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SPOT Personal Tracker | 
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| Brand: SPOT Inc.
Category: Sports
Department: SURVIVAL/FIRST AID
List Price: $99.99
Buy New: $70.49
You Save: $29.50 (30%)
New (35) Used (2)
Avg. Customer Rating:  109 reviews
Sales Rank: 1713
Color: Orange
Media: 3.5" and 5.25" disks
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: Yes
Battery: 2 2 Lithium AA Batteries
Size: --
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 6.1 x 2.6
MPN: SPOT-1
Model: SPOT-1
UPC: 893049001059
EAN: 0893049001080
ASIN: B000YTZV74
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Satellite messenger with GPS tracking for keeping users safe on adventure trips.Purchasing a service plan is required in addition to purchasing the SPOT unit. | | • | SpotChecking feature alerts friends and family of your precise location | | • | SpotCasting function lets friends and family follow your progress in real time | | • | Sends GPS coordinates and distress message to Emergency Response Center | | • | Satellite technology works around the world; measures 2.75 x 4.38 x 1.5 inches (W x H x D) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
SPOT. THE WORLD'S FIRST SATELLITE MESSENGER.
With the SPOT Satellite Messenger, you and your loved ones have peace of mind knowing help is always within reach. 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. And unlike Personal Locator Beacons, SPOT does more than just call for help. Tracking your progress, checking in with loved ones, and non-emergency assistance are also available, all at the push of a button. And because it uses 100% satellite technology, SPOT works around the world even where cell phones don't.
Coverage
SPOT works around the world, including virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia, portions of South America, Northern Africa and North Eastern Asia, and hundreds or thousands of miles off-shore of these areas.
Messenger
- ALERT 9-1-1 - Dispatch emergency responders to your exact location
- CHECK IN - Let contacts know where you are and that you're okay
- TRACK PROGRESS - Send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress using your password and Google Maps™.
- ASK FOR HELP - Request help from friends and family at your exact location.
ALERT 9-1-1:
Use this function In the event of a life threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your exact 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.
HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT will acquire its exact coordinates from the GPS network, and send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minut
Amazon.com Product Description
Give your loved ones full peace of mind when you're on the mountain with the Spot Satellite Messenger. Whether you're just checking in, allowing others to track your progress, or calling for help, Spot gives you a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it. Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. Unlike personal locator beacons, however, Spot does more than just call for help. The SpotChecking feature, for example, lets you notify your SpotTeam--the friends and family you've chosen as your contacts--and tell them all is well, notify them of your location, or save waypoints so you can review your route at a later date. You can also activate the SpotCasting feature to let friends and family follow your progress in real time (every 10 minutes). Anyone with access to your account information can log on and view your route, complete with virtual views provided by Google Maps. SpotCasting is a terrific feature for mountain climbers looking to celebrate their accomplishments with their loved ones. The most important feature, however, is Spot's ability to call 911 in the event of a life-threatening or other critical emergency. Once activated, Spot will acquire your exact coordinates from the GPS network, and then send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled. The Emergency Response Center will then notify the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information. Responders may include local police, the highway patrol, the Coast Guard, an embassy or consulate, or other emergency response and search-and-rescue teams. Even if Spot can't acquire its location from the GPS network, it will still attempt to send a distress signal--without your exact location--to the Emergency Response Center, which will still notify your emergency contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages. Spot works around the world, including in virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia, and portions of South America, Northern Africa, and Northeastern Asia. And provided you're in a good coverage area, Spot offers a 99 percent probability of sending a successful message within 20 minutes. As a result, Spot is ideal for anyone with a taste for outdoor adventures, including boaters, kayakers, sailboarders, archaeologists, skiers, climbers, pilots, business travelers, snowshoers, and just about anyone else. Spot requires two AA lithium batteries, with a battery life of up to one year in standby mode, 14 days in SpotCasting mode, or 7 days in 911 mode. And thanks to the water-resistant housing (safe in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes), you needn't worry about using Spot in adverse conditions. Spot measures a compact 2.75 by 4.38 by 1.5 inches (W x H x D), weighs 7.37 ounces, and carries a one-year limited warranty. Communication Functions: 
Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. | - Alert 9-1-1 dispatches emergency responders to an exact location
- Ask for Help sends a request for help to friends and family with your location
- Check In lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay
- Track Progress sends and saves your location and allows others to track your progress using Google Maps
Battery Life: - Power ON, unused: Approximately 1 year
- SPOT casting continuous tracking mode: Approximately 14 days
- 9-1-1 mode: Up to 7 consecutive days
- HELP mode: up to 1900 messages
- SPOT check OK up to 1900 messages
Specifications: - Weight: 7 ounces
- Waterproof to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- Operating Temperature: -40F to +185F
- Operating Altitude: -300 feet to +21,300 feet
- Humidity and Salt Fog Rated
Amazon.com Product Description
Give your loved ones full peace of mind when you're on the mountain with the Spot Satellite Messenger. Whether you're just checking in, allowing others to track your progress, or calling for help, Spot gives you a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it. Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. Unlike personal locator beacons, however, Spot does more than just call for help. The SpotChecking feature, for example, lets you notify your SpotTeam--the friends and family you've chosen as your contacts--and tell them all is well, notify them of your location, or save waypoints so you can review your route at a later date. You can also activate the SpotCasting feature to let friends and family follow your progress in real time (every 10 minutes). Anyone with access to your account information can log on and view your route, complete with virtual views provided by Google Maps. SpotCasting is a terrific feature for mountain climbers looking to celebrate their accomplishments with their loved ones. The most important feature, however, is Spot's ability to call 911 in the event of a life-threatening or other critical emergency. Once activated, Spot will acquire your exact coordinates from the GPS network, and then send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled. The Emergency Response Center will then notify the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information. Responders may include local police, the highway patrol, the Coast Guard, an embassy or consulate, or other emergency response and search-and-rescue teams. Even if Spot can't acquire its location from the GPS network, it will still attempt to send a distress signal--without your exact location--to the Emergency Response Center, which will still notify your emergency contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages. Spot works around the world, including in virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia, and portions of South America, Northern Africa, and Northeastern Asia. And provided you're in a good coverage area, Spot offers a 99 percent probability of sending a successful message within 20 minutes. As a result, Spot is ideal for anyone with a taste for outdoor adventures, including boaters, kayakers, sailboarders, archaeologists, skiers, climbers, pilots, business travelers, snowshoers, and just about anyone else. Spot requires two AA lithium batteries, with a battery life of up to one year in standby mode, 14 days in SpotCasting mode, or 7 days in 911 mode. And thanks to the water-resistant housing (safe in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes), you needn't worry about using Spot in adverse conditions. Spot measures a compact 2.75 by 4.38 by 1.5 inches (W x H x D), weighs 7.37 ounces, and carries a one-year limited warranty. Communication Functions:
Spot employs a GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, then sends its location to the recipient of your choice, complete with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message. | - Alert 9-1-1 dispatches emergency responders to an exact location
- Ask for Help sends a request for help to friends and family with your location
- Check In lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay
- Track Progress sends and saves your location and allows others to track your progress using Google Maps
Battery Life: - Power ON, unused: Approximately 1 year
- SPOT casting continuous tracking mode: Approximately 14 days
- 9-1-1 mode: Up to 7 consecutive days
- HELP mode: up to 1900 messages
- SPOT check OK up to 1900 messages
Specifications: - Weight: 7 ounces
- Waterproof to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- Operating Temperature: -40F to +185F
- Operating Altitude: -300 feet to +21,300 feet
- Humidity and Salt Fog Rated
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| Customer Reviews: Read 104 more reviews...
 Absolute Waste of Money and Unreliable at Best August 19, 2010
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've never written a bad review of an item but this one warrants it. This "tracker" (I specifically put it in quotes to convey my feelings on it being called a tracking device) does not work as advertised. We bought the device for a trekking trip through Peru; we paid the $100 to activate the service. So, all in all we're about $200 into the device. The unit arrived at my house in the US and I tested the device before we left. It worked perfectly. Then comes using it internationally...wow is all I can say. Long story short -and I won't bore you with the details- it didn't work as advertised. We attempted to send 17 messages and 2 actually made it. Yes, '2' as in only 2, and these were sent from Lima (meaning that it didn't work anywhere else in the country). I thought to myself "maybe GPS reception is just terrible here" so I checked my handheld GPS. Sure enough, I had full strength. At this point I'm pretty upset that we're relying on a device that doesn't work in a place where we've been told it would, but what am I going to do since I'm in Peru in the middle of nothing.
We got back to the US and I contacted SPOT about the problem. This is their response:
"We appreciate your feedback as every customer is important to us. It is unfortunate that your unit didn't perform as you expected and the only thing we can do at this point is provide detailed instructions on the ok message...If you are still unable to successfully transmit after following the instructions it may be that your unit is defective and you can submit a warranty claim at [...]."
So, in all, the unit doesn't work as advertised and their customer service is...well..terrible. The message above took about a week to get. This device may be perfect for the US, but if you plan on traveling internationally then I wouldn't recommend SPOT at all. Realistically, an international cell phone is a)cheaper and b)more reliable than this device. The money spent on this device ($200) is more than enough to call from anywhere in the world. More so, if you are hurt and do send an emergency message from the device and a team is sent to find you, you're responsible for that bill NOT SPOT. Think of how expensive an ambulance ride is and multiply that times 20. That being said, if you do buy it then expect a bad customer services experience. I hope this wards you off of wasting $200, but if you do buy it then good luck to you.
 Unreliable August 2, 2010
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have had my Spot for about a year, and I do a lot of motorcycle riding in the mountains. It seems to have really hard time getting a message out if you are not in wide open spaces. I just went on a 7 hour motorcycle ride in the mountains, covering 150 miles. I sent 5 OK check-in messages druing the ride, and only 1 got through. That doesn't realy fill me with confidence that an emergency message will get out if needed, or let my friends know my location when I vary from my planned track. A good choice if you are in wide open spaces, but maybe not in the mountains, and definitely not in the forest.
Basically worthless...so much so that it's maddening. July 22, 2010
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Let me avoid generalities and provide instead a very specific anecdote about my experience with this product: I purchased the Spot before a trip to Venezuela to see Angel Falls (which is deep in the backcountry). I frequently go places that are off the grid, and this seemed like a great way to give my wife peace of mind. She gets a message a couple times a day saying I'm okay and I'm located at X-location...great right? Here's the problem, the Spot only worked when I was in urban areas. As soon as I got into the backcountry, no dice. I followed the instructions explicitly and yet zero messages got through. I'm no novice at GPS communication--and the Spot could not get messages out in many situations when a normal GPS navigation device would have had no problem getting satellite signals. I could have just used my cell phone to keep in touch with my wife and it would have been equally effective to the Spot. The Spot actually created a very bad situation in which I thought my wife was getting frequent "All Okay" messages, when in fact she was hearing nothing. The only feedback you get that your transmission is working is the blinking green lights, but you never know for sure that your transmission goes through. So there I was with false peace of mind thinking my messages were going through, when my wife was worried sick. I would have been better off without the Spot entirely--then I could have at least told her to not expect any communication from me for 4 days. I firmly believe that the Spot is more of a liability than an asset.
 First Time I Used a Spot I Had to Use it - And Was Rescued! June 16, 2010
I was on a motorcycle trip in a remote area of Oregon and the owner of the BearCat Lodge lent me a Spot "just in case" when I headed out on a daytrip. I ended up hitting a deer and totalling my motorcycle. Fortunately I was not seriously injured, but it was a remote location. I hit the help button and the service called the lodge and gave them my location. I was rescued within the hour.
This isn't just for mountain climbers, its also for anyone who travels to remote locations where cell phone signals don't reach. I am buying one for myself and one for my Dad for father's day. When my kid starts school next year, one is going in his backpack.
 Should name this SPOTTY from the GPS information that comes in. June 13, 2010
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I bought this item for my daughter to use on her trip to Spain. She was hiking across the countryside with no cell phone coverage and little towns with no internet access. I wanted her to have a fall back plan in case of emergencies. So I had read about the SPOT and thought it was the coolest thing next to slice bread from the brochures. But after reading some of the other reviews I was a little Leary. I decided to try it out and like they said it's update information is SPOTTY at best. I tested it before I gave it to her one week before her trip. I put it out in my backyard with a clear view of the sky. I let it run for 2 days and it was supposed to send a tracking update out every 10 minutes, but instead it was more like 20 or 30 minutes sometimes missing up to and hours tracking info, and this was from a stationary position. So I tried it out on the dash of my car, which got even worse tracking information. I paid for the extra tracking site and while it was cool to see it on the maps and share it, this was a waste of money. Since most of the time it didn't track well and it only gives you 7 days of tracking and then deletes the others, so if you have a 3 week adventure as my daughter did you only have the last 7 days showing. She also had a hard time determining which was going through and which wasn't on the "Ok" signal or the tracking signal. It is kind of confusing. While it did work kind of spotty so I am glad to have seen that, I don't know if I would have done this again for all the money I spent on the SPOT and the website that you HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR to use the product. If you don't pay the yearly fees it becomes a expensive paperweight!!!! Luckily she did not have to use the HELP tracking, and I am glad because if it worked like the others I don't know if it would have sent out the proper information or not. Good luck if you buy one of these if they don't fix these issues soon.
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