HikeArizona.COM

NEW PRODUCT- "SPOT" IS A PERSONAL SATELLITE MESSENGER. LIGHTER-CHEAPER THAN A SATELLITE PHONE OR EPERB.

JUST OUT-THIS IS THE FIRST GENERATION AND I'M SURE THEY WILL GET EVEN BETTER. i'VE TESTED IT AND VERY HAPPY SO FAR. IT WORKS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUPERSTITIONS-FAR AWAY FROM CELL SIGNALS. BESIDES CALLING FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE YOU CAN ALERT AS MANY AS FIVE PHONES VIA TEXT MESSAGE, AND OR COMPUTERS THAT YOU ARE OK AND IT SENDS A MESSAGE WITH YOUR CURRENT GPS COORDINATES AND A LINK TO GOOGLE EARTH WHICH SHOWS EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE AT. I HIKE ALONE OFTEN SO THIS ASSURES ME AND OTHERS.

azdesertfather wrote:. . . but I've come to realize this time that it's not about me, it's about those who love me.

Amen!
I carried one on my grand adventure, the agreement was that I'd send an "OK" message morning, noon and night. Worked out well.

Sredfield wrote:

azdesertfather wrote:. . . but I've come to realize this time that it's not about me, it's about those who love me.

Amen!
I carried one on my grand adventure, the agreement was that I'd send an "OK" message morning, noon and night. Worked out well.

That's my plan too. You can avoid paying $50 extra a year if you don't have the automatic Google tracking enabled, just the ability to push the OK button with a coordinate when you want to.

imike wrote:Very good point... right now, I FIND find myself continually logging on to HAZ in hopes of hearing something good about GPSJoe... if there was an active SPOT with him right now, then it would have been a very good thing.

Wait...what? What the heck? Is he missing/dead/kidnapped? When did this happen? Where did this happen?

PageRob wrote:

imike wrote:Very good point... right now, I FIND find myself continually logging on to HAZ in hopes of hearing something good about GPSJoe... if there was an active SPOT with him right now, then it would have been a very good thing.

Wait...what? What the heck? Is he missing/dead/kidnapped? When did this happen? Where did this happen?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5664
http://www.arizonahikers.com/forum/view ... sc&start=0

Working on getting some guys together from CDF to head out there to assist.

Oh holy cow! I never really check missing hiker threads in areas I don't hike, so I had no idea.
My Facebook has been down so I'm unable to check into CDF - let me know if something develops.

I've been following both threads. I've been using my spot 2 since may. Have taken it mostly into Sierra Ancha and took it down Salt Canyon to LCR and every message I've sent my wife has received. I've even been able to go back and get coordinates of things I forgot to mark or when I didn't have a signal on my GPS. It has to have an unimpeded view of the sky ie. truck dash or the back of your pack. This having been said the original vinyl case it came with fell apart on my first bushwack as it got scraped through the brush on top of my pack. I called spot told them the issue and that the product was worthless if I couldn't fasten it on the outside of my pack. They said they had lots of complaints and a week later they sent me a much more durable nylon case. This may be the case they come with now, but if you get the vinyl case it's worth calling their customer service. They were very helpful. Even hiking up Cold Springs Canyon and Salt Canyon down at LCR my wife received messages. I don't know how the previous generation worked but the new one sends out 5 messages for each time the button is pushed to make sure one is sent. It also flashes red on the message light if it is not successful and green if it is. I mark the point where I park and send a message when I stop to take breaks. I send two from the message button when I'm on my way home one from the starting point and one when I start driving. The agreement I have with my wife on the non emergent emergency button (The one that doesn't alert the calvary) is that it means come get me, but i'm ok and don't need the calvary. Anyway, the system works for us.
I've been happy with it and gave my dad one for his birthday. He used it on his bike ride along the Lewis and Clark route and his two week Boundary Water Canoe trip. You can look at world coverage on the website. He plans on taking it to Tanzania in January and according to the map should have coverage.
I initially was resistant, but have found with getting messages from my dad and family getting my messages that they appreciate it. Especially the non hikers who get instant google maps of where I'm at especially when i'm on my own.

how do we distinguish between the older and newer models... I see units selling for $99....

Old on left, new on right:
http://varmintair.typepad.com/.a/6a0105 ... 970c-800wi

I've got both (decided to upgrade for the smaller size of the new one) and both have been reliable for me. It's NOT an end-all-be-all, by any means. But it is an added layer of safety/protection that I figure is worth having. Along with the SPOT, I also carry a sidearm (good way to make noice if ya REALLY need to.. among other things...), a HAM radio that is modded to be able to transmit on everyting from HAM bands to GMRS/FRS to public safety frequencies, excessive amounts of 1st aid gear, and even then I still make certain my plans are known to a friend or family member. It's all about multiple layers of redundancy in my mind =)

As I got older, my wife got worried about me out there alone and I started thinking about how to get myself found. I read Cody Lundin and got a few hints about leaving clues on the trail. I bought a PLB when they first came out - but I can only use it if I'm conscious (I haven't told her that). I have a GlobalStar SatPhone, but my buddy had better luck up on Bill Williams with texting. Sometimes I have to move 10yds to get a signal. So I guess I'll try a SPOT - is sounds like it should be better than what I have.

But a SPOT is only part of the solution to being found.

I realized that my clothing was not visible. So I started wearing more Orange. I have an orange vest that I wear during hunting season. My Marmot Precip is Orange. And I started carrying enough Surveyors Tape to leave a clue. I figured the colors and my infrared signature should be enough. But now I'm thinking, the colors and IR might not be enough to find me. So bear with me as I get a little macabre. My Doc on Thursday prescribed an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Scan. That could kill me faster than a heart attack. I could be room temperature in 10 minutes and IR won't find that.

So tonight I'm thinking that if I'm going to hike alone, I need to buy some reflective stuff like I use when bicycling. I want to be found with the minimum trouble. I haven't really thought this through yet, but I'm going to experiment and improvise. I figure I can definitely iron it or gorilla glue it to my hat. Definitely on the upper back of my shirts and jackets ( I just have to plan on falling face down). Maybe put it on the upper arms of my shirts and jackets - sort of like Boy Scout badges. I've got friends that will probably tell me to try some of that reflective guyline cord tightly around my neck - but I hope they are just joking.

@Al_HikesAZ
I have used reflective twist ties to mark the trail going into hunting locations. A few of these twisted in various spots on your pack, hat strap, belt loop, etc may help. They are inexpensive and can be found at places like Sportsman's Warehouse.

Thoreau wrote:Old on left, new on right:
http://varmintair.typepad.com/.a/6a0105 ... 970c-800wi

Thanks... looks as if the newer model has covers over the buttons? makes them less likely to be punched?

@imike
That's correct and message confirmation as well as status with the lights. The messenger is what everyone is calling spot 2. If it comes with the vinyl case you might want to call them when it starts falling apart mine did during the first bushwack and they sent me a more durable nylon one free.

bart01 wrote:@imike
That's correct and message confirmation as well as status with the lights. The messenger is what everyone is calling spot 2. If it comes with the vinyl case you might want to call them when it starts falling apart mine did during the first bushwack and they sent me a more durable nylon one free.

Thanks... I'll make a decision over the coming weeks and pick up a unit... but now the issue of a PLB has been raised. Need to compare those.

imike wrote:

Thoreau wrote:Old on left, new on right:
http://varmintair.typepad.com/.a/6a0105 ... 970c-800wi

Thanks... looks as if the newer model has covers over the buttons? makes them less likely to be punched?

With mine, you would need to sit on it with a button on your pants to accidentally push a button. If anything, I have a problem with the "OK" button not being held down long enough when I actually want a message to go...

"I bought a PLB when they first came out - but I can only use it if I'm conscious”

The requirement (consciousness) bothers me about PLB's and even the SPOT unless it's in Track mode. Many possibilities could render one lacking that critical component. I'm thinking the SPOT in Track mode is the best solution so far.

yeah... but going from hiking with nothing but little common sense to having someone else following my route in real time is a bit over the top for me. And, if the unit dies it would imply I'm in trouble when perhaps I just busted it trying to crack some nuts. If I'm unconscious, well fine... if a signal was sent out in a prior hour they'd have a fair idea where I was standing not long before. I sort of like the idea of sending a signal out when I begin a hike... sometime midday (more often if I deviate from a planned route?) then at end of day when all is well.

For each person the level of desired "safety" will be different. Staying at home is likely the safer option. it does come down more to piece of mind for friends and family.

So, Spot ($150 + $100 year)... PLB ($300)... Satellite Phone ($500+ $250 year)

I've posted before as a SPOT owner/user--original model. I don't pay the extra $ for the tracking feature. I check in at the trailhead, then hit the check in button again at least every hour. I have had some difficulty sending out the signal in narrow steep canyons, but I just hit the button again--not much effort involved. When I arrive back at my truck , I check in again. And, my contacts have cell phones with email capability to be aware that I am still moving. If I got knocked out and couldn't hit the button, this would narrow the search considerably. My husband also knows if place I am going and if it might have transmission problems.

I have an EPIRB issued to me as part of my survival gear at work. It is basically a PLB that is rated for 48hrs of transmission when activated vs 24hrs for a PLB. It is registered specifically to me and I have been told that it has to be declared if I travel on commercial airlines in case of accidental activation. I carry it on a line in my life jacket so it is easily accessible, but it takes steps to activate including extending the antennae and pushing 2 buttons simultaneously. It requires clear view of the sky like the others and has to held out of the water for best results although it does float. It gets inspected every 3 months by maintenance and tested for battery replacement and it's ability to transmit. It does not confirm that anything has been sent and continuously transmits until the battery dies.

I keep my SPOT unit in tracking mode when I am moving, then send an OK when I get to camp and then again when I wake up in the morning, but I have the old unit. My SPOT works pretty well, but the new ones are much more sensitive and have several features (message sent confirmation, protective covers on the "help" and 911 buttons, etc.) and I have heard that they work great. I would highly recommend a SPOT to anyone who hikes alone. I love mine, and so does my husband and my family.

Anybody used the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w GPS with Spot Satellite Messenger?

http://www.rei.com/product/801769?prefe ... erralID=NA