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SPOT Tracker Alternatives


sledjunk

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I thought about posting this in the Technical Forum but figured that it would attract more attention here.

 

I just received an email from SPOT regarding their rate increases to the subscription fees. (Trace now $149.99 US, additional $14.99 US Network Fee).

 

I have been quite satisfied with the SPOT service and peace of mind for almost 10 years personally, and we have a number of units (4 SPOT and 3 Trace) for the club.  However, I feel it is time to at least look at the newer alternatives that are on the market and re-evaluate if this is indeed still the best option.

 

The SPOT Units ( we have all 3 versions) are used to send OK messages, Help messages, and (God Forbid) 911 messages.

The Trace units are set to track every 5 minutes and are fed to our grooming tracking web page.

 

My personal SPOT unit is a Gen 3 with Tracking and Roadside Assistance services as well.

 

Does anyone have any experience with the other systems that are available, and the pros and cons of these systems.  I have briefly looked at the InReach products and at first blush seem too expensive for my / our purposes.

 

Thanks

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I too have used a SPOT unit for the past 5+ years personally and while I like it I am looking to move to an InReach unit as I find my wife coming out with me more(she used to and still likes being able to know I am safe when I am out on my own) so I have fewer people monitoring the spot when I am out. InReach would allow precise messaging incase of emergency but not requiring sar support. 

 

For the groomer omers we have found ourselves stopping using the spot with the use of atlas track. I believe there are commercial subscriptions for InReach that may be cheaper by vying data in bulk.  Also depending on tech savvy ness of operators and (avaliabilty of cell service) InReach could also be a sat phone alternative. 

 

When I did my wilderness first aid 2 years ago we had quite a discussion in the competing systems and the conclusion (although from a limited sample size) is that the InReach device and satellite network (iridium I believe) is much more reliable than spots(global star). Not sure if this still holds true. 

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I'm very interested in this thread and have spent a few hours this summer researching options. (To date I've used  only a cell phone for communication. Not good in the numerous dead zones.) My current view is that I would rule out Spot because it doesn't allow for two way verbal communication. If I break down on a trail I'm going to want to be able to telephone someone and make bulletproof arrangements for service or rescue. Satellite phone might be the way to go, despite the cost.....

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1 hour ago, matt17 said:

I too have used a SPOT unit for the past 5+ years personally and while I like it I am looking to move to an InReach unit as I find my wife coming out with me more(she used to and still likes being able to know I am safe when I am out on my own) so I have fewer people monitoring the spot when I am out. InReach would allow precise messaging incase of emergency but not requiring sar support. 

 

For the groomer omers we have found ourselves stopping using the spot with the use of atlas track. I believe there are commercial subscriptions for InReach that may be cheaper by vying data in bulk.  Also depending on tech savvy ness of operators and (avaliabilty of cell service) InReach could also be a sat phone alternative. 

 

When I did my wilderness first aid 2 years ago we had quite a discussion in the competing systems and the conclusion (although from a limited sample size) is that the InReach device and satellite network (iridium I believe) is much more reliable than spots(global star). Not sure if this still holds true. 

 

From what little I have read, I too believe the InReach is a better system in total.  However, it is pretty pricey, both in terms of hardware and subscription, in comparison.  For the club, it is totally out of reach from a price perspective.  For me personally, I think it is still too expensive to get to the same level as the SPOT.

 

I would likely be looking at the $35/mo plan for Jan - April which would be about $140 each season.  Not bad, but the $350 and up for the device is a bit much.  Still worth investigating, though.

 

We still prefer to use SPOT for the groomers, because the AtlasTRAX system has no provision for sending messages and cannot be made accessible to the general public.  The messaging is a H & S issue as far as we are concerned, especially with the "911" button.  Providing the tracking to the public shows our riders our grooming activity and where the permit dollars are being used. 

 

 

59 minutes ago, Blake G said:

I'm very interested in this thread and have spent a few hours this summer researching options. (To date I've used  only a cell phone for communication. Not good in the numerous dead zones.) My current view is that I would rule out Spot because it doesn't allow for two way verbal communication. If I break down on a trail I'm going to want to be able to telephone someone and make bulletproof arrangements for service or rescue. Satellite phone might be the way to go, despite the cost.....

 

The Sat Phone would likely be the overall best solution, but may be cost prohibitive.  Also, it would not provide any tracking, and I am not sure how the emergency services would be dispatched without a call to the specific service in your area.  It may have functionality for a global response, but I am not sure about it.

 

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We use the Spot system after Sledjunk showing us his a couple of winters ago and although it doesn't have the two way communication, I am totally fine with that. We have a few family members on our tracking list. We have thankfully never needed to use the 911 feature and can only hope that one day if we were to need it that it would work as advertised.

 

When we went to Mont Valin for New Years it was quite funny as my mom and brother were tracking us and due to my lack of direction skills missed a turn and had to detour after about 30 miles of driving into no mans land my mom sent us a text message asking us if were lost as we were not heading to our intended destination lol.

 

 

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I have an orginal Spot... I've never been 100% happy with it. 

 

Use it on the bike, and the track function works only about 40% of the time. Used it on the boat last week. Even a clear shot to the sky the track information only hit about 70% of the time. There was gaps in the data for hours. 

 

Never had to push the help button, but I would hope when you do, it sends a higher powered signal out.

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The Gen2 and Gen3 units do a much better job of tracking.  I have had all three models and like the improvements. 

 

The SPOT units have been quite reliable.  We have had two model 1 units fail after many years.  However, we have had more failures with the Trace units.

 

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I have an Inreach SE and in my opinion it's an execellant device for piece of mind, and for help in an emergency if needed. For emergency purposes there's an SoS feature plus commuicarion is possible with search and rescue teams and or emergency personal via sms messaging. Also for leisure or critical tracking the Inreach is perfect with diffrent plans available or pay as you use. In the off season there's an option to "suspend" the plan of your choice, which is very convenient In order to avoid reconnection fees. There's I bielieve four or five plans with Inreach iridium you could chose from. I have texted friends and family members back and forth carrying on conversations from areas with no cell coverage numerous times without any issues, so far very reliable. There's also a compass, weather, and other very useful features built into the unit. 

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I cancelled 3 of the spot traces.  No way in hell I’d pay a network fee, and a 50% increase, plus pay in USD.   

 

They got got greedy and lost.

 

instead I’m using an old iPhone with a tablet sim.  I can use find my iPhone to know where it is at anytime and google maps to see where it’s been.

 

this is assuming you travel within cell coverage.

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5 hours ago, Pstn head said:

I have an Inreach SE and in my opinion it's an execellant device for piece of mind, and for help in an emergency if needed. For emergency purposes there's an SoS feature plus commuicarion is possible with search and rescue teams and or emergency personal via sms messaging. Also for leisure or critical tracking the Inreach is perfect with diffrent plans available or pay as you use. In the off season there's an option to "suspend" the plan of your choice, which is very convenient In order to avoid reconnection fees. There's I bielieve four or five plans with Inreach iridium you could chose from. I have texted friends and family members back and forth carrying on conversations from areas with no cell coverage numerous times without any issues, so far very reliable. There's also a compass, weather, and other very useful features built into the unit. 

Thanks!  It is always good to get a real world evaluation.  Do you know how the SOS function gets routed to the 'local' services?

 

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18 hours ago, sledjunk said:

Thanks!  It is always good to get a real world evaluation.  Do you know how the SOS function gets routed to the 'local' services?

 

From what I understand the SoS signal is received then depending on your location which is actually within a metre of the device the appropriate emergency response is deployed ( they also attempt communication via sms messaging ) depending on the severity. This is how I recall it be explained to me. 

Another great feature is that your location is shown on a map, (within a metre) along with your quordinates, whether your sending message via sms or SoS.

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Time for more investigation.  This sounds interesting.

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I'm keen on this topic too. Then I recalled seeing an Inreach in use by a rider on a Youtuber video. I reached out to Allan Gofenko, the Youtube guy that posts from the Yukon. He provided a great answer, maybe it helps some of us out:

 

Video is here: Youtuber video of Inreach in use - keep watching until the 19:16 mark when Doug finishes calibrating the compass lol
Regarding SPOT - I recommend everyone do what I did. Call them and tell them you'd like to cancel. They will transfer you to their loyalty department. Tell that new person that you want to cancel because your rates went up. I did this, they put me on hold and came back and offered me my old rate again, but I did have to pay the new network maintenance fee of $14.99. The reality is, all of us depending on when we signed up with SPOT are on varying plans. Some people are still on a cheap plan from 5 years ago, but eventually they try to catch everyone up saying they no longer offer the 'older' plans. You just gotta push them to lower it, same as cell phone or cable companies. They all want your business and have protocol setup to retain you when you threaten to cancel. Hope this helps! Cheers
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You are correct about pushing them, but the Inreach does, at least on the surface, seem to be superior.  Based upon suspending the service in the off season, the rate could be compatible with the annual rate from the SPOT.  Of course, if I needed to use the SPOT in the off season, it is available.

 

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