SPOT Tracker

[frauboot]

Has anyone used a SPOT tracker? How good was it at keeping people informed where you were?
There seem to be two level of service agreements now. Firstly it will send up to 200 emails to whomever you nominate. Or the other one seems to keep a website informed of your progress which allows your friends to track you by looking up the website. I think the 200 emails sounds like the best course for me but I'm not sure who I should send them to as a position in latitude and longitude is not going to mean much to any of my friends. I'd be interested in other peoples' thoughts on this.

I notice I can now buy a Personal Locator Beacon [EPIRB] with GPS for less that €300 or £250, I wonder if that is a better way to go? Although in my mind they are really for two different things. One to let friends and family where you are and two to let SAR know you are in trouble. Any other thoughts might be useful?

 

[Noddy]

You are right in thinking that they are two different things.

The need for an EPIRB is obvious.

The SPOT type devices lead to the less obvious thought that, should it fail, it will cause your loved ones to worry even more. Arguably they would worry less if they knew nothing until you arrived, or your EPIRB went off.

Didn't someone say something like : "You should consider me missing until I turn turn up."

P

 

[Tahitibelle]

Considor the reprocussions at home if your Spot Tracker malfunctions on passage. You are happily sailing along - calm seas, blue sky and your family think you are dead - not nice. Just a personal preference but I tell only my closest family my start date and an estimated passage time with a two week (for trans Atlantic) 'cockup' factor added. They will worry whatever you do but not half as much as if your Spot Tracker goes down. An Irridium phone might be worth considering as an alternative to Spot Tracker. In my experience - liferaft, DSC VHF radio, waterproof hand held VHF radio, EPIRB, SART, 2 x GPS are the essentials and then buy the toys if you have any money left

 

[frauboot]

I can understand what both you and Noddy are saying about the Spot Tracker going down. Aren't you at as much risk if your Sat Phone goes out of action? And would we really know if our EPIRB is working?* Also I'm not quite sure what a SART is - is that what is referred to as a PLB these days?

*I heard a reference to the fact that Katie Miller had an incident with her EPIRB on the OSTAR but know no more. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

[eebygum]

I carry personal 406 EPIRB for emergencies and a SPOT Messenger which I think is a great peice of kit - but it serves a different purpose.

As I build up my solo miles I use the SPOT 'OK' Messenger to keep my family and parents up to date with when I'm setting off and progress (I don't tell them where I am necessarily heading or by when I will arrive, I would log a passage plan with the coastguard if I felt it necessary on a longer trip).... and it reassures them all.

I cannot see myself using either the 'Help' or 'Emergency/911'button in the UK as if I really needed help (after all self rescue has failed !) I would use ...mobile phone, hand-held VHF, main VHF/DSC set, EPIRB and flares/stobe etc first ?

So in summary I don't consider the SPOT as a 'safety' device ... just a tracker for providing updates.

Personally it also has an added benefit that I like taking photographs along the way and there is a great facility linked to the SPOT which allows you to document your track, waypoints etc.; an example from an earlier trip is shown below:

http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=169621

Plus I also use it in a smiliar way for tracking mountain bike trips.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Andrew

 

[co256]

Before you buy a SPOT you might want to read
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/comments/000419.php#comments

 

[frauboot]

Thanks for that review. That is closer to the sort of information I wanted. I was interested to read that for another $7.95 [or was is £] I could be extracted from hot spots around the world. I am confused about the difference between the help button and the 911 button but then maybe I would need to read the manual.

Eebygum [Andrew] thanks for your little tale. Which level of service allowed you to provide that information? I thought maybe it was the higher level of service where you allow others to have access to a website that follows your progress constantly.

My interest in SPOT is twofold one is as a potential PLB to carry with me at all times even when asleep in case the boat gets cut in half by an oil tanker in the middle of the night and I can't get to my EPIRB in time. Secondly I just thought that it is a way for people to keep track of me. I was most impressed by the ocean tracker following of the OSTAR this year. Of course this isn't the same thing by any means but it does allow people to follow you.

From the review it would appear that we need to wait perhaps for the second generation with a little LCD screen and/or something that tells you a message has been sent successfully.

Arthur

 

[TimBennet]

For the money, I think SPOT has a lot going for it as a supplement to proper EPIRBS, etc.

A friend's son had one with him last summer, and his track around the UK was easy to follow on Google maps with the unit simply placed under the spray hood.

The 'Help' button (as opposed to the 911 button) can have any meaning you want, as long as you've agreed it before hand with the people who will receive the message. I think on the event like the Jester, I would use it to mean "Everything is okay, but I'm no longer trying to get to Newport and am making my way home. See you soon(ish)." This could be pretty handy, especially for those without Iridium, etc.

 

[eebygum]

Agree with Barhams post, I definately consider the SPOT more of a nice-to-have after the other safety kit listed.

In respect to the assoicated SPOT adventurer website in my earlier link which can also use waypoints exported from other sources as well, it's currently free.

Nick, at www.bigoceans.com who is currently sailing his Contessa26 across the pacific also uses another free facility called www.sat2twitter.com which allows you to update a twitter page with a SPOT position ...... IF your that bothered about publishing your current position with a running dialogue.... (this also takes iridium phone SMS and email tweets).

You have to smile at the internet networked, instantaneously updated/communicated GPS driven world we currenly live in compared to 50 years ago. I guess every participant has a different perspective and opinion as to whether these possibilities add or take away from the challenge based upon their own individual assessment of risk/safety, cost vs function, desire to seek plubicity/fame and their family/work commitments.

Cheers, Andrew

 

[080653]

I had SPOT and an PLB on the JesterAZ08. I chose to send position reports manually because with the automatic system, I could have fallen overboard several days previously and the unit will still be faithfully reporting! My wife really liked the daily position report and plotted them on her own chart. (She also could judge more accurately when to get rid of the boyfriend!) It was agreed between us that the 'Help' button would mean that I was fine but had a fairly large problem and was diverting to the nearest land. She would then expect to see the course line change and not be too concerned. We discussed the situatiion of SPOT failure and decided that in an emergency situation I would deploy both PLB and SPOT together (each unit a backup for the other) so the absent SPOT report on its own would not cause worry.
The unit worked fine for us with only one position report not getting through so I consider it a good system for the money and would heartily recommend it.
/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gifMy reports went to my wife, father and some friends whose children plotted the trip and used the data in a school project.