It’s nice when most of our criticisms of the initial model of the Sport Satellite Messenger GPS unit have been taken on board by the manufacturers. The result is a reincarnated and improved version of our valuable personal tracking system that we put to much use here in the Sierra Nevada mountains of southern Spain.
Our initial review had much praise for the Spot Messenger but pointed out the following problem
One small gripe I have however is related to the 911 button. I was really nervous about handing the Spot as the button is open to misuse. Imagine being in blizzards, bad weather, gloved, cold hands, possibly disorientated. I can see a situation where the wrong button may be pressed. Maybe the rescue services could be falsely alerted? One solution would be to have a small cover over the emergency 911 button so necessitating a separate act to send the distress call. Maybe I am a bit paranoid about this?
The new Spot Messenger GPS
Obviously others thought the same because the new version has now a small cover to stop the 911 button being accidentally pressed.
In use we also had no way of knowing if in fact a message had been sent. the LED light just kept flashing for a time before turning off. Now that has been improved too.
In fact there are also improvements to the signalling systems.
The “HELP” button. As working mountain guides in the Sierra Nevada, our “HELP” message is interpreted by us to mean “CHANGE OF PLAN”. By checking the emailed location we can see if a change of plan is in progress. We can see a different extraction point being required and, not only that, we can also estimate the estimated time of arrival! Very useful! The new version has another cover for the HELP button.
The following buttons are now available……………..
SOS / 911: Use this function In the event of a life threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your GPS location and that you need assistance. The GEOS International Emergency Response Center alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe.
Help: In the event of a non-life threatening emergency, you can use this function to notify your personal contacts that you need assistance. Additional SPOT Assist services can be purchased and programmed to your Help button as well. When activated with SPOT Assist, the Help button will notify professional services either on the land or water. SPOT has partnered with national service providers to offer non-life threatening assistance.
Check-in/OK: This feature allows you to let your friends and family know that all is OK with a pre-programmed message along with your GPS location. With a push of a button a message is sent via email or SMS to up to 10 pre-determined contacts and your waypoint is stored in your SPOT account for later reference. Your stored waypoints can be easily integrated into a SPOT Shared Page or SPOT Adventure account.
Custom Message: This feature allows you to let your friends and family know receive a custom message along with your GPS location with a push of a button. Use this feature as a secondary OK message or transfer your personal help alert to this message function if you are using a SPOT Assist service on your Help button.
Track Progress: This feature allows you to send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress in near real time using Google Maps. With your SPOT account you have the ability to set up a SPOT Shared Page which allows you to show your SPOT GPS locations to others on a Google Map.
Summary
A fantastic and invaluable bit of kit for little money. A life saver in the mountains. We used to rely on dodgy satellite phones. Now we rely on the Spot Messenger. For instance, our guides report back their location on the Tres Miles 3000m peak traverse each evening. We know at all times where they are and where they are headed and the rate of progress. All communication is performed by the pressing of a few buttons.
Read initial review at http://www.sierra-nevada-news.com/2008/08/spot-messenger-test-results-spains-sierra-nevada/
Visit Manufacturers website at http://www.findmespot.eu
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kiersten Rowland and Richard Hartley, Ian Williams. Ian Williams said: RT @spanishhighs: News: New improved version of the Spot Satellite GPS Messenger http://bit.ly/ap33Ck [...]
SPOT’s Satellite Communicator pairs with Delorme’s Earthmate PN-60w GPS to create nothing less than a communication revolution: Smart as they are, personal locator beacons such as SPOT are the equivalent of a signal fire—you can’t customize the message on the fly. But the Delorme/SPOT system lets you tap out a 41-character message to anyone (so long as you’ve set up their email or phone before leaving the grid). Now you can differentiate between getting lost, spraining an ankle, or a real emergency, like running out of coffee ($549.95 plus $100 per year SPOT service, assorted message plans available; http://www.delorme.com, http://www.findmespot.com).
[...] There are only certain areas that will receive a signal. We tend to use and rely on sat phones or Spot Messengers for communication during our 5 day trek covering the main ridge of the Sierra [...]