Spot Satellite Messenger Review

I’ve just uploaded a preliminary review of the new Spot Satellite Messenger.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Spot, it is a very intriguing alternative to a Personal Locater beacon.

Spot regularly accesses the GPS satellite network to fix your current position. Upon prompting, or automatically if you choose, Spot sends an email/cell text message via satellite to the accounts of your choice, telling them your GPS coordinates with a link to Google Maps™, plus a pre-formatted ‘OKAY’ or ‘SEND HELP’ tag.

Since this is a satellite-based system, Spot is capable of sending messages from virtually any location on Earth, provided you have a clear view of the sky. And all of this happens in real-time. Based on my experience, Spot emails your location within about ten minutes of activation, with an accuracy (measured) as high as 10-20 feet!

That kind of functionality makes this a revolutionary safety device—potentially. Check out the review for more details. I’ll keep posting information as I gain more in-the-field experience with the Spot. Also, comments are enabled here, so you can add your own thoughts as well.

» Read the Review

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 3:20 pm and is filed under Gear. So There.

6 Responses to “Spot Satellite Messenger Review”

Broofa Says:
January 17th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Hey Drew, any thoughts on whether or not this functionality will appear in more traditional GPS units? Seems like the most obvious criticism of this device is that it looks/smells/tastes just like a GPS handheld… except it doesn’t provide any of the traditional handheld functionality.

Assuming there’s a demand for this sort of emergency tracking and notification behavior, it’ll be really interesting to see how the convergence between this and products from Garmin, Magellin, and others plays out.
Rahul Dave Says:
January 17th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
What if the device had mesh networking? Dash does this with car gps computers. The idea is that one device communicates with another, and with this a chain can be set up. I guess beacons do this for us, but only when we set one on Rx mode. In this situation one could know the last spot of a person, or hop back to the trailhead device to device.
Mike Peterson Says:
July 1st, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Not affiliated with the vendor, just a very happy customer. I ordered one from http://www.MyLiveTracks.com/ - got a prompt response to my inquiries, a 50% off coupon for the tracking service. The price of $135 included shipping as well. Highly recommend the unit as well as the vendor!
Scott Says:
September 28th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
SPOT does not work as advertised. Thoroughly tested this unit. I would not even waste my time with this blog, except I do believe I can help some NOT buy this if they really want reliable one way communication via satellite. It most likely works in 911, but if the other features are any measure of assurance….it too would fail. PLEASE ….trust me or prove me wrong? I would love for this to work, and had really hoped it would. Maybe they will fix the problems, but all I can say is IT DOES NOT WORK most of the time in what I would call normal remote Wyoming wilderness clear skies in the OK, TRACK, and HELP modes. I have given this company the benefit of the doubt, and they also HAVE not returned my plea for answers via their web site and voice mail. I’m still waiting!
SierraDescents Says:
September 29th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Hey Scott,

Unfortunately I’ve got information about Spot scattered all over the site right now, and the page you’re looking at — this one — is the oldest.

For some tips on how to get Spot to work, see: http://www.sierradescents.com/blog/2008/06/11/a-spot-rescue-call.html

I have heard of specific regions being unable to send out messages due to Satellite issues. I don’t know specifically if your area is one of them.

Assuming Wyoming isn’t the problem, try the tips above (specifically, don’t try to send messages while moving the unit). Spot isn’t perfect, but for the majority of users, it does work–with limitations.

I’ll try to consolidate all my various Spot posts and update the main review so the information is all current.
Dan Johnson Says:
November 7th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
My experience has been exactly the opposite of the previous negative review. I use the SPOT Messenger on my motorcycle, and it works well while in a plastic enclosure (saddle bag) at highway speeds. At times it may miss a transmission while on a twisty road in a deep canyon, or a **heavily** treed 2-lane road. I’ve also used it hiking without issues, as long as the logo of the unit faces the sky (horizontally). Bought it on a recommendation from http://www.MyLiveTracks.com - now running a holiday promotion for $80.