SPOT Personal Tracker

by SPOT Inc.

Product Features

• Satellite messenger with GPS tracking for keeping users safe on adventure trips.Purchasing a service plan is required in addition to purchasing the SPOT unit.
• SpotChecking feature alerts friends and family of your precise location
• SpotCasting function lets friends and family follow your progress in real time
• Sends GPS coordinates and distress message to Emergency Response Center
• Satellite technology works around the world; measures 2.75 x 4.38 x 1.5 inches (W x H x D)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Give your loved ones full peace of mind when you're on the mountain with the Spot Satellite Messenger. Whether you're just checking in, allowing others to track your progress, or calling for help, Spot gives you a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it. Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. Unlike personal locator beacons, however, Spot does more than just call for help. The SpotChecking feature, for example, lets you notify your SpotTeam--the friends and family you've chosen as your contacts--and tell them all is well, notify them of your location, or save waypoints so you can review your route at a later date. You can also activate the SpotCasting feature to let friends and family follow your progress in real time (every 10 minutes). Anyone with access to your account information can log on and view your route, complete with virtual views provided by Google Maps. SpotCasting is a terrific feature for mountain climbers looking to celebrate their accomplishments with their loved ones.

The most important feature, however, is Spot's ability to call 911 in the event of a life-threatening or other critical emergency. Once activated, Spot will acquire your exact coordinates from the GPS network, and then send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled. The Emergency Response Center will then notify the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information. Responders may include local police, the highway patrol, the Coast Guard, an embassy or consulate, or other emergency response and search-and-rescue teams. Even if Spot can't acquire its location from the GPS network, it will still attempt to send a distress signal--without your exact location--to the Emergency Response Center, which will still notify your emergency contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages.

Spot works around the world, including in virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia, and portions of South America, Northern Africa, and Northeastern Asia. And provided you're in a good coverage area, Spot offers a 99 percent probability of sending a successful message within 20 minutes. As a result, Spot is ideal for anyone with a taste for outdoor adventures, including boaters, kayakers, sailboarders, archaeologists, skiers, climbers, pilots, business travelers, snowshoers, and just about anyone else.

Spot requires two AA lithium batteries, with a battery life of up to one year in standby mode, 14 days in SpotCasting mode, or 7 days in 911 mode. And thanks to the water-resistant housing (safe in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes), you needn't worry about using Spot in adverse conditions. Spot measures a compact 2.75 by 4.38 by 1.5 inches (W x H x D), weighs 7.37 ounces, and carries a one-year limited warranty.

Communication Functions:

Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message.

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

Battery Life:

• Power ON, unused: Approximately 1 year
• SPOT casting continuous tracking mode: Approximately 14 days
• 9-1-1 mode: Up to 7 consecutive days
• HELP mode: up to 1900 messages
• SPOT check OK up to 1900 messages

Specifications:

• Weight: 7 ounces
• Waterproof to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
• Operating Temperature: -40ºF to +185ºF
• Operating Altitude: -300 feet to +21,300 feet
• Humidity and Salt Fog Rated

Product Description

The SPOT Satellite Messenger, the world's first satellite messenger, uses both the GPS satellite network to determine a customer's location and the SPOT network to transmit that information to friends, family or an emergency service center. SPOT is a revolutionary product that is designed to raise the safety factor for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 2.6 inches ; 12.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000YTZV74
• Item model number: SPOT-1
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,780 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

172 of 183 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SPOT ON!!!!, December 12, 2007

By	ATHiker (Chattanooga) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Please ignore the comments about Globalstar service below, he has no clue about this product. Globalstar is having problems with its duplex service S-band amplifiers which only affects two-way traffic. I should know I have a Globalstar satellite phone. SPOT uses the L-Band uplink (simplex modem) which is used to track trucks etc. this network is running at full efficiency. I have this product and it works better than my expectations. About this product: it is not a personal locator beacon and if you wish to use this solely for emergencies, I would recommend another product. A true personal locator beacon because it works in all conditions and all-terrain (I also own one by ACR). SPOT needs to have an uninterrupted view to the satellite. In other words in heavy canopy this product does not work very well but in broken canopy or in the open this product works great (samething is true with my handheld GPS). I use this product to communicate with family and friends on my progress when backpacking, biking, or just out and about. I do use this product in heavy canopy areas and send a signal when I cross a road or powerline crossing. I still carry my personal locator beacon for real emergencies but this product helps in non-emergency situations. For more operational details you can download the manual at www.findmespot.com

My cell phone doesn't work when I'm away from cell towers or underwater while scuba diving nor in caves. Similarly SPOT will not work if it cannot contact the satellite. As with all communication devices, they all have limits and parameters that they operate in. You should know this before buying any product like this.

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where Have I been, December 19, 2007

By	Roger H. Howe - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have just begun using this. Very impressed so far on what it can do. The check-in function allows after about 2-4 minutes of being on to click once and send either a text message to a phone or an e-mail to computer for up to 10 separate addresses. You manage the addresses by accessing your account on the internet. The tracking(an optional service costing another 50 dollars per year) also has worked for me. That service does seem to be more challenged to keep connected to the satellites than my Garmin Etrex which rarely looses it's connection. The SPOT has a blinking green light sequence that indicates whether or not you have lost satellite signal. If you see both the power and tracking light(ok checkmark) are both blinking in sync then SPOT indicates it has satellite connections and knows where you are. I was disappointed that leaving it in the top of my backpack did not always insure keeping a signal. When I held it in my hand and walked for about 10 minutes it would begin blinking in sync. I tested it in several more remote mountainous areas by leaving it horizontal on top of my pack and on my shoulder pouch of my backpack. Once it has the signal it usually will keep it in sync. However, if you just turn it on in heavy trees and deep canyons it is not very sensitive to finding the GPS satellites. This is the one weakness that I keep in mind. With the GREAT battery life, I have had great luck in turning it on when I leave home, then driving to the location I want to explore. When arriving I already have a synced signal and can now begin tracking my trip to the website and usually keeping the signal.
The website shows the track and you can click on the several points of the tracking and they display the multiple locations on Google Maps numbered in order of creation. The power of this device to me is that since I have no cell phone towers in the remote mountain areas I frequent, this will use the messages by satellite and be available for four uses 1)Checking in by message that all is ok 2)Create a log of tracking locations every 10 minutes while turned on 3)Using another list of up to 10 addresses from your setup on the website a different message can be sent for help that is not life threatening like car breakdown or need to be picked up at a location and finally 4)Call 911 which will send to your broadcasted location help and rescue. I found it powerful to test these by using the device in non-life threatening situations. Customer service was very quick in answering my e-mail questions with kind and helpful responses in less than 24 hours each time. Color me satisfied.

103 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very unreliable service, especially tracking., September 10, 2008

By	Dolores C. Reeves "Dolores" (Sedona AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: SPOT Personal Tracker (3.5" and 5.25" disks)

I won't touch on the technical issues -- I want to focus on our groups real life experiences trying to use this product.
A group of us (pilots) bought the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker and have been completely horrified by its lack of performance. The idea and promise is very compelling, however, the stability of their system is truly absurd. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be your emergency tracking and notification system. The problem is that their website is always crashing - which they call maintenance (never posted on the website beforehand though). Also, many of the messages sent from the Personal tracker never show up on their website. We've done several test where we lay a SPOT out in the middle of the ramp at our airport, press the help button, and about half the time the messages are never delivered. Our hope, for the longest time, was that this company would eventually get their system working correctly, or at least predictably, however that has simply not been the case. In fact, when you contact them by email their responses are very caviler.

Put your money into a system that doesn't have an annual subscription and is run by a very reputable group (the US Air Force) Buy a PLB!