On Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 12:39:06 PM UTC-4, Steve Koerner wrote:
When I've looked at other pilot's Spot tracking output, the majority are quite unreliable in the sense that a significant portion of the transmitted track points are not being received by the Globalstar satellite network. I think this largely stems from a failure to appreciate what a 'clear view of the sky' really means. It is not the overhead sky that matters. IT IS THE 360 DEGREE VIEW OF THE HORIZON THAT IS IMPORTANT.

I recently purchased a Delorme Inreach. I was in a hurry to leave for a contest, so I just signed up for one of the mass-market plans (there are special, aviation plans that offer more frequent fixes). I've been very impressed.

- The device itself has rechargable battery that seems to offer many hours worth of transmitting.
- It's easy to tell that it's working.
- It's worked very reliably on every flight I've made.
- Not only that, it's worked quite reliably tucked into my electronics box in the back of the car on the ride home (have forgotten to shut it off several times).

Looking at some of the log files from Mifflin for example, I'm confident that in the worst case, folks would know within a reasonable area where to start looking. Hopefully my old ELT would be working or better yet I'd be in a position to activate the PLB attached to my parachute, but the Delorme seems to be much more reliable than the Spots that my friends use.

As for Joe, I can't say enough how much I enjoyed meeting him a few years ago. I was the CD at Fairfield and we had a pretty significant ridge task. As is sometimes the case for people new to the ridge country, Joe ended up on the wrong ridge late in the day and landed out... way out. When he got back well after dark, instead of being annoyed or frustrated, he was as happy and excited as could be. He was a very nice man, and I'm greatly saddened by this news.

P3