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Spot or InReach ??



 
 
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  #31  
Old May 11th 18, 11:46 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Paul Remde
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Posts: 1,691
Default Spot or InReach ??

The new SPOT X looks very, very interesting. The some data plans include unlimited tracking at 2.5 minute intervals and unlimited messeging. I sent them an email asking whether or not the unit sends altitude with the tracking messages.

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
___________________________________________

On Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 6:54:41 PM UTC-5, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
6.5x 2.9 x 0.9 inches 7 oz Look at REI's web site

On Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 4:06:49 PM UTC-7, Ron Gleason wrote:
On Thursday, 10 May 2018 16:12:13 UTC-6, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
New data:

https://www.findmespot.com/spotx/lan...paign=SPOTX_PR


Looks like a reincarnated Blackberry phone! Looked around web site and could not find exact dimensions.
Ron


  #32  
Old May 11th 18, 02:31 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
JS[_5_]
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Posts: 624
Default Spot or InReach ??

Reliable coverage is a feature of InReach which SPOT will unlikely equal, unless they change satellite systems.
After switching to InReach, I went to a less expensive yet more internationally useful mobile phone carrier, knowing that texts can always be sent and received from the middle of nowhere. Savings were greater than the InReach subscription.
Jim
  #33  
Old May 11th 18, 02:34 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tango Eight
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Posts: 962
Default Spot or InReach ??

On Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 6:12:13 PM UTC-4, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
New data:

https://www.findmespot.com/spotx/lan...paign=SPOTX_PR


Glad to see Spot finally gets it. Competition is good. Interested to see how the real world service holds up.

T8
  #34  
Old May 11th 18, 04:51 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Jonathan St. Cloud
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Posts: 1,463
Default Spot or InReach ??

On Friday, May 11, 2018 at 6:31:45 AM UTC-7, JS wrote:
Reliable coverage is a feature of InReach which SPOT will unlikely equal, unless they change satellite systems.
After switching to InReach, I went to a less expensive yet more internationally useful mobile phone carrier, knowing that texts can always be sent and received from the middle of nowhere. Savings were greater than the InReach subscription.
Jim


Global star has invested about $1billion in upgrading their satellites to gen 2. Their data rates are faster than Iridium and their coverage has much expanded. A recent Sat Phone review noted that Globalstar phones were less likely to drop calls than Iridium in North America. The reviewer thought it was because Globalstar satellites orbit about twice as high as Iridium, so more coverage per satellite.

With the new Spot X I renewed my plan at $214 for the year, 5 minute tracking, 300 txt per year. What sold me was the 5 minute trace, over the ten minute trace from InReach plans. Also the keyboard looks easy to use without reading glasses.
  #35  
Old May 11th 18, 05:01 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Brian[_1_]
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Posts: 399
Default Spot or InReach ??

I skipped the Spot 2 version for just that reason, lower battery life and seemed less reliable than the Spot 1.

I did upgrade to a Spot 3 last year. When Placed flat with a clear view of the sky as recommended. I rarely had any issues with it. Flopping around vertically in the pouch on my parachute the tracking is be less reliable but acceptable.

I have research Spot saves and failures. I have only found a couple instances where Spot 911 feature didn't work as well as expected and it wasn't hardware performance that caused the issues. Here are a couple examples.

1. 911 pushed in Mexico after an Auto Accident. There was no clear authority to notify in the area, or if they were notified they didn't do anything about it.

2. 911 Pushed after boat ran into a reef in the ocean. While a single 911 signal was received, the GPS location was not. The Spot failed to send any more data after the single 911 signal, likely because it was in the water. SPOT notified the contacts but could not tell them where the boat was located. Was 12 hours later before someone thought to see if tracking has been enabled and checking it. It was and they actually had the boats location within 10 minutes prior to the accident. There were no survivors.

3. Piper Super Cub crashed on landing, Spot was launched through the windshield into tall grass. Took the pilot over an hour to find it. Once found it worked just fine.

There are many examples where Spot 911 feature worked great. I agree reasonably reliable tracking should be expected, but to expect it the spot needs to mounted/positioned as recommended. Increasing annual fees of the Spot do have me looking at alternatives with more features but I haven't found other options to be very feasible with out significantly more cost due to the amount I use my Spot. But I keep looking for better options.

Brian
  #36  
Old May 11th 18, 08:05 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Default Spot or InReach ??

does anyone know if the nex Spot X has the actual attitude in the tracking points? That was another differentiator with inReach.

Rick
  #37  
Old May 13th 18, 01:51 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
2G
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Default Spot or InReach ??

On Friday, May 11, 2018 at 12:05:16 PM UTC-7, wrote:
does anyone know if the nex Spot X has the actual attitude in the tracking points? That was another differentiator with inReach.

Rick


There is no mention whatsoever about altitude in their advertising or the Spot X manual, so I would say no.

Tom
  #38  
Old May 13th 18, 03:38 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Steve Koerner
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Posts: 430
Default Spot or InReach ??


There is no mention whatsoever about altitude in their advertising or the Spot X manual, so I would say no.

Tom


Yes, no mention of altitude in the crappy little manual that's currently posted; but there is mention of transmitting elevation if a certain box is checked. Unless there's an onboard database of elevations everywhere, I'm thinking that might actually correspond to transmitting altitude in our use case. We'll have to see. I know Globalstar has been quite thoroughly admonished on the need for altitude reporting for aviation tracking use. It would be awful surprising if they blow that again.
  #39  
Old May 13th 18, 06:04 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Darryl Ramm
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Default Spot or InReach ??

On Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 7:38:43 PM UTC-7, Steve Koerner wrote:
There is no mention whatsoever about altitude in their advertising or the Spot X manual, so I would say no.

Tom


Yes, no mention of altitude in the crappy little manual that's currently posted; but there is mention of transmitting elevation if a certain box is checked. Unless there's an onboard database of elevations everywhere, I'm thinking that might actually correspond to transmitting altitude in our use case. We'll have to see. I know Globalstar has been quite thoroughly admonished on the need for altitude reporting for aviation tracking use. It would be awful surprising if they blow that again.


That only seems to apply as a setting for messages, and I took that as a likely settings that are intended to let you control wether coordinate and elevation data is included in your messages, especially since they are also the mechanism where you post to social media.

The device would not need to know elevation data, all it needs to to is set a single bit in those messages that tell the SPOT back-end service to include Google Maps elevation data or not... that's where SPOT today gets tracking elevation data. And they today call 'elevation", hopefully if it was reporting altitude they would not confusingly use "elevation" to also mean "altitude".

Somebody should ping SPOT and ask them, but I'm with Tom here (shock :-)) that if this device included altitude data surely they would promote that at the launch. or even if they were adding it in future they would say so since it's a competitive win for inReach today. it may just be that this is a desire of such a small market they just don't care.

It's intersting/amusing how Spot and Garmin are competing here. Both zig zagging into each other's territory. Gamin went small and just announced the inReach mini I assume in large part to compete with the smaller SPOT Gen 3 trackers for things like the hiking/outdoor market. And Spot then launches the larger Spot X with keyboard and two way messaging targeting the messaging capability of inReach. And they have a big ass keyboard which is nice if you want to use that (the inReach menu/navigation/built in message creation is pretty much a PITA), but no bluetooth smart phone pairing which does works great with inReach, I'm guessing to to keep battery life good, and maybe reduce software development/support complexity.

  #40  
Old May 13th 18, 01:00 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Paul Remde
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Posts: 1,691
Default Spot or InReach ??

I asked my SPOT rep. whether the unit sends altitude data. He first said "Yes. It sends altitude data in messages." - Which I think means a message from person to person. But when I asked whether it can send altitude data with every tracking message, he said he'd check with the technical experts and get back to me. I'll post here when I find-out.

The unit can post to social media sites like Facebook, and it has a built-in digital compass.

I still like the color maps on my Garmin inReach Explorer+ for emergency "hike out" situations. But I only need that when I fly in remote areas in the Western USA. I don't need it when flying over farmland in Minnesota.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

On Sunday, May 13, 2018 at 12:04:07 AM UTC-5, Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 7:38:43 PM UTC-7, Steve Koerner wrote:
There is no mention whatsoever about altitude in their advertising or the Spot X manual, so I would say no.

Tom


Yes, no mention of altitude in the crappy little manual that's currently posted; but there is mention of transmitting elevation if a certain box is checked. Unless there's an onboard database of elevations everywhere, I'm thinking that might actually correspond to transmitting altitude in our use case. We'll have to see. I know Globalstar has been quite thoroughly admonished on the need for altitude reporting for aviation tracking use. It would be awful surprising if they blow that again.


That only seems to apply as a setting for messages, and I took that as a likely settings that are intended to let you control wether coordinate and elevation data is included in your messages, especially since they are also the mechanism where you post to social media.

The device would not need to know elevation data, all it needs to to is set a single bit in those messages that tell the SPOT back-end service to include Google Maps elevation data or not... that's where SPOT today gets tracking elevation data. And they today call 'elevation", hopefully if it was reporting altitude they would not confusingly use "elevation" to also mean "altitude".

Somebody should ping SPOT and ask them, but I'm with Tom here (shock :-)) that if this device included altitude data surely they would promote that at the launch. or even if they were adding it in future they would say so since it's a competitive win for inReach today. it may just be that this is a desire of such a small market they just don't care.

It's intersting/amusing how Spot and Garmin are competing here. Both zig zagging into each other's territory. Gamin went small and just announced the inReach mini I assume in large part to compete with the smaller SPOT Gen 3 trackers for things like the hiking/outdoor market. And Spot then launches the larger Spot X with keyboard and two way messaging targeting the messaging capability of inReach. And they have a big ass keyboard which is nice if you want to use that (the inReach menu/navigation/built in message creation is pretty much a PITA), but no bluetooth smart phone pairing which does works great with inReach, I'm guessing to to keep battery life good, and maybe reduce software development/support complexity.


 




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