Peace of mind for solo explorers

[taosports]

Thought I'd share with you all this potentially life saving device I've been trying out now for a few weeks. It's called SPOT - a portable satellite messenger which works nearly anywhere in the world since it tracks where you are via satellites and not cell towers.

This is what it does (copied from their website) :

Alert 9-1-1 notifies emergency responders of your GPS location
Ask for Help sends a request for help with your location to friends or family
Check In lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay
Track Progress sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google Maps

It's the perfect safety device for those of us who travel solo, especially those of you like me who prefers traveling without an itinerary to sometimes remote places.

I'm into trail running and mountain biking, often taking solo trips into the back country. With this device, my friends can log on to a password protected site and see exactly where I am, following my progress on a Google map with updates every 10 minutes.

SPOT measures in at 4.5 X 2.75 X 1.5" and weighs just under 7 ounces. (I keep it in a fanny pack or in my hydration pack when running) Cost is @ $150. with a yearly subscription of $100. If you want the Track Progress option, that is an additional $50. per year. I don't know about you, but I consider that cheap insurance.

More info here :

http://www.findmespot.com/

http://www.bestbits.org/spot.htm

[munchmeister]

Michael and RR Boarders:

The ADVrider site has a pretty healthy thread going on the Spot, here:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthre ... l+tracking

May have to get me one, anticipating that next crash

--Doug

[GypsyRR]

Thanks for this info Michael. I'm thinking of getting this before I take another big trip. I suppose it would be handy for short trips as well though. I just don't want those whom I tell about it to EXPECT me to use it all the time. You know, there could be times I don't want them to know my location



A little off-topic, but.........
I was riding with a group this past Saturday and one of them told me his uncle was riding with some friends (years ago, I think) and one of their group went off the side of the road and down a steep embankment. When they got down to their friend, they also found another crashed motorcycle and a skeleton not too far from it.

But - someone else told me that is an urban legend. True? They were trying to convince to stop taking trips and traveling by myself, so they may have just been trying to scare me.

If I had a device like this, maybe it would stop my friends from trying to discourage me from my solo travels.

[Lost Rider]

I recently picked up a SPOT, and it seems to work great so far.
The registration is pretty straight forward, and I opted for the unlimited tracking service.

Here's an example of what the predetermined "Check In" message I made looks like in an email.





Google maps link from the email

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&g ... &z=12&om=1





Here's the tracking screen from a morning of running around.



Where you click on a track point:




It appears that it will keep an unlimited amount of track points for 30 days. The only thing I don't like is that in order to see the tracks you have to log into your account to do so. In other words, in order for people to see the live track I have to give them access to my account. I'd like to be able to have a more public place to share my track... I hear they're working on that.

Either way this is still a great little piece of insurance for those solo, middle of nowhere rides I find myself on.

[GypsyRR]

With that unit and the unlimited tracking - what is the initial cost and then the monthly cost? Any other hidden fees?

Thanks

[Lost Rider]

With that unit and the unlimited tracking - what is the initial cost and then the monthly cost? Any other hidden fees?

Thanks

I paid 157.93 for the year with the 911, Tracking and GEOS search and Rescue service.






149.99--------- SPOT

157.93-------- Annual service

A button to push to call for help while stranded with a broken leg on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere -------- priceless

[touchton]

That's neat. I would like to get one for my daughter. It's too big to implant under her skin without her knowing about it. Maybe it could be fitted to a locking collar.

[munchmeister]

That's neat. I would like to get one for my daughter. It's too big to implant under her skin without her knowing about it. Maybe it could be fitted to a locking collar.

Super Glue it onto her cellphone. If she is like most, she'll never be without it.

[taosports]

I think the tracking feature is the coolest option. Unfortunately it costs an extra $50. a year but to me, worth every penny.

I can place mine in my tank bag or even in my Pelican case and it has no problem connecting to the satellites. I have noticed however that in steep canyons or through heavy foliage, it's ability to connect is compromised but other than that, it's working great.

Hide it under the beak and if someone steals your bike...

[GypsyRR]

I think the tracking feature is the coolest option. Unfortunately it costs an extra $50. a month but to me, worth every penny.

So that is not the same thing as the Track Progress under Upgrade Features shown in ChiTown's last photo? It says it's $50/year, not a month. Man - $50 a month is high! I think I could hire a "sherpa" or "sherpani" to just follow me around and draw on a map and make phone calls cheaper than that!

Hide it under the beak and if someone steals your bike...

I think that would work!

[taosports]

Typo on my part...$50. a year.

[Lost Rider]

It looks like I'll be able to try the SPOT on an extended trip starting this weekend after finishing my 24,000 mile service I'm in the middle of, and if the snow we get tomorrow doesn't stick.
I just had a gig cancel and have have some free time so it's time to head South... The SPOT needs more real world testing so I'll volunteer!

I did get a small track into Google Earth, this thing is going to be fun.

[GypsyRR]

Does software come with the SPOT? If so - does it use Mac OS?

How do you get a track into Google Earth?

[munchmeister]

How do you get a track into Google Earth?

Kristi:
You need the "Plus" version of GE which is $20 per year. Then you can read the tutorial here:
http://earth.google.com/userguide/v4/ug_gps.html

This is getting expensive, isn't it?
--Doug

[taosports]

Does software come with the SPOT? If so - does it use Mac OS?

How do you get a track into Google Earth?

No software comes with the SPOT. Nothing to load except 2 lithium AA batteries. When you get the device, you just log on to the SPOT website and activate it by entering your units serial numbers and purchasing whatever plan you want for the year. (basic, or their two upgrades) Once that is done you can use your device and then log on to your SPOT account to see the results via Google links. ChiTown shows us examples in his earlier posts. Note you can also click on Google's satellite view :



If you want to use Google Earth maps with their timeline/waypoint feature, you can do that by purchasing Google Earth's pro version as Doug mentioned above. OR, if you purchase your SPOT through Star Traxx, you can use their timeline/waypoint feature free(?). An example of what it does using SPOT and their server :

http://rally.star-traxx.com/rallyview.a ... r=51643303

I don't really know the details of this free offer so you'll need to contact Star Traxx for more info.

https://star-traxx.com/

[Lost Rider]

Does software come with the SPOT? If so - does it use Mac OS?

How do you get a track into Google Earth?

I loaded my track into Google Earth, ( not plus or pro) by using this:

http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/gmaptogpx/

Once I had the text file I pasted it into a Word document, then save as, adding a .gpx extention. After it was saved and on my desktop I controlled click, to get info, then told it to be opened by google earth. There might be an easier way, but this did work for me without paying anything more.

[taosports]

Thanks for clarifying that ChiTown. Does the GMaxToGPX application work on the Mac OS?

[Lost Rider]

Thanks for clarifying that ChiTown. Does the GMaxToGPX application work on the Mac OS?

Yes, I have tested it with firefox and safari.
It's not really an app, it's more like a bookmark that acts like a automater script..

[munchmeister]

FWIW, http://www.offroute.com has the Spot for $146.95 as of 1/10/08. The owner is a member of ADVrider and has posted that their margins are very thin on the Spot, but they want to promote it. There are some posts on ADVrider that the price may be going up for the Spot unit. Just passing this on.

--Doug

[taosports]

Also available at REI for $150.