Alternative to SPOT tracker

[pcatterall]

We have used our SPOT tracker for around 4 years now.
It has been great for letting family and friends know just where we were and that all was well.
It was also a comfort to know that we could use the emergency function with confidence as the system was in regular use as a tracker.
We find, though that the annual fee has increased considerably over the years and now stands at £175.
Can anyone recommend alternative solutions which are less costly or deliver more value? I recall that there are some systems ( yellow brick road?) which offer limited 2 way messaging.
Possibly there are sat coms systems where sending just a few messages might not be too costly?

 

[SteveSarabande]

They are all as expensive as Spot.

A friend has in reach, that seemed good, allowed messaging as well as tracking, not cheap for the full subscription package though

 

[duncan99210]

Garmin InReach is a two way system which provides tracking and two messaging. It can also route posts to FB and other social media sites. It is no cheaper than Spot, indeed some options are more expensive. It does however offer monthly pay as you go tariffs so you can choose to pay only when you need it. Tariffs are here https://explore.garmin.com/en-GB/inreach/ .
We used one on a trans Atlantic crossing last year and found it worked well, with the antenna being sensitive enough to work happily at the chart table. It pairs to a tablet or smart phone via Bluetooth making it simple to use.

 

[alteredoutlook]

Instead of sending your position via satellite, you could use your mobile phone. Quite a few apps to choose from.
Obviously you have to have a mobile phone signal.......

 

[SteveSarabande]

Instead of sending your position via satellite, you could use your mobile phone. Quite a few apps to choose from.
Obviously you have to have a mobile phone signal.......

Doesn’t work for offshore sailors, You don’t have to go far to lose phone signal.