SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

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AAdamsPDX
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SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by AAdamsPDX » December 29th, 2014, 6:56 pm

As the subject line says, the SPOT Gen3 is available with a 50% off rebate until January 4. I'm writing this post for two reasons:
1) In case someone else out there is considering a similar purchase and might appreciate hearing about the rebate, and
2) To get any feedback from you all on this specific model. Anyone heard of any problems?

Some recent posts to the health & safety board are interesting (like the link to https://www.ineversolo.com/), but don't seem to address this exact point. Apologies if I've missed something!

I've been reading a number of posts on this site lately, including this one: http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/vie ... 10&t=20498

And this one: http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/vie ... =7&t=19556

...that make me think a device of this type might be a wise purchase for a sometimes-solo hiker whose family would like a little more peace of mind!
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vibramhead
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Re: SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by vibramhead » December 30th, 2014, 7:02 pm

I'm a big believer in devices like this, since I do most of my hiking solo. I figure I owe it to my wife to do what I can to get home safely. As they say about these gadgets, they take the "search" out of "search and rescue." I started with a Spot 2, then switched to an ACR Microfix PLB, then last year I got a Delorme Inreach Explorer. The big advantage of the Inreach is that you can do more than just signal that you're okay or in trouble. You can also send and receive texts with it, via satellite. So, if I were in a bad situation, I could tell SAR exactly what my problem it. And it's also nice, when I'm on long backpack trips, to be able to send my wife a little update a couple of times a day, just telling her how my hike is going.

I don't know whether the Spot 3 is an improvement, but I found with my Spot 2 that it often couldn't send a location tracking signal when I was in heavy timber. It seemed to do fine up high. So, I didn't have a lot of confidence that it would save my bacon in all situations. Both the ACR PLB and the Delorme Inreach have stronger signals. The Inreach had no trouble sending out tracking signals during a week in the Olympics last summer, regardless of the tree cover.
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miah66
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Re: SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by miah66 » December 31st, 2014, 11:57 am

vibramhead wrote:then last year I got a Delorme Inreach Explorer.
How is the gps navigation feature on that thing? Is it as good as, say, a Garmin C60 or equivalent?
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vibramhead
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Re: SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by vibramhead » December 31st, 2014, 5:10 pm

miah66 wrote:
vibramhead wrote:then last year I got a Delorme Inreach Explorer.
How is the gps navigation feature on that thing? Is it as good as, say, a Garmin C60 or equivalent?
It's not really a satisfactory replacement for a Garmin 60 series GPS. First, used alone, the Explorer isn't really a mapping GPS. It has a tiny screen, which will display your track in relation to any waypoints you've pre-loaded into it, but no map is displayed. To get that, you need to pair it with a smartphone, with the Delorme maps preloaded. Then, your phone will display your position, on a pretty decent map, on a nice big screen. You also can use your phone to send messages on the Explorer, which is much easier than using the rocker switch on the Explorer itself. But a smartphone battery doesn't last nearly as long as a set of AAs on my Garmin 62, and the phone doesn't clip to my shoulder strap the way the 62 does. The Explorer will record your track, which you can upload to your computer later, so if that's all you use your GPS for, it might be an acceptable replacement.

So, I carry both the Explorer and the Garmin 62, plus a smartphone, which has a lot of other apps that are useful on hikes, like wildflower guides and the camera.
Time spent hiking will not be deducted from your life.

GPS tracks on Wikiloc.

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Re: SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by Lumpy » December 31st, 2014, 11:00 pm

vibramhead wrote:I don't know whether the Spot 3 is an improvement, but I found with my Spot 2 that it often couldn't send a location tracking signal when I was in heavy timber. It seemed to do fine up high. So, I didn't have a lot of confidence that it would save my bacon in all situations. Both the ACR PLB and the Delorme Inreach have stronger signals. The Inreach had no trouble sending out tracking signals during a week in the Olympics last summer, regardless of the tree cover.
Nothing can save your bacon in all situations.

The DeLorme product uses satellites that orbit, but I think that SPOT uses satellites that are geostationary. In my mind, the odds of an emergency signal getting through eventually seems higher with the orbiting system than the stationary one, whcih is why I'll be switching sometime next year. I will primarily be using the DeLorme system for the two way messaging ability, but also because of the Iridium system it uses.
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miah66
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Re: SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by miah66 » January 1st, 2015, 8:20 am

1st post of 2015! ^^^
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Re: SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by AAdamsPDX » January 1st, 2015, 9:07 am

Thanks for the feedback, guys! From what I'm hearing both here and in searches elsewhere:

- the SPOT is a fine tool for what it does but not 100% reliable (and as Lumpy says, nothing is!)
- the DeLorme might be slightly more reliable, and adds the ability for two-way communication

I'm still torn between getting the tool I can afford now with money from Santa, and saving my pennies for a Delorme! Better to have something than nothing right away - but with plans for a JMT trek in the summer that two-way communication ability sure sounds good. (It might also convince my sis-in-law to be OK with my brother joining me for part of the trek.) ;)
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Re: SPOT Gen3: 50% off rebate until 1/4/15

Post by Lumpy » January 1st, 2015, 12:23 pm

miah66 wrote:1st post of 2015! ^^^
Totally unintentional, but YAHOO! anyhow. :)

I have an amateur radio license. I almost always have a radio on my when hiking. I can talk to rescuers if they are in range and we find each other's frequency. Being able to communicate to rescuers seems like a big plus to me. I hope this helps you to make a decision.
"Why are you always chasing women?"
"I'll tell you as soon as I catch one!"

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