> I totally disagree that the SPOT usefulness is limited to SAR. I never > had the impression that it's primary purpose or a main purpose was for > SAR. Satellite links are not reliable enough nor are internet > connections or systems that use the system. Satellites often do not > pick up signals in canyons. I'm not sure where this idea came from that > SPOT is primarily (or in any way significantly) used for SAR. > > I have lots of photos of terrific vacation spots, some of locations that > I no longer recall where those photos were taken. SPOT can be a > terrific tool to use to reference vacation photos or just log the > location of places you visited but may not have photographed. Referencing by waypoints marked with SPOT will not work if there is no clear southern sky view, i.e. where GPS, PLB or sat phone don't (with minor variations depending on how many satellites are serving, say, GPS, but not sat phone and vice versa). Though, I suspect that most communication satellites serve all these devices. GPS provides route with waypoints and dates, overimposed on the map, and everybody carries GPS these days. Without SPOT or without internet connection (often available at marinas) you can't email this route to your friends, but even with SPOT this is an extra subscription charge and not everybody will want to make that much waves in their trips. As I understand Craig explanations, there are 2 SPOT functions that are not available in PLB or GPS and are not intended primarily to trigger SAR: "Help needed" and "I'm OK". I am not sure how exactly the first function can be useful (who and how willl know what non-emergency help is needed - gas, flat tire etc), but may be it is useful. Friends may phone local AAA or police and ask to check such and such section of such and such highway, or hop into their car and check on those who send the message. Second function is useful mostly to keep family from anxiety, but as it's been mentioned, this very funciton or it malfunciton may cause the anxiety and trigger unncecessary SAR. (And the first function - "help needed" may also cause friends and family to panic and call SAR). *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun Jul 20 2008 - 14:43:21 PDT
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