+TotemLake Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 You need to understand that the satellite phone network in question does not have a lot of satellites. If you are in a tight canyon, the chance that the one or two satellites are visible exactly when you send the OK signal is quite low.... You're singing to the choir. That's where an LCD would be more informative than blinking lights. You're guessing based on what appears to be false positives. Quote Link to comment
Ken in Regina Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 On a device with indicator lights, the only thing you can be absolutely sure of when the lights are on is that the lights are working. ...ken... Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 On a device with indicator lights, the only thing you can be absolutely sure of when the lights are on is that the lights are working. ...ken... There's a truism if I ever saw one. Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 You need to understand that the satellite phone network in question does not have a lot of satellites. If you are in a tight canyon, the chance that the one or two satellites are visible exactly when you send the OK signal is quite low.... While Globalstar is having trouble with their satellites for 2 way communications, they supposedly work okay for simplex meaning there should be at least 48 satellites available. Since relay stations are available for North America, I would think this would mean coverage should be quite good here. If the satellite coverage is as advertised, it should be even better than GPS. PLB's however only use 4 geo, and 4 polar orbit sats. You need to understand that the satellite phone network in question does not have a lot of satellites. If you are in a tight canyon, the chance that the one or two satellites are visible exactly when you send the OK signal is quite low.... You're singing to the choir. That's where an LCD would be more informative than blinking lights. You're guessing based on what appears to be false positives. An LCD screen would be nice, but I’m not sure how much more info it would convey. Each button has a light that flashes to tell you that function is selected. If the unit gets a GPS signal, there is a separate light that flashes to indicate that. (At first I thought this light indicated a GPS fix, now I think it just means it’s getting at least 1 satellite signal). Finally, there is a light that flashes when the last signal has been sent. The problem is, I think it means just that: “Signal Sent”. From what I can tell, it doesn’t mean the unit communicated with the satellite, just that it sent a signal (I need to read up more to be sure). Most of the time while hiking in the canyons, I don’t get a good enough GPS signal that the spot even tries to send a position fix (Red message light flashes). Sometimes though, even when it does get a fix and sends out a signal, the signal never gets picked up. Of course the problem could simply be that even though the signal gets through, the call center doesn’t broadcast the text messages and log it on the webpage. Either way, same results, which weren’t as good as I would have liked. Seems to me the problem is that the unit just doesn't communicate two ways, which is really what I'd like the message sent light to indicate. How they convey that info to me doesn't really matter. Quote Link to comment
+Redwoods Mtn Biker Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I wonder if the LED vs LCD decision was partially about battery life. Quote Link to comment
+Team CowboyPapa Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 You need to understand that the satellite phone network in question does not have a lot of satellites. If you are in a tight canyon, the chance that the one or two satellites are visible exactly when you send the OK signal is quite low.... I agree, the subject is less than perfect and the superior alternative is........... Quote Link to comment
+GeoDigger1222 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I have the SPOT I, not the SPOT II. So far I've had very good luck with the unit. It has yet to miss any OK messages I've asked it to send. But I make sure I'm in an open area when I send the OK message. I know I could be in trouble if I'm in a more unopen area. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well it tracked while doing an 8.7 mile hike in Lost Canyon in the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park. As the name implies, most of the hike is in a canyon. It successfully sent about 80% of the track points it should have (based on one every ten minutes). It also sent both of my OK messages successfully from down in the canyon. It also tracked successfully walking down into Horseshoe Canyon and to the Great Gallery in Utah. I had the SPOT clipped to the top of my Camel Back while hiking. I'm sure this orientation helped. My friends and family also were able to track me very well in my truck as I drove up from Hite, UT into the Maze of Canyonlands. In my truck I have the SPOT sit in the dashboard facing up. I honestly was surprised at how well it did in canyon country. I wasn't expecting it to do as well as it did. It also did much better than expected this past Sept. while hiking up to Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Most of that trail is dense tree cover. I got about again about 80% of the track points it should have (one every ten minutes). And it got out all three of my OK messages. Based on the specs, I would think SPOT II would do even better. I mainly use SPOT so my friends and family can see where I'm at and follow along. My parents love it. They feel they are along with me. Thank goodness I haven't had to use the 911 yet, and going to do everything I can to see that I never have to. Even though I have SPOT, I'm prepared to be stuck out on my own if something goes wrong. I guess that's just the old Boy Scout in me. Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 As requested, I did a quick and dirty upload of the walk. GeoDigger1222 mentioned that he carried his spot flat on the top of his camelbak. For this trip, I didn't have a camelbak, or pack of any sort. I was just out walking the dog on a wonderful fall day, no pack. The spot II does come with an arm band however, which would position the unit pretty much the same way I carried it by hooking it to my Jacket zipper facing away from my body. I carried my Dakota in my right jacket pocket, at waist level, and if you look at the track it recorded, it suffered somewhat reception wise, which all gps units I've used up here do from time to time. The first map is the track: TOPO MAP You'll notice three saved waypoints from the spot, which I overlaid on a topo map. The two waypoints at each end of the trail are the "Okay" signals I sent from my turn around point, and the trailhead upon my return. The "Okay" signal I sent at the start of the hike didn't go through, although the light indicated that it had. Worth noticing is that the Dakota, and the spot both had me on the wrong side of the road when I came back down the canyon. The starting point of the track is actually right about where it shows on the aerial photo included here, while the endpoint crosses the road which I didn't do: Aerial Photo In the above map you'll also notice the track split on the switchbacks as I headed out and came back down. Doesn't seem to matter what GPS I use in this area, they always get confused sometimes like this. The one waypoint in the middle of my track is the only tracking point the spot had recorded an it took place ten minutes into my trip back down. Again, I'll play and record more in the future. I was actually planning to take the Quad down to moab this weekend which would have resulted in a lot of backcountry travel, but work decided to interfere with that idea. Quote Link to comment
+Redwoods Mtn Biker Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 The SPOT 2 has been recalled... http://findmespot.com/exchange/ Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Would that be considered a spot check? Quote Link to comment
+mapper66 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 The SPOT 2 has been recalled... http://findmespot.com/exchange/ I got one recently. I was distinctly underwhelmed. Any kind of canopy completely prevented the unit from making contact with the com sats. Not a single "I'm OK" message got through on 3 different hikes. And this is leaf off season. Not what I would consider thick canopy at all. It's good to see that it may be a "messaging operating specifications" problem, and the service doesn't suck this bad in reality. Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 The SPOT 2 has been recalled... http://findmespot.com/exchange/ I got one recently. I was distinctly underwhelmed. Any kind of canopy completely prevented the unit from making contact with the com sats. Not a single "I'm OK" message got through on 3 different hikes. And this is leaf off season. Not what I would consider thick canopy at all. It's good to see that it may be a "messaging operating specifications" problem, and the service doesn't suck this bad in reality. I got my e-mail notification of the recall a couple days ago, and when you log into the tracking page for "Spot" it tells you about it. I have yet to request a shipping box and instructions, but intend to do so in the next couple days. I think I may have experienced the battery issue. The first set lasted about as expected. The second set intitially worked for one day, gave me a low battery indication the next, then a few days latter over the Thansgiving weekend, I headed out to the Sand Dunes of Little Sahara Utah with my Quad and it ran all day without missing a single check in, and never once indicated the battery was getting low. Seemed kind of weird, and surprising since I expected battery issues because of the cold. I'm not sure if the problem we're returning them for is what I experienced on my mountain hike, or if that is just the norm for the unit. Seems to work really good on Cruise ships, driving even on roads through mountain canyons, and when playing in wide open country. On the other hand, even though the leaves are off the trees, I had sad results with mine while in the mountains. Guess I'll know better when I get the replacement unit. Quote Link to comment
John E Cache Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 The SPOT 2 has been recalled... http://findmespot.com/exchange/ I saw one at REI on the 16th before I read your post. Yesterday, it was gone and they said you can only order them in the service department. Quote Link to comment
+MedicOne Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I owned one of the original Spot Messengers and was hugely disappointed. I had a difficult time making the thing send messages and never really knew for sure if my message got out. It also required absolute clear sky to transmit. I was hoping for improvement in the new version but then it got recalled. So I began investigating the ACR electronics Personal Locator Beacons and I'm not the proud owner of a Sarlink. Others have mentioned that pushing the button is going to get you help and that is true to some extent. You have the capability of filing a "hiking plan" before you go out and the rescue units will call the registered owner of the device before instituting a search. The feature I really like though is the new 406link.com feature. You can subscribe to a basic plan or a plus plan and both are cheaper than the spot plan. With the plus plan you can send an "I'm OK message to five emails/cellphone texts assuring your family members that you're, in fact, OK. With the plus plan you can also send 12 "I'm ok and I'm here (location) messages over the lifetime of the battery (which is five years). That doesn't seem to be a lot of those messages and the reason is they drain battery power which you'll need in the event of a real emergency. From talking with ACR the Sarlink View model has different software and you get a buttload more of the location messages on the same battery but the approval process is very expensive so the Sarlink will probably remain as is for awhile. I'm not going to argue the point of going out alone - I do it all the time and that's why I use one of these devices. I've been in the rescue business for more years than I care to say and I would have to really feel as though my life were threatened to activate a PLB. But that's me - some people activate because their water tastes funny! As to the cost of a rescue - I've never been associated with a SAR unit that charged for its services although many people espouse that as something that just should be a fact of life. Perhaps someday it will be but not now. BTW, the ACR SARlink has a triple function - it broadcasts your location on 406 mhz frequency that blasts through trees, canyons, clouds, etc. It can use the sats to get your location or it can use an onboard GPS for an instant location as soon as it begins to transmit. It also broadcasts on the aircraft "guard" frequency 121.5 and acts as a homing beacon for rescue aircraft, and it has a strobe light to make you easier to see. It's supposed to run for 35 hours once activated. Don't leave home without it - I won't Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 .....- I've never been associated with a SAR unit that charged for its services although many people espouse that as something that just should be a fact of life. Perhaps someday it will be but not now. You may or may not get billed in southern Utah. Interestingly, the southern deserts are one of the areas I like to play in that I bought the spot for. (Remember, If you’re in a deep canyon down there any PLB might not work) I’m planning to go down there in about 3 weeks for some backcountry ATV exploring, and I’m pretty certain that the Spot II won’t work for me at all down there. Seems they haven’t worked all the bugs out of the Spot II yet, and by the sounds of it, they won’t be sending out replacements any time soon for the one I sent in as part of the recall. Oh well, I’ve gotten away with it for 50 years now, guess not checking in for one more trip won’t hurt. If nothing else, that area has become so built up that cells phones work in much of it, provided you can get up high. As for one of many stories about SAR in southern Utah: USA Today on Moab SAR Quote Link to comment
freeday Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) is there any company which produces a similar unit compared to SPOT or SPOT2, but with a better hardware. I prefer: LCD-Display buttons which cannot be hit by mistake (espeially the emergency button and the power button) Emergency call Position call I am not happy with the SPOT/SPOT2-design and i thing it will again take a few years until SPOT3 with better hardware will be available. Therefore i am looking for a similar unit from a different company - Thank you! Edited February 10, 2010 by freeday Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.