Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Not an ELT but better in some way
by Francois from Outremont QC Canada 
Pros: Does a simple thing very well and for a very affordable price
Cons: The unit doesn't provide enough feedback on which state it is in.
Review: This product is probably the best way to manage a Flight Itinerary. This very simple widget knows where you are from its integrated GPS and then uses the GlobalStar network (defficient for voice communication at the moment but good enough to carry a small packet of data) to tramsmit your position and a message to the Spot server. Your profile, kept in the server, decides who shall receive which type of message. A "progression mode" provides the ability to track you every 10 minutes w/o any intervention. The Company is proactive and already included a special page for your distribution list members in order for them to follow your progression w/o having to log on to the site. Integration with Google Earth/Map makes it very usefull. In case of Emergencies, you can alert you list of members or the Spot people who will contact SAR for you and track you from there.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tell them what you want
by A Customer from  
Pros: Great Product all-around
Cons: Needs an LCD and mapping feature.
Review: People!!! If you want a SPoT v2 with better features, just blog about what you want and not about what you don't like about it. Every company has marketing people who read these blogs and use the feedback from them to create the next generation of products. I want the SPoT to have an LCD interface with a google maps API. That is what I want!!!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Everything they promised; I recommend it to all my friends.
by Vic from Milpitas CA USA 
Pros: Small, light, floats, brightly colored, efficient battery life. Easy to use. Web site is also easy to use. Reasonable service fee.
Cons: I might like a quicker lock-on. But my testing didn't always provide full open access to the satellites.
Review: The system met all my expectations. Of course, a number of the functions I will only use in an emergency. I purchased the full level of support, including the automatic periodic position updates and maximum emergency support. That's mainly because I'm a hunter, and I can easily get several hours off road and out of cell phone coverage. Pig hunting can occasionally be hazardous, like when one pig continued to run about near me despite two round from a 44mag through the chest. And of course, there's always the risk of a rattlesnake bite. Operationally, SPOT located the satellites within a few minutes and sent a position as requested. Accuracy was quite good. Placing SPOT on a window sill in my house on two different occasions, the reported position only varied by two digit on the fourth decimal place (of a degree). I believe that's within about 70 feet. The automatice periodic position update has many potential application besides my hunting and camping trips. Any excursion of a family member or friend can be monitored for safety purposes (including long road trips).

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
SPOT Tracker delivers
by Todt C. from Walnut Creek CA USA 
Pros: Ease of use, price, safety.
Review: Took the Tracker on a trip to Mexico in my private airplane one day after it arrived. The unit was easy to use and never lost the signal. I had 10-minute updates of my location so my family knew where I was at all times and the check-in feature worked flawlessly. A really cool product at a great price. Excellent piece of mind when I am flying. I will take it on all my backpack trips too.

Saturday, April 05, 2008
A must for back country travelers.
by Forrest from Los Alamos NM USA 
Pros: It works. Need I say more.
Cons: Lacks a digital read out.
Review: It has worked everytime I have tried the Help and Check In features on a trial basis. I am 71 years old and often hike and ATV alone. It give me and my wife a sense of security since I am often out of cell phone range. My only complaint is that it lacks a digital read out like I have on my GPS. Watching the bliking lights is difficult in the bright sun especially if I'm wearing sunglasses.

Friday, March 28, 2008
Nice Product
by David from Layton UT USA 
Pros: Simple 4 button operation
Cons: Simple 4 button operation is sometimes difficult to know what is going on
Review: This is a great unit. Have used it in both Hemipheres (northern half of each). It works pretty good. GPS is not quite as sensitive as others I have. Message Sending works most of the time. I would buy this again. I wish the manual would have described the length of time it takes to attempts each message and how other features are blocked during that time. If you attempt to use another feature durng the 20 minute cycle to send an OK message, the OK message stops trying to send and you may have got it sent and you may have not. However, that said, it is a terriffic product in most ways.

Friday, March 28, 2008
This thing is GREAT !
by Hully from Davie FL USA 
Pros: Small and very easy to use
Cons: None
Review: The 'SPOT' exceeded all my expectations. It goes beyond the capabilities of the PLB's or P-EPIRB's and does so at a fraction of the price.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Needs some work
by garywil from Surprise AZ USA 
Pros: Solid construction, the right size and a great idea
Cons: Requires your full attention and patience to determine transmission sent.
Review: This device looked to be the solo hiker's dream. It works - slowly but accurately. The size is convenient and it comes in a bright color. However the introduction of this promising device is perhaps a little premature. When activated to send an "OK" message to friends you have to watch a beeping green light finally turn to a steady five second light which indicates the coordinates have been sent to the satellites and an email sent to a friend presumably. The process may take several minutes of waiting. A company spokesman informed me an active gps near SPOT interferes with it and this seems to be true. An audible signal to go with the steady green light appearing would be a real plus. Back to the drawing board to spruce it up a bit recommended.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
EXCELLENT PRODUCT
by A Customer from HERMOSILLO, SONORA . Mexico 
Review: It really works better than I thought. Amazing!!!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
ATC Tells Your Wife, Your Aircraft is Missing and Search & Rescue has been Initiated
by A Customer from West Texas 
Pros: Your Family knows where you are where others don't.
Cons: Not integrated into the Air Traffic Control System.
Review: During a cross-country flight in a Cessna 152 from T27 to SRR and then to ROW, moderate turbulence was encountered and the flight was diverted to 2E5. My son had filed his flight-plan requesting flight following with the Albuquerque Flight Service Center. The flight-plan crossed two flight service centers Albuquerque and San Angelo. Once my son made a determination to divert to 2E5, he notified Albuquerque Flight Service Center of the change of flight-plan and landed at 2E5. After taking off from 2E5, he notified Albuquerque Flight Service Center concerning the status of the Flight-Plan and was told it had been cancelled. He then flew back to T27 and landed safely. My wife received a call from the San Angelo Flight Service Center indicating that our aircraft was missing and a search and rescue operation had been initiated. My wife who was at home following our flight through the SPOT Satellite System was able to tell the San Angelo Flight Service Center what flight path we had taken and where we currently were. They didn’t know SPOT existed. * First call received identified herself with Ft. Worth Flight Service Center. Second call received identified herself with San Angelo Flight Service Center. The first call was left on the answering machine

Monday, February 25, 2008
Mom's peace of mind.
by Deb from Woodstock GA USA 
Pros: Compact unit and 'check in' and 'panic button'
Cons: A bit heavy for runners, inconsistent tracking info, failure to track during overcast weather.
Review: I have a greater peace of mind regarding my adventurous daughter's pursuits. Although "SPOT" doesn't provide tracking on the regular basis we were expecting, at least I know that my daughter has some degree of protection when she is out on a mountain run or bike ride. We did experience a period of absolutely NO tracking during overcast weather in California one weekend, she was able to "check in." It is also difficult the time difference between recipient location and tracking time.

Friday, February 15, 2008
Peace of mind
by Steve from Tucson AZ USA 
Pros: Can save your life
Cons: Poor user interface
Review: This is a useful product that can provide peace of mind to loved ones and has the potential to be a lifesaver. However, it suffers from a clunky user interface. It uses the same buttons to accomplish different things and gives limited feedback as to what it's doing. The manual is complete and informative, but there is no quick reference card. I ended up writing my own to carry with the unit. One of the most useful features is the "Track" feature. But there are no written instructions on the unit as to how to activate that feature, and the indication it provides to the user is identical to the "Check In" feature. I have had it do the "Check In" when I wanted it to do the "Track" a couple of times now. Didn't know what it had done until I got back home.

Friday, February 15, 2008
Good but a little tweak would make it much better.
by Steve G from Voorhees, NJ  
Pros: Easy to set up and use, accurate, could be a life saver.
Cons: Tracking feature needs improvement
Review: I registered the SPOT and set up my account on the internet with ease. I then went outside, turned on the SPOT, and sent my position. Within a few minutes I received an email with my preset message (that I was OK) and a google map of my exact location. That is terrific and well worth the price of the SPOT if you boat offshore or fly. Then, I took it on a flight and set it in the tracking mode, expecting to go home and read a bunch of emails every 10 minutes with my then current locations. But, no. I had to log onto the SPOT website and find my account to get my track. This is silly and not much use if I have an accident, cannot access the SPOT to manually trasmit my location, and no one thinks to access my SPOT account.

Monday, February 04, 2008
It is as it's advertised !
by Dr. Kenneth from Loomis CA USA 
Pros: Works most any where in the wild including Kodiac Island,AK.
Cons: Give better feedback on message sent & a higher gain antenna.
Review: As someone who fishes and hikes in wilderness areas, often alone, the SPOT provides a safety comfort level well beyond any reasonably priced electronic device I could carry.No longer do I have to leave a note regarding where I intend to go that day nor call my wife upon my return to camp or motel to let her know I've made it back safely. Spot informs where-abouts even if I change locations mid- day.

Sunday, February 03, 2008
by L.M. from  
Review: Neat device! - great value for the added safety. Unlike a PLB, this can be used everyday. The family loves the tracking feature. Being able to test/use frequently, I'm confident it'll bring help if I need to "hit the button".

Friday, February 01, 2008
by Bill,Teresa & Jack Kettler from Arizona 
Review: For the Price and the Benefits of Owning This Unit any outdoor enthusiast should give serious consideration to owning one. This unit even has daily practical uses such as monitor your children's where abouts, Emergency services notification in an auto accident or emergency situation.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008
recommended it to my friends and family
by craig from sparks NV USA 
Pros: gets a signal where a cell phone can not
Cons: none
Review: Met all my expectations. I can come home and see every where i traveled. mostly off road on an ATV. gives me a lot of peace of mind.

Saturday, January 05, 2008
Alaska Coverage
by A Customer from Fairbanks, Alaska 
Pros: Small size, easy to use and well worth the money.
Cons: Coverage not so good in Northern Alaska.
Review: Coverage South of the Alaska Range is great but North of the range greatly depends on your view of the southeastern sky. The wife loves to check the "bread crumb" trail and know when to expect me home.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Slicker than greased pig sh*t
by Chris from Denver CO USA 
Pros: Simple operation
Cons: The associated web site is a little cumbersome
Review: Worked exactly like they said it would. Relayed my position in the airplane every time I pressed the button. Mounted using velcro to the front of the cockpit under the windshield. Easy to use.

Thursday, December 13, 2007
Overall: Excellent!
by BlackStar1 from Santa Monica CA USA 
Pros: Great economical satellite based location tracking & huge safety benefits for all types of travelers.
Cons: The unit could use a better method of user feedback & confirmation on location messages that are sent.
Review: Product is the “best bang for the buck!” This technology is revolutionizing personal safety and increases one’s comfort level in global travel.

I was recently involved in the search for Steve Fossett, the aviator adventurer who unfortunately is still missing. The search area is the size of Vermont & New Hampshire or better known as trying to find a needle in a haystack. If Mr. Fossett had employed this type of system at the time of his disappearance, he would have most probably would have been found already.

Product Suggestions:

1. This technology would be ideal integrated into a handheld GPS NAV unit.
2. Currently, position updates in the tracking mode are every ten minutes, it would be nice to have time options, like every 2-3-minutes, 5-minutes, etc. Depending upon the mode of transportation, people travel across the Earth at different speeds.
3. Message confirmation feedback on the unit & satellite connection information.

Thursday, December 06, 2007
I can't believe this technology exists at this price...
by Christopher from Portland OR USA 
Pros: Small, light, easy to use.
Review: This is, without question, one of the best applications of GPS / Emergency technology I've seen in years. No, it is not the most advanced of it's type (ie, no lcd screen, no on-device tracking, etc), but it does exactly what it designed to do - be there for you in an emergency.

I actually purchased it for my aging parents who have recently begun to "bird" in the wild woods and explore off-map areas. About a year ago they got high-centered in a dry river bed and had to spend 2 days in the middle of nowhere. Of course their cell phone was without signal... and this would have helped.

As I write this, they are tiddling around Puerto Rico on an adventure and I've received no less than 30 "check in" messages since they started this adventure last week.

Well worth the money. Excellent piece of technology.

Monday, November 19, 2007
Great little tool!
by Bob from Orlando, FL 
Pros: basic message service is included and works without giving up personal account info.
Cons: Tracking feature not worth the extra$$ Requires lithium batteries and doesn't recharge or run off 12V
Review: Works well and as advertised. Could be just what you need if you travel where rescue availability is remote. The tracking feature is not as easy as it seems it should be. You have to give your personal account info to anyone who wishes to track you and they then have access to your entire account with spot. That kinda keeps that feature to family and close friends only. NO IN-LAWS OR EXES! I had hoped the ex could track the kids when we fly...BUT?