Spot Messenger Discussions?

[Patrick, Whit]

I apologize in advance for cross-posting.

Does anyone know of any discussions in other groups regarding the Spot
Messenger device? I am thinking of buying several for our workers who work
alone in remote locations.

The manufacturer describes the device this way, " SPOT is the only device of
its kind, using the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, and
then sending its location ­ with a link to Google Maps ­ and a
pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite network."

I think it qualifies for a GPS discussion, but perhaps not THIS discussion.

Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this product other than not
wanting to spend money for a product that won't work for our needs.

Thanks!

[Bill Smith]

Post by Patrick, Whit
I apologize in advance for cross-posting.
Does anyone know of any discussions in other groups regarding the Spot
Messenger device? I am thinking of buying several for our workers who work
alone in remote locations.
The manufacturer describes the device this way, " SPOT is the only device of
its kind, using the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, and
then sending its location ­ with a link to Google Maps ­ and a
pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite network."
I think it qualifies for a GPS discussion, but perhaps not THIS discussion.
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this product other than not
wanting to spend money for a product that won't work for our needs.
Thanks!

I've looked at it and it's a great idea. Much like APRS for amateur radio
(but easier and no license required). Price looks reasonable too. We're
looking at purchasing a few for search & rescue activities to help track the
search progress from the EMA office.

[ps56k]

Post by Bill Smith

Post by Patrick, Whit
I apologize in advance for cross-posting.
Does anyone know of any discussions in other groups regarding the Spot
Messenger device? I am thinking of buying several for our workers who work
alone in remote locations.
The manufacturer describes the device this way, " SPOT is the only device of
its kind, using the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, and
then sending its location ­ with a link to Google Maps ­ and a
pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite network."
I think it qualifies for a GPS discussion, but perhaps not THIS discussion.
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this product other than not
wanting to spend money for a product that won't work for our needs.
Thanks!

I've looked at it and it's a great idea. Much like APRS for amateur radio
(but easier and no license required). Price looks reasonable too. We're
looking at purchasing a few for search & rescue activities to help track
the search progress from the EMA office.
--
Smitty
Somerset, PA

I was interested in learning about the SPOT device
as mentioned on TV and in Backpacker magazine.

There were some online articles that I found
that compared it to the standard 406Mhz PLB devices,
along with the differences in the overhead satellite coverage
and the differences in the emergency services that are contacted.

Also - do you want the tracking ability of the SPOT,
or are mostly interested in the 911 type of emergency call ?

Spot PLB -

http://www.findmespot.com


406 MHz PLB -
http://www.acrelectronics.com/PLBorig/gypsi.html

[Roy Lewallen]

There's been some discussion of the SPOT on the AOPA Forums. I haven't
read the threads, but see
http://forums.aopa.org/search.php?searchid=1976826 for a few of them.

I took a SPOT along on a trip to Alaska this summer with a friend in his
homebuilt plane. It worked great in the auto mode, posting our position
every 10 minutes to a web site where family and friends could track our
progress. After the trip I got many comments about how much the folks
liked being able to see where we were. I sent an explicit Ok message a
few times, and it was transmitted and the proper people contacted. We
went as far north and west as Fairbanks and Nome, and it worked fine
even at those extremes. Experiments at home in Oregon, though, indicate
that it needs a pretty clear shot at the sky. So it might not help you
out as an emergency locator if you were in a valley in mountainous
country, for example and couldn't get to a better place. But if you use
the auto mode, at least the last good position would have been recorded.

Our trip lasted about a month, and the unit was on in its auto mode
whenever the plane was in the air and often when it was on the ground
waiting for weather to clear, etc. And there's still a fair amount of
energy left in the one set of lithium batteries we used.

I feel I got more than my money's worth out of it, and highly recommend it.

Roy Lewallen

[ps56k]

here's the thread I had over the summer in the SAT NAV newsgroup -
BTW - Is there any other way to "reference" a previous newsgroup thread ?

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.satellite-nav/browse_thread/thread/a1a5dd1da4c7e814/ae39d2e2452d836a?lnk=st&q=spot+locator+#ae39d2e2452d836a

[Jack Erbes]

Post by ps56k
here's the thread I had over the summer in the SAT NAV newsgroup -
BTW - Is there any other way to "reference" a previous newsgroup thread ?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.satellite-nav/browse_thread/thread/a1a5dd1da4c7e814/ae39d2e2452d836a?lnk=st&q=spot+locator+#ae39d2e2452d836a

Right click on the post, click on Copy Message Location, then paste that
into an email or document.

Your post is at: news://news.motzarella.org:119/eE8Hk.2034$***@flpi148.ffdc.sbc.com

Jack

[Jack Erbes]

Post by Jack Erbes

Post by ps56k
here's the thread I had over the summer in the SAT NAV newsgroup -
BTW - Is there any other way to "reference" a previous newsgroup thread ?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.satellite-nav/browse_thread/thread/a1a5dd1da4c7e814/ae39d2e2452d836a?lnk=st&q=spot+locator+#ae39d2e2452d836a

Right click on the post, click on Copy Message Location, then paste that
into an email or document.
Jack

And replying to my own post, I should have said that "your post in
contained in the thread at", the link is to the thread, not the
individual posts.

Jack

[ps56k]

Post by Jack Erbes

Post by ps56k
here's the thread I had over the summer in the SAT NAV newsgroup -
BTW - Is there any other way to "reference" a previous newsgroup thread ?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.satellite-nav/browse_thread/thread/a1a5dd1da4c7e814/ae39d2e2452d836a?lnk=st&q=spot+locator+#ae39d2e2452d836a

Right click on the post, click on Copy Message Location, then paste
that into an email or document.
Jack

And replying to my own post, I should have said that "your post is
contained in the thread at", the link is to the thread, not the
individual posts.
Jack

FYI - what news reader software are you using ? I'm using Outlook Express.

The "right click" only appears to be valid for your specific software,
as I'm using Outlook Express and don't see the "copy message location".
Also - since we all are using different news servers provided by our ISP,
or may be using a private subscribed to service,
the actual URL is only valid for your news server....

That's why I went to Deja / Google Groups - as there doesn't seem to be any
other generic way -

[Gene E. Bloch]

Post by ps56k

Post by Jack Erbes

Post by ps56k
here's the thread I had over the summer in the SAT NAV newsgroup -
BTW - Is there any other way to "reference" a previous newsgroup thread ?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.satellite-nav/browse_thread/thread/a1a5dd1da4c7e814/ae39d2e2452d836a?lnk=st&q=spot+locator+#ae39d2e2452d836a

Right click on the post, click on Copy Message Location, then paste
that into an email or document.
Jack

And replying to my own post, I should have said that "your post is
contained in the thread at", the link is to the thread, not the
individual posts.
Jack

FYI - what news reader software are you using ? I'm using Outlook Express.
The "right click" only appears to be valid for your specific software,
as I'm using Outlook Express and don't see the "copy message location".
Also - since we all are using different news servers provided by our ISP,
or may be using a private subscribed to service,
the actual URL is only valid for your news server....
That's why I went to Deja / Google Groups - as there doesn't seem to be any
other generic way -

Try looking at the message's full headers (if necessary in your
newsreader, look at the message source).

For instance, in your message that I am replying to, I see

Message-ID: <q4RHk.4355$***@nlpi064.nbdc.sbc.com>

and

References: <C512302F.23405%***@cencoast.com>
<48eceaca$0$7366$***@news.usenetmonster.com>
<eE8Hk.2034$***@flpi148.ffdc.sbc.com>
<q5dHk.2965$***@flpi146.ffdc.sbc.com>
<gckn6e$jfl$***@registered.motzarella.org>
<gcknga$md7$***@registered.motzarella.org>

The stuff between the angle brackets <> are the message IDs, the first
being the one for your message, and the second, the whole list of the
messages above yours in the thread.

My newsreaders provide ways to go to a messsage, given its ID. The
details depend on the newsreader.

This seems to address your question as I interpret it...

[Jack Erbes]

ps56k wrote:
<snip>

Post by ps56k
FYI - what news reader software are you using ? I'm using Outlook Express.
The "right click" only appears to be valid for your specific software,
as I'm using Outlook Express and don't see the "copy message location".
Also - since we all are using different news servers provided by our ISP,
or may be using a private subscribed to service,
the actual URL is only valid for your news server....
That's why I went to Deja / Google Groups - as there doesn't seem to be any
other generic way -

I'm using thunderbird. What you want is to find the properties of the
post and then copy the URL. Check your various menus for "copy link
location" or something like that. Or look for "send page" or "send link
to page" and then copy the link out of the resulting email.

I don't use OE ever and never will. I simply don't like the way it
works and I have no desire to become a user of the most highly targetted
for virus/spyware/spam/junkmail user group in the world, that being OE
users.

Try firefox (browser) and thunderbird (email), I'll bet you'll never go
back to the IE/OE. If M$ did not make it part of Windows I doubt that
anyone would use it.


If you want way to read usenet newsgroups in ASCII text without any
advertising or images, install thunderbird, go to news.motzarella.org,
and subscribe to this newsgroup.

Jack