Re: [Paddlewise] SPOT anxiety

Craig,
I phoned SPOT customer services this morning; told them I write safety 
reviews of kayak incidents and had presently recommended their devices after 
the loss of a BC kayaker on the coast; therefore, wanted to follow up on 
current feedback on their device. Furthermore, the nature of my call was 
that this feedback from various sources suggested that the OKAY message 
doesn't always get through causing unnecessary concern for family members 
monitoring the user's progress and that they were then alerting the 
authorities prematurely. This appears to be a growing concern for the Coast 
Guard and SAR authorities who increasing have to deal with these false 
alarms.

The customer care representative was not aware of the issue, has not heard 
about any systemic issues arising from the growing popularity of the device 
with regard to rescue personal being concerned over the above scenario, and 
he reminded/cautioned users to try and place themselves in a geographically 
conducive position to ensure the signal gets out.

So, that was the answer I got from SPOT.

Doug Lloyd

> As long as the user and the contacts all understand what is being
> communicated by SPOT there should be no problem. SPOT should work just 
> fine
> as a trip diary. The only possible problem is that reports from your email
> contacts saying that you have not sent an "I'm ok" message for two days 
> will
> likely be ignored if too many bogus reports are received.
>
> Of course, using a Garmin 76CSX (or many other makes and models) will do 
> the
> same thing if you just download the trip records to your computer and then
> upload them to the appropriate website. Several of the guys on WCP do this
> and don't pay a monthly fee for it either.
>
> I agree that keeping track of your trips can make the trip even more fun
> afterwards. SPOT isn't the only way to do this but it is the only method
> that will summon help if used appropriately. I suspect that USCG will only
> respond to the SPOT 911 reports from the GEOS response center when they 
> get
> an emergency signal from a SPOT. This means that you had better keep your
> SPOT's batteries well charged so that if you do get into an emergency the
> unit can see a satellite and send the message when you punch the right
> button.
>
>
> Craig Jungers
> Moses Lake, WA
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