SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker – Full Review

Hi Roger,
>The Solara system could be configured as a text messaging 'wait until a slot is free' system.

Users doing texting need fast response. That said, I'd love it if it could be charged at a lower fee, too. No doubt we there are a lot more sales whenever anything drops in price. We'll see what happens in the future.

>I will stick my neck out here and label that a typical idiot committee decision.
Looking at the way my post was worded, OK, I can see how it sounded a bit unusual. I should clarify this a bit and mention that I would like to defend the SAR folks that specifically insisted on backup power (all SARSAT beacons have an nonrechargeable lithium battery that is never used until the alarm is hit – it's actually not out of the question to put a small secondary source into a commercial device, especially a much more power-efficient one like ours). The fellows in particular that told me this also include paratroopers that jump out of the back end of a Herc to save people in distress and the pilots that take them there. Canada has lost a number of aircraft and crews over the years and many have been injured and frozen in the performance of their duties saving guys like us. These guys know what can go wrong and only ask for what they know works.

Hi John,
>How long do those nickel metal hydride batteries last at say zero degrees compared to lithium batteries?

As for the internal rechargeable batteries, whether lithium or NiMH, there isn't much difference at 0 (Farenheit, I think you must have meant). But the types we use would still have about half of the capacity at that temp – it's when it gets below -20F that you really see a drop. If you were in trouble and warmed it in your coat and got it to even 32F, you pretty much have full capacity.

Non-rechargeable lithiums do also lose capacity in the cold, but no where near as much as rechargeables. That's also why we provide an external battery holder for nonrechargeable lithiums as an option. Right now, our first device is targetted for professionals in the back country on a daily basis that also need tracking and texting. We're working on a lighter design that is more conducive to backpackers. Part of the reason I posted here was to hear comments on what people would like to see. Seems you definitely have a vote for a unit with non-rechargeable lithiums that can be changed out by the user. Message heard!

I think it's a good idea in theory. Just received mine today. Wow, it's HEAVY. Is there a lighter weight unit that does the same thing? Got it from Amazon. 30 days to send it back! Any thoughts on how fast it consumes its batteries (in the real world)? Thanks for this thread everyone!

Hi Hartley,

There's no exact SPOT equivalent at present and yes, the 1st gen model is a pretty heavy piece.

You might consider waiting for the new SPOT unit to roll out and receive technical scrutiny. It may hit closer to your weight and function targets than the present model.

In case you've not read the ORSM writeup, here's a link:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/orsm09_spot_two.html

There are now several lightweight PLBs as reasonable options but of course they don't have the SPOT's tracking and "I'm okay" features. For emergency purposes they're well-proven.

Cheers,

Rick

A fresh set of lithiums lasted 3 weeks easily riding across the country and this is with only 3-6hrs of downtime per day when it was off.

Were you using the breadcrumb feature? That eats batteries faster.

Yes that's with tracking on.

For that matter, does anyone have better information on when the new, lighter SPOT unit will be available? All I can find is references to "select distributors this fall."

I'm pretty much under orders from my wife to get one of these things…

I think the Spot is more for other's peace of mind than your own. I got one and have been playing with it around town. Re: breadcrumbs. Can't figure out how to reset it after 24 hours. I push OK for 5 seconds and see the double flashing lights but it doesn't seem to track again. Are you suppose to turn it on and off before resetting breadcrumbs. Perhaps better sent to Spot support.

I just called my local REI, they hope in about two weeks.

I have an ACR 406 PLB that I take with me on long solo hikes in Arizona canyon country. In the last two years I have done 3 or 4 hikes with a rented Iridium satphone, and on my most recent hike I left the PLB at home. I also for the first time tried the satphone in several different locations. I was a bit disappointed to find that the satphone needed a surprisingly large percentage of the sky to work.

My question for you guys is whether the ACR PLB, which uses a different set of satellites, is likely to require MORE or LESS of the sky visible to work.

If the PLB needs less of the sky to work, I may start carrying both devices. If both are working at a given spot, it's nice to have the 2-way communication of the satphone.

However, if the PLB needs even more visible sky than an Iridium satphone, then it's hard for me to justify the extra weight of the PLB.

Thanks for any comments!

To reset tracking every 24 hours, first turn the unit off, then back on and hold the button down until the light goes on and back off. Simple and always works for me. I'd agree that the useage isn't super intuitive but there are not that many functions to learn.

Pretty much for the SPOT, if you always remember to turn off and back on again when "switching" modes, you'll be fine. I use the tracking most of the time these days, saving the "OK" feature for things like topping out on a technical climb so my wife knows the most dangerous part is done.

doug ritter initial hands on with spot 2