[WanderingStar]

I plan to sail south this fall. I am considering a Spot Tracker so that my wife will know my location, and get "We're Okay" messages if offshore. I don't have or want SSB or satellite phone. When inshore I can call or text. For emergencies I have an EPIRB. But I think it would be nice if she could check our progress when out of touch or outside cell coverage. Anyone use these? Like them, hate them? Prefer one over the other? Thanks.

 

[MobiusALilBitTwisted]

I have a gen3 spot, got it to use on a trip to the Keys , use it on the road.(OTR driver)

I like it easy to use and was easy to set up the preset out going messages. The battery life was not a year as I was told by SPOT more like 5 months the usb power port works fine but is not water proof.

You can set up a list of contacts , email and cell, to get out going messages no incoming.

only Cost $149 a year for service.

All in all i like the Spot, and plan on taking it to the boat when i go sailing as planned.

 

[Scallywag2]

SPOT has a few levels of service. I have the Basic. Push the on button, then the OK button. When the OK button stops blinking turn off SPOT. It can take a minimum of 20 minutes for SPOT to send the OK message. Depending on the computer server, it can take a while for your OK Message to be received by loved ones. Being forgetful to turn on SPOT, heavy cloud cover, or no satellite coverage for the area will cause loved ones to worry. Following IM2F, there were times there was not an OK message. I wondered why? To extend battery life I turn SPOT off after the OK message is sent. I usually send twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. I use SPOT on land and ocean trips.
The children enjoy seeing where we are located. We also get questions regarding, why we did not send.

 

[travlin-easy]

Been using an older spot for years, love it!

Good luck,

Gary

 

[Pamlicotraveler]

Using the original SPOT with the mapping function that costs extra - SPOT is durable and reliable and we have tracked our progress over 20,000 miles over the last 3 years. For ours, we have to turn it on and restart every 24 hours. It sends a message every 10 minutes...sure it misses a few, but not many. Worked great in the US, med, Caribbean and all points in between. It's a no brainer.

 

[Minnewaska]

Had a buddy take the DeLorme on a delivery from RI to the Caribbean a couple of seasons back. He thought it was great. Two way text capability offshore. I think you can get some kind of weather info now too, but not a grib file.

 

[svzephyr44]

I have friends who own and use both solutions. One just bought a DeLorme to replace his Spot. Wanted the 2 way message ability. He likes it a lot and would recommend it over the Spot.

Big downside is you need an internet connection to be on the receiving end. Thus when we are sailing in loose company and I have no internet there is not way either system will let me track where he is.

 

[sailak]

I bought the Delorme tracker last Aug when I crewed on a passage across the Gulf of Alaska. I was going to get a Spot but at the store found the Spot system isn't reliably covered in Alaska. The two-way texting on the Delorme was handy. I also liked that I could "pay by the month" since sailing season here is April to September….no sense paying for winter months if not using it.

Here is the track and comm reports for that crossing. I had it set to plot a position every 4 hours. In addition I would send an "All OK" occasionally. You can click on the position dots or the msg squares to see course, time, speed, etc.

 

[travellerw]

I own an Delorme InReach... One of the best devices I have ever bought.. Two way messaging anywhere for $80/month.

On my last trip, I accidentally left it turned on coming home. I have one point on my track somewhere over the USA at 38,000 ft! LOL

I suggest you look on Craigslist or Kijiji for a used device. People buy them for a single trip and then sell them for 1/2 or less. I picked mine up for 1/3 and it was 1 month old.

 

[bvander66]

We use a basic spot for the past 5 years to keep family infod on loc and that we are ok. Tied the 411 button to tow boat US, used that once. Great piece of kit, not expensive, and suits us fine for US and Bahamas cruising where internet is realitively accessable. Planing to head further afield in a year and will likely move to an inreach with its 2 way text capability then.

 

[WanderingStar]

Thank you all, good information.

 

[Group9]

We used a Spot II tracker on our last cruise and it was really nice for keeping the family calmed down and not worrying about us. I would hit the locate button every evening to show them where we were anchored at or in transit at.

I've still got mine and will definitely activate it again for our next cruise starting in a couple of months.

I'm not even going to upgrade from the Spot II.

 

[hellosailor]

Any one-way gizmo (even phone text messages) have to be used with knowledge that a lack of message, a lack of acknowledgement, DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. This is why radio operators will acknowledge they have heard something, i.e. by saying "Roger."

So by all means use the SPOT or anything else, just let the wife know that "no messages" can mean you dropped it overboard, the battery is low and you're busy, all kinds of things that are not grounds for worry. Pick a time, like two hours or eight hours, and tell her not to worry until she hasn't heard from you for at least that long.

Get the gizmo a month or two in advance, and see what kind of coverage and lapses you may have, well in advance. And get her used to seeing it drop out from time to time.

 

[Minnewaska]

Good point, hellosailor. If I'm going through the trouble of keeping someone on the home front informed of my safety, I would like to know they received the message. I don't want to worry that they are worried.

 

[smurphny]

Nice thread and another example of the usefulness of Sailnet. Just ordered the DeLorme inReach SE unit for this winter's cruising. The two-way texting feature was the clincher as well as some bad reviews of the Spot unit on other websites. I also like the fact that it uses the Iridium system and has a water resistance rating which seems to be absent on the Spot. If anyone has any additional feedback on pluses and minuses or additional things to know about this particular device, would be nice to hear it.

 

[travellerw]

Nice thread and another example of the usefulness of Sailnet. Just ordered the DeLorme inReach SE unit for this winter's cruising. The two-way texting feature was the clincher as well as some bad reviews of the Spot unit on other websites. I also like the fact that it uses the Iridium system and has a water resistance rating which seems to be absent on the Spot. If anyone has any additional feedback on pluses and minuses or additional things to know about this particular device, would be nice to hear it.

I paired mine with a solar USB charger. The charger sits on top of the bimini and the Inreach is clipped underneath. A USB cable runs around the bimini and is plugged into the Inreach. This way, I never worry about charging it, it just stays charged and the solar charger has an extra USB port for another device.

I found this easier than trying to wire a USB charger to the boat electrical. It also keeps the Inreach with a clear view of the sky!

 

[Yorksailor]

We used our Delorme, for short messages, all the way across the Pacific...Panama to New Zeland.

However, the weather gribs from the Sat phone were far more valuable and the crew of a sinking boat, 1,000nm off-shore, owe their rescue to a SSB! They were 300 nm miles from us and a boat that was initially 200nm from the sinking boat rescued the crew staying in SSB contact for the 2 days it took to get to the sinking boat.

Phil & Nell who are looking for crew back to the Caribbean from New Zealand via South Africa!

 

[travellerw]

We used our Delorme, for short messages, all the way across the Pacific...Panama to New Zeland.

However, the weather gribs from the Sat phone were far more valuable and the crew of a sinking boat, 1,000nm off-shore, owe their rescue to a SSB! They were 300 nm miles from us and a boat that was initially 200nm from the sinking boat rescued the crew staying in SSB contact for the 2 days it took to get to the sinking boat.

Phil & Nell who are looking for crew back to the Caribbean from New Zealand via South Africa!

I would love to hear the details of this. A boat sinking for 2 days and they were unable to stop the flow of water. Scary.

Is there anywhere I can read the story?

 

[Minnewaska]

I finally bought an In Reach this past summer for our 26hr overnight across the Gulf of Maine. It both allowed text contact with our float plan shore based friends, but also allowed family to follow our progress on a website that we set a password for, so only they could see.

I thought it was a great tool. I bought an unlimited text plan for $75 and used it to pass the time texting about a half dozen buddies. Seemless integration with my iPhone. Highly recommend.

If and when it allows grib downloads, it will be perfect. Although, I've read that may never happen.

 

[smurphny]

I finally bought an In Reach this past summer for our 26hr overnight across the Gulf of Maine. It both allowed text contact with our float plan shore based friends, but also allowed family to follow our progress on a website that we set a password for, so only they could see.

I thought it was a great tool. I bought an unlimited text plan for $75 and used it to pass the time texting about a half dozen buddies. Seemless integration with my iPhone. Highly recommend.

If and when it allows grib downloads, it will be perfect. Although, I've read that may never happen.

Will be using it in the Bahamas in addition to SSB/Winlink which should provide enough in the way of communication so as to avoid needing to use Batelco which seems way overpriced for calling back to the US. The cost of DeLorme's unlimited text for just a few months seems like a good value.