Re: [Paddlewise] SPOT anxiety

>> No, I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who are too cheap to pay
>> up.  Sure, there are other reasons SPOT can fail, and I can understand
>> issues there, but your "free alternatives" comment does bug me.
>
> Whew! That's pretty hefty rhetoric. People who don't buy SPOT and pay their
> $100 to $150 a year are "too cheap to pay up"? SPOT may be a great fit for
> some people but not a good fit at all for others. Why should everyone have
> to pay?

They're too cheap if they don't buy it because they're not willing to
spend the money but they still expect people to come find them,
wherever they might be, if they go missing.  Not only can the user
send an OK message, but in case of emergency it gives the location
within feet - a major issue for the "search" part of search and
rescue.  (And let me say that I'm not tied to this product - a PLB or
EPIRB has different but similar functionality, without the annual
subscription fee.)

If they don't feel it's a good fit for them , I don't have a problem
with that, but yes, I do think it's irresponsible if there's a device
like this available that can help and they don't make use of it
because they aren't willing to spend $100/year.

(Also, it is $100/year for service, not $100 to $150 - the extra $50
tracking feature is not even relevant here.)
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