BigJ
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With The Mojave Road trip fast approaching I got to thinking about how, exactly, I might communicate with the outside world should I need help. I didn't want to go overboard with this, but on the other hand I didn't want to go in with nothing.
I considered everything from a satellite phone, to a personal locator beacon (PLB), to HAM radios. Satellite phones were very cost prohibitive, and won't connect you with local rescue nor inform them of your location. PLBs seemed to be way overkill (see below) and HAM radios had the same not-rescue-friendly issues as Satellite phones, albeit without the service fees. I kept looking and eventually hit on the SPOT device and their service, and the associated SpotAdventures site. After researching a ton more, I decided this was the thing for me.
First let me say what this device is not: This device is NOT a beacon. It is not something that will broadcast your location directly to local rescue personnel. It will not work in a cave, or under heavy cover, in buildings or under snow. If you're a serious backbacker who might find yourself unable to press a button (serious injury) and/or unable to move to areas with a clear shot to the sky, this is NOT for you.
This device is a GPS with a radio. In its most basic form, this device will radio in your GPS location from anywhere on the globe, back to SPOT's headquarters. SPOT will then contact local rescue services and dispatch them to your location. Unlike a beacon, you are never in direct contact with your rescue party!
I'm not a serious backpacker. I don't plan to leave my Raptor behind, unless in the most extreme life threatening circumstances. And even then, I'll be carrying the SPOT (which sends your location in every 20 minutes), staying out in the open hoping to be found. So for my "rescue" purposes, the SPOT is a good fit.
The SPOT also offers a couple features I liked; namely the "I'm OK"/"I need help" messages and tracking functions. The "I'm OK"/"I need help" message ability is a way for me to press a button on the device, and alert my preconfigured contacts that "I'm Ok!". Basically, its a way to send a message (via text and email) direct to my friends and family letting them know all is well. Peace of mind.
The "I need help" function works exactly as the "I'm OK" feature, however it sends a different preconfigured message along with my GPS coordinates, to a separate contact list. This is pretty cool in that I can let my friends/family know I'm in trouble, but not in a life threatening situation. SPOT is not alerted via the "I need help" function; they won't sent local rescue and therefore you won't get stuck with a huge helicopter and rescue effort bill for, say, running out of gas. I've worked it with my contacts, basically telling them that if they see this message, they need to get someone to help me but also that there's no great rush or immediate life threatening emergency. If there was, I'd be using the SOS button and getting local rescue involved (via SPOT HQ).
The tracking feature should be fun. I plan to get it going so that you guys can track our progress thru The Mojave Road trip (via a dedicated Google Maps page). You'll be able to pull up that page and watch, and see just where we are. The track log is updated every 10 minutes.
Now all this doesn't come cheap. Unlike PLB's, there is a service fee (paying the SPOT people to maintain the service and work with local rescue if needed). The device runs $150-160, and the yearly service fee is $99 ($49 more per year for tracking). A PLB device can run $500-800 but carries no service fee, HAM radios can cost upwards of $1k and require a license to operate, and a Satellite phone can run several thousand for the device and carries with it substantial monthly service fees (or prepaid service fees) of $40-60 per month as well as usage fees of several dollars per minute of use. So you really need to think about what your pain threshold is for cost, and what exactly you want out of something like this.
I read a ton of reviews and comparisons that declared the SPOT device a "gizmo" "gimmick" or "toy". And in some sense, I understand that. For the die hard guy who's 'out there' on his own for weeks at a time, I don't think a SPOT device is a good fit as their only device. A PLB is what I would carry in those cases; its a serious tool designed to get you help and save your life in every situation imaginable.
On the other hand, while the SPOT device is designed to serve as a life line, when compared to a PLB there's more chance it won't work. Or to put it another way, you need to (be uninjured enough to) think more, and make sure you can see the sky and can press a relatively small button. And for that "risk", you also get added features that may or may not appeal to you. In my case, the "risk" is worth it.
Can't wait to get out there and try the tracker out! I'll get a new thread going with those details as we draw nearer to heading out.
I considered everything from a satellite phone, to a personal locator beacon (PLB), to HAM radios. Satellite phones were very cost prohibitive, and won't connect you with local rescue nor inform them of your location. PLBs seemed to be way overkill (see below) and HAM radios had the same not-rescue-friendly issues as Satellite phones, albeit without the service fees. I kept looking and eventually hit on the SPOT device and their service, and the associated SpotAdventures site. After researching a ton more, I decided this was the thing for me.
First let me say what this device is not: This device is NOT a beacon. It is not something that will broadcast your location directly to local rescue personnel. It will not work in a cave, or under heavy cover, in buildings or under snow. If you're a serious backbacker who might find yourself unable to press a button (serious injury) and/or unable to move to areas with a clear shot to the sky, this is NOT for you.
This device is a GPS with a radio. In its most basic form, this device will radio in your GPS location from anywhere on the globe, back to SPOT's headquarters. SPOT will then contact local rescue services and dispatch them to your location. Unlike a beacon, you are never in direct contact with your rescue party!
I'm not a serious backpacker. I don't plan to leave my Raptor behind, unless in the most extreme life threatening circumstances. And even then, I'll be carrying the SPOT (which sends your location in every 20 minutes), staying out in the open hoping to be found. So for my "rescue" purposes, the SPOT is a good fit.
The SPOT also offers a couple features I liked; namely the "I'm OK"/"I need help" messages and tracking functions. The "I'm OK"/"I need help" message ability is a way for me to press a button on the device, and alert my preconfigured contacts that "I'm Ok!". Basically, its a way to send a message (via text and email) direct to my friends and family letting them know all is well. Peace of mind.
The "I need help" function works exactly as the "I'm OK" feature, however it sends a different preconfigured message along with my GPS coordinates, to a separate contact list. This is pretty cool in that I can let my friends/family know I'm in trouble, but not in a life threatening situation. SPOT is not alerted via the "I need help" function; they won't sent local rescue and therefore you won't get stuck with a huge helicopter and rescue effort bill for, say, running out of gas. I've worked it with my contacts, basically telling them that if they see this message, they need to get someone to help me but also that there's no great rush or immediate life threatening emergency. If there was, I'd be using the SOS button and getting local rescue involved (via SPOT HQ).
The tracking feature should be fun. I plan to get it going so that you guys can track our progress thru The Mojave Road trip (via a dedicated Google Maps page). You'll be able to pull up that page and watch, and see just where we are. The track log is updated every 10 minutes.
Now all this doesn't come cheap. Unlike PLB's, there is a service fee (paying the SPOT people to maintain the service and work with local rescue if needed). The device runs $150-160, and the yearly service fee is $99 ($49 more per year for tracking). A PLB device can run $500-800 but carries no service fee, HAM radios can cost upwards of $1k and require a license to operate, and a Satellite phone can run several thousand for the device and carries with it substantial monthly service fees (or prepaid service fees) of $40-60 per month as well as usage fees of several dollars per minute of use. So you really need to think about what your pain threshold is for cost, and what exactly you want out of something like this.
I read a ton of reviews and comparisons that declared the SPOT device a "gizmo" "gimmick" or "toy". And in some sense, I understand that. For the die hard guy who's 'out there' on his own for weeks at a time, I don't think a SPOT device is a good fit as their only device. A PLB is what I would carry in those cases; its a serious tool designed to get you help and save your life in every situation imaginable.
On the other hand, while the SPOT device is designed to serve as a life line, when compared to a PLB there's more chance it won't work. Or to put it another way, you need to (be uninjured enough to) think more, and make sure you can see the sky and can press a relatively small button. And for that "risk", you also get added features that may or may not appeal to you. In my case, the "risk" is worth it.
Can't wait to get out there and try the tracker out! I'll get a new thread going with those details as we draw nearer to heading out.
