Bushwalk Australia

http://theadventureblog.blogspot.co.nz/ ... third.html

On the eve of the start of the summer Outdoor Retailer gear convention, SPOT has announced the release of its new third generation Satellite Messenger. The new device, which is available at retail now, features some significant upgrades over previous SPOT devices, allowing outdoor enthusiasts to travel through the backcountry more safely then ever before.

I really like the concept of a Spot device and have considered one a number of times over the last 12 months.

This one may sway me to look at it again

Doesn't appear much of an upgrade from Spot2?

spot 2.1 ?

Looks like it has an extended battery life (4 x AA instead of 2 x AA in the previous Spot Connect) and it has an unlimited tracking plan for $149 per year.
Otherwise pretty much the same.

Spot gen3 takes 4x AAA batteries, not AA. Spot2 takes 3x AAA's. Be better if they did take AA's IMO

Gen3 adds the ability to use rechargeable battery packs or external power for vehicle use.

Spot connect is a different animal.

photohiker wrote:Spot gen3 takes 4x AAA batteries, not AA. Spot2 takes 3x AAA's. Be better if they did take AA's IMO

Gen3 adds the ability to use rechargeable battery packs or external power for vehicle use.

Spot connect is a different animal.

Doh! Yes youre right. Either way it doesnt really justify the description Gen 3 or new generation. Its barely different from the previous.

marketing = accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative...

wayno wrote:marketing = accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative...

Zen of Marketing = Creation of an aura out of nothing.

Yeah, why 4 x AAA! Still less power than 2 x AA. Stupid.
Looks like a minor upgrade on the Spot 2 - definitely better but for most people not worth upgrading from one to the other I would have thought.
I was hoping they might combine the functions of the Spot 2 and Spot Connect in the next generation, bugger.

they need a higher voltage if they are putting more cells in it...., but it sounds like it needs less current as the battery life lasts longer on the aaa batteries

Still has the downfall of alerting their own crowd in the US if the SOS button is pushed. That button really ought to be removed so that people don't treat this as an emergency device.

Strider wrote:Still has the downfall of alerting their own crowd in the US if the SOS button is pushed. That button really ought to be removed so that people don't treat this as an emergency device.

American registered Spot users must be all over the world. My understanding is that all the devices (whether Inreach or Spot) notify the same global GEOS IERC organisation. It seems hard to believe they wouldnt have very streamlined protocols in place for notifying local emergency organisations (where available) regardless of location. I wonder if the idea that SOS alerts might go astray is just a scare campaign to convince people to pay exorbitant prices for locally registered devices.

Strider wrote:Still has the downfall of alerting their own crowd in the US if the SOS button is pushed. That button really ought to be removed so that people don't treat this as an emergency device.

So the call goes to the US initially, so what?

sthughes wrote:

Strider wrote:Still has the downfall of alerting their own crowd in the US if the SOS button is pushed. That button really ought to be removed so that people don't treat this as an emergency device.

So the call goes to the US initially, so what?

Where they then have the option to either 1. Pass on your distress signal to the relevant authorities, or 2. Reach their own conclusion that it is a false alarm and do nothing. No thanks - if I am going to be rescued I want my signal going direct to my rescuers!

LandSailor wrote:

Strider wrote:Still has the downfall of alerting their own crowd in the US if the SOS button is pushed. That button really ought to be removed so that people don't treat this as an emergency device.

American registered Spot users must be all over the world. My understanding is that all the devices (whether Inreach or Spot) notify the same global GEOS IERC organisation. It seems hard to believe they wouldnt have very streamlined protocols in place for notifying local emergency organisations (where available) regardless of location. I wonder if the idea that SOS alerts might go astray is just a scare campaign to convince people to pay exorbitant prices for locally registered devices.

There are other arguments against Spot as an emergency device, but lets not get into that here.

yeah we've argued at length on other threads about teh reliability of the SOS, they have their staunch advocates and their detractors. this thread isnt about arguing their reliability, its become an endless argument on here.

Strider wrote:No thanks - if I am going to be rescued I want my signal going direct to my rescuers!

Whatever emergency device is used, your signal goes to a notification centre, not directly to your rescuers. They all use similar protocols. The GEOS alert centre is quite likely the most secure operation centre of all.

Spot 3 has a few new features other than longer battery life.
I recently bought a Spot 2 and was annoyed to find I could have waited a month or so for the new one, until I decided I didn't really need the new features.

Spot 3 is not stuck on 10 minutes signals, it can track at 2.5, 5, 10, 30, 60 minutes. Although shorter times might be nice, the 10 minutes is OK.
It doesn't turn itself off after 24 hrs, probably because it has longer battery life, but my walks are all day-walks so that's no advantage for me.
To save power overnight it does not send signals if it hasn't moved since the last signal,to avoid overlaid spots. This is nice if you sit around for long periods or forget to turn it off overnight, but since I walk by myself, the best indicator my wife has that I have collapsed with a heart attack would be several spots in the same position because I'm not moving. So this feature would be a serious defect for my use.

I take a separate PLB with me because the SPOT signal doesn't get through in a lot of places, sometimes not even walking around the suburbs of Launceston (big skyscrapers here). I'm really only interested in the Tracking function, so my family can tell where I am (and whether I am still moving).