SPOT Update

[rauburg]

I have taken my SPOT on three trips so far and have these observations. Quick summaries of my trips so far.

On the OML loop the tracking worked reasonably well and my "I'M OK" and end of the day messages got out with no problems. My friend  who was watching my progress watched me drive to BIBE and return to Midland and then inexplicably didn't watch the actual hike. No one else bothered to try and track me.

Trip 2 - up Wheeler Peak. None of my "I'm OK" messages got out and my friend had trouble logging on to watch my track. The "I'M OK" problem was my fault. I didn't hold the button long enough to transmit the message. Lessons learned, take the time to review the manual before every trip. And make sure that whoever is tracking you can log on and understands the tracking system. These two problems caused my wife to needlessly start worrying early in the afternoon.

Trip 3 - Hunter Peak via Bear Canyon. Tracking stopped as soon as I entered the canyon going up and down. I sent an "I'M OK" message just before I entered the Canyon and it didn't make it. I sent another message as I exited the Canyon and it took a while to get out. The Custom message that I sent at the top of Hunter Peak made it though and everyone really enjoyed getting it. My buddy had no trouble tracking my progress when the SPOT was able to send the tracking. And even with the gaps, he was able to have a reasonble idea of where I was and could keep my wife updated.

It looks like the SPOT has to have an almost 360 degree view of the sky or you will have trouble with tracking and sending messages. The SPOT has not worked in canyons on the trips I have taken. On the trip up Bear Canyon it stopped tracking as soon as I entered the Canyon and didn't resume until I was clear of it. Bear Canyon is steep and narrow but it is open to the South and I thought that the SPOT would work there. I was surprise that I didn't get at least partial tracking.

Am I 100% happy with the system, no. Will I keep using it, yes. I got the SPOT mainly for my wife's peace of mind and I will let her be the judge. Even with the problems that we have had, I don't think that she would let me leave the house without it. I think that I have a good handle on the strenghts and weaknesses of the system now and can make these recommendations. The SPOT system is not automatic by any means. You have to educate yourself and others. You have to know when you will be able to send a signal and when you won't.  Stopping from time to time to make sure a signal gets out may be required too for the most complete tracking. You mus make sure that those who are tracking you or expecting messages understand how to use the system and that there can be missed signals. They need to be patient and know that a missed signal or gap in tracking is not necessarily a cause for concern.

I believe and hope that the SPOT network is evolving and that it will get better as time goes on. I will continue to carry it.

Randy

[jeffblaylock]

I've always had great success with the "I'm OK" function, but tracking is not ready for prime time. Tracking is most likely to succeed with activities where the unit's orientation remains fairly constant AND at least a foot away from the body, such as kayaking and biking.

Instead, I try to use the "I'm OK" function at any time I'm going to stop moving for at least 20 minutes; any time I'm crossing from one drainage to another (like going over a mountain pass); major stream crossings; and at any campsite. This replaces the tracking in that it will show a rescuer where I had been, the rough route I was following, and thus the specific area I'm most likely to be found. I always try to put the Spot in a place where it is most likely to succeed. While a 360-degree panorama isn't required, it helps. I try to put it on a rock out in an open area, which sometimes doesn't work inside a canyon.

If you only send one, it better go through. Getting into a habit of sending "I'm OK" messages several times a day greatly reduces the chances a loved one will experience anxiety because they are getting at least one each day.

I've been pleased with my unit's performance (I have the original Spot.) and am strongly considering the new version, which permits an iPhone to send a 41-character message. Not wild about taking my iPhone into the wild, but I like the ability to send signals more specific than "I'm OK," "Help," or "911."

[RichardM]

I had no trouble following Jeff's SPOT trail while he was up in the Sawtooths and other trips.