dsfox 0 Posted August 1, 2012 1ST... I have to say a HUGE Thank you to STREGA.....THE GUY ROCKS.....Nice to know when you need your friends, they will be there to help you out...and mobilize whatever forces are needed, even 1000 miles from home......Roger.....HUGE thanks...... 2ND: I have to say SO SORRY for any worry I caused those who care about me while I was out in the rocky mountains riding......and it is really nice to know some people really do care....and worry about you.... For those who don't know, my SPOT sent off 2 false messages while riding near Crested Butte, Colorado last week........now I pay for tracking and YES, like to keep my SPOT running while I'm riding....it's fun to look back and see where you were, or let people follow you while you are out.... well, I recently got a new spot (having unknowingly lost my last one in a crash in Titus canyon, Death valley in February......) I pay for the replacement coverage, so no big deal.....BUT, the new one comes with this different case, with BUNGEES on the front to hold the SPOT in the case.......I loaded the SPOT and went with it.... BEWARE of these cases...because it was the BUNGEE holder that set off my CUSTOM message TWICE...I'm riding along happily, bouncing over the many, many rocky climbs in colorado....spot MOUNTED on the TOP of my camelback facing up....all good right?......I was having a great day in the mountains........I didn't know there was a problem til a couple hours later, when at lunch down in Crested Butte.....and friend Ian with the smart phone says...."they are looking for us, your spot went off"......AAAAARGH.......WHAT A PAIN....so I call Roger, call my kids, call bigwavejumper, hobiee and johnnybags and tracy t who had messages in to me......I set my custom message to say "DSFOX needs local help"....normally it says "DSFOX NEEDS NON EMERGENCY TRANSPORT HELP"........I changed it with the dates and locations of where I was riding....thought that was a good thing to do?..... Very sorry for the worry, inconvenience, and hopefully not too much pain it all caused........Hope it at least can serve as a lesson or warning for others...... Anyway....I plan on either changing this case, or not turning it on unless I'm sending an "OK".....kind of sucks....because tracking is a cool feature.....capn cham told a story of the OLD spots, when he was with an unnamed rider whose 911 WENT OFF BY ACCIDENT.....middle of the night the rescue team shows up and wakes them up..... OH well....wanted to post it up so perhaps it will prevent other mishaps....it is very nice to know the thing actually works though..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobiee 28 Posted August 1, 2012 I say no harm no foul. If anything I think it was a great test and learning experience for all of us. The system in place seems to work really well and if you really did need help it was rolling to you in a short time even if you were half way across the country. I for one felt great about the response and am glad it was just a test. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 0 Posted August 1, 2012 Deb, I'll happily trade you the older, vinyl style holder for your bungee one, if you are interested. Jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteelRain 0 Posted August 1, 2012 I shall tally your bill publicly: 1 Order of Wings 1 Pitcher of decent beer I am not looking forward to my trip next month when I have to get crap for "my friends and their farkles" AND buy the beer and wings. :lol: Seriously, we are all so happy that you are OK and it was just a false alarm; accidents happen. We are all looking forward to the ride report. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandiegoland 0 Posted August 1, 2012 Just a question... you said it was your custom message that went off? If the Spot II already has a covered Need Assistance button, why is your custom message set to sending out a "help" message? We used our OK for end of day, and custom for long breaks. FYI, our Spot II really requires a deep push. I don't have one of those cases, but I would have never expected that to activate that button, but good to know! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hodnettjj 0 Posted August 1, 2012 It was nice watch the SDAR/ADVENTURE RIDER emergency network activate. Lots of great people around here... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Covered in Dust 162 Posted August 1, 2012 When I first saw the need help report that Roger put up I thought it was a little odd knowing she had Ian and Steve with her and Steve's family was also there. Glad it got resolved quickly and we can all learn from it. CiD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dsfox 0 Posted August 1, 2012 Just a question... you said it was your custom message that went off? If the Spot II already has a covered Need Assistance button, why is your custom message set to sending out a "help" message? We used our OK for end of day, and custom for long breaks. FYI, our Spot II really requires a deep push. I don't have one of those cases, but I would have never expected that to activate that button, but good to know! Great Questions: and I will be changing my custom message, how I had thought of it:... I appreciate the input..... My HELP button (the one that IS covered and must be set off on purpose).....is set with LOTS of local friends names/numbers, my truck and bike info, common riding areas I might be at, etc... ....so my kids can find someone close by to assist if a bike breaks down, etc....not something I want to have to retype and change......so wanted to leave that one alone.... My CUSTOM button (that does NOT have a cover....BUT I surely didnt' expect it to get pushed by a bungee either.....lesson learned..). .I changed this for specific trip info , out of town......".DSFOX needs local help: dates& location for utah, dates and colorado locations, call roger for location......etc" I will be changing this idea....and will ONLY have "help" message sent out by the COVERED buttons....non emergency OR 911, if needed.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dsfox 0 Posted August 1, 2012 Deb, I'll happily trade you the older, vinyl style holder for your bungee one, if you are interested. Jim might want to do that jim....I used my other spot for YEARS...without issue of this.....This trip was the FIRST time I used this new case.....I probably could ask spot to send me a NEW "old" case even....? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strega 0 Posted August 1, 2012 Saw a friend needed help, and a crew of us jumped into action. TrophyHunter & Jonathan were a big help in all of this as well from the start. many others offered help if it was needed. SteelRain had friends on the road in very short order to come help, that was awesome. Thankfully they weren't needed. To all of you, thank you again for your help, it was a really neat thing to see people come together so quickly. Just a note to anyone else with a SPOT, don't put a help message on an uncovered button so it doesn't get hit accidentally. I never thought one of those buttons could get hit accidentally, but now we know how to set things up in the future. Good learning experience for us all, and Deb, we're all glad you're OK Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHunter 15 Posted August 1, 2012 Good dry run, good lessons, GREAT knowing folks will mobilize quickly. I had Search & Rescue members calling me from CO to make sure everything turned out okay and offer suggestions. The moto community had an outstanding response! David - your buddy mounted up quick and was well on his way. I'll gladly pitch in for the wings. Nicely done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amgems 79 Posted August 2, 2012 My HELP button (the one that IS covered and must be set off on purpose).....is set with LOTS of local friends names/numbers, my truck and bike info, common riding areas I might be at, etc... ....so my kids can find someone close by to assist if a bike breaks down, etc....not something I want to have to retype and change......so wanted to leave that one alone.... Glad to hear you made it out alive! My help button just has a message to my wife saying I need help at the coordinates listed. Having a bunch of numbers is a good idea. I was thinking that maybe the phone numbers of the people you are riding with, maybe local sheriff, ride promoter, etc. would be good to put in the help message too. Great idea! Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paulmbowers 236 Posted August 2, 2012 I was thinking that maybe the phone numbers of the people you are riding with, maybe local sheriff, ride promoter, etc. would be good to put in the help message too. I look at this a little differently- I put the numbers of those NOT likely to be riding with me. My wife is provided with a lits of numbers of various friends who might be able to help. I also file a "flight plan" via email with those on my call list with whom I'm NOT riding. For example- I enjoy riding with Strega, Bikeslut (I know), and Trophyhunter (amongst others!) but rarely ride with all of them together. In a SPOT emergency, my wife will call all of them (or would she...?). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteelRain 0 Posted August 2, 2012 Paul has hit the nail on the head. Your contacts should be those who are part of your "support network" not on the ride. Furthermore, I don't have my spot tracking for short rides; just on but not tracking. If I were to try to include all the local sheriffs offices on my multiweek trips...well. Not to mention that SPOT has those contacts already and your support network should have the ability to search for that info via Google, Bing, etc. Then again SDAR was able to work together on this and get help rolling and the locals alerted. My main learning point from this exercise is not to use a custom message button for a help message. Then again I have a SPOT1 that does not have a custom message button, but when I get a different device I now know. Lastly, a few years back there was a TV show called "Out of the Wild" (I think) no reward just the adventure of finding your way home from tough terrain with a team of other volunteers. They all carried SPOT1 devices and just to be safe had duct tape over the help and 911 buttons. I do the same thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amgems 79 Posted August 2, 2012 I was thinking that maybe the phone numbers of the people you are riding with, maybe local sheriff, ride promoter, etc. would be good to put in the help message too. I look at this a little differently- I put the numbers of those NOT likely to be riding with me. My wife is provided with a lits of numbers of various friends who might be able to help. I also file a "flight plan" via email with those on my call list with whom I'm NOT riding. For example- I enjoy riding with Strega, Bikeslut (I know), and Trophyhunter (amongst others!) but rarely ride with all of them together. In a SPOT emergency, my wife will call all of them (or would she...?). Ah..Yes I see, Also a good approach (if they make the call). I also just now realized that I can add multiple numbers and emails that would be contacted in case I hit the help button. When I originally set it a few years ago, I think you could only have one number and one email in there. I was thinking I had to add the extra numbers in the body of the message. Now that I am armed with new knowledge, I'm gonna load it up! Maybe if I contact enough people I'll find at least one who will care enough to try to help. Maybe my Mom. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteelRain 0 Posted August 2, 2012 Ah..Yes I see, Also a good approach (if they make the call). I also just now realized that I can add multiple numbers and emails that would be contacted in case I hit the help button. When I originally set it a few years ago, I think you could only have one number and one email in there. I was thinking I had to add the extra numbers in the body of the message. Now that I am armed with new knowledge, I'm gonna load it up! Maybe if I contact enough people I'll find at least one who will care enough to try to help. Maybe my Mom. How about I share another tip then. Setup a GMail (Google EMail) account and set you SPOT up to send messages to that account. The set your GMail auto-forwarding rules to forward your SPOT messages to your support network's email addresses. Back when I got mine in 2007/8 you could only setup one SMS and one EMail. That was my work around and I still use it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strega 0 Posted August 2, 2012 Setup a GMail (Google EMail) account and set you SPOT up to send messages to that account. The set your GMail auto-forwarding rules to forward your SPOT messages to your support network's email addresses. That's what I do, and that's an EXCELLENT way to do it. Takes a bit of setup on the user side but it's very effective. That's basically what I did with my WhereAmIRiding site, if there's an alert that pops up (for anyone), it sends to an email group and sends out an SMS message to me as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maniac 0 Posted August 3, 2012 I push my spot 911 when I see a marmot. The local SAR in Colorado caught onto this and does not rescue me anymore. Next time I have to face the evil marmots all by myself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
