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.

Have my new model SPOT up and running...so far so good with sending home the 'OK' and "OK, I'm back at the truck" messages. Have not yet used in canyon or wooded area. Wife and daughter get both text and email message. Both tried to reply directly to this third party message so we discussed that's it not coming from my smart phone.

Saw at Amazon that the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w w/SPOT is on sale for $150 off.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031Q ... ikearizona
$390 + free shipping.

SPOT just announced that it is coming out with a product this month that is similar to their device that comes with the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w. This device, though, uses your existing smart phone to connect with via Bluetooth to the sat messenger, which then sends out the signal to the satellite. I don't know how large this device is, but I'd imagine that it is pretty small, since it is presumably using your phone's GPS and is just the sat. transmission antenna. You will apparently be able to put in the messages to send via a SPOT app on your phone. I don't know if it will be typing in the message or selecting from preselected messages.

Interestingly, I also was out messing around with the track feature on my SPOT yesterday. Here are two tracks, one created directly from the SPOT, the other showing my actual route.
Actual hiked route: http://hikearizona.com/location_g.php?GPS=9910
SPOT-created route: http://hikearizona.com/location_g.php?GPS=9907
Obviously the track ability isn't the same as a traditional GPS, but having friends and family be able to see about where you are is pretty cool.

PageRob wrote:having friends and family be able to see about where you are is pretty cool.

Or not. ;)

Just funnin' you Rob. I mean, you know, some of us just might like to disappear from all those family obligations for awhile!

Oh I understand completely. Easy enough to not have it track if you don't want (or don't give out the tracking site address).

PageRob wrote:I don't know if it will be typing in the message or selecting from preselected messages.

The SPOT with the Delorme PN-60w allows you to type custom messages on the gps unit and then send them out through the SPOT, so I would think it a safe assumption that the same feature would be available for the smart phone version.

I got the New SPOT for Christmas and am looking for some help.

I purchased the Tracking feature. I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to either Delete or filter out tracks.
Without being able to do this, the map gets congested and confusing to those trying to follow you on your current hike....

You can hide a track from the shared page, or change what number of days to display data from.

I use the same URL for all hikes, it's easier for those tracking, so before each hike I delete all locations from my previous hike. To do this, from "My GPS Location" on the spot web site, just click on the little box at the left of the headings. Then click "Delete GPS locations". If the previous hike was more than a page only a page is deleted at a time.

@Mike Fels
Mike....Thanks,
That's exactly what I was looking for.

I got my dad a spot for his birthday and just received a couple of spot messages in the last couple of days from Arusha Tanzania which is a yellow/ grey coverage area on the map.

Has anyone had experience with these devices? SARLink was recommended to me...

@azmuslima

I have a Delorme GPS / SPOT "combo". Really its two units that "pair" with each other so I use the controls on the GPS unit to send out SPOT messages. I've had great luck with mine since I got it back in January, my wife has gotten basically all of the messages I've sent out. I know other users on site have said they have not had as good of luck, but I think I'm the only one on here using the Delorme / SPOT combo.

hippiepunkpirate wrote:but I think I'm the only one on here using the Delorme / SPOT combo.

I do believe that topohiker (Ken) also has/uses this same Delorme unit.

I have been traveling with my SPOT II for almost 1 year now and will definitely be renewing it for another. I have used it many times in the woods & canyons (nothing super thick/deep) and have never had a failed transmission. However, I will not be renewing the tracking feature as I have found it to be very spotty on several trips. As a solo hiker, I have great confidence in it, will never travel without it and would not hesitate to recommend one!

Enjoy mine. It would be nice to have the Delorme to have all the "real" GPS features. Only time I've had failure was the check in messages on the Rainbow Bridge trip earlier this year - but it was sending tracking the whole time just fine!

They have a new unit that is Bluetooth compatible with your smartphone allowing you if you choose the plan that allows one way text messaging to use your phone to type the messages. Not much more than the original spot 2. I figured they would do this shortly after the delorme spot combo was introduced.

Just got to digging around for some info on the Spot/Delorme combo, and found this new gem:

http://www.rei.com/product/828146/delor ... or-android

Looks like SPOT is either gonna need to upgrade their offerings, or Delorme is gonna start taking over. 2-way > 1-way for sure!