spot satellite and messenger

[nicelydone]

Is a spot satellite personal tracker and messenger a viable alternative for an epirb
nicely done

[PaulfromNWOnt]

I understand that coverage may be spotty in some places offshore, but my experiences with the device have been stellar. While the 911 button has never been pushed, the other ones have, and they perform as advertised which leads me to believe in their device/service.

[aa3jy]

If you want a toy then SPOT is for you.. If you want to be rescued than a registered EPIRB is the way to go..No if's ands or but's..end of story..

[nicelydone]

Thank you guys . You can only go on what users tell you.
regards
nicely

[Nautichthys]

Welcome to the board.

This topic shows up regularly with the same opinion spread you see above. I'd suggest the "search" function but I'm not sure I know how to use it myself.

Have a good hard think about where you're going and how you're going to communicate with whoever needs to come and rescue you. VHF, EPIRBS, SPOT, and cell phones are all tools that have their limitations depending on where and what you're trying to communicate. EPIRBs can't tell your spouse you'll be a couple of hours late but are otherwise o.k., or that you are floating around safe but bored out of your mind and need a tow.

For my purposes the SPOT comes after the EPIRB but ahead of a cell phone. From a cost viewpoint the EPIRB is cheaper over five years.

[PaulfromNWOnt]

Originally Posted by aa3jy

If you want to be rescued than a registered EPIRB is the way to go..No if's ands or but's..end of story..

Tell that to the 64 people from the S/V Concordia.

[imagine2frolic]

Spot does not have total coverage, and that is what it is lacking. It is a cool tool to follow friends & family. Some find it annoying whle others take full advantage of itīs capabilities. When used Spot while leaving Florida to Panama, and then leaving Panama folks could see we had to turn around, and enter Panama again..........i2f

[travlineasy]

At $99 a year for the standard service--it's a pretty good safety feature. Granted, it does not have the coverage of an EPIRB, but it has a lot more options. For the vast majority of inshore and near-shore sailors it would be a great tool to have aboard.

Just my 2-cents worth,

Gary

[aa3jy]

Originally Posted by PaulfromNWOnt

Tell that to the 64 people from the S/V Concordia.

Yes..and I say again if you want to be rescued then get an EPIRB..Imagine if there wasn't an EPIRB on board the S/V Concordia..the results would have been different...

Concordia (ship) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[MarkSF]

"For my purposes the SPOT comes after the EPIRB but ahead of a cell phone. From a cost viewpoint the EPIRB is cheaper over five years.[/QUOTE]

From a cost standpoint, a PLB is cheaper even over 2 years! The McMurdo Fastfind 210 is $250 on Amazon right now. No subscription, and it fits in the pocket of my inflatable life jacket. Figure it might help if I fall overboard.