Spot 2

[Ian]

Best Buy is selling the Spot 2 for $44.99 with free shipping.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/2-satellite-gps-messenger/1231175.p;jsessionid=87A6F96C7B9C62B9248878411F2D9E4E.bbolsp-app02-158?id=1218239168854&skuId=1231175&st=spot 2&cp=1&lp=1

Sportsmans Warehouse was selling it for $75 but offered me a price match.

[Randy Martin]

Pretty good deal. Thanks for posting.

[Ian]

Read this blog this morning. Not very encouraging.

http://briangreen.net/2012/09/spot-ii-gps-messenger-disappointment.html

[Kenda Willey]

Yeah, I've read some negative reviews, too. It sounds like Spot 2 might be okay for communicating with home (if it's not essential that the message actually get through), but not for something like, oh shall we say, getting rescued? And then there's the subscription fee–it's sorta like inkjet printers, where the printer's super cheap and the cartridges expensive. I ended up getting a PLB instead. To the tune of about 5 times what a Spot 2 costs. There is an optional subscription service for the PLB (which lets you send a limited number of communications to select recipients) that costs almost as much as the Spot's subscription service, but the PLB also works without the subscription service, whereas the Spot doesn't. I chose to use the PLB strictly as a personal locator device in case of an emergency, but I might decide to subscribe later on. The Spot doesn't do anything without a subscription.
If your main concern is being able to send rescue messages that will reliably be received, don't waste your money on a Spot. If your main concern is communicating with home, don't spend all that money on a PLB.

[Ian]

Thanks for the feedback. There was a parallel thread going in "Gear" at the same time and I forgot to watch this thread. I figure I'll activate it for a year and see how it works out. Probably will skip the tracking feature.

[Ken Thompson]

Ha ha Ian! Doug was right. S@$&!?.

I had a version 1 Spot. Useless unless on the freeway.

The subscription fee is a total rip. Way more than what would be fair.

[Ian]

Where were you guys with these pearls of wisdom like a month or so ago!

[Ken Thompson]

If you don't activate you'll only be out $45.

[Kevin Manley]

I have a Spot 2 and used it in a lot of the Colorado back country. It sent out signals and people were able to see where I was. Maybe it's not good under dense cover or in deep narrow canyons, but mine seems to be fine most places I go. I think it could get you rescued in CO…

[Tony Campana]

Kenda,

Which PLB did you buy? Thanks.

Tony

[Kenda Willey]

I bought an ARC ResQ Link. Sorry for taking so long to answer, but I've been on vacation–no cell coverage, no internet.
There are a couple of stores that sell ARC online, and all of them had a special spring promo (some extra stuff if you mailed in your receipt, proof of registration) that I think has since expired.

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