountain. Would the tracking still work off the phone GPS???

 

[Al st1100]

But can others? My use for such a device is a bit different. I'm not looking to use it on a motorcycle but on a hike up Pikes Peak. I would like to have the ability for others to follow along and see my progress. It would also be useful for the person picking me up at the top so they can see how close I am. I'm not sure a cell app will work as I remember cell service was not good at the top of the mountain. Would the tracking still work off the phone GPS???

you have to set up a google account and any one who has the password can see it. It has tracked me in areas that had poor cell reception or none at all. I just started using it and don't know how fast it updates. When it gets warmer I will be testing it more.

 

[DaveM]

I appreciate all the ideas as I think many people are ready to 'pitch the Spot'!

Yeah, I pitched mine a couple years ago.....

 

[bdalameda]

Another option if you are just looking for the ability to have someone track you and know where you are is the SPOT Trace. I use the the inReach myself but I also have a couple of SPOT Trace devices attached to my trailer and Jeep. These can be setup in various modes to indicate when movement occurs and can be looked at on the SPOT app to see locations and will provide a breadcrumb trail when moving. The devices are fairly cheap as well at around 50.00 bucks on sale. The basic TRACE subscription is 150.00 per year or 12.50 per month. The devices are quite small and can be hard wired into your electrical system so you won't need to replace the batteries. The batteries though last about 6 mo. however and the signals seem to be much more reliable than the SPOT messenger devices in my experience. You can't call for help but it will give you some peace of mind that you can have others know where you are. The other plus is if you attach it to your bike it acts as a great theft tracker and it will give you notice if someone is fooling with your bike or moves it. Small enough to be easily hidden.

Dan

 

[kiltman]

As I’m biding time in Winnipeg I’m gathering info on trackers for my trip up to Tuktoyaktuk NWT. This thread has been helpful, but more questions that I will need google answers to. (I’m ok with that)
Thanks Ray for the links posted on the first page of the thread.
One of the challenges appears to be coverage above the arctic Circle. The Garmin products seem to deal with that better than the Spot units.
I’m leaning towards the two way messaging system….the monthly plans tend to be pricey and the basic plans can be costly if you exceed the maximum messages allowed on the plan.
it appears these devices are compatible with spotwalla which I was hoping for.
More research to be done.
Thanks for the info provided on this thread