spot messenger

I bought one today off ebay, I'm interested in the tracking feature.

Cheers
Alan

Hi I am also interested in the tracking feature of the Spot but are they all the same? For sale on Ebay they look identicle but vary in price from $50 to $230 Love to buy one for $50 but are there different models. According to my Google search they are all the same. Anybody shed some light on this?
Cheers Teza

I borrowed a SPOT from a mate and went hiking through the forest. As with any GPS, tree coverage knocks back the GPS signal so there were several of my "I'm Okay" messages that didn't through. It was very reassuring to have and I made sure I triggered an 'all okay' message at every open road crossing so family could keep track of us. These all got through, just the ones in deep forest that didn't.

This was the older model, just superseded.

Despite this minor problem, I see them as an excellent product. Many times when travelling, we know we are okay, and can let the VKS 737 network know we are okay, but that leaves our family and jealous work colleagues in the dark. SPOT lets them locate just where we are each day and is a whole lot of fun for those left behind.

Tim

Garny,

I have been using Spot Tracking since May this year.

I had it on for the 20 weeks I was away touring around the CSR, Simpson Desert and Kimberly area.

I had the tracking device on and my wife was able to check my progress every day. Click on to the tracking page and while she was at work in Sydney she could see that I was in Cape Leveque.It was almost like she was with me but unfortunately some one in the family has to keep working.

Being able to zoom in on where I was camping or a place that I was passing through via Google Earth is a great feature.
It would only take 6 minutes from the time that I had stopped to set up camp before our position was revealed.

Last week I had Spot turned on while in the Vic High Country and a mate who was also tracking me, phoned just as I was making the last rocky climb up Blue Rag. Not a good time to take a call.

I have the unit mounted on the dash so that it has a clear view of the sky and has always given a good signal. I am also on the original batteries even after 20 weeks away with the unit being on every day that I was on the move.

Wayne

I love mine and it works great. The ones purchased from authorised distribuotrs have the Australian C Tick approval for use here. (Communications Authority) They are also covered by Australian warranty. P.I. Plus in Melbourne is the distributor of them www.piplus.com.au. There is also a FREE 12 month live tracking offer till 31/12/09 and also a $25 AUD rebate available for them. This is only available from Authorised Australian Distributors so it makes them very competitive in price and also the peace of mind with any warranty issues.

Have been researching these a little myself and it seems they are all the same but what varies is the level of subscription that you subscribe to.

Prices as indicated above vary from $50 out of Hong Kong to around $370 from Aus.

Has anyone acquired one from Hong Kong and if so have they had any difficulties with registration etc.

I am not aware of any specific requirement for Communications Australia tick as it appears they are all made O/S and subscription is via the US.

Appreciate any feedback.

Hi

Didn't one of the EO members travel from Wagga Wagga to Cape York earlier in the year for a fishing trip and use the spot messenger?

From memory we were even able to see where he made a wrong turn at Hughenden . . )), then camp at Porcupine Gorge NP, before continuing up to the Cape.

Cheers

Calling a couple of Spot tracking users. I am looking for a one or two Members that use the Spot Tracking service. I have just tested a new interface from the EOTrackMe Realtime Online Tracking system that will allow us to integrate the Spot Tracking system into our EOTrackMe service so that you will be able to be tracked on your Member profile page on ExplorOz and on the EOTrackMe Realtime Online Tracking page. One of the big advantages of this service will be the ability to save your tracks and integrate them into your blogs or other areas on ExplorOz as we develop these features.

So for now I just need a couple of Spot tracking users - it does not effect your spot service and costs nothing and will show your tracks directly on ExplorOz. So if you are keen to help me develop this feature please let me know.
David

Hi, there is new model coming out within the next 1-2 months, It will be slightly different shape but will have same features...that's why there are some good deals on the OLD model now. I've also heard the new models are more reliable but they do chew through the batteries on TRACK mode. Batteries are only good for 4-5 days when using tracking mode. Make sure you buy from authorised Aus dealer for warranty backup and compliance

Hi I have just been doing more research on the spot and I found a new distributor in Ballarat as from Sept 09. I n the article it states " Spot uses the gps system of satelites to find its location and then transmits this data using the Globalstar Satelite Network Use of this system is via yearly subscribtion fee."

Having once owned a Globalstar supported sat phone it raises a few concernes.
The sat phone coverage was very poor in the area north of about the Tropic of Capricorn. At other times it was also fairly hit and miss. Apparently their sat signal was relayed to earth and then proceeded through the landline phone system. They had three bases from memory, Mt Isa , Meekatharra , but the last one escapes me.

Is anyone using one in the northern areas ?
I understand that all signals drop out sometimes and am not knocking the product as I want to buy one , just sharing my research.

Cheers Teza

Checkout the following link where they do a comparison of Spot Ver 1 and ver 2. I have no vested interest in SPOT, just doing some research before I buy as I'm not sure whether to go Sat Phone rental, EPIRB purchase or SPOT purchase. All seem to have Pro's and Con's :)
http://www.findmespot.net.au/
Safe travelling
Ian

Is there any recorded instance of anyone in Australia having actually used the emergency function on a SPOT instrument?
I would be interested to hear of any thing, in particular the time lapse between activation and response recorded on the instrument and on the ground.
From reading all your posts, it's pretty clear that for the sake of a couple of hundred dollars (not much if you say it fast) you avoid a few complications that would have you wishing you'd not been a cheapskate and paid full local price. Annual subscription costs seem to vary a little which is interesting too.

Ok, I know I am a sucker for a bargain (haven't had a problem with O/S purchases yet) so took the plunge on the Hong Kong item.

Couldn't be bothered waiting so went for the buy it know price of A$50 plus A$17 delivery.

Bought two on 2/12. Both arrived in the mail on 7/12. Registered one online on 7/12 and have sent plenty of Ok messages since. All arrived without a problem and when I checked the mapping system all showed exactly where I was at that time to within a few metres. (Perhaps if Tiger Woods had one he could deny a few of the claims currently being made LOL)

Am I concerned about warranty - NO, study Consumer Law and neither should you.

Look forward to putting this to use as it offers much more flexibility than an epirb and is much cheaper than a Sat phone.

Cheers Dazza.

Hi Dazza, can you tell me where you got yours for $50.00? I think I'll get one too......as long as it works OK in Oz it should be fine. Have you used the Check-in feature and was it a Spot version 2 you got?
Cheers, Ian

Haven't got mine yet, but this recall will probably convince me to buy locally!!!