The Great Big SPOT Thread

yep everything is extra...for this years subscriptions because of our up and coming trip...will cost us over $200 for almost all that they offer...better be safe then sorry....Alaska, Yukon and NWT here we come!

Hey Dr. getting a little worried this SPOT may not show up.....usually does not take this long to Canada...I guess there is no way of you tracking it eh? USPS seems to loose the parcel after it may hit the border.

If you have a USPS tracking number: I have been able to continue tracking on the Canada Post site using that same number.

Interesting did not know you can track USPS stuff on Canada Post. Will try when I get home from work. Thanks! How long have you been waiting for delivery? Me? Almost a month.

I just tried the tracking number on the Canada Post site and it came up empty. It sure is taking a long time...

Good Friday is a statutory holiday in the Great White North. Post Office closed today and Easter Monday. Could be the problem re updates.

Got it, so getting set up with a transponder and a subscription will run me about $250 I guess.... yow... I know better safe than sorry, but it makes me question if I'll actually need it.

think of it like insurance....

You can also get a full-blown PLB for about the same cost. 250-300 and they have a 5 year lifespan. One big plus with the spot is medevac insurance for like $7.95 or something ridiculous like that.

You won't need it until that one day when you need it really badly. (Pray it works for you then)

Mine has always worked for me but I've only ever had to send OK messages.

Hey Baja B check this out.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15744715&postcount=28

Baja B read this too though:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15751004&postcount=29

OOoops.

Any SPOT 2 units purchased for $149.99 or more from May 1 through July 31, 2011 are eligible for a $50 mail-in rebate from the manufacturer. Details here.

This means that they may refuse to send a rebate if you purchase a SPOT 2 for less than $149.99. (I've had to raise my price so you can be sure to get the discount.)

After reading several posts along the lines of "my SPOT works for a while and then stops reporting my position" I wanted to pass on my SPOT II experience.


I bought one of the first production SPOT IIs and then received the recall notification that there was a battery problem: the unit either drains batteries very quickly or incorrectly reports batteries are drained. I never experienced any problem with my SPOT II, battery or otherwise. It always worked perfectly so I didn't return it. After having the unit for almost a year, SPOT sent me a letter saying if I didn't return it by date X, they would terminate my service. I returned the unit and about a week later, I received a replacement.

I would run the new one for 8-10 hours while riding and all the lights indicated the unit was always functioning normally. The problem was after about 3-4 hours it would stop sending position updates. I then tested it by leaving it on the dash of my car during work for a couple of days. Every day after about 3-4 hours it stopped updating my position but all the lights indicated normal operation.

I called SPOT and told them what the problem was. The bad news was they had no record of me getting a new unit through their mandatory recall program and said my unit (what they thought was still my original unit) was out of the warranty period. The good news is I had purchased their "insurance policy" so they sent me yet another one which cost me 30 USD. This third unit works perfectly.

If you're SPOT II looks like it's always working but your position stops updating, it's possible the unit is bad.

Ok whats wrong with my search function here on advrider.com??

When I search for threads regarding the SPOT unit nothing comes up. I cant be the only one on here that want to know more about this unit.

Can anyone direct me to threads where this unit is debated? Or those of you who know about this unit please tell about your experienses with it.

spot tracking unit site:advrider.com

Our search function is lame so I always use Google:

xxxxxxx site:advrider.com

Going on a 4 day solo trip next week so thought I'd better look into getting a Spot2. Did a little search and saw how Best Buy had them on sale for like $99 (no waiting for the rebate) and found one online at a local store. Off I go this AM and here's the shelf tag...




Humm...is this a Spot1 I think, nope sez Spot2. Seems too good to be true.





Looks like a good score for me! $37.09 OTD and to boot I had a $25 BB gift card I was wondering what I was going to do with. $12 bucks out of pocket.

This one came with the little accessory kit and a 15% service discount.

If you're in the market ya might want to act fast.

From the box:
Manufacturer's Warranty: 1 Day Parts & Labor.

Misprint? or?

That looks like a misprint on the part of Best Buy (it's on the shelf tag, not the box itself). In the US, at least, SPOT devices are covered under a 1-year warranty, regardless of price.