Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting the new SPOT satellite GPS messenger

Has anyone used this new smaller unit from SPOT? Could you share your experiences with us as to reliability, ease of use, and ability to access satellite signal? Debating using this or renting a satellite phone for an upcoming backcountry hunt.
Thanks

I haven't used one, but I'm very interested in one as well. When I get back to AK to hunt I'll probably take one.

Buy one now they are 149.99 at Cabelas and they are offering a 150 dollar rebate Of course you have tosubscribe to their service for 2 years though . Well you can update family with your position but that is the extent of it I believe. It will generate a 911 call every 5 minutes for 7 days and that might be a real lifesaver.

here's a pretty good review of it's features. I couldn't find a review of anyone that's actually put one through it's paces:

http://www.equipped.org/blog/

after reading a few reviews I decided to get one of these new ones. Hard as heck to find one but finally did at an REI in California. Rei is supposed to get 450 more units on Oct 23 at their distribution center. It was just a bit more for me to purchase this and a years subscription than to rent a sat phone for two weeks so I went with the improved spot. I'll let you know how it performs after I get back from CO at the end of the month.

So there is an updated version from the original?

I hope none of you have any emergencies....The Spot uses the same satelites as globalstar phones....They are crappy at best..I wouldn't trust my life on it at all.......


George

While I agree on globalstar, I can say I've had SPOT for over a year now and sent many messages and its failed to send an ok message one time in a river bottom in AK when we had minimal sat coverage according to my GPS unit which had trouble locking on also, that was late one night, next thing in the AM it sent it within 5 minutes.

Every other time we've sent, from duck hunting the salt marshes on the TX coast, to the deer lease in central TX to elk in CO to AK trips, its sent the message, sometimes it takes 20 or 30 minutes but it does send.

If I were really worried I"d go iridium sat phone but for the cost difference and the reliability I've seen, it serves a purpose.

I am interested in one of these too but it would be nice to have text messaging for work use. Our Office has a Globastar phone which I was able to use on a Montana trip in 2007, it worked good enough but I had to stand still and you have to get used to the delay when talking to other people. I think the Iridium phones have text messaging.