Anyone considering this device?
Note to Woodsman: works on 2 AA alkaline batteries :-) Sounds also something useful for you while working in the woods and for me when I'm driving through all the cell phone dead zones in my region for work
SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker
The World’s First Satellite Messenger and Tracker
ONLY $149.99 after instant $20.00 rebate
The SPOT “Satellite Personal Tracker” unit has more features and services than other Emergency Handheld GPS Personal Location Beacon units selling for over $1000.00
Never be lost, stranded or be in potentially in life threatening situations in remote areas beyond the range of cellular phones.
Now, with Spot Satellite Messenger you can send a message for help or tell family members, friends or the emergency responders where to find you using GPS accuracy regardless of cellular coverage. Help is just a push button away!
SPOT’s message and tracking functions enable users to send messages to friends, family or emergency responders, based upon varying levels of need and to visually track the location of the SPOT Satellite Messenger:
* “Alert 911” button dispatches emergency responders to an exact location
* Ask for “Help” button sends a request for help to friends and family
* “Check In” button lets your contacts know where you are and that you are okay
“Track Progress” sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google Maps. See example:
* GPS location coordinates accurate to within 20 feet
* 99.4% Satellite Reliability Using a 48 Satellite Constellation
* Weight 7.37 ounces
* Dimensions 4.38 x 2.75 x 1.5 inches
* Waterproof
* Floats
* Shockproof
* Operating temperature range -40 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit
* Uses easy to replace AA lithium batteries
* Standby battery life approximately 12 months
This is an essential line of communication in emergency situations. There are over 64 million consumers in the United States that are outdoor enthusiasts. The National Association for Search and Rescue has participated in an estimated 50,000 or more search and rescue missions each year. These rescues usually begin and the rescuers have no inclination where the victim may be located. Not only can SPOT send messages to family, friends, or the authorities it also provides GPS accuracy on your location. The SPOT satellite messenger gives a location within 20 feet of accuracy. The SPOT is great for commercial lone worker safety applications or for people who live in areas where natural disasters may occur. Drivers who drive outside their cell phone coverage area would also benefit from this valuable tool.
SPOT Satellite Messenger has a rugged waterproof construction, floats, and is functional in extreme temperatures and climates. It uses AA lithium batteries that have a standby of approximately 12 months. It is light and easy to transport with coverage in practically all of the continental United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Australia, sections of South America, Northern Africa, and Northeastern Asia. This also has coverage in hundreds or thousands of miles offshore to these areas.
There is a proven 99.4% reliability with the SPOT system. They process over 6 million messages a month or approximately 2.3 messages per second. The SPOT network uses a GPS satellite system to verify a user’s location.
Optional unlimited tracking service will transmit your location to friends and family using Google maps every 10 minutes for a 24 hour period. Tracking can be reactivated by the user of the spot unit by a press of a button. Learn more about SPOT's Service
Spot Satellite Messenger $149.99 after instant $20.00 rebate
More Information:
* Spot Service
* Spot Coverage
* Spot and Globalstar
* Spot Battery Life
* Spot User Guide
* Emergency FAQs
Coverage Area :
Although sadly it doesn't seem to cover the WMDP robustly, if at all.
SPOT Satellite Messenger and Globalstar
The newest satellite device coming soon to the satellite communications market will be the SPOT satellite messenger. SPOT uses the Globalstar satellite network to provide GPS tracking. This unit is perfect for any outdoor enthusiast.
This is an essential line of communication in emergency situations. There are over 64 million consumers in the United States that are outdoor enthusiasts. The National Association for Search and Rescue has participated in an estimated 50,000 or more search and rescue missions each year. These rescues usually begin and the rescuers have no inclination where the victim may be located. Not only can SPOT send messages to family, friends, or the authorities it also provides GPS accuracy on your location. The SPOT satellite messenger gives a location within 20 feet of accuracy. The SPOT is great for commercial lone worker safety applications or for people who live in areas where natural disasters may occur. Drivers who drive outside their cell phone coverage area would also benefit from this valuable tool.
SPOT has a rugged waterproof construction, floats, and is functional in extreme temperatures and climates. It uses AA lithium batteries that have a standby of approximately 12 months. It is light and easy to transport with coverage in practically all of the continental United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Australia, sections of South America, Northern Africa, and Northeastern Asia. This also has coverage in hundreds or thousands of miles offshore to these areas. There is a proven 99.4% reliability with the SPOT system. They process over 6 million messages a month or approximately 2.3 messages per second. The SPOT network uses a GPS satellite system to verify a user’s location. Optional unlimited tracking service will transmit your location to friends and family using Google maps every 10 minutes for a 24 hour period. Tracking can be reactivated by the user of the spot unit by a press of a button.
This is not like all other personal locator beacons (PLB’s) that have the capacity of sending a signal worldwide. SPOT will be using the Globalstar satellite system which limits the coverage area to Globalstar’s simplex coverage area. (See below) People are worried about the use of this system due to the degradation of their satellite system. However, there is a difference in the type of data that these satellites are receiving. The Globalstar satellite phones are using the duplex system. This is a separate system than what the SPOT satellite messenger will use. SPOT will use the simplex side of their satellites. The simplex side of this satellite provides service to their simplex transmitters and now to SPOT. SPOT only has prototypes being tested at this point and there said to be small changes that will be made. This is a one-way communicator that will summon search and rescue, send “I’m okay” messages to family and/or friends, and track your path for yourself or family members.