Spot

theartfuldodger · #1 (**permalink**) 08-19-2008

I've been considering buying this product and at present watching a family sailing the St Lawrence on their way to Newfoundland. My thoughts are that it has several features for getting help but also for letting friends and family know were you are. Myself with watching them have been able to send emails as to where they could stop and areas to watch out for to keep them safe. I'm very impressed with what I've seen so far. I'm wondering are there any other boats out there using this same product and what are your thoughts. I'm enclosing their web site so you might judge for yourself as well.
Sailing Vessel Precipice

sailortjk1 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-19-2008

Plenty of threads about this in recent weeks all seem to show favorable feedback.

sailingdog · #3 (**permalink**) 08-19-2008

The Spot Messenger looks like a possibly useful device, and it has been written about several times already on this forum. One of the members has it and several of us were tracking them via their Spot tracking website.

Be aware that the Spot Messenger doesn't allow you to send or receive e-mails and that the device basically has very limited message capabilities... mainly a "Hi, I'm here and I'm okay" message and "Help Me" being the two most useful features. However, an EPIRB would be a far better choice of devices in the case of a true emergency IMHO.

A lot of it depends on where you will be cruising, since the geographic coverage of the Spot Messenger is somewhat spotty.

camaraderie · #4 (**permalink**) 08-19-2008

Dodger...great device. PamlicoTraveler has one and can give you the fine points if you PM. We used it to track his voyage from NC to NY and it worked great.

denverd0n · #5 (**permalink**) 08-20-2008

I have one. It's nice for letting my wife get a warm and fuzzy feeling that I'm okay when I am out by myself and can't get a cell phone signal. I would definitely not consider it a substitute for a good EPIRB and/or PLB, though!

The biggest gripe that I have with it is that there is no positive feedback that a message has been sent. On the boat that's no big deal, because you set it somewhere with a clear view of the sky, push the button, and leave it for a few minutes. I also use mine when camping and hunting, though, and in that case it is kind of a pain. If you're in the woods, sometimes it won't send at all, or will take a very long time, and you never know if it has or it hasn't.

theartfuldodger · #6 (**permalink**) 08-20-2008

My main interest with this is that it is always easy to test, and see results, where with the EPRIB when you do need it how do you know it worked, have heard of several times where it failed in its effectiveness, one point is with a lost sailboat off the Florida coast last year, all hands and boat lost, the EPIRP went off but they never found them. With spot you can actually see the boats track and I've noticed its updated about every half hour or less. I think that letting you let more than one person know of your stress is better than just someone somewhere who is watching you or not.

okawbow · #7 (**permalink**) 08-20-2008

I have a Spot, and used it this spring on a 1000 mile trip over 30 days. I sent an OK message every day, and every one went through. I only went offshore for 48 hours or less, so, I have no hesitation using the Spot as an emergency beacon. The emergency signal is sent to a live operator as well as everyone on your list. It's almost impossible to send a false signal. You can carry and replace the batteries on a Spot also. Not so on Erirps. Epirbs are always going off by accident, too. In a non- life threatening situation, you can send a help call with your position to your contacts. Very usefull, in my opinion.

theartfuldodger · #8 (**permalink**) 08-20-2008

Thanks for your input, as although most would say don't leave without your EPIRB, but wondering if that its been over stated, since some of these new products coming on board and wondering if they might be as good if not better. I guess just would like to hear from more users, the good feature I like is the tracking, so family members and friends can see where your are at.

Whampoa · #9 (**permalink**) 08-20-2008

After not hearing from me for several days during two cruises last year (poor/no cell coverage - Tortugas)and this January in the Bahamas , Joan bought me a SPOT about three months ago. I spent the month of May sailing up and around the Chesapeake and fired up the SPOT each day as we got underway.

She picked up the tracking service as well and I used that daily. We provided my crew's wife with a link to the shared web page and it gave the ladies solid info about our progress each day.

Even without the tracking feature all one would have to do is check in say at noon each day or hourly to update their current location and confirm all was well.

I also sent it to another cruising friend so he could check it out and he would call me along the way and comment on what great speed we were making. By calculating the distance and time from the info in the web site, he was pretty good at computing my speed. He also was our weather eyes and gave us a call when he spotted severe WX moving in on our position long before we could see it.

We had one report during the trip that the ladies were not receiving any data but I'm not sure it wasn't my error when I turned it on that morning.

I wouldn't choose to carry only a SPOT and not carry an EPIRB if I was offshore but I think the SPOT is a solid addition to our safety equipment on the boat.

Regards, John

Pamlicotraveler · #10 (**permalink**) 08-22-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whampoa

I wouldn't choose to carry only a SPOT and not carry an EPIRB if I was offshore but I think the SPOT is a solid addition to our safety equipment on the boat.

For $150.00 + a $150 annual "Google Maps" tracking service the SPOT is a great deal. I have an EPIRB too of course, and I am not using the SPOT as my last resort safety device, but it is a great way to keep family and friends informed on your progress.

Here is our SPOT route on our recent trip to Block Island, Rhode Island from North Carolina (Red line) and our return route from Manhattan (Green). This kept our family informed and aware of our progress. I could make a lot of suggestions to SPOT to improve the device, and I am sure they will add features, but for the price it is the coolest gadget I have bought in years and I highly recommend it.

On this trip we had some nervous relatives that checked our SPOT position every few hours. They said they would have been nervous wrecks without it. So the debate isn't whether it should replace an EPIRB. It is an addition to your communication tools for a low price.