Spot Connect Replacement

[CableJockey 1]

I loaned my daughter my SPOT Connect to go to Machu Picchu, Peru. I got their check-in from the airport in Washington DC and it never sent another message no matter what they tried. While in Peru someone stole the SPOT along with her iPhone so I need a replacement. Needless to say, SPOT is not at the top of my list.

I'm looking at the inReach Explorer that uses the Iridium system which supposedly has 100% coverage of the planet (I assume this includes Peru). The yearly service contract would be $300 (gag) but you can send and receive messages which is a plus along with the standard tracking, etc, etc, etc.

Anyone have one of these or experience with one? A better alternative?

I've looked at the PLB's but I really want to have the tracking and messaging feature. It keeps my wife from worrying too much.

http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-info/inreach-explorer.php?promotion=ps0214&gclid=Cj0KEQjwxZieBRDegZuj9rzLt_ABEiQASqRd-rPAlYDpdTMSm4HcKSFQvgVRdKgBDTnb9WW0vBUTFx8aAnDE8P8HAQ

[PbdBlue 46]

I have no experience but interested also. InReach looks on paper like a better alternative. If nothing else the two way capability allows GEOS to confirm an emergency directly with you which seems like it would be a big timesaver. Sat Phone would better yet I suppose but this seems like a good solution. Never been a big fan of their mapping products but Delorme and Iridium have been around a long time.

[amgems 79]

I know a little bit about these because my company was involved with Globalstar back when it was a bunch of companies collaborating. Motorola was a big player in Iridium. I don't know if they are any more.

Iridium and Globalstar make a lot of cool products now. Check out the company websites. Spot puts their name on the Globalstar phones and sells them. We have done mechanical durability testing on the old style Globalstar phones, they are very tough. I think the Score Baja racers mostly use the Globalstar (Spot) phones.

Spot uses the Globalstar satellite sytem. Iridium has their own. There are probablly other companies using both sytems for other tracking / phone products too. From what I understand, the very simplistic explanation of the systems are: the Globalstar system is more robust and more easy to upgrade as all the "brains" are on the ground. The satellites are basically just relay stations. I think they call it "bent pipe". Iridium has the "brains" in the satellites.

[Goofy Footer 541]

CableJockey - I have found that on my Spot2, I cannot simply "press and hold for 5 seconds" the OK/Check-In button and expect to actually transmit a message. Even when the indicator light is blinking on the OK/Check-In button AND is blinking on the Envelope (meaning that the message is transmitting), this still does not necessarily mean that a message is being sent and doesn't mean that a message will be received.

I recently did a test, trying three times to send an OK/Check-In message to a cell phone number and they all failed. For each message I made sure both the OK/Check-In button was blinking AND the Envelope message was blinking.

On my fourth attempt, I was finally successful but I left the Spot2 in OK/Check-In mode for 10 minutes. I will run another test on my Spot2 to check the timeliness of the message from my input to receiving the text/email notification. On Friday, I watched a guy with a Spot3 perform an OK/Check-In while talking to his wife on a Sat Phone and she told him that she immediately received a text message notification. I do not know if Spot3 is that much better than my Spot2 or what are the main differences.

Globalstar and Spot offer Satellite Wifi which imho would likely be the future of wilderness communication if it can be made effective. Satellite phones cannot keep up with technology development, usability features and apps in the Android/Iphone marketplace. Why buy a clunky Sat phone that is limited when you could in theory, get a Wifi Hotspot and check email, text, call and dare I say even "Like" some pics on Facebook from the comfort of your Iphone5/Samsung Galaxy? Granted, satellite Wifi data might be more pricy than Sat phone minutes.

The Spot Connect http://findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=116 looks like Spot's early attempt at pseudo satellite wifi or at least the ability to use your existing smart phone (limited use however) through satellite transmition. I cannot find a Spot Connect coverage area map on the wesbite? The video advertisement seems to indicate/market the Spot for US based communication - road side assitance, checkin from the park etc. It might very well be the case that Spot Connect does not have coverage outside of the US or North America.

Currently, Globalstar Sat-Fi is limited only to the US. Southern California where I do most of my riding is considered "extended coverage" and I may experience "weaker signal" wtf!

http://www.globalstar.com/en/index.php?cid=116

If your Spot Connect used Globalstar's Sat-Fi coverage, there is no way a transmition from Peru would come through, let alone Tijuana. As stated above, I cannot find a Service Map for Spot Connect on the Spot website. Coverage maps update regularly but these are the most recent as of the date of this post. For your daugther's trip, a Spot2 or Spot3 may have been a better choice considering the unknown range of Spot Connect. For my account with Spot, I created a few profiles with different emails/phone numbers to send messages/updates too: ie - you could set up a work profile to send messages to your employer while on a job and you could set up a personal profile to send messages to your wife and kids while on a ride. I was able to write a description for my OK/Check-In, Help and Custom messages.

Note the Spot Coverage areas they are currently advertising on the website:

Spot Phone and Spot Messenger (which phone?)
http://www.findmespot.ca/en/index.php?cid=109

Spot Global Phone

http://www.findmespot.ca/en/index.php?cid=109

Copied from the website:

Customers who have purchased their Spot Global Phone/Globalstar phone in North America: Roaming is not currently available when traveling to the following countries and the surrounding ocean areas: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. Your phone will not work in these areas, however we are working toward resolving this mid-2014.

Post up any research you have come across. Good luck CJ