SPOT Personal Tracker
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Description of SPOT Personal Tracker
The SPOT Satellite Messenger, the world's first satellite messenger, uses both the GPS satellite network to determine a customer's location and the SPOT network to transmit that information to friends, family or an emergency service center. SPOT is a revolutionary product that is designed to raise the safety factor for hundreds of millions of people around the world.Give your loved ones full peace of mind when you're on the mountain with the Spot Satellite Messenger. Whether you're just checking in, allowing others to track your progress, or calling for help, Spot gives you a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it. Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. Unlike personal locator beacons, however, Spot does more than just call for help. The SpotChecking feature, for example, lets you notify your SpotTeam--the friends and family you've chosen as your contacts--and tell them all is well, notify them of your location, or save waypoints so you can review your route at a later date. You can also activate the SpotCasting feature to let friends and family follow your progress in real time (every 10 minutes). Anyone with access to your account information can log on and view your route, complete with virtual views provided by Google Maps. SpotCasting is a terrific feature for mountain climbers looking to celebrate their accomplishments with their loved ones.
The most important feature, however, is Spot's ability to call 911 in the event of a life-threatening or other critical emergency. Once activated, Spot will acquire your exact coordinates from the GPS network, and then send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled. The Emergency Response Center will then notify the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information. Responders may include local police, the highway patrol, the Coast Guard, an embassy or consulate, or other emergency response and search-and-rescue teams. Even if Spot can't acquire its location from the GPS network, it will still attempt to send a distress signal--without your exact location--to the Emergency Response Center, which will still notify your emergency contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages.
Spot works around the world, including in virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia, and portions of South America, Northern Africa, and Northeastern Asia. And provided you're in a good coverage area, Spot offers a 99 percent probability of sending a successful message within 20 minutes. As a result, Spot is ideal for anyone with a taste for outdoor adventures, including boaters, kayakers, sailboarders, archaeologists, skiers, climbers, pilots, business travelers, snowshoers, and just about anyone else.
Spot requires two AA lithium batteries, with a battery life of up to one year in standby mode, 14 days in SpotCasting mode, or 7 days in 911 mode. And thanks to the water-resistant housing (safe in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes), you needn't worry about using Spot in adverse conditions. Spot measures a compact 2.75 by 4.38 by 1.5 inches (W x H x D), weighs 7.37 ounces, and carries a one-year limited warranty.
Communication Functions:
- Alert 9-1-1 dispatches emergency responders to an exact location
- Ask for Help sends a request for help to friends and family with your location
- Check In lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay
- Track Progress sends and saves your location and allows others to track your progress using Google Maps
 Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. |
Battery Life:
- Power ON, unused: Approximately 1 year
- SPOT casting continuous tracking mode: Approximately 14 days
- 9-1-1 mode: Up to 7 consecutive days
- HELP mode: up to 1900 messages
- SPOT check OK up to 1900 messages
Specifications:
- Weight: 7 ounces
- Waterproof to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- Operating Temperature: -40ºF to +185ºF
- Operating Altitude: -300 feet to +21,300 feet
- Humidity and Salt Fog Rated
Give your loved ones full peace of mind when you're on the mountain with the Spot Satellite Messenger. Whether you're just checking in, allowing others to track your progress, or calling for help, Spot gives you a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it. Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. Unlike personal locator beacons, however, Spot does more than just call for help. The SpotChecking feature, for example, lets you notify your SpotTeam--the friends and family you've chosen as your contacts--and tell them all is well, notify them of your location, or save waypoints so you can review your route at a later date. You can also activate the SpotCasting feature to let friends and family follow your progress in real time (every 10 minutes). Anyone with access to your account information can log on and view your route, complete with virtual views provided by Google Maps. SpotCasting is a terrific feature for mountain climbers looking to celebrate their accomplishments with their loved ones.
The most important feature, however, is Spot's ability to call 911 in the event of a life-threatening or other critical emergency. Once activated, Spot will acquire your exact coordinates from the GPS network, and then send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled. The Emergency Response Center will then notify the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information. Responders may include local police, the highway patrol, the Coast Guard, an embassy or consulate, or other emergency response and search-and-rescue teams. Even if Spot can't acquire its location from the GPS network, it will still attempt to send a distress signal--without your exact location--to the Emergency Response Center, which will still notify your emergency contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages.
Spot works around the world, including in virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia, and portions of South America, Northern Africa, and Northeastern Asia. And provided you're in a good coverage area, Spot offers a 99 percent probability of sending a successful message within 20 minutes. As a result, Spot is ideal for anyone with a taste for outdoor adventures, including boaters, kayakers, sailboarders, archaeologists, skiers, climbers, pilots, business travelers, snowshoers, and just about anyone else.
Spot requires two AA lithium batteries, with a battery life of up to one year in standby mode, 14 days in SpotCasting mode, or 7 days in 911 mode. And thanks to the water-resistant housing (safe in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes), you needn't worry about using Spot in adverse conditions. Spot measures a compact 2.75 by 4.38 by 1.5 inches (W x H x D), weighs 7.37 ounces, and carries a one-year limited warranty.
Communication Functions:
- Alert 9-1-1 dispatches emergency responders to an exact location
- Ask for Help sends a request for help to friends and family with your location
- Check In lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay
- Track Progress sends and saves your location and allows others to track your progress using Google Maps
Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. |
Battery Life:
- Power ON, unused: Approximately 1 year
- SPOT casting continuous tracking mode: Approximately 14 days
- 9-1-1 mode: Up to 7 consecutive days
- HELP mode: up to 1900 messages
- SPOT check OK up to 1900 messages
Specifications:
- Weight: 7 ounces
- Waterproof to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- Operating Temperature: -40ºF to +185ºF
- Operating Altitude: -300 feet to +21,300 feet
- Humidity and Salt Fog Rated
Sports reviews of SPOT Personal Tracker
Customer Review: Brilliant Concept - Well Executed
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
Update 9-08-09
An new model apparently will appear shortly. One concern not mentioned in my original review was accidental activation of the 9-11 mode. The new, smaller version apparently has some additional protection against this risk.
In the months since the original review was written the unit has continued to operate well. It is interesting to carry it on my road biking and look back at the progression of dots in the tracking mode.
It still goes in the airplane for anything other than a local trip.
The spot messenger does several things
locates your position using gps but does not display it
allows you to track your position by sending messages, map can be downloaded
sends a custom OK message to designated emails and text devices on your commend includes your location. Email links to map of your location
sends a custom need help message to designated email and text addresses with your location
sends help message to authorities in a real emergency . Your personal id is on file so that authorities can be notified of the exact location and person sending the message.
The gps unit takes a few minutes to get its location fixed but then becomes very accurate. Probably 15 foot accuracy .
As a pilot it adds to flight safety in two areas. With the track me mode activated the unit sends a message about every 10 minutes. It needs a good window to the sky and airplane heading will affect its vision of the satellites. The tens of thousands of hours spent searching for Fossett would have been reduced to a single helo flight had he carried one of these and had it activated in the tracking mode.
The second flying application is when I have a weather delay of diversion. Pressing the OK button sends the message that I am well and a click on the map shows where I am .
Looking back on the chaos following Katrina we saw that one of the real tragedies was the needless death and suffering because people simply were not aware of where people were located.
The Spot s I gave to family members came with a brief set of supplemental instructions which I wrote. If I were spot I would include a waterproof card with instructions to attach.
If I had a teen age daughter this would be in her purse Perhaps they need a sexier color.
In summary, it is a very well conceived device that operates independently of land based equipment to track your progress, send OK messages, send personal "need assistance" messages or send HELP messages to authorities. By adding exact position information it ends one of the greatest problems in search and rescue from the urban jungle to the snow covered mountains - precise location.
Device is useless without registration so don't bother to buy one on the street corner.
Note that it requires a special type of battery. Having spares is common sense.
Other than the lack of a cheat sheet the product is outstanding. HIGHLY recommended.
One thing that surprises me is that a majority of the one star reviews are written by people who have only one or perhaps two reviews to their credit. (one writer has only two reviews, both negative reviews of Spot) Makes me wonder of the sample is biased.
Customer Review: Wonderful Product !
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
I love my new Spot Satellite Messenger that I got for Christmas.
It is easy to use, works well ( if you follow the directions and read the manual ), and could save you or a loved ones life. It is so great to give peace of mind to loved ones.
Their Website is also friendly and informative. I love their training videos.
I used it on a recent trip to the Canadian Rockies and it was so cool how I could sent regular update messages to my love ones letting them know I was 'ok' up there. I had no trouble with messages getting out.
You must remember that this is a satellite device so you must have a clear view of the sky for it to work. The signal it sends is very weak and the satellites very far away ( 900 miles ). It amazing how it can contact the satellites as it is so small and only using 2 AA batteries for power. That is amazing !
The unit uses a patch type antenna which is located right under the SPOT logo for reception of GPS signals and for sending out your location to the GlobalStar LEO satellites ( there are 48 in orbit ). So the unit must be facing up towards the sky for a message to get out. It must be horizontal and not vertical such as in a pants pocket or attached to your belt. Again it MUST be held horizontally flat for a signal to be able to reach the satellites. There are numerous mounts available from various vendors for motorcycles and boats and other craft that keep the unit horizontal and stable and make it easy to get a signal out. It will also work fine in the top of a motorcycle tank bag laying flat. If you are hiking you can put it in or on the top of your pack so that is is laying flat with the SPOT logo up to the sky.
The unit uses the GlobalStar Satellites and it is a Simplex data connection. So the unit can send a message up to the satellite, but the unit cannot receive a signal back down from the satellite. It only receives it's location information from the GPS satellites.
The GPS receiver and transmitter are designed to use very little power and so the batteries ( 2 AA lithium type ) last very long. Some people wonder why there is no LCD display like a regular GPS unit. The reason is that those consume much more power and are also fragile. They can be broken or cracked and moisture could get in to unit. The unit is designed to use very little power, be very rugged, be reliable, and be simple to use and just get the job done. It succeeds at all of these design objectives.
As a test I have sent "ok" messages from various rooms inside my house and every one came through. I also set the unit laying flat on my car dash ( use one of those sticky pads that keep things from sliding around ) and all my "ok" and 95% of "tracking" messages come through. The key is that you must leave the SPOT laying flat with the logo up. It works fantastic !
It is a must have device for travelers, explorers, hikers, rock-hounders, rock-climbers, geocachers, cyclists, motorcyclists, walkers, motorists, truckers, boaters, hunters, snowmobilers, canoeists, kayakers, fisherman, pilots, and especially tech enthusiasts.
Going on a road trip ? Going on a cruise at sea ? Going on a tour overseas ? You need SPOT !
Highly recommended ! This device can offer your loved ones great peace of mind, is fun to use, and most importantly could save you or a friend's life.
Customer Review: It saved my life the day I got it!
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
It saved my life the day I got it!
I Cannot Believe The Spot Device Saved My Life The Day I Received It!
I am alive today! I work and ride ATV's with a great group of friends who all carry a Spot Device. It was an easy choice when I decided to buy the Spot Device, with all the positive words of so many on[...] and my friends. For my birthday a group of us decided on an ATV trip a friend ranch in central Texas. I had ordered the Spot Device at the last minute, hoping the device would get to my house before we left. I was disappointed when I was told the Spot Device was not delivered to the house on Friday, knowing I was leaving early on Saturday morning. To my delight when I left the house at 5:00 am I noticed the package behind the pillar of the front porch. My Spot Device was delivered and now I had little time left to activate it. I logged in to the website and in no time at all my Spot Device was up and running. When the sun came up on my 28th birthday the dirt was flying at the ranch. We rode for 4 to 5 hours before lunch. After lunch we headed down to a creek where the 12 of us were ridding and within 10 minutes of getting wet and muddy at the creek I collided with another rider in mid air. After everybody stopped and realized what happened I had already pressed the 911 button on my device. Some people in the group tried to call 911 and others pressed their 911 buttons. Due to our location no one had cell coverage. A group of riders rode back to the house to call from the house line. To their surprise the 911 operator had spoken to the Spot Operators and Fire and Ambulance services were in route to our location. After the Fire Department arrived I was air lifted to a trauma center. Even though there was more than one device activated mine was the first received by the Spot Operators. The timely notification and fast response of the Fire Department and Life Flight saved my life. Emergency Services give the credit to the Spot Operators for their fast and accurate notification and location of the incident. My Family was also notified and was in communication with the Spot Operators thru the entire ordeal. I cannot thank them enough.
I Still Cannot Believe The Spot Device Saved My Life The Day I Received It!
Customer Review: Reliable and easy tracking device
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
I am living in Germany and imported the device from the USA (Bass Pro). It took unfortunately 8 weeks because the German customs was holding it back. I am running the device now for 2 weeks. The activation over the SPOT Web site worked fine. Foreign addresses and credit cards are accepted.
The device works without any problems in Germany.
Beside the messaging (included in the basic subscription for $99.99/year) I also use the tracking service (additional $49.99/year to the basic subscription). The tracking must be re-activated every 24h by pressing the Ok button for 5 seconds. Every 10 minutes the current position is sent to the satellite. This position is very accurate (within a few meters accuracy). In your account (on the SPOT Web site) you can access the messages and the tracking data as KML file (Google tracking format) and also display the positions in Google Maps and Google Earth. So far I like the device very much. In the next months I will use it on my wilderness trips.
Tip for how to publish the tracking data on your own home page: The tracking data is offered through the account that is password protected. I don't want other people accessing my account. If you have a running PC with network (e.g. permanent DSL) then you can use a Webtool (e.g. iMacros for Firefox) for polling regularly the KML file from the account (be responsible for doing it not too frequently). After that the KML file can be copied over to your home page (e.g. write a small script that uses FTP). Then link it with Google Maps (see http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=41136 for instructions). So anyone visiting your home page can watch your live tracking positions in Google Maps (use it e.g. when you are on vacation). Alternatively someone can define a so called "network link" in Google Earth that periodically reads this KML file from your home page.
Tip for the initial activation: If you enter the ESN (equipment serial number) on the Spot Web site for the initial activation, then include the '-' character. Otherwise you get a misleading error message that the device is already in use.
Customer Review: Happy Camper
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
This is a very nice product for the price.
The features are simple. It sends an email and/or text message saying you are OK. It can also send an email and/or text HELP message. OR, it can call the service emergency response center and they will call local authorities based on your location. Not bad for the price huh. A graduated response. Very good use of existing technology by a creative company that saw a potential market. Apparently, they use a similar technology to track kidnapped executives. Nice market expansion guys.
Trees can cause loss of the satellite signal. Use in a car is unreliable because the windshield attenuates the sat signal or the car itself blocks the satellites. In any case, use on a car dash is spotty. When out in the field, it needs to have a clear view of the sky. The most reliable way to use it is to just position it and leave it for 20min as the manual directs. I is 100% reliable when used as directed. Just be aware of the need to give it an opportunity to get the sat signal.
The tracking on Google maps is cool, but because the unit does not maintain a sat lock when moving, I have gotten inconsistent results. My GPS will give a very good track in comparison.
The extra insurance for a few bucks is cheap insurance. The terms of the insurance coverage are a must read...it takes a lot for them to kick in. But it's better than nothing, right.
Future iterations of this device need to be smaller and more integrated with the web features. The web based options are still kinda basic. I can see these issues being addressed easily and I would buy a smaller unti with more features...GPS navigation, GPSR/GMRS radio, weather radio, etc,...Integrate.
I am very happy with this device and would recommend it for most locations. It's fun to use and I hope I never have to use the more serious 911 button and call for emergency response.