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Spot Tracking Device

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RMK7SledHead

Well-known member
Oct 20, 2001
806
231
43
Spent the last couple weeks criss-crossing the country via airplane to go to the Sun-n-Fun airshow in Lakeland, FL. Had some good adventures along the way, and as always, learned a lot too.

Bought my spot in January and it went on the trip with me. Paid for the unlimited tracking, and MAN this is one fine piece of equipment! When combining the Spot tracking with flight aware, my family knew where our plane was at ALL TIMES! Talk about reassurance for the ones left on the ground!

Ended up talking to the VP or Spot's aviation division at the show...his claim to me was that they never even talked to pilots when coming up with the spot, and now pilots are their biggest market. Found out why it doesn't have certain features, and that the next version will incorporate some cool new stuff (I pushed him hard for a full keyboard for texting!) but will obviously cost more too.

In the end, after seeing how the tracking works, my Dad, my Grandpa, my Uncle, and my cousin all have them too. Cheap insurance for the "what if's".

Track of our flight to Florida and back...one mark every 10 minutes.
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Where it rode in the ES on the way to FL:
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and on the Turbine Evolution on the way back:
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spottrack2.jpg spot8.jpg.jpg spot48.jpg.jpg
 
W
Nov 2, 2001
3,460
279
83
Boise, Id
Imagine how the search would have been different if Fosset had one of those going when he disappeared.

Did you check some of the data to see how many updates you missed. Shouldn't have missed any in a plane. On the ground, I miss most.
 
R

RMK7SledHead

Well-known member
Oct 20, 2001
806
231
43
didn't miss a single mark on the way to Florida. Flying south-east it always had a good look at the southern sky. On the way back, once we left Vegas and turned North, it missed 3 or 4 marks along the way.

It may have helped Fosset if he had had the tracking turned on. From people who were at the search, most think he died in the air, long before hitting the ground.
 
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lucky13

Active member
Nov 26, 2007
420
25
28
northern utah
your right about what a great unit thet are ive been using mine, weve been finding new places to ride for next year and ive been hitting the ok button then printing it out when i get home
 
R

RMK7SledHead

Well-known member
Oct 20, 2001
806
231
43
my bad oon. Was there for almost two weeks too. Spent a couple nights in Tampa Bay...some decent trim running around that place.
 
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Dobber1

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
3,836
784
113
Colorado
Last week, went riding with a guy who had a SPOT. He's telling us that it doesn't work (pick up a signal) when it's in his coat pocket, backpack or windshield bag. So he decides to clip it to the top of his windshield in order for it to get signal. Well....on our way back down the mountain, he notices it's gone. Asked him how long ago he thinks he remembers seeing it and he says last stop about 15 minsutes ago. After a short trip backtracking without any luck, he calls home, gets his son to logon to website and get the info from the last contact point. We enter that into a GPS and find SPOT laying on the snow next to the trail in just a few minutes. You could see his tracks where he cut a little close to a tree and got knocked off. No real info. here, just using SPOT to find SPOT. :confused:
 
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