Satellite tracking gizmo for safety

[alaskan99669]

Have any of you used a Personal Satellite Tracking device like the one pictured below? I was wondering how effective they are. They only cost $170 up front and $100 per year for basic service that lets you press a button for 9-1-1 help or another button that messages contacts your exact location via an e-mail you stored on their web-site or a text message. For $150 year it will do all that plus send a signal every 10 minutes of your location so friends and family can log-on to a secure website and track your progress. Sounds pretty good to me as I am often out of cell phone range and like the idea that someone may be able to distinguish my latest location within a 10 minute range.

http://www.findmespot.com/explorespot/s ... spx?sid=bn

[GAHorn]

Steve Fossett had a wrist watch with
GPS locator that didn't help him because he "left it at home." Virtually all new cell phones also have the capability for no additional charge at all. (The user must select it on the main menu of the cell phone.)

[GAHorn]

Steve Fossett had a wrist watch with
GPS locator that didn't help him because he "left it at home." Virtually all new cell phones also have the capability for no additional charge at all. (The user must select it on the main menu of the cell phone.)

I've been trying to send one as a new year's gift to Osama Bin Ladin, but he's not returned my contact's calls.

[bradbrady]

Big Brother knows where your at.....if he wants to find you.....

[alaskan99669]

Virtually all new cell phones also have the capability for no additional charge at all. (The user must select it on the main menu of the cell phone.)

So, in general, you can not track someone using their cell phone, unless the person you want to track has the right kind of cell phone, connected to the right network, with the right service.

Source: http://www.travelbygps.com/articles/tracking.php

I think the problem with cell phones is you also need cell phone coverage, but I can't find any reference to that. I am usually hundreds of miles from the nearest cell phone tower. The thing I also like about the above product is it can automagically send your location status every 10 minutes. That would be more convenient than trying to call someone during an emergency, especially if all your equipment is destroyed in said emergency.

[GAHorn]

...

So, in general, you can not track someone using their cell phone, unless the person you want to track has the right kind of cell phone, connected to the right network, with the right service.

Source: http://www.travelbygps.com/articles/tracking.php

....

That quote is taken out of context. One must read the entire article to understand that many new cell phones provide gps tracking if the user enables the feature. The article also points out that most gps tracking devices require cell phone tower coverage....even if the device is not a cell phone. Finally, none of the commercial devices allow tracking unless the user permits it.

[alaskan99669]

.

What's wrong with your PC George? Everything you post comes across twice...

comes across twice...

[GAHorn]

.

What's wrong with your PC George? Everything you post comes across twice...

comes across twice...

It happens occasionally to any user. (I delete them as I see them when it occurs to others.) Clicking on "Submit" may incur such a delay that seems ineffective, ...so the user clicks on it a second time. Sometimes the host response is such that it is entered only once.... sometimes twice. I deleted the duplicate.)

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I just talked to a friend of mine who is an expert in cell communications He says that depending on the type of phone you have and your provider, you may or may not actually have a GPS inside your phone.

He says many phones have a what they call GPS tracking but they don't actually use satelites to determine your position, they use timing from the ground based towers.

In this case you would only have a position when you have cell service.

[cessna170bdriver]

There's a discussion of this device at http://www.vansairforce.com/community/s ... hp?t=23899 .

Miles

[alaskan99669]

There's a discussion of this device at http://www.vansairforce.com/community/s ... hp?t=23899 .

Miles

Good link Miles! I just ordered on from http://www.itzcomm.com/SPOT/SatelliteTrackers.html for $142. Free shipping!

[jrenwick]

The SPOT thing looked interesting to me until I looked at the coverage map, which shows it fading away somewhere in Alaska. It might still be worthwhile for the trip up there, though. The maps I looked at are http://www.globalstarusa.com/en/coverag ... verage.php and http://www.itzcomm.com/SPOT/pdfs/spotco ... ap1107.pdf.

The Globalstar coverage map shows a smaller area, and that might be because it's for their cellphone coverage rather than just SPOTs. I'd want some results from Alaska pilots before buying one to use up there.

[alaskan99669]

Here is the chart key:


The red circled area below is where I do most of my flying:


I'll also take it to work with me and see how it does up there. Here is a link to a reporter that tried it in Anchorage and had good results:
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/256352.html

[AKGrouch]

We just had an article in the Anchorage Daily News about a man that used a SPOT to summon help in bush Alaska. He was near the Big River south east of McGrath, Alaska when he hurt his back. It was a pretty good article that has me thinking abount getting one to put in my survival vest as an adjunct to my main survival gear. I've been in the Big River area and some of it is pretty darn desolate (i.e., good hunting). Apparently he was a caretaker for some lodge over the winter when he got hurt and hit the button. My recollection is that the helicopter arrived an hour or two after he hit the panic button.

[Green Bean]

Actually, M. Brady was at the head of the Chitna River, near the Alaska/Canadian Border, care-taking Ultima Thule Lodge. The "SPOT" unit only needs line of site with satellites in orbit at the mid-latitudes, but the manufacture advises other areas might also work, that are on the fringe. Sounds like a useful tool.