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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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ranger rock
One of the boys
PostMon Oct 14, 2013 11:08 am 
My SPOT device failed on me this weekend. It was the device its self, my friends SPOT worked fine, mine would not get a GPS lock. This is the second SPOT device that failed on me this year. Luckily my family is used to the device failing and was not too wound up when I arrived home hours and hours late and they had not gotten and Okay message from me since the morning before. My family assumed that I was okay and my device had failed. My family is used to the SPOT being spotty or they might have called out SAR.

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Yana
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Joined: 04 Jun 2004
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Yana
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PostMon Oct 14, 2013 2:33 pm 
Ranger Rock wrote:
If my family was not used to the SPOT being spotty they might have called out SAR.
While it is incredibly irritating to have your SPOTs break down (mine also died completely inexplicably earlier this year), your last statement is a reflection of how you use your SPOT in conjunction with the more traditional methods of leaving itinerary and panic time with your family, not a reflection of the crappy reliability of the device. It is important to leave a contingency plan and not depend on any device completely. In addition to the SPOT, give your emergency contacts your itinerary and what time to call for help regardless of what SPOT messages they may or may not get. Don't make family members have to guess. That will not only cause them a lot of extra anxiety but will almost always cause them to call earlier than you might have wanted them to.

PLAY SAFE! SKI ONLY IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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ranger rock
One of the boys
PostMon Oct 14, 2013 4:54 pm 
Oh yeah.. I've told my family many times that if they don't get SPOT messages they are not to panic, the SPOT is most likely broken or could not get a satellite. This is my third SPOT failure.

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dla
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dla
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PostMon Oct 14, 2013 6:05 pm 
Thanks - I meant that the cospas-sarsat, SPOT & InReach are equivalent in their ability to signal - not that they have the same feature sets.

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dla
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PostMon Oct 14, 2013 6:10 pm 
You always seem to have an extra gallon of vitriol for SPOT. Could it just be you? We have two SPOTs in our family and we've never had a problem and SPOT is a very popular locator with zillions of happy users. I'm wondering if there is something about how you use it, since you never have anything good to say (but continue to use it).

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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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ranger rock
One of the boys
PostMon Oct 14, 2013 8:11 pm 
dla wrote:
You always seem to have an extra gallon of vitriol for SPOT. Could it just be you? We have two SPOTs in our family and we've never had a problem and SPOT is a very popular locator with zillions of happy users. I'm wondering if there is something about how you use it, since you never have anything good to say (but continue to use it).
Vitriol??? I'm just stating the facts. Three of my SPOT devices have failed now. That's not including the one that floated down the river, or the one that I ran over with my truck. The three out of five SPOT failures that I count as SPOT failures were not due to user error. Yes, I use my SPOT. I would switch to Delorme inreach, but it's just too expensive. $25 month is more than I can bear right now. I'm going to call SPOT tomorrow and see if they are willing to cut me a break on a new unit. http://www.amazon.com/SPOT-Satellite-Messenger-Orange-Black/product-reviews/B002PHRDO2/ref=cm_cr_pr_top_recent?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending0 to see all the other unhappy SPOT customers..

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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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ranger rock
One of the boys
PostTue Oct 15, 2013 10:39 am 
I called SPOT and the best offer they would give me was to sell me a new old unit (gen 2) for $50.. no thanks..

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LadyÆsa
Surefooted Spitfire



Joined: 16 Oct 2012
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Location: Custer, Whatcom County, WA
LadyÆsa
Surefooted Spitfire
PostTue Oct 15, 2013 9:38 pm 
Awesome discussion!! I'm literally thisclose to just putting the Delorme on my Newegg card. I didn't go hiking last weekend because I didn't have anyone to hike with and I didn't have any way of emergency communication other than my cell (which is unreliable at best, of course, in the mountains). The $10/month plan also seems to be good enough for my minimal needs. We'll see, I'll keep everyone updated!

"We have one chance, one chance, to get everything right. We have one chance, one chance, and if we're lucky we might." One Chance, Modest Mouse
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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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ranger rock
One of the boys
PostWed Oct 16, 2013 8:59 am 
If I could afford the Delorme that is what I would get.. with the $25 service package. http://mosswalks.blogspot.com/2013/10/spot-messenger-faulty-device-poor.html

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tigermn
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PostWed Oct 16, 2013 10:41 am 
Ranger Rock wrote:
Yes, I use my SPOT. I would switch to Delorme inreach, but it's just too expensive. $25 month is more than I can bear right now.
If you've really been through 5 SPOT's? The old if it hurts, quit doing it. You could have afforded something else instead of continuing to go through the same thing with 5 SPOT devices which you obviously don't like. For me it would be time for something else for sure. If I had to save up money to afford it then so be it. Junk is junk and to continue to pour money down a rat hole doesn't make any sense. I don't even see what use it is since you tell family/friends to basically ignore if it doesn't work. shakehead.gif

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DIYSteve
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Joined: 06 Mar 2007
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
PostWed Oct 16, 2013 11:49 am 
HitTheTrail wrote:
I have the 10 messages a month plan and she gets carried away sending me corny messages with smiley faces etc.
chix will be chix biggrin.gif

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ranger rock
One of the boys



Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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ranger rock
One of the boys
PostWed Oct 16, 2013 1:12 pm 
I'm going back to writing my itinerary on a piece of paper and leaving a set panic time with my contacts. Two of the SPOTS that I went though were my own fault. It's after having three defective ones in a row that I have given up. My contract ends in Feb. but I don't have a working SPOT device and I'm not about to buy another one.. If someone wants to donate one to me I'll take it. Globalstar refuses to give me one even though I bought 4 of the 5 replacement spots and have been a customer for 3 years. It's not the one time cost with the Delorme, that is the problem, it's the monthly cost that I can't justify. I don't own a cell phone for the same reason.

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dla
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dla
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PostWed Oct 16, 2013 2:22 pm 
I still use a 1st Gen SPOT and my son uses a 2nd Gen. They've worked flawlessly for us. I'm gonna get a 3rd Gen in a couple months as it has an improved feature set over the 2nd Gen. I solo 99% of the time and SPOT gives me the ability to keep loved ones in the loop. It just works. I asked my family if it was worth the $162/yr and they gave a resounding YES. Delorme has a better product, IMO and you pay for it. I'm just happy we've got choices now. I believe the usage models of Delorme and SPOT are superior to a cospas-sarsat EPLB (and apparently the market does also given the cost difference). If you want the freedom to change your mind while still giving loved ones (and SAR) your exact location before you have an emergency - you've got some choices. If you just want a way to contact SAR then go with the cospa-sarsat PLB. The only time I've ever gotten in trouble because of SPOT is when I forgot to send an OK message on the last day of a really long hike. My wife got a little nervous until my son checked my "where's waldo" page and could see the track messages showing me making my way back to civilization. My wife's not too technically astute, and even though I've created a webpage just for her she still relies on getting an "OK" text message. I hope the Delorme works out for you!

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HitTheTrail
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PostThu Oct 17, 2013 6:36 pm 
Wednesday I used the Delorme InReach SE to send my wife a message telling her I would be camping at Colchuck Lake. Being in a hole surrounded by trees the unit came back with a message saying the signal was weak and I could wait for a better signal or send anyway. I said send anyway. When I didn’t get a reply from her I assumed it was a signal problem and tried twice more that night and again in the morning. Each time getting the weak signal message and each time telling it to send anyway. Unbeknownst to me I had mistakenly selected my wife’s email rather than her cell number from my contacts list. She was expecting a text not an email. When she did check her email all four messages were there. When Delorme sends an email it contains a link that if clicked brings up a map showing exactly where you are and has a nice little text box where the receiver can type a reply and hit the send button to send a text message back to your unit. She did that and I got it. Everything worked beautifully. As mentioned, an email can look like it is something from Delorme if you are not expecting it to be from a person. One final issue. The buttons on the Delorme unit are soft rubber and raised about a ¼ inch from the surface. I have had it turn itself on in my pack a couple of times.

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LadyÆsa
Surefooted Spitfire



Joined: 16 Oct 2012
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Location: Custer, Whatcom County, WA
LadyÆsa
Surefooted Spitfire
PostSun Oct 20, 2013 8:02 am 
Thanks for the real-world feedback on the Delorme! I ended up following a brand-new Delorme inReach SE on eBay - the guy is in Colorado and won it at a raffle and will never use it, so I got it cheaper than list price. Won it this morning. I'll update as to how it works when I use it!

"We have one chance, one chance, to get everything right. We have one chance, one chance, and if we're lucky we might." One Chance, Modest Mouse
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