SPOT emergency transponders are on sale, good to have riding in remote areas.

[Kevin1956]

SPOT transponders are on sale, only $75 (after rebate). An essential thing to have if you ride in remote areas with no cell service. Our friend @NevadaWolf carries one, and I believe she once used it to summon help for a fellow rider who went down somewhere in a remote part of Nevada. http://www.findmespot.com/SummerSavi...2015SummerGen3

[Alex]

Big fan of these gadgets, main thread here. I will be using one again for the 2015 Iron Butt Rally in a few weeks, just like almost every other competitor (the ones who aren't are probably using the InReach gadget).

[CZroe]

I stopped by my mother's place to help her with her computer earlier today and noticed that she had a tab open with this. She doesn't ride, so I assumed she was researching it for me. I recalled Alex's impressions from way-back-when and told her that I've known about it for a long time and that there was no need for her to research it.

Somehow, I don't think it's coincidence that she came across this while they are on sale, so now I wonder how she heard about it. :P

[NevadaWolf]

On my ride today, had three folks all talking about this sale and was able to show them the unit on my tailbag. Learned shortly afterward that one of the gals was the gal whom I'd pushed the button for last year.

Now that she is back riding, she's going to have one on her all the time.

Some sort of satellite based tracker is a great investment if you travel anywhere where you can be missed or go unseen should the worst ever happen (Plus it's awesome for letting family and friends know you are ok without frantic calls in areas of no cell signal - as my dad showed today since there was a m/c fatality on the route I was riding, he checked Spot and saw I was miles away from the wreck.)

[Ralgha]

They're not on sale, they have a 50% mail in rebate going on, which requires activation to qualify for. $150/yr is pretty steep. InReach can be much cheaper in the long run.

These devices can be a life saver though, nothing against them, just the price gouging.

You can also get a PLB, which uses COSPAS-SARSAT satellites, more powerful transmitters, and lower radio frequencies (which means better penetration). They're more expensive, but have no subscription fee.

[tfkrocks]

Ah damn, it needs to be activated to receive the rebate so I can't buy one for later on at this time. Maybe during the next sale.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Ralgha

They're not on sale, they have a 50% mail in rebate going on, which requires activation to qualify for. $150/yr is pretty steep. InReach can be much cheaper in the long run.

How is the InReach cheaper? The least expensive plan that allows for unlimited tracking is $25/month. Is any motorcyclist not going to use unlimited tracking while on a ride? If you disable it and re-enable by month, it's $35/month, + a $25/yearly charge for that "freedom". I think the InReach is likely a superior solution, if only for the 2-way confirmations, but it's 66% to 133% more expensive than the SPOT service, and the device starts at $250 as well. Here is InReach's pricing. Here is SPOT's pricing. ($150/year, or $15/month).

Originally Posted by Ralgha

You can also get a PLB, which uses COSPAS-SARSAT satellites, more powerful transmitters, and lower radio frequencies (which means better penetration). They're more expensive, but have no subscription fee.

This is misunderstood, yet repeated all over the web. One reason the PLB's use a 5 watt transmitter is because they have to in order to reach the satellites they are communicating with. They are in geosynchronous orbit at 22k miles. The Globalstar birds are only 800 miles up, and the Iridium sats are not even 500 miles up. The fun part of the PLB's needing that much power to work, is that they are a one-time use device. No tracking, no ok messages, just pull the pin if in need of a rescue (and hope to be conscious, and mobile, as the PLB isn't going to do anything if you aren't), and then remember to get the battery replaced afterwards.

[Kevin1956]

A $75 initial purchase (after rebate) and a $150 yearly subscription can be the difference between life and death. It's that simple. It's a no brainer.

There was a man named Alan Porter who left his Sacramento CA home one day for a short ride. About a month and a half later, his body and bike were found in a ravine in the Sierra Mountains.

I don't know if a SPOT device would have saved Alan's life, but the ability for he himself to summon help, or for his family to locate him quickly, might have done exactly that. At the very least, his family would have had immediate closure and not left wondering if he was dead, alive and suffering, or what.

$150 a year breaks down to $2.88 per week. Cut down on your Starbucks habit and give yourself, and your family, a little piece of mind.

Like the protective gear we wear, it's an investment in safety, not an expense. I'm buying one.

[Panda]

What are the dimensions? Will it fit inside the tail section of a bike?

[NevadaWolf]

From the Spot product page:

SPECS
Height:
3.43" (8.72 cm)
Width:
2.56" (6.5 cm)
Thickness:
1" (2.54 cm)
Weight:
4.0 oz (114g) with Lithium batteries
Operating Temp:
-30C to 60C
(-22F to 140F)
Operating Altitude:
-100m to +6,500m
(-328ft to +21,320ft)
Humidity Rated:
MIL-STD-810F,
Method 507.3,
95% to 100% cond.
Vibration Rated:
Per SAE J1455

Battery
Type:
4 AAA Energizer™ Lithium Ultimate 8X
Or 4 AAA Energizer™ NiMH Rechargeable


Not sure how much the seat or cowling would interfere with the signal. Might be better to mount it where it has a clear view of the sky.

[Kevin1956]

I think the ideal place to have it would be on you @Panda, not on the bike.

[Panda]

Thanks Nevadawolf!

I agree it's probably better on my person. 99.99% of my travel occurs in areas where I get cell phone coverage around PA, NY, and NJ. The feature I'm most interested in is letting my check google maps for my location when I go on a long ride. A long ride for me is 8 hours on a Saturday.

[NevadaWolf]

If you are only interested in the tracking and have zero interest in the emergency side of it, then Spot offers a gizmo called the Trace http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=128

It's strictly a tracker, has no other ability, but it is cheaper for that.

(Uber uber cheap solution if only wanting a tracker and non of the emergency stuff is Bubbler, SWConnect, or any of the other similar tracking apps that use your cell phone's GPS for positions and the cell network to transmit that info to a tracking website)

[Panda]

Hey..that looks perfect. Thanks!

[Ralgha]

I'm only interested in the emergency, to hell with tracking, my phone can do that. I'm also leary of the middle man, if SPOT goes under, your gizmo is a fancy paper weight. The PLB skips the corporate middle man.

The PLB/ELT/EPIRB system is used by shipping and aviation, commercial and private. The airliner you trust your family to has an ELT, not a SPOT. When you activate a PLB, airliners flying overhead will hear it and verify, speeding the elimination of false alarms. If the GPS is broken, or otherwise unusable, its signal can still be triangulated and located. Some manufacturers will replace it for free if you use it.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Ralgha

I'm only interested in the emergency, to hell with tracking, my phone can do that.

If you're within cell service range, much of this discussion is pointless. A cell phone will provide way more capability than any of these devices, if it has access to its network. Apps can be used to provide continuous tracking, the phone can be used to call for help if needed, etc. The problem these devices solve is when you're not within cell range. The particular problem you're skipping over, is that some of the scariest motorcycle-related emergencies are those where the rider is both out of cell service and unable to manually trigger an alert (unconscious, thrown from bike, device is broken in crash, etc.). It for just these emergencies where tracking can be the difference between rescuers finding the rider in time to help, or not.

Originally Posted by Ralgha

I'm also leary of the middle man, if SPOT goes under, your gizmo is a fancy paper weight. The PLB skips the corporate middle man.

Spot & Globalstar are a heck of alot more financially viable than many of the smaller PLB manufacturers. There has been a steady drumbeat of "if SPOT goes under, then what?" for 7 years now, in time for thousands of rescues with the device. I know of 4 on this site alone.

Originally Posted by Ralgha

The PLB/ELT/EPIRB system is used by shipping and aviation, commercial and private. The airliner you trust your family to has an ELT, not a SPOT.

Commercial airliners have a variety of data links, for both their own company tracking and the emergency beacons. An ELT is just one part of the solution, because it's sometimes just as important to know where the craft has been as where the ELT is signaling from after an accident.

Originally Posted by Ralgha

When you activate a PLB, airliners flying overhead will hear it and verify, speeding the elimination of false alarms. If the GPS is broken, or otherwise unusable, its signal can still be triangulated and located. Some manufacturers will replace it for free if you use it.

This is true. If a search is underway, and the GPS signal was never transmitted, a PLB can be triangulated back to its signal. It is a potential advantage once an emergency has been declared and the user was able to activate it.

So - the key question for me is, which model PLB do you carry on your motorcycle? Why did you choose that particular model?

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Kevin1956

I think the ideal place to have it would be on you @Panda, not on the bike.

There have been long debates on best SPOT position for many years now. The best position really depends on what the user is trying to prioritize. If it is most important for each tracking point to be successful, the gadget needs to be mounted such that it is facing up pretty consistently. This generally precludes mounting it on your body. If it is most important to have it within arms reach if you are thrown from the bike, then having it on your body will be more appropriate, but there will be worse tracking performance.

The suggested fix in some of these debates is be to have 2, one mounted on the bike, and one on the body, but that is getting a little silly, not to mention expensive.

Personally, I mount the SPOT on the bike, usually sitting in the top pocket of a tankbag so it lays flat. Tracking performance is excellent. I also carry a cell phone on my body, rather than mounted on the bike. It's a trade-off, but seems to minimize the overall risk compared to the alternatives for me. Corner case where I get hosed is if I am thrown from the bike, I am immobile but not unconscious, and I am outside of cell service. I'd be relying on someone following my tracking to see there has been an issue, and to start the rescue at some point. If I'm unconscious, the cell doesn't matter and the only thing that would have helped is the tracking. If I'm mobile, I can get back to the bike to signal the HELP or 911 transmission for more immediate assistance.

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by Alex

There have been long debates on best SPOT position for many years now. The best position really depends on what the user is trying to prioritize. If it is most important for each tracking point to be successful, the gadget needs to be mounted such that it is facing up pretty consistently. This generally precludes mounting it on your body. If it is most important to have it within arms reach if you are thrown from the bike, then having it on your body will be more appropriate, but there will be worse tracking performance.

The suggested fix in some of these debates is be to have 2, one mounted on the bike, and one on the body, but that is getting a little silly, not to mention expensive.

Personally, I mount the SPOT on the bike, usually sitting in the top pocket of a tankbag so it lays flat. Tracking performance is excellent. I also carry a cell phone on my body, rather than mounted on the bike. It's a trade-off, but seems to minimize the overall risk compared to the alternatives for me. Corner case where I get hosed is if I am thrown from the bike, I am immobile but not unconscious, and I am outside of cell service. I'd be relying on someone following my tracking to see there has been an issue, and to start the rescue at some point. If I'm unconscious, the cell doesn't matter and the only thing that would have helped is the tracking. If I'm mobile, I can get back to the bike to signal the HELP or 911 transmission for more immediate assistance.

Would mounting it on top of ones helmet solve all the issues?

[Kevin1956]

The way it's designed, it looks like straps will go through the ends. How about a strap and wear it like a watch pointing upward? Around the forearm maybe? Straps sewn to the shoulder of a jacket?

[Alex]

If it could be mounted so it stayed flat (within 10 degrees or so), with a clear view of the sky, then maybe. I just don't think that's likely anywhere attached to one's jacket or body. Even if it were flat sometimes, just moving around and shifting position would make it angled at other times. Holding a forearm exactly right to keep it balanced/flat doesn't seem likely; mounting it on the top of one's leg isn't nearly flat enough, etc.

[Ralgha]

Originally Posted by Alex

Spot & Globalstar are a heck of alot more financially viable than many of the smaller PLB manufacturers. There has been a steady drumbeat of "if SPOT goes under, then what?" for 7 years now, in time for thousands of rescues with the device. I know of 4 on this site alone.

Doesn't matter if the PLB manufacturer goes under, the PLB will still work.

Originally Posted by Alex

Commercial airliners have a variety of data links, for both their own company tracking and the emergency beacons. An ELT is just one part of the solution, because it's sometimes just as important to know where the craft has been as where the ELT is signaling from after an accident.

There's only one emergency beacon, the ELT. The other data links mostly go through ACARS, which doesn't always have coverage. Even flying up to southeast Alaska we sometimes lose ACARS.

Originally Posted by Alex

So - the key question for me is, which model PLB do you carry on your motorcycle? Why did you choose that particular model?

I don't have one yet, but I'll probably get an ACR PLB. They replace it if you use it, and a PLB is what you want if you want the best chance of them finding you. Of course you probably won't be as back country on a motorcycle as you might be on foot.

http://m.outdoorgearlab.com/Personal.../Buying-Advice

[NevadaWolf]

Now if I had the cash, I would LOVE one of these.



http://www.breitling.com/en/emergency/presentation/

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Ralgha

I don't have one yet, but I'll probably get an ACR PLB.

Arguing about which fire extinguisher works best while deciding to spit on the fire if it ever happens doesn't really solve your problem. You're not alone though, almost all of those arguing so heavily online for the PLB end up not buying anything. For your sake, if you are heading outside of cell range, I hope you do decide on one.

Originally Posted by Ralgha

http://m.outdoorgearlab.com/Personal.../Buying-Advice

Uninformed, poorly thought through, anti-SPOT FUD.

[Ralgha]

Originally Posted by Alex

Arguing about which fire extinguisher works best while deciding to spit on the fire if it ever happens doesn't really solve your problem. You're not alone though, almost all of those arguing so heavily online for the PLB end up not buying anything. For your sake, if you are heading outside of cell range, I hope you do decide on one.

That is such a condescending line of utter BS that I'm going to shut up now before I get myself banned for responding any more to it.

[Alex]

Except it's utterly true. The reason I keep responding is that your uninformed rants may cause enough doubt that someone who is on the fence might choose to wait and buy nothing instead. If that person is one of the folks that could actually have used one of these lifesaving devices on their next ride (whether SPOT, InReach, PLB, or carrier pigeon), you have indirectly caused them great harm, with no perceived benefit to yourself or anyone else.

If you've put your money where your mouth is and actually bought and tested something, your opinion has more value. What you've shared here so far simply doesn't.