I fired my Spot up after not using it for just over a year and I don't get a GPS light at all, just the power button flashing green. I have tried powering it up and down several times. I have checked my account and it shows we are paid up and active. Any ideas ?
The unit itself doesn't know if you're paid up or not, so that will not affect if the light blinks. Leave it on and outside in the open for a long time, like half hour to give it plenty of time to get a GPS lock, then check the light. Also, try new batteries.
What happens when you press the Check-In/OK button? I believe you won't see a GPS light unless you press one of the message buttons.
+1. If your SPOT has been powered off for over a year, it could take a while before it gets a lock on the GPS sats. You need to give it a good view of the sky while sitting still and then at least 30mins to an hour to let it track the sats and get a lock. Then try sending an OK or Custom Message and see if it goes through.
It seems that the problem may have been misreading the instructions on how they work. I thought the GPS light came on once it was powered up and had found satellites but it appears it only comes on when you send a message. I sent an OK meesage and the message went through and the GPS light came on when it sent the message followed by the message sending light, so all is well.
HEy all. collecting gear for a summer tour of stupidity and picked up my GEN 3 and so far i like it. fastest gps aquisition was 60 seconds, longest was about 4 minutes in the car...
I love my Spot (gen 1), works great and unlike the new models, the batteries last a full season. I mostly just use it for the tracking feature but its nice to know that it has 9-1-1 button should the need arise. The problem is the Help button. It will notify my emergency contacts but the problem is that if I'm using the Spot, they likely are 100's if not 1000's of miles away and aren't in any position to provide any meaningful help. This is where the AssistanceList came from. It utilizes your Spot Trackers Help button to notify other list members that are within a 50 mile radius that you require assistance. I launched the website a year ago and just the advrider list is well over 200 members. It's crowd-sourced help, so the more inmates that sign up, the more useful the list becomes. It's free (supported by donations), is telephony enabled, global and goes to great lengths to protect your privacy. You can graphically see it's coverage in the thread under Trip Planning/Americas as I upload 'heatmaps' on a monthly basis. So in the interest of growing the advrider list, I'm extending the invite to all the Spot users in this thread to feel free to sign up.
<TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="WIDTH: 6.25in; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 border=0> <TBODY> <TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"> <TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0> <TBODY> <TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" colSpan=3> </TD> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" rowSpan=2> </TD></TR> <TR style="HEIGHT: 39pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; HEIGHT: 39pt; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"> </TD> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; HEIGHT: 39pt; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"> </TD> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; HEIGHT: 39pt; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; WIDTH: 128.25pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=171> </TD></TR> <TR> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=134></TD> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=115></TD> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=171></TD> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=180></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR> <TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"> <TD style="BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> http://www.findmespot.com/downloads/..._tearsheet.pdf This device requires a service plan. Click here for details. SPOT Trace - Theft-Alert Tracking Device Using 100% satellite technology, SPOT Trace tracks your most valuable assets virtually anywhere in the world, on your phone or computer. Affordable and easy to use, SPOT Trace is a no-brainer for your cars, boats, motorcycles, toys and other valuables. SPOT Trace Message Options and Modes: Tracking: View your asset's GPS coordinates on a SPOT Shared Page or our app*. Movement Alerts: Receive notifications when SPOT's vibration sensor detects your asset has new movement. Dock Mode: Configure your device to track an asset that is primarily stored on the water. Power Off Message: Receive a notification if your device is powered off. Low Battery Message: Receive a notification when the device's batteries are low. Status Message: Receive a once per day alert, to let you know your asset is secure. Included with SPOT Trace: (4) AAA Energizer® Ultimate Lithium 8x batteries (L92) Line power with a 5v USB connection (NOT waterproof) Mounting Accessories: Reversible mounting bracket Industrial strength double-sided tape Adhesive grip pad Adhesive Velcro strips
does any body know of any vouchers for tracking on the spot,i am just about to sign up for a five or six week ride.cheers foggyred
Take a look at the inReach SE as a possibility. I looked at every device out there, and bought the SE as a solution for my needs. Lots of good info on the site here if you use the Search function; all the devices have their postiives and negatives.
Thanks. If you scroll back a few entries on my page, you'll see a couple of quick writeups on the SE. Good luck on finding a solution for you.
I have a Gen3 that I like a lot, so far no problems sending out messages. Easy to set custom messages for each of the sending features. Most of all it gives my family a piece of mind. I also like the SPOT GEOS insurance I priced out a few different policies and this one was much cheaper. https://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=104 with reasonable benefits. Nothing bad to say about it yet.
Must be several thousand posts concerning Spot Messengers...use the 'search' if you have not already.. Also just for your education and to make an informed decision check out the PLBs. I use this one but everyone has an opinion and individual needs; mine is for use only if I need rescuing and it is life threating...since I travel solo...this is why I choose it....their website does a good job of explaining what a PLB does and how it differs from a Spot type tracker.. http://www.acrartex.com/products/catalog/personal-locator-beacons/microfix-406-(m)/ Spots use commercial satellites, charge an annual fee and have several functions...PLBs have no annual fee, use military satellites world wide and have fewer functions and are registered with US Government SAR Center [like old EPIRBs].. Folks get religious about this topic...but just for me my selection was based on the highest probability of being rescued in the shortest time...not for tracking me... Either way you get a safety-net....good luck. Phil
I think it all depends on what you want out of it. If you want to ride where there's great overhead view of the sky (as in, not heavily forested) to track your location for people to see online and coordinate a rescue for you...then the Spot or the DeLorme InReach SE are the way to go. If you want government Search and Rescue to be sent your GPS coordinates and an active locator beacon to zero in on you in the event of a critical emergency, then a personal locator beacon (PLB) is the way to go. Just went through the pros/cons for my own purchase of a device, bought the ACR ResQLink from the gpsstore.com for $249. If you buy right now, ACR has a rebate offer where they'll send you a dry bag, signal mirror, strobe light, and a 1 year membership to the 406link site. I sent in my paperwork and got my stuff within 10 days. Website says it's good through May 31st. http://www.acrartex.com/landing/2014-spring-promo/