Whats the point of Spot Gen 3? Same weight after batteries?

Not sure I follow you. You bought the Gen 3 to save an ounce over the Gen 2? But you didn't read the specs ahead of time? And now you want to return it? I feel sorry for the retailer.

The Gen 3 is smaller, better attach system, better battery life, better (IMO) cover option over the help & sos buttons and it has a USB power option for those who plan on using it on the dash of their car/plane.

I can tell you it has very good GPS reception, much better than Gen 1, but difficult to tell if it improved over the Gen 2.

I've owned/used all generations of SPOT.

I used several gen.2 SPOT devices for tracking some folks a few years ago. We made a number of suggestions to SPOT. Some of them seem to have been implemented. They relate to how the device behaves when trying to track continuously for long periods of time, behaving more like a GPS data logger. IMO some improvements at least on paper. Still no visual display of position so not really useful as a nav. tool which I also requested.

I bought it because the website specs say 5.2 oz for gen2, and 4 oz for gen 3 w/ lithium batteries.

I measured 4.15 for both on my scale with batteries….not sure what's that's about.
I do like the improved harness…so maybe I'll keep it…

Quit being such an ounce weenie.

Yeah now that I look at this thread objectively…I paid $150 of my dividend to attempt to save 1 oz. :)
#donttellmywife

If you really want to save weight, don't carry it. Dan'l Boone and Lewis and Clark got by without one [This post is halfway serious. Many of us have survived many years without PLBs and similar]

This falls in the category of permission weight: as in "Honey I'll carry this useless tracking device to make you feel reassured nothing will happen to me if you let me got on this backpacking trip "

And don't tell her that you can get Gen II for 1/3 the cost at Best Buy

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/2-satellite-gps-messenger/1231175.p;jsessionid=E384EDDAB10B2A877D180FF08DFE2D64.bbolsp-app02-136?id=1218239168854&skuId=1231175&st=spot%20&cp=1&lp=6

I recently purchased Gen II and will activate it later in April so I can't speak to its performance. To me, the appeal of the newest release would be the extra milliampere-hours but as a shameless cheapskate, I couldn't pass on the massive discount.

NEW Spot Gen 3 on 03/28/2014 18:32:42 MDT  If you really want to save weight, don't carry it. Dan'l Boone and Lewis and Clark got by without one

Yes. But they had all the highest tech gear of their day and would no doubt have sat
com devices if their trip was in our times.

[This post is halfway serious. Many of us have survived many years without PLBs and similar]

yes, but many have not survived… and that is the point!

billy

I totally agree!
I only carry it because she makes me.
She likes the check-ins to know in still alive.
One time while on a trip my spot II message didn't get through for 2 days. Kinda freaked her out.

"One time while on a trip my spot II message didn't get through for 2 days. Kinda freaked her out."

And that is exactly why you shouldn't do check ins.
Way too much risk of her freaking out and calling in a helo on you if something goes wrong with the device.

If your checkin didn't get through for two days, I hope it wasn't because you weren't trying to send lots of messages. A key point with the SPOT usage model is that you need to be leaving lots of breadcrumbs. More is better than less.

Another thing to point out, I've noticed that Android phones lack an easy default to take the coordinates in a checkin message and go straight to Google Maps/Earth. One way to get around the setup of peoples phones is to embed a link to your shared webpage in the message. I've found that a explanatory webpage with the map embedded in it goes a long ways towards calming loved ones. Just a thought.

Google play and search for findmespot.

It does what I want which is to give an easy way for my wife to follow my progress with her phone.

True but funny.

This falls in the category of permission weight: as in "Honey I'll carry this useless tracking device to make you feel reassured nothing will happen to me if you let me got on this backpacking trip "

+1

However, I don't really consider it worthless… But the real reason I carry it is for my wife and family.

"A key point with the SPOT usage model is that you need to be leaving lots of breadcrumbs. More is better than less."

Yes! I did not give my wife ANY specific check-in times, and I told her that they do not always go through. So, lack of a check-in means nothing. I sent probably 10 per day. And I typically sent 4 or so from my camp site for the evening.

Not so useless, in the fall of 2012 while on the trail I came upon a hiker "Down" on the trail. He was having a heart attack. I sent a SOS. EMS services arrive in about two hours. Likely saving his life!

Wow! I always think of the SOS function as something I'll never use. I'd imagine that fellow was sure glad you came wandering along. I'd hate the thought of sitting there with someone while they die knowing there is nothing I could do.