GPSOZ

We are considering buying a Spot for an outback trip we will be going on in August. So our friends can keep an eye on us and we can let them know we have reached each camp site safely.

Are you able to change the email address and phone numbers that you register when signing up at any time or are they locked in for 12 months at a time?

Has any one used the help function? I just wondered what use this could be as you can not use the unit for 2 way communication, you can alert them that you need help, but there is no way of letting them know what help is needed - or am I missing something.

Overall it looks like a great unit and a good way to have some peace of mind in the bush, thanks for looking and hopefully being able to answer my questions.

Ian

Hi Ian

You can change the email addresses and phone numbers as often as you like. Of course it may be a little difficult while you are travelling unless you have an internet connection. However, I think there is a maximum number of text messages you can send before you get charged. I vaguely remember it is 100 text messages per year. There is no limit with emails.

We only use the mobile number for the help function. My nephew set up a new SPOT for himself and put his own mobile number. It didnt take long for him to change the settings so that the mobile number was only linked to the help button,as he was receiving a message for every position he sent up until he changed it.

The help button allows you to send an email or text message to specific people. You can set up your own message. It is up to the people you send the message to, as to what they do with your information. The message (text/email) will be sent to your contact every 10 minutes until you cancel the help on your SPOT.

Of course, the 911 button automatically sends a message every 5/10 minutes to the emergency services. This recovery costs will probably be charged to you, whereas the help button is more in the control of your contact.

Laurie

Laurie

Hi Ian, Laurie and any others interested...

I had also been concerned about SPOT's lack of an effective information transmision channel. I have been wondering if there is any way you could get around the problem by leaving instructions with your folks back home along the following lines:

Each morning at 9am, I will send a "CHECK IN" message.

If there is a problem, then at 9:05am I will send a "HELP" message
If my position has moved 100 metres north, it means I need a tow truck
If my position has moved 100 metres east, it means I need fuel
If my position has moved 100 metres south, it means I need tyre repair
If my position has moved 100 metres north, it means I need a mechanic
Please call my "roadside assist" service on the 1800 number provided before I left.

Whether or not there is a problem, at 9:10am I will return to my 9am position and send another "CHECK IN" message

Of course this is just an example to illustrate the principle and there are various ways you could expand the protocol to provide a greater number of possible requests. For example a CHECK IN message on the hour could mean all OK, while 5 minutes past the hour means *message 1*, 10 minutes past the hour means *message 2* etc but whether or not this would work may depend on how promptly CHECK IN messages are delivered.

David H

I did some testing when in 3G mobile phone range and found that SPOT to mobile phone averaged around 6 minutes. As they say your mileage may vary.
Lots of processes/steps laong the way.

Your yearly subscription includes 200 SMS messages then 11c US per message there after.

cheers
brian

Brian

Having used SPOT for 12 months now, I would be worried with your concept. as you said in your SPOT sensitivity thread, the outbound transmission is not always 100%. So if your 9am Check In message failed then your contacts would not know where you have moved from. Also if the 9:05 Help message failed, then the contact would possibly get 2 check in message 10 minutes apart. I am not sure they would work out what you were trying to do if they missed the Help message.

I thought the purpose of SPOT was to resend the HELP message every 5 minutes for one hour. OK. so your contacts receive a lot of text messages, but as a SPOT user, I can be assured that some of my Help messages are getting through. It can be quite nerve racking not knowing if your one help message got through. I think the resend is a good idea for SPOT user comfort.

Brian, I like you idea of sending the message about roadside assist. i will change my help message to reflect this as I think this is a good idea. Personally I would just keep it simple and put something like "Please call my "roadside assist" service on the 1800 *** *** and advise them that we need assistance". I would give my contacts the phone number as I can visualise a situation where a contact receives the message and doesn't have the number with them, so a delay might occur until they can access their email to locate the number.

By the way, we broke down on the Nullarbor a couple of years ago. Luckily we had an HF radio, but if we didn't, we could have activated this help message to get our roadside assistance to recover us. The advantage of SPOT is that, the contact can give the SPOT URL to your roadside assist to check your location and see if you are stationary or moving.

BTW, when using SPOT, it can take up to 20 minutes to send your Check In message as your SPOT unit automatically sends 3 identical messages (the 2nd & 3rd messages 5-10 minutes after the original one). In good conditions, SPOT will log your position after 2 messages, which could be as low as 5 minutes, but when you are in the bush, you don't know how many of your messages are getting through) So for your idea to work, it would require the user to cancel the Check In process after 5 minutes and then activate the Help message. Then cancel it 5 minutes later, then resend another Check in message. This could mean that some of your messages don't get through, plus the concept could be very complicated for a non technical person stuck in the bush.

Laurie

Hi Laurie

There seems to be a bit of confusion here. Please do not blame Brian for any deficiencies in my scheme.

I am certainly not putting myself forward as a SPOT "expert". I am just trying to figure out what the device can do and how to get best use out of it.

One thing that bothers me is whether any of the road side assist schemes would respond to a request from a third party with absolutely no information as to the nature of the problem. I can imagine they would be a bit annoyed if they sent a mechanic when a tow truck was required (or vice versa). That is why I was looking for a way to "cheat the system" and somehow get some extra bits of information through.

If the rate of failed or delayed messages is bad enough to be a problem, I could amend my protocol that if any HELP is required, I will repeat my CHECK IN, HELP, CHECK IN sequence say 4 times at hourly intervals.

best regards,
David H

Sorry David. I was reading Brian's comments and misread the idea that came from your message as coming from Brian. Sorry Brian too!

With regards to road side assist, I have already used road side assist when we broke down near Nullarbor 2 years ago. We tried to ring RACV Total Care by phone on our HF radio. As soon as RACV answered the phone the automated intro started but the RACV officer hung up. I can only assume they do not know what a phone call via an HF radio sounds like. After a few tries and being hung up on, I called VKS7373 on the HF in Adelaide. Operator Colin in Adelaide rang RACV. He was on the phone for about 15 minutes. they then switched him through to the RA in Adelaide. Colin was finally advised that a recovery vehicle would be sent from Nullarbor straight away. The recovery truck arrived about 45 minutes after we called VKS737. The rocovery went well, but our blown up engine set us back $16,000 when we returned home.

So it is possible to get road side assist to come out to you. It may be a good idea to get your contact to get the road side assist company to log on to SPOT and view the info. To this end, I use STM for all of my SPOT positions as I find it much more user friendly than the SPOT site. The road side assist company would then be able to see your Help icon and if they click on Help icon they will see your help message to confirm that you are not a hoax.

Laurie

Hi guys,

Thanks to everyone for your replies and information.

We have purchased a SPOT and a RAM mounting and will be using it on our trip at the beginning of August.

Will work out something with regards to the help message and what it should mean to the recipient, but overall I think it is a great unit and one that is able to give youpeace of mind in the bush.

Also great for letting my relo's in the UK know where we are on our trip so they can track us each day..
Ian

When using the RAM bracket make sure the unit is horizontal for best GPS reception and message transmission.

chees
brian